KILL BILL: THE WHOLE BLOODY AFFAIR (2025)

Written & directed by Quentin Tarantino



Where & When: Vista Theatre, Los Angeles, CA. December 5, 2025 11:30 AM



When Quentin Tarantino completed what would be his fourth feature film, "Kill Bill" back in 2003, this homage to his love of the martial arts films he watched as a kid clocked in at four hours in completed length. Harvey Weinstein, the then-head of production at Miramax that financed the film, strongly favored to have his films released at manageable runtimes. The mercurial Weinstein suggested that Tarantino split the film into two parts which the filmmaker certainly preferred instead of being forced to make extensive cuts. "Kill Bill: Volume 1" reached theaters on October 10th with "Volume 2" coming out six months later. And this proved to be a far more practical solution. I mean, what in the world could actually be cut out of the film that wouldn't leave this breathtaking revenge thriller narratively neutered. 

Now, the two separate films have been properly joined together as one, entitled, "Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair" and released for a theatrical run. I was at the first showing of the film on the first day of it's official release at the theater that Tarantino owns, the Vista in Los Angeles. The energy in that room was electrified and everyone was ready to settle in for the four and a half hours (including one intermission) of this cinematic thrill ride. And the film in many ways has actually been improved, now without any extensive interruption to distract from the wildly clever, brutally violent and absolutely bonkers experience that is tightly packed inside of Tarantino's ferocious, blood-splattered extravaganza.

Even with the film's current reconnection and enhancements, the story remains the same: Without a word, the Bride (Uma Thurman) suddenly left behind her life as a member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad lead by her lover, Bill (David Carradine). Tracked down during the rehearsal for her upcoming marriage at a small chapel in El Paso, Bill (codename: Snake Charmer) along with his crew, Copperhead (Vivica A. Fox), California Mountain Snake (Daryl Hannah), Sidewinder (Michael Madsen) and Cottonmouth (Lucy Liu) guns down the entire wedding party, killing everyone inside. As a pregnant Bride (codename: Black Mamba) lies wounded, she tries to inform Bill that he's the father but he shoots her in the head.

Left in a coma with a merciful Bill deciding it would be dishonorable to kill her while she's defenseless in the hospital, the Bride comes out of the mental hibernation four years later. Distraught over the loss of her child, she vows bloody revenge to kill Bill and the rest of the Deadly Vipers involved.

"Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair" had originally premiered during the Cannes Film Festival back in 2006. Tarantino later screened "The Whole Bloody Affair" a few years later in the first movie theater he would own, the New Beverly Cinema, a revival house in Los Angeles. There are some subtle changes found in this version with the use of alternate takes and the animated sequence that reveals the backstory of O-Ren (Cottonmouth) has been expanded to include the entire scene which was cut for time.

By the time he made "Kill Bill", Tarantino was even more confident and comfortable in his abilities as a filmmaker having achieved great success with his previous works, "Reservoir Dogs", "Pulp Fiction" and "Jackie Brown". Bestowed with plenty of accolades and prizes, he felt he could really begin to challenge some rules of conventional narratives, tackle subjects that are a bit more controversial and create his own thematic order. With "Kill Bill", Tarantino decided to go buck wild. Starting with an enjoyably farfetched plot, he pushed a non-linear story structure further, created some remarkable, memorable characters, incorporated elegantly rendered samurai sword fighting battles and pushed the blood and gore to unbelievable heights.

What this re-release of "Kill Bill" now brings into even sharper focus is the astonishing performance by Thurman and how she elevates the film through the sheer force of her radiant charisma and formidable physicality. As the Bride (aka Beatrix Kiddo), the statuesque actress is on screen for almost the entirety of the film as we watch her shrewdly plotting each step of her plan before rapidly and seemingly effortlessly putting her merciless scheme into motion. Taking on one combatant after the other, the Bride is raw, feral and deadly when facing an enemy (or an endless army of adversaries), using her razor sharp instincts to ultimately conquer and destroy. Yet she's still capable of letting down her guard to be soft, tender and even maternal when given the opportunity. It's by no means an exaggeration to state this is Thurman's greatest screen appearance, masterfully going above and beyond in this role of a lifetime.

