Inglourious Basterds

[Y 2 Jake]

The Inglorious Bastards ranks continue to swell with Brad Pitt now officially signed on to play a Tennessee hillbilly who leads a band of eight Jewish-American soldiers to take out some rough justice on the Nazis.

But Pitt is not the only addition to Quentin Tarantino's war movie. Simon Pegg is in talks to play a British Lieutenant; Nastassja Kinski has begun negotiations to play a German movie star; David Krumholtz (who will forever be Mr. Universe from Serenity to us) is likely to join the cast as one of Pitt's lackies.

Now this is starting to sound more like a Tarantino movie cast. You've got the big name (Pitt), the leftfield casting (Pegg) and the resurgent star of yesteryear (Kinski). A couple more A-listers would be nice, and probably someone last seen in a cult horror from the mid-70s, but this is now shaping up nicely.

Variety reports that Tim Roth was in talks to join the cast, but scheduling difficulties prevented it. Interestingly, their article also says that much of the film's dialogue will be in either French or German, with subtitles, although Pitt will speak in English.

Tarantino is set to begin shooting in Germany on October 13 and is still planning to have the film ready for next year's Cannes Film Festival. That sounds like an impossibly tight deadline to us, but, by God, he's got to try.

Any new Tarantino film gets me excited. Apparently now it's cool to bash the guy. Probably because he's not just doing gangster films. I've heard a lot of people say his last 3 films have been shit. Well that was kinda the point. Death Proof was supposed to be a Grindhouse film, Kill Bill was supposed to a kung-fu movie & Jacke Brown was blacksploitation. All were supposed to be tributes to trashy generes of movies.

I can't wait for this. I don't know if it's a remake of the original or if he's just stole the title. Brad Pitt these days rocks my socks as well. Now he's Fight Club/Seven/12 Monkeys Brad Pitt all the time. None of that pretty boy Devil's Own Brad.

 

[jmt225]

I'm excited about this too. This movie looks awesome. I've been waiting for Pitt and Tarantino to work together ever since I saw "True Romance" for the first time a couple of years ago. Even with a very short role, Pitt was fucking AMAZING in that movie and I'm sure the way Pitt portrayed his character was exactly what Tarantino wanted when he wrote it. Anyway, both of those guys are awesome and I'm sure this film will be all sorts of humorous and suspenseful.

As far as Tarantino's last few projects go; I really liked Jackie Brown, LOVED the Kill Bill series, and I didn't care for Death Proof. I don't know why I didn't like Death Proof, but it really just didn't flow with me like Planet Terror did. However, it didn't make me lose any respect for Tarantino at all. I know this next movie will blow me away from the sounds of it. Can't wait.

 

[Papa Shango]

I've been looking forward to this movie for several years now. Personally, I hope he deviates just a little bit from his usual style. His movies are great, but lately each of his movies seem to lack the taut drama that Pulp Fiction still evokes today. I know each of his films are essentially tributes to his favorite genres and auteurs, but each movie seems to get exponentially more blatent in their "tip-of-the-hat" revelling. I want to see Quentin Tarantino do a movie that has a little more originality. So I don't wanna see Inglorious Bastards, with a scene that explicitly mirrors The Great Escape, I wanna see an Inglorious Bastards that appropriately evokes the spirit of The Great Escape. Quentin Tarantino has proven time and again that he can write original material,but it's time for him to remind people that he can direct with originality as well. I know I'm setting my expectations high, but it's only because I know that he is capable of making a gripping war movie that combines the raw power of Saving Private Ryan and Pulp Fiction.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Quentin Tarantino has always been partial to left-field casting, so it should come as no surprise to hear that he's added Mike Myers to the roster of actors appearing in his war film Inglorious Bastards.

Myers will play British General Ed Fench, a military genius who assists in the film's plot to wipe out Nazi leaders. Word is that this will only be a small cameo role.

