One of the most anticipated films of this year's Sundance Film Festival was the Quentin Tarantino produced Hell Ride, which was written and directed by and also starring Larry Bishop. I really, really wanted to like this moviebut ended up hating it more than anything I've seen in a long time. "I don’t care if HELL RIDE is referential or an homage to classic ‘70s flicks, and I don’t care who produced it, a bad movie is a bad movie... HELL RIDE is one of the most incoherent, boring, useless films I have ever seen and I pray to God that you guys never subject yourself to it." Click the title for the review and more info or click here for all of our Sundance reviews.
what the fuck do you mean he's gone down hill? Jackie Brown was a master piece! and Kill Bill was just fan fucking tastic! Death proof wasnt his best work but also a great film! Tarantino has nothing to do with this film.. they just put his name on top of it to get ppl excited about wanting to see it. Tarantino has gone down hill? what are you a teenager? do you even know anything about grindhouse cinema..? go re-watch jackie brown, and kill bill... if you think he's gone down hill then your a fucking moron kid!
Kill Bill was entertaining but no great work of art, I think. And a homage to something that isn't that great will probably be, surprise, not that great. He hasn't done anything that I liked as much as Res Dogs. Pulp Fiction came pretty close though.
A few things... First, despite this review's melodramatic bent (from, with respect, the same critic who praised the inane and preachy THE MIST like it was the second coming of JAWS and trashed the retarded-but-fun AVP: REQUIEM as though it had violated his kid sister's virtue under a velvet painting of Jesus), the details covered here make this sound like a very faithful homage to biker flicks like SATAN'S SADISTS, THE HELLCATS, and THE BORN LOSERS. Those were terrible films, too, and fans of them love them for it. Those movies are talky, clumsily constructed, poorly written, and ridiculous, and it sounds very much like this director was going for that same feel. If a movie is INTENDED to be bad and it is, it has succeeded artistically. That's the problem with film critics (and being one, I feel justified in saying this) - they too often go into "homage" films like this without an understanding or appreciation of the material to which tribute is being paid. Second, it chafes my ass when I hear someone accuse an audience full of people who enjoyed a movie of kissing the producer's ass simply because he was in attendance. I've been to my fair share of screenings, and I've seen plenty of audiences give light and respectful applause but clearly show distaste for the film despite the fact that the filmmakers are present. For one to assume that this entire theater was packed with sycophants willing to flush their own integrity for a chance to brown nose the producer, one must be pretty certain that one's own tastes are representative of those of most of the rest of the movie-going world. That usually indicates an inflated opinion of self, or a lack of perspective. People excited for HELL RIDE are probably fans of old school biker films, which likely means at least a fair number of them, based on this appraisal of the film, probably enjoyed the movie on some level. Finally, Tarantino produced this movie. He didn't write it, direct it, star in it, or otherwise have much to do with the film's content. While he certainly has some measure of control over the films he produces (re: signs his name to), it is a bit unfair to compare them to the movies he writes, directs, AND produces. There is a vast difference between creating a movie entirely and signing the checks/making a few phone calls to get someone else's picture made.
i agree with jkrouskop..having said that i do wish Tarantino goes back to making "original" films, i mean all his films have some kind of homage to old 70's flicks and i love that but doing both Death Proof and now Hell Ride which are both mean to look and feel 100% 70s i think it is time for something fresh. Kill Bill had a lot of that 70s feel fused with Japanese Mange style tactics and despite what some people say (who call it dumb and not artistic) it is both clever and full with semiotics and artistry, its just that some people only see the surface of a film. I need Tarantino to do more Kill Bills or Pulp Fictions but in the end the guy is doing his job and he has creative freedom over it so i say its better for him to do films he truly enjoys and feels rather than product for consumption only
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