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Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2009 12:09 pm
by OscarGuy
And there's also the sense I get that although we feel a measure of pleasure from watching the Germans gunned downed like pigs going to the slaughter, we should equally feel ashamed for such thoughts and behaviors...after all, is our enjoyment of their annihilation while watching a movie not an embodiment of the symbolism of the Germans deriving satisfaction and pleasure from watching the extermination of the enemy as they watch the film in the theater? I think that's one of Tarantino's most brilliant devices here.
And, I get the sense from Tarantino's films that while he enjoys titillating the audience with mile-a-minute gore, he's also using that enjoyment as a sort of condemnation of that type of violence. While he's paying homage to the films of the '70s, he's showing them for what they were, glorifying slightly, but raising them up as examples of how repulsive the content can be.
Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2009 11:56 am
by anonymous1980
dws1982 wrote:anonymous wrote:I thought it was a joy to watch from start to finish. One of the best of the year.
That statement is part of what I find so disturbing about this film. I can accept that statement about something like Slumdog Millionaire or even something I don't care for like Little Miss Sunshine. But I don't see how anyone, even a fan of this film, could find it "a joy to watch from start to finish".
As much as I hate to, I'm going to have to watch this again so I can put together some thoughts on it.
It's a completely fictitious piece of work that showcases Quentin Tarantino's style of blending tension, dark humor, film references and moments of shocking violence.
What's not to love?
Edited By anonymous on 1261155526
Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2009 11:45 am
by Zahveed
When you're living in fear of being discovered I suppose it would be a good idea, at least in theory, to hide your fear from the enemy. The vibe I got from her throughout the majority of her encounters with the Germans was her hatred for the Nazis, which resulted in her being rather bitchy and snobbish toward them. This probably came across more as a French woman annoyed with the Nazi occupation than a Jewish woman holding a well deserved grudge. You can tell she is still afraid, though, in both the lunch and dinner scenes because of her awkward and silent demeanor as the soldiers and party members gradually increase in her presence.
Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2009 10:28 am
by taki15
Zahveed wrote:taki15 wrote:Oh, and I'm hard pressed to think of two more annoying characters that those portrayed by Melanie Laurent and Daniel Brull.
I'd like to hear your reasoning behind the "annoyance" of Melanie Laurent
She is supposed to be an undercover Jew, living in fear of being discovered. Yet her attitude, and Laurent's performance, looks more like that of a film noir femme fatale, like a third class Marlene Dietrich.
Now I understand that probably was Tarantino's intention. But it didn't make it look less out of place and irritating for me.
Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2009 10:07 am
by dws1982
anonymous wrote:I thought it was a joy to watch from start to finish. One of the best of the year.
That statement is part of what I find so disturbing about this film. I can accept that statement about something like Slumdog Millionaire or even something I don't care for like Little Miss Sunshine. But I don't see how anyone, even a fan of this film, could find it "a joy to watch from start to finish".
As much as I hate to, I'm going to have to watch this again so I can put together some thoughts on it.
Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2009 8:48 am
by Zahveed
taki15 wrote:Oh, and I'm hard pressed to think of two more annoying characters that those portrayed by Melanie Laurent and Daniel Brull.
I'd like to hear your reasoning behind the "annoyance" of Melanie Laurent
Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2009 3:15 am
by anonymous1980
I thought it was a joy to watch from start to finish. One of the best of the year.
Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2009 2:42 am
by The Original BJ
taki15 wrote:Oh, and I'm hard pressed to think of two more annoying characters that those portrayed by Melanie Laurent and Daniel Brull.
The kid in The Blind Side.
Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2009 2:29 am
by taki15
Besides Tarantino's hitchcockian ability to build an atmosphere of suspense and dread where the most mundane words aquire a dark meaning, there isn't much to applaud in this autistic film.
Oh sure, it's marginally entertaining but nowhere near the masterpiece Tarantino fans claim. The central plot is just an excuse for Tarantino to hang his set-pieces on, not to mention so absurd that seems like a ZAZ movie reject. And of course it's pretty transparent that most of the characters die not for a compelling dramatic reason but just because the director thought it would be cool to do so. IMHO, Reservoir Dogs remains by far his best effort.
