Natural Born Killers

Today i rewatched "Natural Born Killers" for the first time in maybe a decade. When it first came out I loved it, but I didn't care for it so much this time, probably for two main reasons.

a) The mixed media look (black and white to colour to grainy colour to animation) seemed really interesting ten years ago, now it was just annoying.

b) Juliette Lewis. I've enjoyed a lot of her movies (Cape Fear, From Dusk til Dawn, Kalifornia, Strange Days) but I don't think she's added anything positive for me to any of those films. This one was no exception.

Quentin Tarantino wrote the script for this movie, but later distanced himself from it, and I think was so unhappy with the final version that he asked to have his name removed from the credits as scriptwriter, and replaced with "story by". The funny thing is that even though this is pretty average, it's not even close to being his worst film. To find out what is, read on (or just scroll to the bottom if you're lazy/not interested).

And now, my favourite Tarantino films, in order of 1 to 10 (Natural Born Killers comes in at number 9).

1. True Romance

Where I saw it: On video, early to mid nineties I suppose. Why it's a Tarantino movie: Written by Quentin, but directed by Tony Scott (Man on Fire, Deja Vu). Why it's possibly the best movie of all time: Christian Slater, Dennis Hopper, Patricia Arquette, Val Kilmer, Christopher Walken, Brad Pitt, Samuel L Jackson, Gary Oldman, Michael Rappaport, and Tom Sizemore. Just a once in a lifetime cast, although some of them were pretty unknown back them, so if you blink you might miss them.Best performance from a star of a crappy 80's sitcom: Balki from "Perfect Strangers" plays an assistant to a big time Hollywood producer who gets caught in the middle of a botched drug deal. He shines in every scene he's in. Best performance from a future star: Years before he played Tony Soprano, James Gandolfini makes a five minute appearance as a truly frightening hitman. Best scene: When Chritopher Walken confronts Dennis Hopper trying to find out where his son is, and Dennis tells him a lengthy story to bait him into killing him quickly before they get the info.

2. Kill Bill Volume One

Where I saw it: At the movies I think with Murray and Corey? Or might have been Wheelie. Man my memory sucks. Best scene: Either the final fight where Uma takes out roughly 500 swordsmen over about 20 minutes, then fights with Lucy Liu in a snow covered garden, or the animated sequence covering Lucy's traumatic childhood and development into an assassin for hire. What I could have done without: The scene with Buck in the hospital. The crazy Japanese master sword maker and his saki seemed out of place too. Why you possibly shouldn't watch this movie: If you're sensitive about violence in films, this is kind of extreme, even for this genre.

3. Kill Bill Volume Two

Where I saw it: At Arndale with Corey and Bek. Just before we got our car broken into, but after Corey got into a knife fight with someone at the Candy Bar.Why it's better than Kill Bill Volume One: The dialogue is great, and Michael Madsen is great as a faded tough guy who's ready to go. Also David Carradine is fantastic as Bill. Best scene: The climax of the movie when Uma finally reaches Bill and is about to enact her revenge, and he goes into a lengthy speech about Superman. What could have been left out: The entire sequence where Uma is mentored by the crazy ageless asian guy. That was kind of stupid.

4. Pulp Fiction

When I saw it: At the movies, December of 1994, at Academy, back in the days when people used to go to town to see movies. Saw it with Wheelie and Gav. I'm pretty sure I turned 18 like a week or two before and had to show my ID to get in.Why this movie is awesome: A great script with humourous conversations about McDonalds and the metric system, back before these types of random, quirky discussions became prevalent in movies. A narrative structure that was ahead of it's time too, with the story told in chapters out of chronological order, but all tying together in the end. Career peformance for Samuel L Jackson. Even though a lot of his movies are pretty average these days, thanks to his performance in this he'll always occupy a page in my cool book. The funniest scene ever filmed which involves someone being shot in the face. A great cameo from Christopher Walken who just pops up to tell a story about a watch. Why this movie occasionally sucks: Because the whole Uma Thurman storyline is a bit boring. And because now I know what a gimp is, and I kind of wish I didn't. And what happens in the basement of a pawn shop should stay in the basement. Also Bruce Willis' girlfriend in this movie is possibly the most annoying female character in any movie, ever. Finally, it's kind of long. This is just nitpicking really though, this one's a classic.

5. Sin City

Where I saw it: At the Reading Cinema at West Lakes with Cors, on a preview ticket. The host MC went a little far in his introduction to the movie, and started giving away key plot details, until everyone told him to shut up. Ah good times. Why it's a Tarantino movie: Because he's credited as a "guest director", directing the Clive Owen/Benicio Del Toro chase scene. Why it rules: Because it looks unlike any other film - shot in black and white with a mixture of filmed and painted backgrounds, so it looks like the comic books it came from, with spashes of intense colour (mainly red for blood). Jessica Alba and Rosario Dawson. Elijah Wood in an especially creepy performance. Because most movies based on comic books totally suck and this one doesn't.

6. Reservoir Dogs

Where I saw it: On video, probably soon after Pulp Fiction. Funniest scene: Steve Buscemi complaining about his nickname "Mr Pink". Best performance: Michael Madsen. He's a career B-movie actor but always good in Quentin's films.

7. From Dusk Till Dawn

Where I saw it: At the movies in Queensland on holiday with Ando and our respective families in 1996 or so. Why it's a Tarantino movie: Written by Quentin, but directed by Robert Rodriguez (Desperado, Sin City). Why it rules: The first half of the movie is awesome - George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino on the run, kidnapping Harvey Keitel and his family, and heading for the border. Clooney is cool, Quentin is creepy and they've got a really great rapport - it's like taking the Jules and Vincent part of Pulp Fiction and extending it into a whole movie. Why it kind of sucks: Because about half way through vampires appear, and it turns into a horror movie, and not a particularly good one. Damn vampires, always spoiling everything.

8. Jackie Brown

Where I saw it: I honestly can't remember. I'm pretty sure it was at the movies but I can't remember where, when, or with whom. Surprising casting: Robert Deniro playing against type as a slow witted excon. Is this a Tarantino movie: It was written and directed by him, but seemingly has no connection to the style of his other movies.

10. Four Rooms

Where I saw it: Probably on video sometime in the mid-90's. Why it's a Tarantino movie: It's split into four parts, each written and directed by someone different. Quentin does one part, Robert Rodriguez does the other, and a couple of nobodies do the other two. It's set in a hotel, and I think it's allegedly a comedy. Should you watch this film: Hell no. It's a piece of rubbish.