Whether it be in cinema, video games, or World History, there rarely comes a moment as wholly emotionally gratifying as watching a Nazi drown in a pool of his own blood. And it is with this scenario in mind that we take this time to review two new releases: Inglourious Basterdsand The Saboteur.
Inglourious Basterds is a work of historical fiction written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, released earlier this year. The World War II revenge flick was just released on DVD and Blu-Ray in time for Christmas, so now is as good a time as any to review it.
Tarantino is the master of taking a tired concept and making it fresh–and this is just what he did with Basterds. While it bears the same name as an older exploitation WWII flick, it is not a remake. This is a fresh piece of cinema that packs in enough edge-of-your-seat intensity that it becomes difficult to watch.
But what am I telling you for? You’ve almost certainly already seen it, and if not, you’re a damn fool. The film focuses on two sets of protagonists who never come into contact, but who are fighting similar battles against German Nationalists.
The first group are the Basterds–a squad of Jewish-American soldiers led by Brad Pitt. Their sole mission seems to be killing as many Nazis as possible before they bite the bullet–until a British soldier joins their team and focuses their mission on blowing up a theater full of German soldiers.
The second story is that of the Jewish owner of the theater, a young woman who barely escaped a raid on the Paris house where her family had been hiding. She swore revenge on the Nazis who killed her family, and naturally, in true Tarantino fashion–she’ll fucking get it.
It’s a very beautiful, brutal, and comical portrayal of vengeance in Nazi-occupied France. Buy this film!
If you enjoyed Inglourious Basterds, and you’re a gamer, you will adore the final release by Pandemic Studios, The Saboteur. Some of Pandemic’s releases in the past have been give-and-take, but The Saboteur has achieved a full-on grip around my attention.
The game follows the standard sandbox, character in the middle of the screen, circular map/life-bar/wanted level model as every other open world game, but it’s nice to see the new innovation.
You play as Sean Devlin, a drinking, smoking, Irish racer, mechanic, and stereotype. He’s a man’s man with a penchant for snapping Nazi spines. The only problems I can find with this game are its lackluster controls (namely for sneaking and climbing) and the excessive amount of driving necessary for an open-world Paris…
Sean’s “brother” is murdered by a particularly evil Nazi (which just seems redundant), and this sets him off on a murderous rampage of killing and destruction.
The climbing and assassinating causes me to compare this game to Assassin’s Creed, but in almost every other way, it’s Grand Theft Auto: Nazi Occupied France. The game is very good and lots of fun to play; but I’m not above honesty–and to tell you the truth–if the setting were any different, it would be a generic sandbox shooter.
Supremacists always look better like this...
Killing Nazis doesn’t necessarily make a bad game better, but it certainly doesn’t make it worse. Luckily for The Saboteur, the gameplay, story, graphics, and acting is actually very captivating–and when you pair that with killing Nazis, your weekend is full.
FUNNY PEOPLE–We can always count on Judd Apatow and company to make a “Special Edition” DVD worth buying, and Funny People is no exception. I picked up the Blu-Ray **coughcoughdouchecoughcough* copy and I was amazed at the extra content. The disc contains a Theatrical and Extended version of the movie, which ends up being about 3 hours long, along with hours upon hours of cut scenes and extra footage that didn’t make it to the final version.
With the amount of shit cut out of this movie, Apatow could have made a film of Peter Jackson proportions..but I’m glad he didn’t. I loved Funny People and the hilarious clips that didn’t make it into the final film just make it that much more enjoyable.
The disc also contains clips from Adam Sandler’s ridiculously fake movies within the movie, heartfelt scenes from the mock-sitcom Yo Teach…! featuring Jason Schwartzman, and laughably outdated stand-up material from Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, and Judd Apatow.
The “Collector’s Edition” of Funny People is absolutely worth buying. It’ll take you about a day to watch everything.
YEAR ONE–I wasn’t sure enough about this movie to even pay to see it in theaters, so I’m certainly glad I didn’t pay to own it on DVD. I’m not even sure it was worth renting. Let’s be clear, the movie wasn’t a total piece of shit/waste of time, but it certainly isn’t memorable or “good.”
I’ve had fun watching every actor in this film in the past, but Harold Ramis fucked this one to death. The gross-out jokes weren’t even ridiculous enough to be the least bit humorous, and the story essentially went nowhere.
A more believable depiction of Prehistoric life...
I wanted to like this movie…really…I wanted to like it. I just couldn’t. The irreverent biblical stories weren’t enough to save this film. You will laugh watching it, but then you’ll instantly forget what you found so humorous when you remember there’s still an hour left.
Maybe it’s my fault. I watched the extended version. Perhaps that was my folly. The only way to describe my experience with this film is to say: Imagine you were sinking in the ocean, as you helplessly begin to drown and slowly reach the ocean floor, a clown fish swims right by your face and farts.
DRAG ME TO HELL–I almost regret not seeing this film in theaters, as it almost certainly would have been a better experience than watching it at home. I try to create a theater atmosphere in my house, but this movie deserves to be viewed at night, in the dark, not in the middle of the day.
The movie itself isn’t “great,” but very few horror films are. Sam Raimi has a style of horrific and grotesque that leaves a lot to be desired when he’s pushing for a PG-13 rating. Perhaps my hard-on for Alison Lohman allowed me to give this movie an easy pass…but I’m a PC owner, so Justin Long can suck it.
