Tarantino surprises audiences with second <i>Kill Bill</i>

After getting audiences both excited and repulsed by the violent encounters in Kill Bill, Vol. 1, Quentin Tarantino smartly changed course with Kill Bill, Vol. 2, which debuts on DVD Aug. 10. While he didn't completely purge the action and gore elements, he did introduce intriguing character details and backstory. As a result, Kill Bill, Vol. 2 really stands as the second part of an epic, rather than a sequel.

The relationship between The Bride (Uma Thurman) and Bill (a knockout performance by David Carradine) was explained and concluded, while Tarantino also dropped in neat clips and tributes to various genres, among them spaghetti westerns, kung fu flicks and TV cop shows. The single disc package includes one deleted scene, a behind-the-scenes featurette and assorted trivia, but in all likelihood Tarantino will eventually issue either a director's cut version of both films or a special deluxe package. This edition is designed for fans mainly interested in just having the film in their collection, rather than fans anxious for lots of extras.

One year before John McTiernan became a superstar action director by teaming with Bruce Willis for Die Hard, he collaborated with now Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Predator, arguably the best of the creature suspense/horror films. Predator: Widescreen Collector's Edition arrives Aug. 10 with plenty of features that weren't available in earlier DVD versions. These include seven featurettes, three "red suit" special effects and two Predator camouflage segments, a still gallery, and an extensive interview with McTiernan. There are also some items of dubious value, among them the trailer for the upcoming Alien vs. Predator film, and sneak peeks at both that movie and I, Robot for the handful of people who by the time the DVD is released still might not have seen it.