Escape to the Movies: Inglourious Basterds

[szalony_kucharz]

Now guys, I'm sorry to be a fly in the ointment, but this movie is pretty average, even for a Tarantino movie. All the "Jews-take-symbolic-revenge" theme aside, it is nothing we all haven't seen before in earlier Quentin's shenanigans. What begins as a Western movie teleported into Nazi-occupied France, then promises to morph into yet another hilarious frontline comedy, ultimately turns out to be a not so dramatic drama with too much too witty dialogue. An SS Scharfuehrer telling his interrogators, in perfect English, that he "refuses to divulge information" on positions of other SS troops in the vicinity - come on! Or a multilingual SS Standartenfuehrer having a lovely conversation over a glass of milk, again in immaculate English, with... a French peasant. WTF? One cannot help but start to wonder if there is any life outside bar/pub/kneipe/brasserie/cafe banter. Or maybe its Mr Tarantino's swell life of a socialite being reflected in his works? My guess his next flick will be set entirely in an English tea-room, with two lovely British female pensioners discussing politely about dwindling popularity of hip-hop music. And then one shoots the other with a Magnum 45, straight between the eyes, just because the former said "50 pence" instead of "50 cent". Violence ensues...

And Brad Pitt, constantly mimicking Marlon Brando's Don Corleone (only with a Tennessee accent) gets oh sooo annoying after a while...

 

[f1r2a3n4k5]

So, was I the only one who thought this movie was horrible. It didn't make any sense to me. First of all, alternate histories just confuse me. That's a personal thing. Secondly, I really couldn't acquire the tone of the movie. The movie begins with a stark, realistic tragedy and throws quite a few other tragedies in there. Then it expects you to laugh at scenes immediately afterwards.

I actually thought it was beautiful in some ways outside the norm. I sat in a theater that got riled up and angry at the sight of Hitler laughing hysterically at dying US soldiers while they themselves had been applauding the brutal bludgeoning of a Nazi mere minutes earlier.

The sound effects are phenomenal. At several points, he used a loud, pounding beat that really accentuated the nervousness of the character.

 

[atomicmrpelly]

Now guys, I'm sorry to be a fly in the ointment, but this movie is pretty average, even for a Tarantino movie. All the "Jews-take-symbolic-revenge" theme aside, it is nothing we all haven't seen before in earlier Quentin's shenanigans. What begins as a Western movie ... ultimately turns out to be a not so dramatic drama with too much too witty dialogue.

I must disagree! I had no idea which way the plot was going to until it went there. There were about half a dozen different elements to the plot which all came to a head at the same time and could all have gone tits up at any point. I was enthralled. And yes it was quite funny in parts... Problem?

...An SS Scharfuehrer telling his interrogators, in perfect English, that he "refuses to divulge information" on positions of other SS troops in the vicinity - come on! Or a multilingual SS Standartenfuehrer having a lovely conversation over a glass of milk, again in immaculate English, with... a French peasant.

I don't think you can really complain about it being in English. He put a large amount of the film in subtitles but any more and it would have been a barrier to the audience. And he was talking to the peasant because they were using her cinema, and as for it being 'lovely'... What kind of a complaint is that? Do you think all the Nazi officers went around spitting on everyone or something?! And you come to learn that he is hardly an ordinary Nazi officer anyway!

...One cannot help but start to wonder if there is any life outside bar/pub/kneipe/brasserie/cafe banter. Or maybe its Mr Tarantino's swell life of a socialite being reflected in his works? My guess his next flick will be set entirely in an English tea-room, with two lovely British female pensioners discussing politely about dwindling popularity of hip-hop music. And then one shoots the other with a Magnum 45, straight between the eyes, just because the former said "50 pence" instead of "50 cent". Violence ensues...

I just don't get that bit. Tarantino has always been known for making a movie out of mundane conversation... Did you really find the hamburger talk in PF that exciting?!