I will admit that I tend not to be a big fan of films with excessive time lengths. My personal ideal of a perfect running time for a movie is, give or take, about two hours. My gripe is that often times when movies run well past this point (pushing thirty minutes and beyond) they tend to feel bloated, usually doing nothing more than simply making the film unnecessarily longer instead of enhancing the narrative. Now having stated this, "The Whole Bloody Affair" is certainly a film that earns every single second of its 270 minute runtime.

There is no question in my mind that Tarantino is an amazing talent and one of the most important filmmakers of all time. But this highly praised artist also has a narcissistic personality disorder and very large ego leaving him to believe that he can freely express his opinions no matter how wrong, offensive or downright cruel they might be. His recent personal attack on the talents of actor, Paul Dano is still shocking to me for it's lack of common courtesy and basic decency, especially considering Tarantino's position in the industry.

But none of this changes my opinion of Tarantino as a writer and director. His gift for taking the silly excesses of B-movies and adding his own singular spin on plot and characters is now legendary. There have been several misguided filmmakers who have attempted to duplicate the "Tarantino Effect". Yet most fail to understand that their brains simply have to be wired a certain way in order to even remotely come close to his extraordinarily profound cinematic style.

2023 CANNES FILM FESTIVAL

The 76th annual Cannes Film Festival is set to begin on May 16th through May 27th. With the legendary French actress, Catherine Deneuve featured on this year's promotional poster, using a photo from the set of her 1968 movie, "La Chamade (Heartbeat)", there are nineteen feature films selected to be screened in competition. Most of these new works are by an impressive list of international filmmakers who have previously appeared at Cannes: Karim Ainouz ("Firebrand"), Wes Anderson ("Asteroid City"), Marco Bellocchio ("Rapito (Kidnapped)"), Wang Bing ("Jeunesse"), Catherine Breillat ("L’Eté Dernier"), Nuri Bilge Ceylan ("About Dry Grasses"), Kaouther Ben Hania ("Four Daughters"), Jessica Hausner ("Club Zero"), Todd Hayes ("May, December"), Tran Anh Hung ("La Passion De Dodin Bouffant"), Aki Kaurismaki ("Fallen Leaves"), Hirokazu Kore-eda ("Monster"), Ken Loach ("The Old Oak"), Nanni Moretti ("Il Sol dell’Avvenire (A Brighter Tomorrow)"), Alice Rohrwacher ("La Chimera") and Wim Wenders ("Perfect Days").





And making their first major appearance on the Croisette in the main competition are Justine Triet with her fourth feature, "Anatomie d’Une Chute (Anatomy of a Fall)"; Ramata-Toulaye Sy, the French-Senegalese filmmaker will premiere with her debut feature film, "Banel & Adama" and Jonathan Glazer, the British director behind "Sexy Beast" and "Under The Skin", will appear for the first time in competition with his latest, "The Zone of Interest", based on the novel by Martin Amis.

Ruben Östlund, the two-time Palme d’Or winner whose most recent film, "Triangle of Sadness" became a worldwide success, has been picked to lead the Main Competition jury. The rest of this year's jurors will include Moroccan director Maryam Touzani; French actor Denis Ménochet; British-Zambian filmmaker, Rungano Nyoni: American actress, Brie Larson; American Actor, Paul Dano; Afghan filmmaker, Atiq Rahimi; Argentinian director, Damián Szifrón and French director, Julia Ducournau.

The festival opens with "Jeanne du Barry", the new film by Maïwenn, the French filmmaker and actor who won the Jury Prize at Cannes in 2011 for her film, "Polisse", who also stars in the title role. Based on the life of King Louis XV’s last royal mistress at the Court of Versailles, the film reveals how du Barry came from a working-class background and worked her way up the social ladder using her charm and beauty. This bio-pic features Pascal Greggory, Melvil Poupaud and Johnny Depp, making his first return to the screen in three years (and speaking French), as the King.



The Closing Night Film will be the latest animated faeture from Pixar , "Elemental". This film is set in the world of Element City where the elements of earth, fire, water and air live together in harmony. But when fire, Ember and water, Wade grow close, things become complicated for them because they cannot touch. "Elemental" will be released in US theaters on June 16th and in France on June 21st.



