It’s not ‘Inglorious Bastards’, it’s ‘Inglourious Basterds’–typical of any Quentin Tarantino film, normal expectations simply do not apply, and that even goes for the title. As you’ve probably heard, Lt. Aldo Raine (as played by Brad Pitt) is in da killin Gnatsi bidness, and bidness is a-boomin. Raine leads a squad of seven Jewish-American soldiers dropped into France whose job is to collect for their Lieutanant 100 Gnatsi scalps each. And he wants his scalps. Meanwhile, the charming feller you see to your right with the pipe is Col. Hans Landa of the SS, colorfully nicknamed the Jew Hunter. He hunts Jews. And then there’s Shoshanna Dreyfus, a French Jew caught in the middle of it all. You can probably see where this is going, and let me be the first to tell you that you’re positively wrong.
Without spoiling too much I can say that Inglourious Basterds is a damn long film. About two and a half hours. The dialogue is of course masterfully written but there are occasions where it just drags on unnecessarily well after the desired tension has been built. I enjoy it as much as the next guy, but sometimes your actors just have to shut the fuck up and shoot each other. And about the shooting, there isn’t much of it to be honest, but when blood does splatter it blankets the camera lens and, with a little help from the…dynamic soundtrack, conjures a mixed bag of emotions. Yes, even for Gnatsi scum sometimes you have to ask “was that really necessary?” Or maybe that’s exactly what the Gnatsis want us to think?
Austrian TV actor Christophe Waltz undoubtedly has the performance of the film as Col. Landa, possibly the best character Tarantino’s ever had and easily the most interesting Hollywood villain I’ve seen since Heath Ledger’s Joker a little more than a year ago. I really can’t heap enough praise on the character or the performance. He’s sharply dressed, intelligent, witty, friendly, can charm the panties off a nun–it’s then that I found myself liking a character called the Jew Hunter. What?? Landa dominates the scenes he’s in from the very opening of the film straight through to the laughably unpredictable ending, and I do mean laughably unpredictable in the best possible way.
Like Tarantino’s masterpiece ‘Pulp Fiction’, ‘Inglourious Basterds’ isn’t a movie you can watch once and catch everything in that one viewing. Pop culture and film references aside the characters and situations are so nuansced (and the dialogue so fucking long) that you can’t possibly fully appreciate the film having seen it only once. I can tell you that minor shortfalls aside it was a damn entertaining ride through a outrageous, unabashedlyover-the-top alternate history of 1940’s France. It was funny, tense, thrilling, surprising, and honestly at times it struck me as disgusting. It’s a movie you simply have to see at some point.
I think Germany should become a nuclear power so they can fry anyone who continues to demonize them for the sins of their great grandmothers and grandfathers. Enough is enough already.
Omar: But endless shame for the Third Reich is one of modern Germany's endearing charms! If only the Japanese, or even the US of A would follow suit…
Liam: Just know what you're in for; a lot of people went into it expecting something like The Dirty Dozen and were disappointed. It's not the action movie the trailers make it out to be.
Thimscool: Did reality have Samuel L. Jackson to narrate? I thought not.
Actually I'd like to see Tarantino's take on the American Revolution. I think it's a safe bet he'd include a graphic close-up of Washington's colonial-era tooth extraction and fitting for wooden dentures. Maybe even the leeches! Simply having exploding redcoats wouldn't be enough.
"I'm here to collect 100 powdered wigs. And I *want* my wigs!"
Nashe: It's like a three second clip in the movie, but yeah.
Josh: Instead of Kentucky rifles the Americans will be outfitted with AK-47's in an ironic, historically inaccurate twist of fate.
Uno: Well they did kind of play a big role in starting two World Wars killing over 100 million people combined. Maybe had they won either of them things would be different.
wigsf: Funny you should say that, I didn't mention Brad Pitt outside of the second sentence in the first paragraph. Try reading the post before you comment on it next time, huh?
It’s not ‘Inglorious Bastards’, it’s ‘Inglourious Basterds’–typical of any Quentin Tarantino film, normal expectations simply do not apply, and that even goes for the title. As you’ve probably heard, Lt. Aldo Raine (as played by Brad Pitt) is in da killin Gnatsi bidness, and bidness is a-boomin. Raine leads a squad of seven Jewish-American soldiers dropped into France whose job is to collect for their Lieutanant 100 Gnatsi scalps each. And he wants his scalps. Meanwhile, the charming feller you see to your right with the pipe is Col. Hans Landa of the SS, colorfully nicknamed the Jew Hunter. He hunts Jews. And then there’s Shoshanna Dreyfus, a French Jew caught in the middle of it all. You can probably see where this is going, and let me be the first to tell you that you’re positively wrong.
