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Inglorious Spoilers Ahoy!
Inglorious Basterds
I saw it today. I have a lot to say. Sorry if this post is uberlong.
Dirty Dozen with a dash of Cinema Paradiso and a splatter of Reservoir Dogs.
Let me do bad stuff first:
1. Too long. Tarantino seems to have the George Lucas air about him that people around him are worried about telling him the stuff he's doing needs to be cut. The first table scene in the movie is dull. Now, if it built suspense, like the last five minutes of the scene did then it would have been a different scene altogether. But it didn't. At least, not for me.
2. Too long deux. There were chunks of this film that could have been featured as deleted scenes on the DVD release. I mean if long sections of a scene don't lead up to anything and doesn't move the story along, it's not needed.
3. It's built up to be this sort of Dirty Dozen with us following the Basterds around. Uh, not exactly. It's like he wanted to make one film at first and then thought... hmm, let's change course. What's the point in building up characters like the Bear Jew and Hugo Stiglitz when they are introduced as major players and then are nothing more than less than secondary characters? I know Tarantino likes to do the "ooh, you didn't expect that didn't you" thing but surprises still can be pertinent to the story.
4. "Fu ck a duck!" and referring to a guy's dick as a "weinerschnitzel" pulls me right out of the movie. They are totally modern day references that distract from the movie's intent of trying to convince you that you're in the mid-40's.
5. The gore didn't affect me at all. I was expecting it and now I don't even wince at it when it happens in a Tarantino flick. Yeah, we get it you have the brain of a teenage boy.
6. I wasn't on-board with the Aldo Raine character. Again, Brad Pitt being Brad Pitt with an accent. Pulled me right out of the movie... There's a point where certain actors become parodies of themselves on screen. I started feeling that with Pitt around Ocean's 11...
7. When the film ended, I thought what's the point of this movie? Yes, it's historical fiction, a fantasy version of what happened. But I have no idea what Tarantino is trying to say here other than "wouldn't it have been cool if..."
The good stuff:
1. Two words: Daniel Brühl. He first caught my eye in Ladies in Lavender and again in this film. So very cute and not a bad actor. But I love how he was portrayed as being so likable until you find out more and more about him. Nicely done.
2. Tarantino knows how to use music. The music choices in the film were great. But again, it pulled me out of it at times.
3. The montage of Shoshana getting ready for the premiere is wonderful.
4. Christoph Waltz is a delight to watch. So jolly then so evil.
5. The Reservoir Dogs standoff scene in a French basement. I liked it. The camera loves Diane Kruger.
So, did I like it? I guess. Did I love it? No. Did I hate it? No. I guess I'm on the fence on this one. Great moments, great choices here and there but a long-winded script is still a long-winded script no matter what.
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