“Murder changes everything”

Swift shot:  Magically disturbing and imaginative, The Lovely Bones redefines justice.  The emotions are palpable, the suspense is terrifyingly effective, and you will be screaming at the screen.  Immersion with this film is seamless, as you find yourself pulling for the characters on a gut level.  It was similar to What Dreams May Come and The Lady in White – both incredibly powerful movies in their dealing with death and the people who really suffer – the living. 

The effervescent Saoirse Ronan dons the knit-wool cap of Susie Salmon, a simple, yet passionate teen full of life whose curiosity is her ultimate demise.  Susie is stuck in a bubble of the in-between, with her love of family and growing desire for revenge keeping her trapped in her perfect world. 

With a passion for photography and life, Susie is a typical seventies teen, trying to gain attention and affections of her Moor, Ray (Reece Ritchie).  But, on the day she is given a poem by him, she is murdered by Mr. Harvey (Stanley Tucci) – such a  benign name for so terribly maleficent a character.  Harvey is a perfectionist, a savant who excels at two things, carpentry and murder – using his best tools, manipulation and misdirection to subdue his prey.

Stalking his victims is almost as much fun as killing for him, in fact, killing is the climax of a great passionate romance played out in his twisted mind’s eye where misery and torment keep him warm at night.  Tucci doesn’t need any special effects or a billion dollar budget to scare the hell out of you, just some blond hair and creepy contact-lenses transform him in a way not familiar in decades on film.

Susie is cleverly lured into his trap and after a painfully drawn-out sequence, where the loving family is juxtaposed with the snare set for her, she is destroyed, snuffed out, youth extinguished, in her prime.  Only thoughtless, evil, bane creatures terminate the pure.  Harvey will go down as one of the most reviled villains of the year.  There is a bathtub scene that will give several audience members chilling nightmares.  Well done, Jackson, I haven’t had an image burned into my psyche like that since Gollum - capturing darkness like that takes perverse desire, contrasting the darkness with the white light, remarkable.

The imagination of ideas to create Susie’s heaven and how it was portrayed on screen were defining moments for this film.  Some critics might find this was overdrawn and cheesy, but at times that is exactly what a story needs, a little fromage, n’est pas?  I particularly got emotionally invested when her father was destroying something that reminded him of his daughter in his world, and how that event played out in her heaven.  Anyone who thinks that was too cheesy isn’t a parent – I can tell you that.

I found the characters meshed well, but it was clear to me that the film probably had to trim several characters down to mere plot-movers because of time constraints.  Disclaimer: I haven’t read the book, nor did I know it even existed – as I have stated countless times, I am a viewer, not a reader, typically.  So, I can’t stand up and claim it was lacking in any way against the written form of the story.  But, really, that is the beauty of when a novel becomes a film – it is exposed to a whole new audience who might never have imagined such a creative way of exploring both justice and grief through the eyes of the murdered girl.

This one is going to raise some eyebrows, going to launch some careers and will be talked about for a long time for the pragmatic way it deals with justice versus revenge.  I would highly recommend seeing this film in theaters too, be warned though, the darkness from this film will follow you home – pray that Mr. Harvey doesn’t follow you home too!

“Let’s see Robot Chicken top this one.”

Swift shot: Star Wars and Family Guy lovers will be thrilled – Fox removed their censors this time – so, you actually get your money’s worth.  You won’t hear any beeps except for R2D2′s beep boop beep.  Using classic parody, creator Seth MacFarlane fires his own blasts at George Lucas in not so subtle criticisms of The Empire Strikes Back. Enjoy this one, you will.

What does the force mean to you?  To Seth MacFarlane it means watching the unrated version of Van Wilder with all the frat stuff in there – and knowing that Kathy Bates or the naked old ghost in The Shining were the worst on-screen nude scenes Hollywood has to offer.  Who is the best naked on-screen scene?  You will have to pop this baby into your DVD or Bluray player to find out.  Oh, sure, you could probably google the whole damned film – but that wouldn’t be much fun – and would clearly lead you on a path to the dark side.

So, the story begins a long time ago, when the gays weren’t all in your face about it.  The rebel alliance has set up shop on a distant planet hoping to evade imperial detection, but, you know this story . . . and if you don’t, what, you live in a cave that isn’t a cave?