Out-of-Competition screenings will include the world premiere of Martin Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon". Based on the non-fiction book by David Grann, Leonardo DiCaprio stars in this story about a series of murders in the Osage Nation in Oklahoma during the 1920s, committed not long after oil was discovered on tribal land. Harrison Ford returns for the fifth time as his iconic character in "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny". James Mangold directs this latest adventure with Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas and Mads Mikkelsen co-starring. And the Spanish director, Pedro Almodvar makes his second English language project with another short film, "Strange Way of Life". This western focuses on a cowboy (Pedro Pascal) and a sheriff (Ethan Hawke) who were friendly twenty-five years ago when they worked together as hired gunmen. But the cowboy reveals that this reunion is not about catching up on old times.







Quentin Tarantino will attend Cannes Directors’ Fortnight as a guest of honor on May 25th for a special event that will feature a secret screening and a discussion on his views of cinema history that will expand upon his recent book, "Cinema Speculation". And Michael Douglas will receive the Honorary Palme D'Or this year. The American actor, who has been working for over fifty years and appeared in such films as "Fatal Attraction", "The China Syndrome", "Romancing the Stone", "The War of the Roses" and "Basic Instinct", will receive this honor on opening night with a previously unseen documentary, "Michael Douglas, The Prodigal Son" also being screened.

THE 20 BEST PERFORMANCES IN QUENTIN TARANTINO FILMS

No one should ever underestimate Quentin Tarantino. The idiosyncratic filmmaker's latest (and possibly final) feature, "Once Upon a Time in. . .Hollywood" surpassed box-office expectations by making over forty million dollars in it's opening weekend. Many had doubted the film being able to draw major crowds due to it being a historical drama (and an almost three hour one at that) and the late summer release date. But it became clear that audiences will be more than willing to turn out for a fresh and interesting movie on the big screen even if it doesn't involve special effects or costumed heroes.

In celebration of this grand achievement, Vulture has decided to look back on the brief yet highly influential filmography of Tarantino and rank the twenty top performances in them. The fifty-six year old writer/director has used some of the same actors in many of his films so it was decided to only use the best from each performer in one of his nine feature films.

Click below to read the article:

The Twenty Best Performances in Quentin Tarantino Films

THE 100 BEST SCREENWRITERS OF ALL TIME

I have always believed that if you don't have a complete, well-written script, you will never have a watchable film. This has been proven more times than not yet you would be amazed how many times a movie begins production (mostly due to a pre-set release date), investing millions of dollars, with a script that is not in any condition to actually begin shooting a film.

I think part of the problem is the screenwriter gets no respect. There is this odd, long-held thought process that writing for the cinema is not that hard, pretty much anyone can do it and screenwriters are incredibly overpaid for what they contribute to the film. This is obviously far from the truth and all you have to do is re-watch one of your favorite films or recall a classic line from a movie to realize that not just anyone can create these special moments in cinema. It requires a certain talent and writers are just as important as the actors and directors to make a film memorable and entertaining.

Vulture has put together a list of the 100 best screenwriters throughout the history of cinema and have been ranked by forty of today's top working screenwriters. Some of the usual suspects are included (Woody Allen, Quentin Tarantino, Preston Sturges, Nora Ephron, Charlie Kaufman) but there are names that may not be as well-known (Guillermo Arriaga, Leigh Brackett, Burt Kennedy, Charles Lederer, Jay Presson Allen) but have contributed greatly to the art of screenwriting.

Click below to read:

The 100 Best Screenwriters of All-Time Ranked

THE HATEFUL EIGHT (2015)

Written & Directed by Quentin Tarantino


Where & When: Arclight Cinemas, Hollywood, CA.  January 12, 2016 3:45 PM



"The Hateful Eight" is set over two hundred years ago, shortly after the Civil War. While there are horse-drawn coaches, six-shooters and grubby, cowboy drag, the latest film from writer/director Quentin Tarantino may take place in the wild west, an era of lawlessness and vigilantism but its really not really much of a western. This is the film maker's usual potent gab-fest which he uses different B-movie genres he admires to enhance his stories. Beginning with the crime thriller, "Reservoir Dogs" and followed by the black-comedy, "Pulp Fiction", martial arts actioner, "Kill Bill" and blaxploitation slavery drama, "Django Unchained", Tarantino has entertained with his unique brand of profanity-laced, biting dialogue, off-kilter plotting and brutal, bloody violence.

