Inglourious Basterds & Tarantino in general

[Ambreen]

Trailer :
I saw it one week ago and have mixed feelings since then : neither a bad film, nor a good one. Anyway, it disappointed me in so far as I had great expectations, being very demanding with Tarantino. This movie maker was one of my safe bets, I'm quite puzzled now.

Has anybody watched it and been similarly deceived ?

 

[Gerard K H Love]

My son and his girlfriend saw it last week and said it was great. The theater, which was filled to capacity, applauded and cheered at the conclusion. I have not had the chance to see it. My son wants to see it again.

 

[Mark73]

I've honestly seen no Tarantino I didn't like, even Jackie Brown was good, although very (yawn) long and not as crazy as From... and I guess nothing can top Pulp Fiction for my own taste....... but I'd like to watch this one.
One reason is the subject and another is Mr. Pitt, whom I've seen in a lot of cheesy roles and in great ones (12 Monkeys, Fight Club, blabla) and simply because it's a Tarantino.

 

[hank solo]

Hey watch it - Jackie Brown is brilliant, but then I love Leonard's writing so...

But I'm not rushing to see Inglourious. For me Tarantino blew it with Death Proof. Wasn't super in love with Kill Bill either.

 

[strangegirl]

I agree with Hank, Jackie Brown is brilliant, Love that movie..
Haven't seen Inglourious Bastards, so no comment there... yet.

 

[Mark73]

Well, to me, the weird, fast and violent style is brilliant. Jackie Brown was good and I guess I wouldn't have watched it three times if I didn't like it a little bit, but it can't match Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction or From Dusk Till Dawn.

As for the music, I agree - fantastic! Like in every Tarantino movie.


Edit: Music? I confused strangegirl's movie with reading music. Just woke up from an afternoon nap, but then... I really love the music.

 

[Ambreen]

As some of you seem to feel like seeing it, I can't develop my reproaches, not wanting to spoil you the film.

My main reproach : The film is untitled Inglourious Basterds, these basterds are known and dreaded by all the Nazis, having a really awful reputation. So why don't they appear more often in the film ? Actually, we only see them doing their work - butchering Nazis - in one scene, the one who is in the trailer. That's very frustrating ! I wanted more scalps ! And more tarantinian violence ! I would have liked so much to see the Bear Jew (aka Eli Roth, the one specialized in killing Nazis with a baseball bat) more in action !

There are a lot of things I criticize but I'd reveal some important parts of the plot if I carried on my list.

In my opinion, Tarantino had too many ideas and didn't succeed into laying out them, I found the result far-fetched.

Oh and I warn you : the film is in three languages : english, french, german. The french scenes are sometimes so long that I had the feeling there was two alternating films : the american one, directed by Tarantino, and a french one, with Shosanna, Marcel the black projectionist (who is one of the worst actors I've ever seen) and the Nazi hero played by Daniel Brühl. This feeling was no doubt favoured by the fact that the two groups who want to kill Hitler in the theatre (the american basterds and the french Shosanna + Marcel) never meet, don't even know each others and thus act separately from the beginning to the end. I think that's one of the scenario's weak points.

Yes, Brad Pitt is excellent with his weird face and his weirder accent. The last film in which I saw him was Fight Club, that was strange to see him again ten years after in such a role, far from his sexy ones.

I've not seen Jackie Brown again but I'll soon do it.

I liked Death proof, Kurt Russell is a big bastard, the girls have balls and the car collision scene is great !

From Dusk till dawn... I saw it again a few months ago and still enjoyed it though certain special effects seem outdated (the scene where Harvey Keitel's son is eaten by the vampires is ridiculous ! :D ).

 

[hank solo]

To be fair, Robert Rodriguez directed FDTD, but I know what you mean - it has Tarantino's scriptwriting stamp on it. Rodriguez' Planet Terror was much better than Death Proof in my opinion. Tarantino might love her to bits but Zoë Bell should stick to stunt work.

Looking forward to Machete.

 

[chronic]

Rodriguez' Planet Terror was much better than Death Proof in my opinion...

Looking forward to Machete.

Planet Terror was entertaining. Death Proof was just boring. Machete, if it were ever made into a real movie, could be great.

 

[hank solo]

Machete - Status: Filming :D

Meanwhile... we return to Inglourious Basterds

 

[Lolita Twist]

1) Jackie Brown is awesome. (So is Bobby Womack...)
2) Never been disappointed by Quentin.
3) Including when I saw Basterds and was in awe of it's greatness.

 

[Bukfan]

Jacky Brown was a good movie, and I really liked Fargo (with the fake end credit saying it was based on real events :D). That's one of my favorite movies...