 

[atomicmrpelly]

Am I the only one who thought pulp fiction was one of the worst movies ever made?

One of, certainly!

 

[WIUtomato]

YAY! I'm not the only one who loved Kill Bill! Thank You!

 

[szalony_kucharz]

I must disagree! I had no idea which way the plot was going to until it went there.

I got the impression that neither had Quentin. It was like he was a hyperactive child playing with his toy soldiers, not really knowing what next: "it's gonna be a Western, oh no, I have a better idea! Dirty Dozen! Or maybe a tribute to film noir, with French dialogue. Well, I don't know anymore..."

And yes it was quite funny in parts... Problem?

No problem, Sir. It's just these Tarantino jokes are, how shall I put it? Repetitive? And a joke repeated over and over gets stale pretty fast. How many gunfights-gone-wrong, where everyone shoots everyone else have we seen in Mr Tarantino's works? Now, let me count: "Reservoir Dogs" - yes, it was a shocking and refreshing graphic joke at the time, then there was "True Romance" - technically not a 100% Tarantino movie, but we all know who wrote the original script, and then there's this brasserie discussion about German accents, when right from the very middle you know, if you've been studying his earlier films, there's going to be a Shakespearean conclusion to that: everybody dies, but one survivor, who lives to tell the story. A director rehashing his own works? It's just not funny anymore.

...An SS Scharfuehrer telling his interrogators, in perfect English, that he "refuses to divulge information" on positions of other SS troops in the vicinity - come on! Or a multilingual SS Standartenfuehrer having a lovely conversation over a glass of milk, again in immaculate English, with... a French peasant.

And he was talking to the peasant because they were using her cinema,

I was refferring to the very first scene of the movie, the one with a desolate farmhouse on the hill. How would you expect an obviously poor French peasant living in the middle of nowhere to speak very sophisticated English with a German officer? And the reason for their switching to English, so the Jews hiding in the house wouldn't understand... Why not Spanish, then? Or Italian? This "Jew-hunter" spoke excellent Italian, maybe Mounsieur Peasant's mother was an opera diva from Milan, so he knew a few words? Feels too clumsy, don't you think?

Do you think all the Nazi officers went around spitting on everyone or something?!

Hmm, growing up in Poland and hearing occupation stories from my grandparents I have developed quite a different image of Gestapo officers' courteous manners. But let's get back to the movie - after all it is only a motion fable, losely based on history. And a funny one to boot, because Hitler is a red cloaked clown, Goebbels is a harmless movie geek and there's Austin Powers in it. Now behave! ;o)

And you come to learn that he is hardly an ordinary Nazi officer anyway!

I just don't get that bit. Tarantino has always been known for making a movie out of mundane conversation...

And how many more movies like that can you make, before they too become mundane?

To get things straight: I find Mr Tarantino a very talented artist, capable of making visionary films, ressurecting long-forgotten actors, rethinking what we all thought was a dead horse, etc. But at this very moment, I think he's slowly wasting away, broiling in his own juices.

 

[Treefingers]

Inglourious Basterds is a brilliant film, but definitely one that you have to appreciate film to enjoy. Don't go along expecting a mindless hollywood blockbuster action flick.

 

[Cixelsid]

Nice review, Bob. Just wish you would up the audio bitrate slightly, all your reviews sound as though you're narrating while on the can.

 

[outcast_within]

i agree, lose the tin can.

 

[Aptspire]

(If I can find it in english : /)

Or learn how to read, man up and go watch it at your local cinema.

obviously, you don't know that, but living in a French community makes it hard to find a movie that just came out in theaters in English...

 

[MovieBob]

obviously, you don't know that, but living in a French community makes it hard to find a movie that just came out in theaters in English...

FWIW, you wouldn't find it "in English" in most places I don't imagine - MOST of the film is already spoken in French and German.

 

[captainwillies]

Hmm, growing up in Poland and hearing occupation stories from my grandparents I have developed quite a different image of Gestapo officers

everything you've said and will say is now automatically void because you had a biased opinion going into the movie which changed your perception of events.