Sounds like a very wise decision on Myers' part. Still pulling out some of the barbs spat at him for making The Love Guru, this should remind viewers that he can actually act and isn't just a recycling plant for jokes from his old movies. Myer's was impressive in a straight role in Studio 54, so it'll be interesting to see what Tarantino can do with him.

As it's the role of a British general I'd imagine it was the role that Tim Roth was supposed to have. It's intresting casting, but I'm not down with it. Myers has proven that he can't do a Scottish accent, English is harder. There are a lot of actors that think they can do one, but very few can. Still intresting though.

 

[jmt225]

Ahh... this thread's a year old, but I'd rather bump it than start a new one. That's what Quentin Tarantino would do.

Anyway, just got back from seeing Inglorious Basterds... and it was fucking AWESOME! It met every single one of my expectations, which was VERY high, and the film goes right up there with my other favorites from Tarantino, and even Brad Pitt, my all time favorite actor, btw.

But yeah... Tarantino killed it. Killing Nazis never looked so sweet. Brad Pitt was fantastic, as always. Cristoph Waltz' Col. Handa is one of the best villains I've seen in a while. He was such a diabolical asshole. Eli Roth was also tremendous as the Bear Jew. Besides Pitt of course, Roth was my favorite basterd.

The movie is absolutely perfect except for one scene that drags on way too long (it's set in the bar and you'll know it when you see it). But that is the film's only flaw, in my opinion. The first and last act, in particular, in the movie are fucking phenomenal. In fact, the final half hour is so good it's almost unreal.

Overall, as of now, it gets a 9.5/10 in my book. I can't wait to see it again. I'm sure it'll end up being one of those very few movies I'll never get tired of watching.

 

[The Legendary 23]

I haven't seen the movie, but I have little desire to. Don't get me wrong, I love Tarantino, but I can't say I'm pumped for this one.

My first problem is the premise: a group of people dedicated to nothing but killing another group of people. "Oh, but they are Nazis! It's okay if they all die!" you say. Do you realize that not all Nazis in World War II were bad people? Many of them simply were people who had known extreme adversity their entire lives due to Germany's terrible economic state, and were mind-washed by Nazi propaganda. If there was one thing that WWII taught humanity, it wasn't to blindly kill other people. And here comes "Inglorious Basterds," which is doing just that.

Another problem is the casting. Brad Pitt should not be in this movie. Some bloodthirsty, war-hardened hillbilly is being played by Brad Pitt? It just doesn't make sense. Well, maybe I shouldn't make such accusations until I see it. At this point though I really don't want to see it.

 

[X]

So, I just got back from seeing this. Let me just say, it was a very good film. But don't buy into some of the hype you may be hearing. It's a damn good film, but it's not even the best film released in the last month (District 9 takes that honor).

There are alot of things to really, really like about this film. The use of Ennio Morricone's music is simply superb, and multiplied my enjoyment of the film tenfold (truly one of the very best scores I've ever heard). Christoph Waltz is absolutely stunning as Lt. Hans Landa, and damn well deserves a nomination for Best Supporting Actor come Oscar time, and I won't be surprised when he gets it. Brad Pitt was also excellent and delivered classic line after classic line throughout the film with an excellent Southern drawl that'll have you sitting there with a big fat grin on your face.

There are however a few minor problems with the film, the most obvious of which is that there are simply too many subplots and too much wasted time. I love Tarantino's dialogue as much as the next guy (and trust me, the dialogue in this film is up to the Tarantino standard of excellence and will undoubtedly capture your attention), but after 20 minutes in the same bar having the same conversation, you can't help but think "Move the fuck on already!" A few of the subplots in the film really could and probably should have been trimmed down or thrown out all together and it would really have helped the film move along at a more brisk pace. The main selling point of this film is the Basterds and their exploits, and unfortunately there's simply far too much time in the film in which they aren't on screen. Subplots are fine, but when you get a grand total of 20+ minutes of Brad Pitt on screen in a 2 and a half hour film, that kind of sucks. There should have been ALOT more of the Basterds exploits in the film, and I was very disappointed we didn't get to see more of their travels. Big disappointment in that regard.