22
Manifestos:
Orhan Kahn
said…
Everybody is a bloody critic!
Saturday, August 22, 2009 7:54:00 PM
Woozie
said…
Bloody huh. Good on you for speaking the Queen's.
Saturday, August 22, 2009 8:07:00 PM
BBC
said…
I don't watch movies like that, my biggest problem is deciding where to go camping next to keep a tad of my sanity.
On the bright side, maybe I wouldn't fucking know if I was insane anyway.
Today's Sinfest comic was good.
Saturday, August 22, 2009 8:24:00 PM
Omar
said…
I think Germany should become a nuclear power so they can fry anyone who continues to demonize them for the sins of their great grandmothers and grandfathers. Enough is enough already.
Saturday, August 22, 2009 9:06:00 PM
Liam
said…
Oh I totally want to see this movie!
Saturday, August 22, 2009 9:29:00 PM
thimscool
said…
Oy vei, those are some tough jews in that alternate history.
Reality was rather less talk and more action.
Saturday, August 22, 2009 9:48:00 PM
secret agent woman
said…
Actually, it's a movie I simply have to miss. Too violent.
Saturday, August 22, 2009 10:35:00 PM
Woozie
said…
Omar: But endless shame for the Third Reich is one of modern Germany's endearing charms! If only the Japanese, or even the US of A would follow suit…
Liam: Just know what you're in for; a lot of people went into it expecting something like The Dirty Dozen and were disappointed. It's not the action movie the trailers make it out to be.
Thimscool: Did reality have Samuel L. Jackson to narrate? I thought not.
Saturday, August 22, 2009 10:36:00 PM
Woozie
said…
saw: Yeah, I'm not even going to lie. This one guy's face comes apart in chunks, kind of like a jell-o mold.
Saturday, August 22, 2009 10:37:00 PM
Omar
said…
Can't talk. Settling in for my second Tom Cruise movie of the evening. A greater actor never lived!
Saturday, August 22, 2009 11:02:00 PM
Woozie
said…
Oh, Omar…
Saturday, August 22, 2009 11:39:00 PM
BBC
said…
Leslie hates it that she wants me, he he he.
Saturday, August 22, 2009 11:42:00 PM
Orhan Kahn
said…
You are incorrect, sir.
Sunday, August 23, 2009 12:50:00 AM
Tom Motherfuckin Cruise
said…
Are you ready for my wisdom yet, Woozie?
Sunday, August 23, 2009 1:12:00 AM
Woozie
said…
Go for it TMC!
Sunday, August 23, 2009 2:04:00 AM
Nashe^
said…
Like a Jell-O mold… Is it really that violent? Darn, I think I have to be above 21 to watch this here.
Sunday, August 23, 2009 2:20:00 AM
Josh
said…
Actually I'd like to see Tarantino's take on the American Revolution. I think it's a safe bet he'd include a graphic close-up of Washington's colonial-era tooth extraction and fitting for wooden dentures. Maybe even the leeches! Simply having exploding redcoats wouldn't be enough.
"I'm here to collect 100 powdered wigs. And I *want* my wigs!"
Sunday, August 23, 2009 4:58:00 PM
unokhan
said…
the germans have become a paradigmatic scapegoat — somewhere moses is laffin
Sunday, August 23, 2009 9:42:00 PM
Orhan Kahn
said…
Fucking LOL @ Josh.
Monday, August 24, 2009 2:33:00 AM
wigsf
said…
I was hoping this was going to be a post about that new Wolfenstein game, instead, just another post by some guy swooning over Brad Pitt.
Monday, August 24, 2009 7:25:00 AM
Woozie
said…
Nashe: It's like a three second clip in the movie, but yeah.
Josh: Instead of Kentucky rifles the Americans will be outfitted with AK-47's in an ironic, historically inaccurate twist of fate.
Uno: Well they did kind of play a big role in starting two World Wars killing over 100 million people combined. Maybe had they won either of them things would be different.
wigsf: Funny you should say that, I didn't mention Brad Pitt outside of the second sentence in the first paragraph. Try reading the post before you comment on it next time, huh?
Monday, August 24, 2009 9:20:00 AM
thimscool
said…
Wazzup Woozie? Getting ready for a return to campus?
Did you ever get tot he range and release some of that angst?
Monday, August 24, 2009 4:43:00 PM
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