Kill Bill...Why?...I like David Carradine.

I finally got around to watching Kill Bill Vol. 1 (I went about the whole Kill Bill thing back-to-front) after having been intrigued, but a bit disappointed by the second volume. I know it's a bit weird to watch them backwards as it were, but I'm glad I did, as I appreciated the fun, hack n'slash homages to Asian chopsocky and samurai cinema in vol 1 all the more for the languid pace of the second. The plot is obvious revenge - and let's face it, this 2-parter film never reaches the heights of the divine Jackie Brown or the shocking debut of Reservoir Dogs (owing more style-wise to the over-rated Pulp Fiction) - but if you sit back and relax to the Manga, Lady Snowblood, Babycart and Zatoichi strains, it's much more fun. In many ways, the loose plotting is all part and parcel of the homage - who remembers the plot of any Bruce Lee film apart from Enter the Dragon? I'm not sure that the whole film will stay in the mind, but much of the criticism I've read on imdb seems to be attacking Tarantino for having fun - why should we expect him to make a masterpiece every time? Scorcese doesn't, Lucas doesn't, Kurosawa didn't and neither did Godard (does anyone understand why Bande a Part is a classic?). Anyway, this is mindless fun for the martial arts enthusiast - think more John Woo, less Ang Lee.

As an NB: I went to see Wimbledon last weekend, expecting it be pants, but it was actually a charming, unpretentious little film - I just wish they hadn't tried to Hugh-Grantify Paul Bettany (who was great in Gangster No 1. and Master and Commander).