What you don’t know is how much fun you are going to have watching this for the first time.  The whole menagerie of Family Guy cast members make an appearance in Dark Side – some cameos will flat out surprise you – I know they shocked me with some of the choices.  As with Blue Harvest (A New Hope parody), Mila Kunis as Meg has a minor appearance.  But, the rest of the primary cast are back with a vengeance.  Trying to guess which Family Guy character will portray certain Empire Strikes Back characters is fun too.

The attention to detail and the graphic representation and care shown to the original Empire Strikes Back is noteworthy at times and downright silly, or stupid, at others.  With  most comedies, I am always wary to point out what you will think is funny, because I don’t know you.  You could be a fucking lunatic clown killer or a closeted Amish butter churner stashing your laptop under your floorboards.  But, I can say without a doubt that you will enjoy all the little pop-culture references tossed into Dark Side.

At times you may find yourself rolling your eyes, and if you aren’t a fan of Family Guy to begin with, you may not get some of the more subtle or older referenced themes.  And, they do go back to some of the older material in Dark Side.

I don’t want to reveal too much in the review, because as with most Family Guy episodes the left-field references really drive the humor – and I don’t want to put a dampener on your experience. I watched it twice now, and the second time I watched it the comedy was a little flat, because I knew what was coming.  Though, you won’t.

And simply put, you MUST see this with a friend – watching it alone is like masturbating to Van Wilder on Comedy Central – yes, I went there – it’s 2010 – DEAL WITH IT!  Just enjoy this one and don’t you dare watch it censored!

Forcefully disturbing take on “Lolita”.

Swift shot:  This movie was NOTHING that I was expecting.  I rented it because of the title and because I like controversial themes - challenging the mind is never a bad thing.  Brilliant acting throughout the film and incredibly disturbing subject matter!  Be warned, this one is aptly labeled controversial - it isn’t just a marketing stunt!  Only the thick-skinned should view this one, seriously!

While the title implies this movie is about racism, it is really only the base of the film and merely used to bait the viewer.  While I normally detract “points” for that sort of manipulation, it was brilliantly pulled off in Towelhead.  From scene one, you’ll learn not to be so quick to judge the film, anymore than you should judge the characters.

With a Dickensian style to the story, a poor little blossoming outsider is kicked out of the house to go live with her megalomaniac father, who is really focused on everything else but his daughter – until his daughter disappoints him by choosing a member of the opposite race to date.  Never owning up to their racism, nor hypocrisy, both parents, Rifat (Peter Macdissi) and Gail (Maria Bello) need to be dragged and quartered for failing to provide emotional support for their daughter.  I guess my disgust for these characters is a credit to the actors, and I couldn’t find one actor (not even some of the kids) that gave mediocre performances.

Alan Ball is rapidly becoming my favorite director, his style appeals to me in a way I can’t share in writing.  While he mostly writes for the small idiot box, Ball certainly knows how to get results from everyone on set, surrounding himself with talented, passionate (bonafide) artists.  I think his real success must come from some stellar casting work, I don’t feel like any of the roles were forced and while the subject matter could end careers, the actors always seem comfortable committing their sins for Ball – almost like he put poppers in their PEZ! (That was for you, Ck)

Summer Bishil steals every scene, driving home the point that Jasira Maroun is just a little girl dealing with some incredibly mature issues.  Her child-like commitment to Jasira was as imaginative as it was disturbing.  Complementing her performance were Aaron Eckhart and Peter Macdissi who each took turns shaping her world-views in their own twisted ways.

Fantasy sequences serve to titillate and disturb, and fantasy sometimes falls short of the real thing – sometimes fantasy ruins reality too.  I’ll let you be the judge with that one.  Watching this film will leave a mark on your mind, might even make you wish you had never watched it in the first place – but, again, failure to confront the uncomfortable leads to failing to understand the uncomfortable.

For my part, I learned both lessons about pre-judging films (twice this month now) based on their titles and about the dramatic impact apathy can have on a child.  Towelhead has another title, but it is really quite lame and cowardly, “Nothing is Private” but they could have gone with this title, “How NOT to raise a child!” which would have been spot-on.

Little side-note, I did some quick research on Ball, apparently his sister literally died “all over” him when he was 13, on her 22nd birthday – they were in a terrible accident.  So, death and loss shaped him, artistically, at a very young age.  While Towelhead doesn’t really focus on death, the death of innocence is carried throughout – no doubt, a testament to Ball’s own loss of innocence.

My only real criticism of the film would be the pacing in some places made no sense, and sometimes the disjointed weaving of the story detracted from the pulse overall.  A few of the characters bored me, but again, real life is hardly all Megan Fox running around with robots, right Action Flick Chick?  I will continue to follow anything Ball touches, the guy has definitely gotten my attention for the long-haul now.

