Not normally a Tarantino fan, but I really enjoyed it. (my copy/pasted mini review inside) - Edit 1
Before modification by Zalis at 01/09/2009 05:22:12 PM
Inglourious Basterds
Tarantino (writer/director/genre, you get my drift)
8.5
Runtime: 153 minutes
Premise: A Tarantino flick set in a World War II setting. Think The Dirty Dozen meets Kill Bill meets an old time, multi-chapter classic movie. The "Inglourious Basterds" are an American band of Jewish soldiers who kill Nazis in German-occupied France. It's loosely based on some historical concepts, but that's about it. The story introduces several different characters and POVs, then culminates in a final chapter.
Content: A handful of F-Bombs and other course language, but it's not as constant as District 9 or The Departed, etc. One brief sexual scene, literally 5 seconds or so, but no actual nudity. The violence is as brutal as you'd expect from Tarantino, but is only in a handful of scenes.
Random impressions:
Let it go on the record that, while I'm not usually a fan of his work, this Tarantino piece is more approachable. (likely due to the WW2 setting)
I actually expected more violence, but that's a good area to come up short on. (in comparison to Kill Bill, etc) What was there was thoroughly brutal, and there are definitely bloody scenes, but it wasn't as constant as I'd thought it would be. Why? Because there's actually quite a bit of story in the film, and it was the most entertaining part for me. I would've liked to see more scenes with just the Basterds in action, going around hunting/ambushing, etc, but that's ok.
Good acting, too, I'd say. The characters were eccentric, but endearing. There were a few who were obviously over-the-top, but you'd expect them to be. (Pitt as Aldo, Hitler, etc) Seeing B.J. Novak kind of distracted me, though he didn't get a lot of screen time or lines. Mike Myers also has a ridiculous, but thankfully brief, cameo. He was only on-screen for maybe ten minutes, but I kept waiting for him to say "YEAH, BABEE."
All-in-all, I'd give it a thumbs-up. The German officer Landa was excellent, nearly show-stealing, as well as the girl who played Shoshanna. Pitt is exactly as portrayed in the commercials and trailers. While entertaining, the film benefits from his screen time being modest. My favorite scene is one of the heaviest points of dialogue, and it takes place in a basement bar full of Nazis.
Tarantino (writer/director/genre, you get my drift)
8.5
Runtime: 153 minutes
Premise: A Tarantino flick set in a World War II setting. Think The Dirty Dozen meets Kill Bill meets an old time, multi-chapter classic movie. The "Inglourious Basterds" are an American band of Jewish soldiers who kill Nazis in German-occupied France. It's loosely based on some historical concepts, but that's about it. The story introduces several different characters and POVs, then culminates in a final chapter.
Content: A handful of F-Bombs and other course language, but it's not as constant as District 9 or The Departed, etc. One brief sexual scene, literally 5 seconds or so, but no actual nudity. The violence is as brutal as you'd expect from Tarantino, but is only in a handful of scenes.
Random impressions:
Let it go on the record that, while I'm not usually a fan of his work, this Tarantino piece is more approachable. (likely due to the WW2 setting)
I actually expected more violence, but that's a good area to come up short on. (in comparison to Kill Bill, etc) What was there was thoroughly brutal, and there are definitely bloody scenes, but it wasn't as constant as I'd thought it would be. Why? Because there's actually quite a bit of story in the film, and it was the most entertaining part for me. I would've liked to see more scenes with just the Basterds in action, going around hunting/ambushing, etc, but that's ok.
Good acting, too, I'd say. The characters were eccentric, but endearing. There were a few who were obviously over-the-top, but you'd expect them to be. (Pitt as Aldo, Hitler, etc) Seeing B.J. Novak kind of distracted me, though he didn't get a lot of screen time or lines. Mike Myers also has a ridiculous, but thankfully brief, cameo. He was only on-screen for maybe ten minutes, but I kept waiting for him to say "YEAH, BABEE."
All-in-all, I'd give it a thumbs-up. The German officer Landa was excellent, nearly show-stealing, as well as the girl who played Shoshanna. Pitt is exactly as portrayed in the commercials and trailers. While entertaining, the film benefits from his screen time being modest. My favorite scene is one of the heaviest points of dialogue, and it takes place in a basement bar full of Nazis.