October 7 – Kill Bill: Vol. 1 had the most fun New York movie premiere in ages. Star Uma Thurman, in a bright orange Dior dress, held aloft a real saber and said, “This is my sword”. She swung it around, dropped it, and deadpanned, “Well, I’m obviously a little rusty”.

The female leads all did rigorous physical training for the film, one of the most violent ever made. Thurman called it the most challenging role of her career, and said that they all called it “Killer”. She added that she’s no longer following the regime, “I’ve taken a rest from working out”. (Thurman looked terrific and seemed happy, causing speculation among attendees that her recent split with husband Ethan Hawke may have been a good thing.) Daryl Hannah - who for unknown reasons never let go of the hand of film director Peter Bogdanovich - liked doing the film because she’s athletic in real life, pursuing hobbies like snowboarding, gymnastics and horseback riding. Shot in Beijing with Chinese, American and Japanese crews, Lucy Liu said she often ended up translating, but it got a bit confusing. Vivica A. Fox noted that although the film is about female empowerment, guys will like it too, as it’s full of fighting, sweaty women, hair swinging.

While Kill Bill director Quentin Tarantino stayed home with the flu, Harvey Keitel, Julianne Moore and Bart Fruendlich, Matthew and Cari Modine, Martha Plimpton, Heidi Klum and Ismail Merchant all came for a first peek.