Posted on 08/20/2009 8:48:45 PM PDT by JSDude1
I wish my brave, tough Holocaust survivor grandfather, Isaac, was alive to see “Inglourious Basterds.”
He would love it even more than I did. So would my dad. And they would be cheering and laughing along with me.
Because the movie debuts at Midnight screenings tonight, I am posting this review early, and you’ll note that I was entirely wrong in my expectations for this movie when I first wrote about it, back in February. The movie is riveting. It’s fun and serious at the same time.
It’s not usual that I praise a Quentin Tarantino film or a flick starring Brad Pitt. I’m not a big fan of either. But “Inglourious Basterds” is either the exception to the rule or a new beginning (probably the former, at least in the case of Pitt, who is very good here). After two-and-a-half hours of this fantastic movie, I didn’t want it to end. I wanted more. So well done, so interesting, exciting, and suspenseful, it flew by. Like “The Departed (read my review),” it’s a well-wrapped treasure, with new delights at each uncovered layer. And a few puzzles, some of which aren’t answered but are designed to make you think.
I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this movie.
(Excerpt) Read more at debbieschlussel.com ...
I walked out of Grindhouse.
And Pitt has put in many memorable perfomances. Kalifornia. 12 Monkeys. Seven. Fight Club. SNATCH! Babel. These some of my favorite films of all time and he put in great perfomances in every one of them. Legends of the Fall- the movie was not as great as some I listed here but I liked Pitt's character the most out of all the characters in that flick.
And with the other actors you name, it's not an either or proposition. Russel Crowe is a great actor. Gary Oldman is a great actor and was in True Romance with Pitt. Oldman had the better part. It would be interesting to see what Pitt would have done with Oldman's part (although in this case, maybe Oldman wins that battle). And although I'll give Christian Bale his just deserts- he is an amazing actor- much respect for the Machinist. But he is an a$$hole. I mean, jeez, he completely took that guy's head off on the set? Like he was King of the Universe or something?
Nobody's perfect. Pitt's a lib. Bale is a complete 'I'm the lord of the univese' A-hole. You can't win huh?
What do his politics have to do with this film? I like a lot of Spike Lee films. Am I suppose to not watch them because of Lee? You may as well not watch anything that comes out of American cinema (or literature or music)if you have those criteria.
He’s not makin ya go dutch again is he ?
.....:o)
I agree, except I think that “The Lives of Others” is the best film ever made.
Can’t wait to see this film.
Another older East German film that is very good is “The Rabbit is Me”.
Defiance was very good, even as an action film it was good so everyone should watch it.
All true. Pitt can be a adequate, even good actor. But, let me lay one title on you "Troy". With that singular performance Pitt almost managed to destroy an entire industry known as film-making. He gave the worst performance in a movie replete with horrific, hide-the-children, gouge-your-eyes-out kinds of performances.
That movie was three (seemed liked thirty) hours that I'll never get back. Everytime Pitt appeared on screen, I broke down in tears (not the good kind) and screamed at the projectionists to please make it stop. I'm nauseous just recounting it now.
And then of course, “Top Secret!”
HAIL, HAIL, EAST GERMANY
LAND OF VINE AND GRAPE,
LAND WHERE YOU’LL REGRET
ANY TRY TO ESCAPE
NO MATTER IF YOU TUNNEL UNDER
OR TAKE A RUNNING JUMP AT THE WALL,
FORGET IT THE GUARDS WILL KILL YOU,
IF THE ELECTRIFIED FENCE DOESN’T FIRST.
I hear that a US remake is in the works... sure to updated and terrible.
From the previews it look like a total turd
Have you seen “Uprising”?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0250798/
Some scenes are remarkable similar to parts of “The Pianist.”
The ONLY Tarantino-directed film I did not like was "Death Proof." His screenplay for "True Romance" remains one of the greatest of the 1990s and a great send-up of "They Live By Night."
‘They Live By Night’ and the earlier ‘You Only Live Once’.
I stumbled across it a few months ago on late night cable. A very good movie( not to mention the female lead is shall we say a looker clothed or not)
Never saw that one ;-)
But I would say that Hollywood is not the entire film industry. It is actually only a small part. I watch a lot of foreign films. In Europe there is a chain of cinemas that is subsidized by the EU. They play mainly European and/or world titles. We have one of those in Edinburgh. It's cool, even though a lot of liberal types are mainly the patrons. They play a lot of films that are current and that nobody hears about in the big chain cinemas because the big chain cinemas play almost exclusively Hollywood films. But these films are amazing. Very well acted, usually on a low budget. The directors are forced to tell a story rather than rely on big effects and excessive cutting techniques.
I'm just commenting on Hollywood. They only make a fraction of the films that are out there. One bad movie from Pitt wouldn't wreck the film industry. Maybe wreck Hollywood, but that wouldnt' be the end of the world. Maybe it would even be a good thing.
I liked Troy. It was much better than Gladiator.
I don't even know how to respond to that.
Russel Crowe is believable as a Roman Gladiator. Brad Pitt, who seems like he spends the better part of his day getting his tips frosted and oiled by a guy named Sven, isn't even remotely believable as Achilles - The World's Greatest Warrior - not in this dimension, or any others in which I'm familiar.
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