“Inglourious Basterds” (2009)
I’m not a Tarantino fan. I liked Pulp Fiction. Didn’t like Reservoir Dogs. Didn’t bother with the Kill Bills or Grindhouse because I didn’t want to deal with the OTT violence. So when Inglourious Basterds came out, I skipped it.
But the good reviews kept coming in. And the superlatives rained down on Christoph Waltz for his supporting role. And then Linda at NPR said that even though SHE didn’t like Tarantino either, she’d really liked Inglourious Basterds. So we bought it on DVD, and watched it.
I loved it. Thought it was great, and a far better Best Picture contender than Avatar was. More ambitious than Hurt Locker, yet still perfectly executed. Like Hurt Locker, too, it maintains tremendous suspense for long periods of time. The opening scene is astonishingly good and lasts about 20 minutes. And when the tension is resolved, it’s never in the way I thought it would be. The movie constantly surprised me.
Except for its scenes of over the top violence, like bloody gunfights and scalping scenes. By the end, I wasn’t even closing my eyes, looking at the ceiling, or watching through diamond fingers. I don’t consider that desensitizing a good thing, though. The rest? Fabulously entertaining. This shoulda been a stronger contender for best pic.
March 18th, 2010 at 4:36 pm
I don’t know if I’m a Tarantino fan or not - I’ve liked some of his films, and then not liked some others - but for me this was the best movie of 2009. I know it’s like, sacrilege to say anything against Hurt Locker, but I personally enjoyed and was moved by this movie far more, and also think it was more ambitious. I wish it had received more recognition during the awards season because it was so good.
Also, I have to say, even if you worry about gratuitous violence, I do think the Kill Bill movies are worth watching. I didn’t think they’d be my cup of tea, but I was blown away by the cinematics and storytelling. Just something to consider!
March 19th, 2010 at 9:02 am
I am a Tarantino fan, though I am a graphic violence wimp and watch half the scenes in most of his movies while peeking through my fingers. The Hurt Locker really affected me and I was happy that it won best picture, but in my heart I was rooting for Basterds.
March 22nd, 2010 at 1:28 pm
Steph and Dawn, I’m right with you. The more I think on it, the more deserving I think Basterds was.