 

[Ambreen]

and I really liked Fargo

Fargo is not from Tarantino !

Machete - Status: Filming :D

Aaahhh Dany Trejo ! After having seen him in several flicks, I've ended up recognizing him. He looks like a criminal and is as attractive as a truck driver. In the fake trailer, the scene in the water with the two babes is just not credible !

Planet Terror was entertaining. Death Proof was just boring.

I acknowledge that Death Proof contains some lengths, especially the first part with the first group of girls. But so does Inglourious Basterds ! In this latter, some scenes just appear to be endless, you're looking forward for the outcome but the characters are as chatterboxes as Mr. Love, they talk on and on.

 

[justin grimbol]

death proof is my favorite. the ending is genius.

 

[Bukfan]

Fargo is not from Tarantino !

Right, my mistake! It's the Coen brothers...:o

 

[justin grimbol]

i like how he is imitating old cult films from the 70s. has anyone seen the original inglorious bastards? its good.

 

[hank solo]

I finally watched Inglourious Basterds last weekend. I must agree with several of Ambreen's points, especially

The film is untitled Inglourious Basterds, these basterds are known and dreaded by all the Nazis, having a really awful reputation. So why don't they appear more often in the film ?

Yes, I stupidly thought the film would revolve around these characters, having seen Tarantino suggesting this film was partly his take on a Dirty Dozen type movie...

I would have liked so much to see the Bear Jew (aka Eli Roth, the one specialized in killing Nazis with a baseball bat) more in action !

The scene where he emerges from the dark tunnel, knocking his bat in the darkness - what?!? I was expecting something special there, not just a grubby Eli Roth...

In my opinion, Tarantino had too many ideas and didn't succeed into laying out them, I found the result far-fetched.

Apparently he had enough script material for about 3 normal length movies. I expect that if he'd actually started filming earlier, he would have ended up with at least 2 separate films, as he did with Kill Bill.

... I had the feeling there was two alternating films : the american one... and a french one... This feeling was no doubt favoured by the fact that the two groups ... (the american basterds and the french Shosanna + Marcel) never meet, don't even know each others and thus act separately from the beginning to the end. I think that's one of the scenario's weak points.

I know what you mean. The feel or atmosphere of these two plot lines are very different. The whole experience is somewhat flat. There's certainly some good content, but for me it's mostly an exercise in style over content.

Yes, Brad Pitt is excellent with his weird face and his weirder accent.

Pitt and the other Basterds are so marginalised. His Italian dialogue scene is pretty funny.


The SS officer 'Landa', played by Christoph Waltz is perhaps the most believable character that Tarantino has ever created. His is an awesome performance.

It's worth watching, sure. And I'll watch it again. But I found it disappointing on a first viewing. I don't think Quentin agrees - Pitt's final line of dialogue is I'm sure the director's own comment on the movie itself.

 

[cirerita]

His Italian dialogue scene is pretty funny.

I laughed my ass off during that scene. Hilarious, as you guys say.

 

[pig ear press]

I watched it and thought it was great. I saw the 'inglorious basterds' as being not just Pitts crew, but each of the characters in their own way. Pitts crew were clearly getting their hands dirty in an inglorious manner, but when you think about what the other characters get up to, they are each acting in a manner which is unlikely to be promoted as worth gloryfying.

'The Jew Hunter' was possibly one of the scariest portrayals of a Nazi I've ever seen (and the portrayal of Hitler as a disgruntled little boy was very amusing).

I saw a lot of subtlety in the way Tarantino approached the subject, but for now, I'm tired and can't be bothered to carry on. Anyway, loved it.

 

[number6horse]

I enjoyed it the way I always enjoy Tarantino. He's a really good story-teller who can move a plot along with some suspense and surprises along the way. Nothing profound, no insights or revelations about the human condition. That's fine. Pass the popcorn...

I thought Pitt's performance was totally unconvincing. Not once was I unaware that he was acting. But, hey - it's a Tarantino amusement ride. I can play along.

Christoph Waltz really nailed the vanity and ego of his character. I thought the performance was good enough for a Best Supporting Actor nomination.

 

[Ambreen]

But I found it disappointing on a first viewing. I don't think Quentin agrees - Pitt's final line of dialogue is I'm sure the director's own comment on the movie itself.

That is what I myself and most of the viewers tend to believe. Hope we are all wrong.

'The Jew Hunter' was possibly one of the scariest portrayals of a Nazi I've ever seen (and the portrayal of Hitler as a disgruntled little boy was very amusing).

(warning : spoilers)

I expected Landa to be a terrifying psycho but I was finally disappointed :
- He didn't recognize Shosanna.
- He "only" strangled Diane Kruger's character.
- He thought Aldo Raine would let him go and get what he wanted just like this.