Whenever I receive an invitation to view a screening of a film I have never heard of I get a familiar thrill of being thrust into the unknown. I do no research and go in with no expectations. Typically, that means I at least won’t walk away disappointed. A few times, however, as is the case with my recent encounter with “An Education,” I discover a little gem of a film that I can’t get out of my head.

Lone Scherfig (“Italian for Beginners”) brings to life a story we’ve all heard before: a young girl falls for a charming older gentlemen and, in the process, goes through a coming-of-age trial. She does this in way that leaves no sentiments for the characters involved and has no problems showing all of their flaws, no matter how minuscule. Guided by a sharp screenplay scribed by Nick Hornby (“About a Boy,” “High Fidelity”), the story is as smart and charming as it is simple.

From the moment the film begins we are introduced to Carey Mulligan’s 16-year old “Jenny” character, who wears the weight of the film on her tiny shoulders and holds it like a seasoned pro. She is the perfect student with best the grades and the prettiest face. She is the perfect daughter. She is everything her parents and teachers could have asked for. For all of her perfection, though, she is still a child and shows this in the rash decisions she makes throughout the film. Sometimes you just want to scream at her naivete, but then Mulligan will just flash her girlish smile and warm your heart. This young reminiscence of Audrey Hepburn will catapult her stunning career with this film.

At home, Jenny is presided over by her parents Jack and Marjorie, played by Alfred Molina and Cara Seymour. They have decided that Jenny is bound for Oxford, where she is to read English, and they’ll do anything at their disposal to get her there. Her English teacher, Miss Stubbs (Olivia Williams) would also have her heart broken if Jenny strayed from her path. This is the perfect setup for the film. Like the whole story, it’s nothing new, but the setting of 1961 Britain and the spot on performances are spellbinding.

Just as we get to know Jenny and her world, David (Peter Sarsgaard) comes onto the screen. He is an affable and mysterious older man who takes an instant liking to Jenny. There’s instant chemistry on the screen and as youthful flirting slowly becomes something more, there’s no doubt that these two people could very well have come together naturally in the real world.

David has an air of mystery about him and at many points in the film the mood might even be described as dark or malignant. This polite man is obviously wearing some kind of mask, and it’s enjoyable to watch that mask get pulled off, again slowly, to reveal his true face.

We’re not to worry too much about Jenny, though. There are plenty of reminders about just how sharp she is, but also just how much of a child she can be. We end up wanting to see Jenny make a mistake so that she can learn from it and be the woman she should be. It might be a strange way to root for the lead in a film, but it’s the way of a concerned parent or older sibling and it’s a way that feels right.

Lessons are learned all around in the film. Jenny isn’t the only one who has to constantly re-evaluate her world (to the dismay of her teachers, in particular). Her parents, the headmistress at her school, David all face truths about themselves and others that they never did before. It should be stressed, though, that sentimentality doesn’t really come across, even if the lesson learned is a harsh one. It simply feels good to see everyone coming to a level-headed understanding. A rare feat in any film.

Having debuted in Sundance this year, “An Education” has already built a great fan base. It won the Audience Award as well as the award for Best Cinematography. When it hits theaters on Friday, it’s sure to get a sneak attack among filmgoers. With romance, intrigue, stylish socialite parties, and a crisp story,  “An Education” is sure to delight most people who see it.

When I got to the theater at 9:00 for the 9:30 screening of Michael Jackson’s “This Is It”, I was amazed to see that there was already a line of devoted fans waiting to see the midnight viewing of the concert movie.  I guess I shouldn’t really have been surprised, because it doesn’t matter who you are, or where you are from, you have somehow been influenced by Michael Jackson.

“This Is It” is a compilation of rehearsal footage recorded in 2009 for the concert tour that never happened, due to the untimely death of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.  Throughout the almost two hour movie, we get to see what it takes to create a world tour. From the backup dancer auditions, to dance rehearsals, set design to special effects, we get a behind the scenes look at everything. Although this was all rehearsal footage, and therefore not polished to perfection, there was some finished material. For example, the video that was created for the intro to the song “Smooth Criminal” was amazing.

All the hits are covered, including “Wanna Be Startin Something”, “Beat It”, “Man in the Mirror”, and “Thriller”. This is the closest thing to seeing the King of Pop live, and it was fantastic.

