Letters to the Editor

We now know the FBI and CIA were just as obsessed, perhaps more so, with violating U.S. law, or the perception thereof, as they were in catching the terrorists. The terrorists harbored no concern about such legal minutiae or niceties, and as a result we got 9/11. We have learned our lesson.

John Harvey

Bellevue

Kill Brian?

Brian Miller's review of Kill Bill Vol. 2 was one of the most uninformative rants I have ever had the displeasure of reading ["The Tarantino Britannica," April 14]. I'm not sure where he was sitting during the screening, but from where I sat, oohs, aahs, and laughter could be heard throughout the auditorium. Also, I don't know which "geeks" he was referring to; after all, it was a press screening comprised mostly of film reviewers and their friends, not "fan-boys," as Miller would have readers believe.

This condescending reviewer is so caught up in mentioning Quentin Taran­tino's past efforts and mocking Tarantino's cinematic references that he forgot to review the film. Instead, he wastes my time by trying to get inside the head of a person that he probably has never met. I laughed aloud when I read, "Well, now we can call Harvey Weinstein's bluff . . . ," like he and the readers are actually in relation with the exceptionally successful producer.

Where did your reviewer acquire the information that Weinstein was "bluffing and stalling?" I perceived the decision to chop the four-hour epic into two parts as an intelligent pecuniary move. Miramax will make twice the box office, theaters will sell double the amount of popcorn, and filmgoers will have had two fun nights out. Everyone wins.

What amazes me about Kill Bill (both volumes) is how Tarantino is able to disassemble hundreds of drive-in, exploitation, and Hong Kong action films and reassemble the choicest parts into an original vision that both the uninitiated and jaded filmgoer can enjoy. C'mon, it is just a big-budget drive-in movie. Readers who interpret Miller's evaluation might make the mistake that he is writing about what was supposed to be the sequel to Lawrence of Arabia with a built-in code of ethics.

Does this reviewer even like movies?

Steve Messerer

Seattle

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