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September 3, 2004 > Arts & Entertainment > Giving Uma a second chance

Giving Uma a second chance

By Jonathan Schumann | Thresher Editorial Staff

If I have learned anything reviewing movies, it’s that I’m wrong all the time. Just last year, I raved about The Last Samurai, completely neglecting its culturally offensive elements. I was also far too kind to that sappy, sentimental and messily constructed romantic comedy Love Actually. Oh well.

Speaking too highly about a movie, getting caught in the moment as I often do, is one thing. But to scorn a movie which one then grows to like — well that’s more serious. We all know that malice is far more difficult to retract than praise. I recently realized that my biggest faux pas last spring was berating a film most people enjoyed and even raved about — Kill Bill:Vol. 2.

The first sign that I may have been wrong about writer/director Quentin Tarantino’s sequel came when I read every other critic’s opinions. From Roger Ebert to Rolling Stone to Entertainment Weekly, the film was quickly established as this year’s early critical favorite.

The aspect of the film I found most problematic — the slower pace and break from the first film’s frenetic style — was the very element most critics singled out as exemplary. How could others find the lengthy, dialogue-heavy scenes emotionally profound? These were the very elements I thought were ridden with cliché and devoid of inspiration.

As I talked to more and more people who liked the film, my initial repulsion seemed to cool to acceptance that I may have been wrong. I am a film aficionado — how could this have happened?

At Target a few weeks ago, I saw the newly released Kill Bill : Vol. 2 staring at me from the DVD shelf. (Random note to reader: Target is the best place to get newly released DVDs on sale. They will beat Borders every time). Marked at $15, it was a great buy. But with my $5 coupon, it was a steal. I figured I would have eventually rented it anyway, and after adding late fees to the initial price, it would almost certainly exceed $10. Let’s face it, I am good at many things, but returning movies on time is not one of them.

With DVD in hand, I headed home, excited to re-watch. As early as the film’s black-and-white, Sunset Blvd.-esque teaser with Uma Thurman behind the wheels of a classic convertible talking about the people she has killed to get this far, I realized how very wrong I had been.

I could now appreciate Tarantino’s finer moments: the uber-bitchy performance from a revitalized Daryl Hannah, the surprising soft-spoken charm of David Carradine and the amazing emotional range Thurman masters. In short, Vol. 2 is everything one could expect from mastermind Tarantino — a great re-thinking of a once golden genre (this time, the Western), killer dialogue and fascinating characters struggling through the most absurd and unbelievable of circumstances.

If I’ve learned anything from this, it’s that I am not perfect. That even I, the cinematic guru I have become, can be wrong. And that certain films, ones as bravely original as Kill Bill: Vol. 2, require more from their audience than a mere two hours.

Jonathan Schumann is a Baker College junior and arts and entertainment editor.

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