And boys and girls, remember, even though this isn’t a “real movie”, it’s still a movie – which means keep your damned cake-hole shut!!  Yes, I am talking to the two people in the back of the theater that were beside me talking non-stop throughout the movie.  I really could have done without your distractions.

Bottom line:  a must for Michael Jackson fans (and let’s face it, who isn’t??).

The H-Bomb: Director Sam Raimi makes a long awaited return to the horror genre with this twisted tale of a young woman plagued by a curse. Was it worth the wait? Read on…

Christine (Alison Lohman) is a loan officer at a bank in line for a promotion to assistant manager. But when she sees that her chances of being promoted are threatened by a new, hot shot, kiss ass employee, she goes against her better nature and denies a mortgage extension to an old gypsy lady in order to get on her boss’s good side. As it turns out, she screws the wrong lady as the old witch places a damning curse on her. Now, Christine only has three days to undo the curse before she is literally dragged to hell.

Mr. Sam Raimi, we here in the horror nut community would like to say, welcome back! Yes, we enjoyed your “Spider-Man” movies (the first two, anyway), and we appreciated your non-genre work in films like “A Simple Plan” and “The Gift” (the less said about “For Love of the Game”, the better). However, it was an absolute delight to see you come home to the genre from which you came. While it doesn’t quite stack up to your deliciously schlocky “Evil Dead” trilogy, you have certainly shown us that you haven’t lost your teeth, and you’ve delivered one of the best horror films I’ve seen in recent memory. Bravo, sir!

Goddamn I got a kick out of this movie! This, for me, is the first recognizable Sam Raimi film since “Army of Darkness” (Evil Dead 3). While I enjoyed his more commercial outings, a part of me missed the audacious, outlandish style of his he showed when he was an up-and-comer. Well, with “Drag Me To Hell”, he’s proven that he’s still got a little bit of that wild spirit in him.

This is total retro-Raimi; complete with an inventive story (which he wrote with his brother, Ivan), crazy, creative camera angles, and some effectively spooky scenes, including one with people floating in mid air and speaking in demonic voices that will surely dig up pleasant memories of “Evil Dead II” for the fanboys.

Lohman is great and makes for a very sympathetic heroine, despite the fact that she does something really selfish at the beginning. I really wanted her character to pull through. (She more than makes up for her AWFUL performance in “Where the Truth Lies”).

However, as a critic, I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t find something to bitch about. So here are a couple of complaints; the CGI was pretty hokey at times, I know Raimi was working with a limited budget, but c’mon, he had more convincing effects in the first “Evil Dead”. Secondly, Justin Long‘s character is supposed to be a professor, and I just couldn’t buy him as one for a minute. Lastly, no Bruce Campbell??!! That is just unacceptable, Mr. Raimi. How the fuck can you finally make a horror film again and not find a role for “The Chin?!”

When all is said and done, though, “Drag Me To Hell” is a terrific return to form for a director who is worshiped as a god in horror circles. Despite strong reviews, this one under-performed commercially, which is too bad. Hopefully, it will find the audience it deserves on DVD. If you’re a in the mood for a good fright flick, rent this creepy puppy tonight.

Swift shot:  Excellent script, quick dialog and compelling characters, though flawed in the muddling of perhaps too many compelling characters.  Focusing around the kidnapping of a professor’s son who has just won the Nobel prize.  Sexy, stylized acting, with an edged delivery from most of the players.  This one will keep you interested and focused, and you don’t have to be a rocket-scientist to appreciate any of the subtle, and not so subtle ironies.

Starting off with a brutal attack at an ATM, Director Randall Miller sets the pace for violence and the casual application of that violence as an amped-up assault on the senses.  Violence in Nobel Son is matter-of-fact and applied with a lackadaisical emptiness, which makes the violence more authentic.

With a few incredibly talented old-school actors (Alan Rickman, Danny DeVito, Bill Pullman, Mary Steenburgen) peppered in with some up and coming, can hold their own, talent (Bryan Greenberg, Shawn Hatosy, Eliza Dushku) – you get a nice ebb and flow with the performances.  Nothing is really over the top, but nothing is terrible either – so it makes the characters feel believable, even though their actions are anything but!  I would have eliminated one character altogether, George Gastner (Danny Devito) the nosy, OCD tenant of Professor Michaelson who does hold an important piece to the puzzle – but it wasn’t so important that they couldn’t have just used his name, the direct exposition felt tacked-on and necessary to fill a role for DeVito.