I enjoyed it the way I always enjoy Tarantino. He's a really good story-teller who can move a plot along with some suspense and surprises along the way. Nothing profound, no insights or revelations about the human condition. That's fine. Pass the popcorn...

I don't agree, Tarantino movies are to my opinion much more than mere entertainment. They are cinema.

Eating popcorn while watching a Tarantino flick? Sacrilege!

 

[number6horse]

Ambreen - In which films has Tarantino risen above mere entertainment for you ? Where and when did he illuminate the human condition or offer complex characters ?

 

[Stavrogin]

I'll let Ambreen answer for herself but these films are above mere entertainment for me (entertainment being the latest laugh track sitcom) - Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, True Romance, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill, Inglourious Basterds. I don't always want my "Illuminate the human condition" type films or I'd watch nothing more than Pixar. Complex characters to me may not be complex to you. Clarence and Alabama, Jules and Vincent, Jackie and Max, Hans and Shosanna, Mr. Orange and Mr. White, etc. are characters enough for me to sort out. Popcorn fell off my lower lip watching this scene....

 

[mjp]

Tarantino will be looked at in the future as an overrated, empty, hype-jockey, considering that's what he is. That is if the future holds any justice or sanity, which I wouldn't bank on. But Tarantino is the fixie of the film world. A pretentious, ironic, pomo douchebag.

Not that I care, or have an opinion either way.

It is undeniably amusing to watch him pontificate endlessly on film, being that he single handedly created the art of filmmaking and all. So I don't want him to go away. I have enjoyed a few of his movies, and some are pure junk. Doesn't make him a genius or groundbreaking. Just makes him another HOLLYWOOD tool.

 

[Stavrogin]

mjp - sorry to say but when we're all dead and gone they'll still be watching Tarantino films and still be validating his import while the worms settle in.

 

[number6horse]

Stavrogin - Believe me, I need a variety of films to satisfy my viewing needs, too. For every work of "serious" cinema, I probably watch 2 or 3 "popcorn" movies. And when it comes to slick narrative, with crackling dialogue and cool action sequences, QT is among the best, imo. But never once did I feel he was taking me below the surface for any in-depth look at anything.

So, you list Jules and Vincent etc., as characters with depth, but what made them multi-dimensional for you ?

 

[Ponder]

I remember I fell asleep while I was watching Pulp Fiction.
When I woke up I had to spit out a few small soft pieces of popcorn.

 

[mjp]

Every one of his movies as a director or writer - every one - simmers in a sour stew of irony and referential cheapness that pretty much sums up everything rotten about these mustachioed fixie jerkoffs who are overrunning the world at the moment. It's empty, very empty. The product of a generation with no ideas. Everything Tarantino does is his "take" on something someone else pioneered or did better. Adding an extra layer of graphic violence to an old movie genre is not revolutionary. It's just shock for shock's sake, and something that I think young people appreciate more than others who may have grown up with the things that influenced Tarantino. It all rings hollow to me, false. Winking, self-referential pomo hipster bullshit.

But again, that's not to say there isn't some great entertainment there. But that's all it is. There is no genius, and nothing that film historians will be able to bite into 50 years from now, other than to comment on how such shallowness could be so influential. It's more of a comment about the times he's working in than any talent he has.

Tarantino reminds me of Alice Cooper (really). I though Alice Cooper was about the greatest most outrageous thing in the world when I was 13, 14 years old. But it was just another ratcheting up of the "shock" and "gore," and at its core, very traditional and safe. A new coat of sparkly paint that will eventually get old and chip off.

 

[Stavrogin]

So, you list Jules and Vincent etc., as characters with depth, but what made them multi-dimensional for you ?

Hamlet complex they're not. But they are full, vibrant characters facing moral dilemmas, the Jules one dealt with in the faith vs reason discourse in the restaurant. Vincent's dilemma is, of course, the whole Mia thing and test of loyalty issue with his boss, Marcellus - where I find Tarantino intriguing is the subtle nuances he tosses in to his narrative(s). Marcellus repays Vega's loyalty by not having his back - leaving him in the crapper to go get coffee. In Kill Bill the mother is shot in the head by the father of her child and he takes the child and names her BB (the smallest projectile you can shoot). There's many but I'll stop or mjp will call me out for getting all giddy and wearing emo pants.

 

[Gerard K H Love]

............ Popcorn fell off my lower lip watching this scene....

That was the most memorable part of that movie and I never realized Tarantino wrote that.

What in hell does fixie mean?

Tarantino's movies are entertaing and that's all he is trying to do as well as copy ....