Overall, I'd certainly recommend this film. It's not as good as District 9, but it's a damn good film that's worth your time. I'd rank it about on par with the Kill Bill series in Tarantino's filmography. Very, very good, but not his best work.

You can read a much more detailed review I did of the film here:

http://forums.wrestlezone.com/showthread.php?p=1335711#post1335711

 

[Kenny Powers]

I got to say Inglorious Basterds was the best movie I've seen this year, along with District 9. It isn't on the same scale as Pulp Fiction or Reservoir Dogs but very close. I loved the routine Tarantino took with the film, setting up the film in chapters like most of his movies. I did feel that the acting was tremendous, along with the action. I knew the film would be graphic but had no idea. I wish we could of seen more of the Basterds as well. It seemed most of the movie was solely on the female character.

I did think a lot of scenes were too drawn out, there were so many great characters and not enough time to give them all their due. I have heard Tarantino might be making 5 installments of this franchise. It seems a bit much, but I would pay to see more of the Basterds and their escapades again. The movie may not follow history, but it is tastefully done. Some people may be turned off by the movie. They may see Grindhouse and think this movie its a campy rustic exploration film. This movie is anything but. Whether your like Tarantino or not, I highly recommend this film. It would be a crime if this movie wasn't nominated for an award.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

It was alright. If a film is going to have that much talking I think it's got to be really fucking intresting. Some of it was, most of it wasn't. Would it stand up without the violence like most Tarantino films? I doubt it.

 

[X]

It was alright. If a film is going to have that much talking I think it's got to be really fucking intresting. Some of it was, most of it wasn't. Would it stand up without the violence like most Tarantino films? I doubt it.

True. The people complaining about the lack of violence is kind of ridiculous to me. The film is more violent than Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs. Those films are known for being "crime" films but both films feature much more dialogue than they do violence, Reservoir Dogs specifically. I don't think there are many better filmmakers when it comes to dialogue than Tarantino, and I thought the dialogue in Basterds was uniformly stellar as always. Maybe I'm just a mark for Tarantino (I even loved Death Proof), but I thought Basterds was wonderful. I too wish there had been just a bit more of the Basterds themselves, but, oh well.

 

[Razor]

Fuuuuuck yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. This movie was awesome. It felt like I was watching Pulp Fiction, only placed 50 years back. and not quite as good. But still. It felt like I was watching a classic Tarrantino movie again.

First of all, the dialogue between Waltz and the farmer at the beginning. That was classic Tarrantino dialogue, and it was superb. It was matched during the film whenever the Basterds were on screen, sure. But I'll be damned if I was giddy during those first minutes of the film because that dialogue told me "This is a Tarrantino film, ma gawd."

I also liked Tarrantino's use of subtitles in the film, going as far as to refuse subtitles for some conversations when he didn't want you to know what was being said. Such as when the theatre owner was getting hit on by the soldier in the coffee shop. She wanted to know what he did, and Tarrantino wanted you just as in the dark as she was. So when Germans came running up and congratulating him on something, Tarrantino refused to translate until he wanted to. I know a bit of German, or at least enough to know what they were talking about. So I knew he was a war hero. But if I hadn't spoke German, it would have been a home run device.

Pitt somehow steals the film after being on it for a relatively small amount of time. Every line he utters is a classic, right on up to the final scene with "Little Man," Waltz, and Waltz' assistant. The Basterds were overall great as well.

I would take this moment to complain about parts of the film that seemed to drag, like the pub scene...but really. That's what Tarantino does in most of his movies. Pick a place and draaaag there. It sort of reminds me of the burger place scene in Pulp Fiction. I didn't want to be in that damned shop anymore, I wanted to see what would happen when Vincent took Mrs. Wallace home. But the dialogue more than made up for it, as I believe the dialogue helped out the seeming drag in the pub scene.

Overall? It was damned good. If you don't like Tarantino though, you definitely won't like this film. This is classic Tarantino, which makes it perfect in my eyes.