Kill Bill Vol. 1
I am still thinking about this movie.
I saw it twice in the theaters and it continues to haunt me. A discussion about the merits of the film emerged when I compared the visceral pleasures to the performances Survival Research Laboratories. I believe that there is much more to the film than the kinetic hyper-violence/gore and the ultra-hip stylistic posturing that composes its superficial aesthetic. But regardless of the critical analyses that we throw at pop culture, we ultimately have a binary emotional attitude: we either love it or hate it.
I personally love it.
It was designed for the Immersive Lab, specifically with regard to the downward looking fisheye video camera and the projectors.
I wrote that about a year ago while taking a Japanese class and using my forerunner 405. The grammar is quite remedial and I am sure that Tatsu will amused to read it.
Listening to the soundtrack, a song called “The Lonely Shepherd” came on, I remembered it clearly from the movie, it’s the last song played during the final montage and it encapsulates the coolness of kitsch when infused with production value, it deftly references the archetypal structures of the genre flick in avis consommateur without succumbing to them, and it uses the forelorn pan piping of Zamfir. Zamfir! Seriously. I laugh at the same time as I am totally engaged by it.
I found this entry when searching for “zamfir kill bill”:
Kill Bill and the Wave of Globalization
Even if you hate the film. This is an interesting reading of it. The animated flashback alone, by the justly venerated Japanese studio, Production I.G., is a brilliant collaboration that could easily have overwhelmed any other film, but here, it is wholly appropriate to the genre-savvy nature of Kill Bill Vol. 1 and simply destroys any interpretation of the movie as singularly “American”.
Lastly, if QT films have staying power in the cultural consciousness, then it is not in the clever dialogue (that some critics and fans have lamented is lacking in Kill Bill Vol. 1… and admittedly it is, but the movie is not about that style of dialogue! It’s too bad that expectations can cause such resistance.) but in the indelible fusing of the soundtrack and the images that is only paralleled in my opinion by the work of Stanley Kubrick. Just as Blue Danube Waltz, and Singing in the Rain were transformed by 2001: A Space Odyssey and A Clockwork Orange, QT’s films absorb the soundtrack so effectively that I can no longer hear Misirlou or Stuck in the Middle with You without thinking of their associated scenes in Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs.
The project
The project is best understood as an experiment in ambient interactive media. The lines are drawn from the newest objects back to the oldest. The attempt to use the circling algorithm in the video tracking version failed due to the “multiplayer” aspect and somewhat erratic tracking in TTC. Implementing the task of “touching” targets that turn red and then multiply was admittedly a stopgap against the criticism that the “game” had no goal. Unsatisfying for both me and the faculty. Still. I stand by my original concept and I am pleased with the outcome of the video tracking as it maps movement over space and time.
Tuesday was the worst critique experience I have ever had. Perhaps I wouldn’t have been as disturbed had I not just sat through Will’s and Todd’s presentations (for the record, I liked their work). Inevitably I mentally compared the response that I received from the faculty to the ones that they had just gotten. I felt immediately defensive. The faculty had positive questions about future directions and concepts for the earlier projects and any shortcomings were encouraged with ideas about expansion. That atmosphere was not present at all for my project. And I have to admit that I was totally surprised and thrown off by this. My survival instinct took over. Not pleasant for anyone.
So what went wrong? The project was no less complete than the others. We all had gaps that we wanted to fill in but couldn’t given our time and current skills. Of course there are compromises in the creative process. That’s the reality of production, a necessity to put something out into the world. I’d like to think that it wasn’t personal, but it’s pretty hard to eliminate that thought when contrasting one’s perception of the differences in treatment back to back with other students.
Regarding the statement spoken near the end that was something like: “I probably sound more overly critical than I mean to.” My response is: “Yes. It sounded overly critical. I was offended.” I can take criticism. I have done it before and I will happily do it in the future. It’s critical to the creative process. I actually enjoy it when treated respectfully. But the critique I received was not constructive. If anyone present wanted to call me out for something else, like not putting enough time in to the project, slacking or anything of that ilk, then they should have done so, otherwise I expect to be treated with the same general respect. Trust me when I say that it is only out of respect that I express my disappointment here.
Don’t misunderstand this. I am neither bitter nor angry at this point. I don’t expect everyone to love everything that I do. I hold no grudges. It’s time to move on.