 

[silasbufu]

I love Tarantino. My dad and I watch all of his films together. I really wanted to go see this with him, but he past away a month ago. I'm gonna go see this with my friends. It will feel like my dad is there with me watching the film. The last movie we saw together was watchmen. I remembered when we were talking about Tarantino and this movie in the car during a long two hour car ride.

My condoleances..

OT: I can't wait to see the movie

 

[Musicacbx]

I have watched almost all of your reviews. Anything that is new diffrent and not a sequal you rate very highly. In this review however you said how you hate people who judge things on there best work. I honestly think your full of shit as every sequal you judge gets slandered and ripped apart as being worse or not living up to expectations. If they dont live up to expectations why should you let other films you review get of so easily?

 

[Russian_Assassin]

Simply put: I decided to name this movie my "2009 movie of the year"! The plot kept me interested throughout all the movie and I was really rewarded in the end (referring to the final act of the movie, those of you who have seen it know what it is, those of you who don't, imagine the Kill Bill Japanese hotel scene's awesomeness multiplied by 100.

Ok, I know I say this because these kind of "sweet sweet revenge" movies really appeal to me (which is why my favorite 2008 movie was Sweeney Todd), but to others they don't seem very interesting. But you know, everyone's entitled to their own opinion and shit...

 

[Lusulpher]

Tarentino has always been one of my favourite directors. Jackie Brown is one of his neglected titles, so I'm glad that's got a visual look-in as you scrolled over his works.

This is a little off topic, but Goebbels as well as being a thoroughly unlikeable man was actually a big film buff. He took his job as Reich Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda very seriously. He held off the ban of all foreign films for longer than needed and would try to personally go through as many film scripts as possible giving creative suggestions even though he was qualified to. His favourite film was gone with the wind - and since I hate that film, I'm just going to go ahead and accuse anyone of liking that of being a Nazi...

Agreed. Tarantino is a superb Director. I can't be friends with someone who does not appreciate Kill Bill. And Pulp Fiction is overrated, unique and good, but overrated, just like Fargo.
And GwtW is super racist. I read the book...all 1014 pages...utter garbage. The last 20+ pages were torn out too, I was pissed because I had known about the final lines and how appropriate they were.

Anyway, MovieBoB, you were right about District 9(it felt like a Halo novel too, so that was comforting).

I used to think you were just ranting about movies, but you are on the ball.

 

[Chrissyluky]

verrrrrry good movie watch ittt!

 

[Disthron]

I actually did watch this review, and a few others, bevore seeing the movie. I was glad that the people I decided to watch didn't give too much away.

Anyway, This was another grate film. I have to say, I liked District 9 a little better than this. But I'd put that more down to personal tasts rather than one movie really being better than the other. I'd say they were two very diferant kinds of films.

For a movie that seemed to have so meany scentes of people just standing around talking there was never a dull moment. And all the charecters were indeed awsome. This is definatly a must see.

 

[ottenni]

is there something wrong with me, because i cannot remember having ever been so bored as when i saw this movie.

 

[Biek]

Great movie! But I expected a little more action and humour from the inglorious basterds themselves. (More bear-jew clubbing action!)The stuff surrounding Shosanna's plot were somewhat boring to me. But most of the long conversations were very interesting because of SUPERB acting. (Landa (Waltz)was awesome)

And offcourse, we can expect plenty new catchphrases to circulate in the world! And ill definetly play the guess-who drinking game in the pub next weekend.

One little nitpick detail though... Some scenes were filmed around half buried bunkers. The funny thing that caught my attention is that these were the actual RUINS of WWII bunkers. I noticed it because I live near the coast in the Netherlands: Similair ruins are scattered all over the dunes here. I guess they didnt have time and/or money to restore some of them or create a set for it. Its obvious back then those bunkers were pretty much spankin new.