"The Hateful Eight" follows this familiar formula yet after eight films (if you count the separately released, two-part "Kill Bill" as one film) it's starting to feel overly routine and with a one hundred and eighty-seven minute run time, unnecessarily excessive. The film does look incredible thanks to the work of cinematographer Robert Richardson (who has been involved with the director since "Kill Bill"), shooting "Eight" with the rarely used 70mm wide-film format which delivers a breath-taking screen image. Tarantino impressively managed to get the eighty-seven year old Italian composer, Ennio Morricone, well-known for his work on westerns throughout the 1960's, to perform his magic here with his first score of a western since 1981.

Presented in six chapters, our story begins in rural Wyoming with a stagecoach racing through a snow-covered road attempting to beat an oncoming blizzard when it's stopped by Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson). A bounty hunter stranded with three wanted dead bodies, Warren requests a ride to the next town, Red Rock. The passenger is another bounty hunter, John Ruth (Kurt Russell) handcuffed to his combative, foul-mouthed fugitive, Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh) also trying to get to that town but in no mood to share a ride. However, the men had previously been acquainted and after sharing some remembrances including Warren's personal letter from Abraham Lincoln, Ruth welcomes him aboard.

Further down the road, another stranded man, Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins), a former Confederate solider, flags down the coach. Ruth doesn't trust this coincidence but Mannix claims to be the new sheriff of Red Rock. He persuades the reluctant bounty hunter that it would be in his best interest, since he's the law of that town, to let him on board.

Once they reach the stop-over called Minnie's Haberdashery, there's no sign of Minnie but there are several guests waiting to ride out the storm. There's Bob (Demián Bichir), known as "The Mexican", that was left in charge after the owner had to leave for an emergency. Oswaldo Mobray (Tim Roth), a Brit who just happens to be Red Rock's executioner. A man of few words, Joe Gage (Michael Madsen) is on his way to visit his ailing mother. And the grizzled, racist Confederate General (Bruce Dern) that Warren, a former major for the Union Army, is quite familiar with.

Since this is Tarantino's universe, you should expect unexpected twists and illogical turns as our story continues down to it's bombastic, bloody conclusion. There's nothing close to any good guys here, just morally-ambiguous men and blood-thirsty killers trapped together in a claustrophobic setting. As usual, Tarantino gleefully wallows in the depravity and savagery of these characters while having them deliver his thoughtfully witty banter. But this time, the enigmatic plot feels far too predictable to keep us fully engaged, particularly at this butt numbing length.

"The Hateful Eight" is a testosterone-heavy tale with a regrettable whiff of misogyny. The only female in the group is subjected to ferocious verbal and physical abuse, which at times, is played for laughs. That Daisy Domergue is a dangerous, wanted criminal seems to imply justification for this behavior yet that doesn't make it feel less ugly. The use of the N-word is also problematic for while it's clear that it's use was very common during this period, the frequency here still feels superfluous.

It's the exceptional performances, with the tense interplay between this despicable group of people, that really help keep us fully intrigued. Some of the actors have worked with the director previously, like Russell, Madsen, Roth and especially Jackson (who has made some kind of appearance in every film except "Reservoir Dogs") that can skillfully handle his lengthy, rapid-fire language  There are a few new players on board (which includes Dern, Goggins and the lone female with a major role, Ms Leigh) that bring their unique flair to this gritty drama.

While many of the distinctive elements are in place that we love about the film maker, "The Hateful Eight" is minor Tarantino. This violent thriller will definitely please the hardcore fan elated with his clever use of words. As for the more causal viewer, they may be entertained for fleeting moments but find the disturbing nature of the story and endless chatter too much to endure.

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS (2009)

Written & Directed by Quentin Tarantino



Where & When: Arclight Cinema, Hollywood, CA August 24, 2009 8:00PM


I had said in a previous post that I couldn't wait to see "Inglourious Basterds". Well, the wait is over -- and I'm actually not disappointed. The Quentin Tarantino that I have loved since "Pulp Fiction" is back and in great form. His last film"Death Proof" in his half of the film, "Grind House" was just mediocre in my book. It was just too much talk about nothing and repetitive.

