“The Alamo.” What can I say about “The Alamo?” It was long, it was a movie, it starred some pretty good actors, but it basically dropped the ball.
As the title suggests, “The Alamo” deals with the last stand at the Alamo in 1836, where less than 300 men defended the fort for 13 days against insurmountable odds. Sounds like a good story, huh?
The film even had such historical figures as Sam Houston (Dennis Quaid), Jim Bowie (Jason Patric) and Davy Crockett (Billy Bob Thornton). What can be bad about that?
It even had a villain everyone would love to hate, Generalissimo Antonio Miguel Lopez de Santa Anna (Emilio Echevarvia) — big name for a big ego. The General prowled through his scenes with an eerie smile not unlike Alice in Wonderland's Cheshire Cat. What's wrong with that?
Each part was good on its own, but things started to go downhill when you put everything together. It was slow, it was boring and it tried to be “Braveheart,” but failed dismally.
I don't know what else to say about this movie, except see it at your own risk.
But, seriously, you don't have to take my word for it. If you want to see it, see it. If you don't, don't. But, if you don't like it, “I told ya so!” And, if you do like it, don't send me any hate mail.
“The Alamo” is rated PG-13 “for sustained intense battle sequences,” so isn't recommended for younger viewers.
The other movie I saw was “Kill Bill Vol. 2.” Those of you who saw “Kill Bill Vol. 1” will remember the story. The Bride (Uma Thurman) wakes from a four-year coma, bent on revenge against the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, of which she used to be a member. The squad, led by the elusive Bill (David Carradine), killed her husband-to-be and entire bridal party at the Two Pines Wedding Chapel. They left the pregnant Bride AKA Black Mamba for dead.
In the first film, The Bride, with the help of a samurai sword made by legendary sword-maker Hattori Hanzo (Sonny Chiba), kills Vernita Green AKA Copperhead (Vivica A. Fox) and O-Ren Ishii AKA Cottonmouth (Lucy Liu). This second film deals with the final two members of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, Elle Driver AKA California Mountain Snake (Daryl Hannah) and Budd AKA Sidewinder (Michael Madsen).
The second film is not nearly as bloody as the first. It focuses more on psychological drama than bloody violence. It focused more on the characters and plot.
It's obvious that Quentin Tarantino, who wrote and directed both films, got his inspiration from Kung Fu theater. The Bride's master, Pai Mei (Gordon Liu voiced by Tarantino), who trained her in tiger claw style and sported a very long white beard, was directly out of Kung Fu theater.
It's no surprise how “Kill Bill Vol. 2” ends. Just look at the title. But, there were a few surprises thrown in that I certainly wasn't expecting and that really added to the movie. Don't worry, I'm not going to spoil it for you. I will tell you, though, that I've heard rumors of two more movies dealing with Bill and The Bride, an anime prequel about Bill himself and a film sequel featuring the children of some of the characters from the first two. Sounds interesting.
“Kill Bill Vol. 2” is rated R “for violence, language and brief drug use,” so is only recommended for the maturest of viewers.
Personally, I though the film was pretty good. Tarantino has a different way of doing things that can either be really weird or almost genius, I'm not sure which. As a whole, the “Kill Bill” series is great. The two films separately aren't as amazing as the whole thing put together.
Hitting GKC Varsity Cinema over the next few weeks are “13 going on 30,” “Man on Fire,” “Envy,” “Godsend” and “Laws of Attraction.”
For those of you who love a bargain: GKC Varsity Cinema in the Sault has B.Y.O.B. every Tuesday. No, it's not “beer,” it's “bucket,” as in, Bring Your Own Bucket, any size, any shape (as long as it fits on your lap) and they'll fill it for only fifty cents. Did you hear that? FIFTY CENTS! You can't beat a deal like that!