This film should be watched with a few friends who like the whodunits, and the kinda people that will constantly interject their two cents throughout – only to look foolish in the end.  I used to be one of those people, but movies like Nobel Son have quite effectively shut me up . . . just sit back and enjoy this one, and if you hate it, at least it has Eliza Dushku.

Jimmy Page? The Edge? And . . . Jack White? In a documentary?

With bleeding cuticles, fuck ya, I’m in!

Storyline

Rarely can a film penetrate the glamorous surface of rock legends. It Might Get Loud electrifies as the personal stories, in their own words, of three generations of guitar virtuosos The Edge (U2), Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), and Jack White (The White Stripes) are leaked onto the big screen.   It Might Get Loud reveals how each developed his unique sound and style of playing favorite instruments, guitars – both found and invented. Concentrating on the artists’ musical rebellions, traveling with them to influential locations, provoking rare discussions as to how and why they write and play.  This film lets you witness intimate moments and hear new music from each artist. The movie revolves around a day when Jimmy Page, Jack White, and The Edge first met and sat down together to share their stories, teach and play.

If you’re a rock lover, how can you go wrong with these three? Some might argue Jack White is questionable in comparison, but after the film revisit your snobbery.  I know after watching I should throw on my safety plastic wrap over the mattress tonight because I might just piss myself, dreaming they’ll never be another documentary like this one in a thousand years – I’m talking royal piss-fest too, like where even the pillow is soaked the following morning! Don’t you hate when that happens? Six, nine times a month, right here.

The story opens with a touch of humor that just sets the pace for this epic tale. The tale of three kings; kings of a land were the six-string is thy body, the player is thy spirit and the amplified rhythm & harmony is thy soul. …And the guitars they had !!! I drooled under my chair as the Les Pauls, Fender Strats, etc., etc. were strummed like harps in heaven – with double stacked Marshals of course. Like, hell’s ya, little mama!

The real treat was Page’s exploration of Stairway to Heaven. How he thinks the song came to him. What he envisioned. Where it was recorded. Many of the places these bands recorded in homes, not your typical recording studio like today; simply fascinating. Davis Guggenheim, Director, did one hell of a job lacing these stories together; three very different individuals divided by father time – yet drawn together for their love of the medium.

The Good, Bad and Indifferent

The overall production would be right up there with the March of the Penguins – thought provoking, but just imagine the penguins from Madagascar to capture my point here. The cinematography by Guillermo Navarro and Erich Roland was breathtaking—scratch that, what f’n word just came out of my head? “Where’s my Jack? **Sip** …Ahh… That’s better. Now, back on track.” Sneak that new 42 mega-pixel camera in, snap anywhere in the film, and you have the best damn screen saver in the office. Milly from over in accounting will stop on by more. Guaranteed. See that sweater she had on last week? Totally pitched a tent in .03 seconds.

The Bottom Line

This film is not for everyone. But if you like rock and probably the finest guitar players on this little blue planet we’re hurdling through space on, you’ll love, love, love this film. Take your children. No swearing, violence or nudity (unlike my colorful reviews). Nothing. You and mom can share a malt together afterwards until she brings up why you’re still at home while look’n at 47 next week. Seriously, children today need artistic outlets. With school budgets being cut, there goes the art classes such as music. I know this sounds like an MTV commercial, but it’s true. How many of you out there played an instrument growing up? Lower your hand, Harold, the straw-kazoo doesn’t count, you meat bag. Grow up! Your such a dickhole… I know I did. It was my escape. Even today I still fiddle around, cuts the stress and let’s the demons out as my quack says. Speaking of which, my meds shoulda come in today. Oh, God…

I’d bet if more kids were involved with REAL music and not this plastic wrapped Nintendo, Atari, or PukeStation crap – violence in domestic situations would decrease. Bang out your frustrations on drums, not on little sis; script out how you really feel, not spray paint a bridge for attention; or strum along a six string just to pass the time rather than vegetate in front of Mr. Zenith, watching Friends for the millionth time.

It Might Get Loud let’s you enjoy that coveted position of the fly on the wall.  Do your soul a favor; see this puppy soon!

This is probably going to sound strange, but given how wild and unpredictable Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds” is, it’s everything I thought it would be. I actually imagined that if the director of “Pulp Fiction” and the “Kill Bill” films made a WWII movie, it would turn out something like this. What I mean is, I was not expecting epic battle scenes with thousands of extras and explosions, main characters with big, heroic death scenes, or a swelling, John Williams-like music score. Instead, what I envisioned was a defiantly off beat film with colorful, interesting characters spouting off clever dialogue at great length (sometimes to a fault), as well as sudden, brutal, yet sporadic bursts of violence. Lo and behold, that’s exactly what I got. “Inglourious Basterds” is what the trailer said it is… WWII through the eyes of Quentin Tarantino.  And what a wonderfully warped sight it is.