Oh, and I'm hard pressed to think of two more annoying characters that those portrayed by Melanie Laurent and Daniel Brull.
Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2009 10:18 pm
by Big Magilla
The only thing I didn't like about it was Brad Pitt.
Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2009 9:41 pm
by Sonic Youth
Looking forward to seeing where you've gone wrong.
My only real problem with the film - admittedly, it's a very major one - is that it could have been tightened. By about one-third. But the more I've thought about it, the more I admire the deconstruction.
Posted: Thu Dec 17, 2009 8:40 pm
by dws1982
Once in awhile, I like to put on my robe, climb into the pulpit, and call down fire and brimstone on a movie. Haven't done it in awhile. (Was Hard Candy the last?) Having seen this, that may change.
Edited By dws1982 on 1261100568
Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2009 5:37 pm
by Zahveed
Inglourious Basterds is one of my favorite movies of the year so far, next to (500) Days of Summer. I enjoyed the pace of twenty minute tension to thirty seconds of erratic action. It builds and releases like a runner training for a marathon, finally passing the finish line after a few twists in the path. Twists that I didn't see coming but thoroughly enjoyed as some of them are just dramatically beautiful, like the final scene between Zoller and our real lead protagonist, Shosanna - nearly heart wrenching. I enjoyed all of the performances from the entire cast, though Eli Roth and Mike Meyers were a little exaggerated and nearly cartoonish.
This is probably my second favorite Tarantino movie, behind Jackie Brown of course.
Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2009 2:27 pm
by Penelope
First, let me say I've never been a huge Tarantino fan: I find his films to be very indulgent and a bit too "hipster" for my tastes; that said, I can't deny that the guy has talent and if I don't love Pulp Fiction and the Kill Bill films as a whole, there are certainly elements of brilliance in them.
Now, Inglourious Basterds is the first Tarantino film I enjoyed from beginning to end, though, yeah, it has flaws: primarily, the American (Basterds) parts of the film aren't nearly as interesting as the European elements (for lack of a better term: basically, these sections involving French, German and British characters) of the story--this, I think, is due to lack of character development for the Basterds (even The Dirty Dozen had more distinct character development, as a comparison) and Brad Pitt gives a particularly silly performance.
But, overall, I enjoyed the film: it's the first Hollywood film this year that I loved on a pure escapist, movie-movie level. The flick is a string of one suspenseful set-piece after another, each one building upon the previous set-piece until it literally explodes in the climax. And part of what makes these set-pieces so exciting isn't just danger, the action, but the dialogue--in the past, I've found Tarantino's dialogue wildly over-the-top, but here, somehow, it manages to work.
That the European sections work so well is due partly to the fact that Tarantino has seemingly written characters with greater depth here and also because the actors are all at the top of the game. I suspect Christoph Waltz will be a Supporting Actor nominee, simply because he throws himself into the part with so much relish--he's totally vile, but you just love seeing him devour the scenery. The ever beautiful Diane Kruger certainly gives the best performance of her career--it's clear that she, too, is having fun, something that hasn't come across for me in her previous turns. And Melanie Laurent is a charming, lovely heroine--her scene with Goebbels, Zoller and Lando is a magnificent study in character tension.
Best of all, however, is Daniel Brühl as Zoller: it's a marvelously understated, subtle performance, the most interesting character in the film and, in a way, it's a shame that he will likely be forgotten come nomination time--for of all Waltz's joyously evil turn, it's Brühl's character that haunts the memory after the film is over.
Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2009 12:11 pm
by rain Bard
Okri wrote: One thing that bugged me, but it's so pedantic I probably shouldn't bring it up. Sometimes the subtitles translated the dialogue. Other times, with words like "oui" and "merci beacoup" it didn't. It bugged me.
I noticed that too, and appreciated it. Reminded me of classic Hollywood films where a little French, German or Spanish is spoken and untranslated, and the audience is expected to either have a basic knowledge of a few simple words and phrases, or understand the meaning through context.