Tarantino's latest is a solid redemption with breath taking visuals and brilliant dialogue which is Mr. Tarantino's claim to fame. Now, I had a few problems with the film which I will go in to later but overall, I really enjoyed "Inglourious Basterds".

The film is broken down in to five chapters and we begin in Nazi occupied France where we first are introduced to Col. Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) who is also known as "The Jew Hunter". He goes to a farm to further investigate the possibility of jews being hidden there. Col. Landa calmly and coolly questions the farmer until he finally gets the answer he is after. It is a great scene and we are off to a great start.

The next chapter we are introduced to Lt. Aldo Raine played by Brad Pitt. He heads a small group of Jewish-American soldiers who call themselves "the Basterds". Their mission is to wipe out as many Nazis as possible and to collect 100 scalps each in the process. We get to witness the scalping in graphically bloody detail. Another member of the team is Sgt. Donny Donowitz (Director Eli Roth) or "The Bear Jew" who is very handy with a baseball bat.

Next we meet Shosanna (Melanie Laurent) who was the only one of her family who managed to escape from Col. Landa at the farm years ago. She now goes by the name "Emmanuelle Mimieux" and runs a movie theater in Paris. A sniper now turned actor, Frederick Zoller (Daniel Bruhl) is attracted to the lovely Shosanna and he is in town for the premiere of his new film, "A Nation's Pride" which is nothing more than Nazi propaganda. These circumstances causes the movie premiere to be held at Shosanna's theater and for her to once again cross the path of Col. Landa. This sets in to motion Shosanna's plan for revenge.

The British have found out that Hitler and his top aides will be attending the movie premiere. They are working with "The Basterds" in coming up a plan to take them down at there. The British send Lt. Hicox (Michael Fassbender) and a couple of Lt. Raine's men to meet with German actress, Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) who is a secret spy for the British to provide them with more information. They are disguised as Nazi officers and meet Ms von Hammersmark at an out of the way French tavern. Unfortunately, a group of real Nazi soldiers are having a drunken celebration at the same time. A SS Officer is also at the tavern and notices something odd about these other "officers" and starts to question them. A small detail gives them away and sets off a deadly gun fight leaving the actress wounded but alive.

Finally we come to the movie premiere. Ms von Hammersmark has gotten Lt. Raine, Sgt. Donowitz and a couple of their men into the screening. Because of clues left behind at the tavern, Col. Landa is now aware of the deception of the actress. Col. Landa takes care of her and takes away Lt. Raine and an another solider to a secret location. Col. Landa is willing to make a deal with Lt. Raine to allow them to kill Hitler in exchange for money, a new identity and protection. Lt. Raine calls the powers that be and they approve of the plan.

Nobody realizes that Shosanna's has her own plan to finish off the Nazis. Unbeknown to Sgt. Donowitz, who managed to stay at the screening, he assists Shosanna with making sure the film premiere has an explosive, destructive, and history altering ending. As for Col. Landa, Lt. Raine gives him a visual reminder so that the world will always be aware of his involvement with the Nazi party.

Now the history altering ending is one area I have a problem with. On one hand, I think it is clever idea and pure Tarantino but another part of me feels that it was just a cheat. Mr. Tarantino is just being lazy and created a convenient ending instead of using actual facts to come to a creative conclusion.

Like many of his films, I also found the film to be a little excessive in regards to the blood and the very graphic violence. I shouldn't have been surprised. . . I nearly walked out of "Reservoir Dogs" during the ear cutting sequence and you don't even really see it. It was more of the idea and the sadistic nature that was too much for me. I guess there is never too much of anything for Mr. Tarantino.

Despite these minor asides, I think Mr. Tarantino is a brilliant artist who makes interesting and challenging films by taking familiar genres and twisting and mixing them all up to create something that is purely and uniquely "Tarantino". I predict Oscar nominations for Mr. Tarantino's screenplay, Mr. Waltz's performance and even a long shot possibility for Best Picture.