I don’t know why it took some nine years for these to hit the internet, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t cooler than any news item to hit this week. For whatever reason, Miramax have decided to release ten behind-the-scenes photos from Quentin Tarantino‘s Kill Bill: Vol. 1 — specifically, the House of Blue Leaves fight which served as the 2003 film’s centerpiece.

Although some might consider these pieces a subtraction from the seamless nature in which effects are utilized to create excitement (“movie magic,” it’s sometimes called), that sounds all wrong to yours truly. Heck, several of these ten shots only give me a greater appreciation for what Tarantino and his team pulled off ten years ago. They’re funny, too!

It’s an odd thing to stumble across, sure, though it’s even odder to ignore peeks at one the past decade’s biggest directorial accomplishments. (And, on a personal note, one of the most important filmgoing experiences of my entire life.) Also: Does this mean The Whole Bloody Affair is finally coming out? Please, God, please let that be the case.

Take a look below:

Fun as those are, there’s one other item to consume. We all know Tarantino has an… interesting taste when it comes to cinema, and his top ten list for Sight & Sound is no different. While anyone who knows the man well enough won’t be shocked to see Leone on top — nor is the inclusion of Brian De Palma some sort of head-scratcher — let’s say a certain family baseball classic made me cackle for a second or two. Don’t ever change, Quentin.

(It’s strange, that the man who’s probably seen more films than any other director on this planet — and who uses that to inform his works, be it through elegant technical work or the manner in which his screenplays undercut genres they’re supposed to be placed in — would skew the direction he does.)

Here’s the top ten:

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly (1966, dir. Sergio Leone)
Apocalypse Now (1979, dir. Francis Ford Coppola)
The Bad News Bears (1976, dir. Michael Ritchie)
Carrie (1976, dir. Brian De Palma)
Dazed and Confused (1993, dir. Richard Linklater)
The Great Escape (1963, dir. John Sturges)
His Girl Friday (1940, dir. Howard Hawks)
Jaws (1975, dir. Steven Spielberg)
Pretty Maids All In A Row (1971, dir. Roger Vadim)
Rolling Thunder (1977, dir. John Flynn)
Sorcerer (1977, dir. William Friedkin)
Taxi Driver (1976, dir. Martin Scorsese)

Quentin Tarantino will return when Django Unchained opens on December 25th.

Are you impressed with these photos? What are your thoughts on his top ten?