This is a project that’s been on Tarantino’s mind for about a decade, going through various re-writes and re-imaginings and at times being dropped completely. But something about it kept eating at him, he knew he had to make this film. It wasn’t a question of if he would make it, but when… the time had to be right. Well, 15 years and 4 films after “Pulp Fiction”, the time had finally come. Frankly, I’m glad he waited. Tarantino has honed his skills as a director during that time, and he has never seemed as assured behind the camera as he does here.

So who are these “Basterds” in the movie’s title? They are a group of Jewish American soldiers led into France by Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) for one reason and one reason only, to kill Nat-zis. The Basterds’ methods are so ruthless (scalping, beating, cutting) that word about them spreads very quickly and even reaches the Fuhrer himself. But the Basterds and their Nat-zi killin’ exploits are but one thread in a much larger story.

There’s Shosanna (Melanie Laurent), a French Jewish farm girl who witnesses her family get massacred by German Col. Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) in the film’s long but brilliant opening scene. Shosanna makes her way to Paris, assumes a new identity, and becomes surprisingly hardened in the next four years as she plots her revenge. Then there’s British Lt. Archie Hilcox (Michael Fassbender), who is plotting something called “Operation Kino” with German Movie Star/Double Agent Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger). All of these story threads come together at a Paris movie theater where Joseph Goebbels is holding the grand premier of his latest film, about a Nat-zi war hero who single handedly gunned down hundreds o f American soldiers from one sniper position. Leave it to Tarantino, the ultimate cinephile director, to set his literally explosive climax at a movie theater in France! Gotta love it!

As he always does, Tarantino pulls together an impressive ensemble and brings out the best in them. Brad Pitt’s performance as the hillbilly leader of the Basterds is enjoyable, albeit a little over the top. “Hostel” director Eli Roth does better than expected as Sgt. Donny “The Bear Jew” Donowitz, Raines’ right hand who enjoys dispatching Germans with a baseball bat. Who’d have thought he’d make a convincing badass?!

Melenie Laurent pulls off the emotionally complex role of Shosanna and pulls it off well. But, as other reviews have pointed out, the real standout of this show is Christoph Waltz as Col. Landa. As the ultimate baddie of the film, he is badder than bad. One moment he’ll smile at someone warmly, the next he’ll be violently strangling them to death. He is charismatic and chilling at the same time, and he could very well be remembered as one of the great screen villains for years to come. That’s one of the real treats of a Tarantino film, he’s always looking for actor’s who aren’t necessarily on Hollywod’s radar, and in the case of Waltz and Laurent, he’s struck gold yet again.

As stated at the beginning, it’s a very dialogue driven flick, with some scenes of characters talking that go on for several minutes at a time. Now, for most films, this would be deadly, but Tarantino, somehow, is able to make it work. Much like in “Pulp” and “Reservoir Dogs”, there will be lengthy discussions, and then things just explode into bloodshed. Like in those other films, the violence in “Basterds” happens very quickly, and, for the most part, is over before we even knew it began. Quentin even employs one of his old staples, the “Mexican Stand Off”, and gives it a wonderful little twist.

If there’s a downside to this deliciously irreverent take on WWII, it’s that it is mainly talk- talk talk talk. And while, as said, Tarantino makes it work, there were a couple of scenes where characters would just go on and on and on… to the point where I thought, “Oh for Christ’s sake! Just get on with it already!” I saw it in a pretty packed theater, and there were points where the audience seemed to be getting a tad restless and impatient. Those looking for a straight forward war movie will be disappointed, but those looking for a Tarantino film, will lap this up and ask for seconds.  So, if you’re not a fan of Quentin’s verbose style of storytelling, and you know if you’re not, then I would suggest passing on this one.

“Inglourious Basterds”, aside from being set in WWII, is not at all a departure for Tarantino. All of his tricks, his quirks, his stylistic flourishes, his homages to other films… it’s all here. QT’s taken all the stuff he tried in “Reservoir Dogs” through “Kill Bill” and put it all in here. And at the end of this long but enthralling 2 hours and 40 minute ride, a character says, “This could be my masterpiece.” I could very easily imagine Quentin saying the same thing after watching the final cut of this film.