There were several “jump” scenes here, but the film doesn’t rely on them completely. Having said that, this film can’t be taken seriously because it doesn’t take itself seriously. If you’ve seen Evil Dead 2, you’ve basically seen Drag Me To Hell.
It wasn’t bad–I suppose. The blood gags, old lady mucus, fists in mouths, and pussy stabbing made this movie fairly enjoyable. Maybe the next time Raimi comes out with a movie, I’ll pay to see it in a dark theater…as long as it’s better than Spider-man 3.
It’s no secret that the quality of film as a whole has taken a couple dozen blows to the skull. But who wields the bat/board-with-a-nail-in-it? Is it the Directors who have given up on their creative conscience? Is it the Producers who are so mired in Teen Romances and Straight-To-DVDs that they lose all vision beyond the quick buck they have to make so they can buy their daughters ponies this Hanukkah? Or is it Matthew McConaughey…being Matthew McConaughey?
A smile that says "box office gold" and a range of talent that says "cinematic poison."
The truth of the matter is that it’s our collective stupidity that causes all of this to happen. They say that we get the government we deserve. Perhaps we also get the films we deserve. Perhaps through this phenomenon, a glimmering hope shines for the future of cinema that we just don’t “get,” and as a result, we don’t give a shit.
This brings me to District 9, a Summer masterpiece that I had been anticipating since its release date was announced. If you haven’t seen it (or didn’t bother to pay attention to the fucking plot), the movie takes place in an alternate reality Johannesburg, South Africa where Zimbabweans aren’t the only people fighting for their lives. In this reality, an alien craft from the Andromeda Galaxy stalls at Earth for 20-some years due to a malfunction and the aliens must be reluctantly adopted into society–but only in the slums and badlands.
SPOILER ALERT!
An alien immigration officer for Multi-National United doesn’t give a shit about the creatures’ well-being, but wants to come off as well-meaning and efficient at his job. He is infected with an alien toxin/fuel that causes him to slowly develop alien body parts.
I’m not going to go any further, but the SPOILERS are out there if you want them.
If the plot that I described sounds like it’s been done-to-death, please let me know, because I’ve really never seen anything even remotely comparable. It’s a beautiful, original, and awe-inspiring film that just happens to be a no-holds-barred science fiction flick. If you don’t like science fiction, fine…but then don’t go see the movie and bitch about the aliens.
Here are some of the film’s major criticisms and why they’re fucking ridiculous.
1. It tried too hard.
Really? Maybe you tried to hard to understand the racial and political points that the film made while it remained refreshingly original. Perhaps this is a valid criticism and I just don’t see it…but if the film did try too hard, it’s because if it weren’t blunt, you just wouldn’t get it. Okay…the film’s message isn’t exactly hidden. But does it have to be? Must every film be categorized as either cryptic or myopic?
2. The Protagonist is wholly unlikeable.
I liked the protagonist (Wikus van der Merwe). He was a real, multi-dimensional character and he represented humanity. He was indicative of the concept that humanity doesn’t give a shit about one another unless they are given a reason. And even then, everyone is only out for themselves until they need to rely on others when the chips are down. He has his moments when he’s a hero, and his moments when he’s an evil bastard…but who doesn’t?
3. I don’t like documentary style movies or TV shows. This movie switched between documentary style and cinematic style. That’s fucking gay.
To be fair, a lot of people are sick of the documentary style. Because of the unprecedented popularity of The Office in America, directors are re-discovering the miracle and ease of the ‘mock-u-mentary’ style. It’s not necessarily a badthing. But it shouldn’t be over used. This movie chose to take that route, and it worked. It exhibited how the characters acted differently when they knew they were being watched. If you think that’s just lazy film making, then I assume you probably think narration in Film Noir is lazy as well.
4. There’s too many gore scenes and gross-out scenes.
Go fuck yourself. You’ll always be safe with PIXAR. All kidding aside, the movie was surprisingly violent. There was nothing too disgusting, but a lot of people and things blew the fuck up. It’s understandable to be turned off by movie violence, but look…if they put “RATED R FOR VIOLENCE,” don’t expect Harry Potter violence.
5. It wasn’t really sci-fi. It was an action, special effects, splatterfest disguised as Science Fiction.
The genre of science fiction only serves to create a barrier between Horror and Fantasy. Take a creature, throw it in a real world setting, and don’t make it terrifying–there…Science Fiction.
You know, it really seems like most of the people who overly criticize this movie are either pompous film snobs or Dr. Who fans. These were the same people who derided J.J. Abram’s Star Trek because it wasn’t fucking boring, and Cloverfield because the characters weren’t living in their parents’ basements.
The people who liked this movie should be the people who liked The Dark Knight. There is a special place out there for a goodmovie that breaks boundaries set by a genre that celebrates inadequacies.
Face it, you arrogant pricks out there: Comic book and Sci-Fi flicks aren’t just for the socially retarded anymore. That doesn’t make them bad; in fact, it can only make them better. Do you realize what this means? It means, my dear dear friends, that if you are ever actually asked out on a date, the girl you take to the movies may actually want to see the same movies you do!
How many Star Trek haters loved the new Star Trek? How many comic book fans did movies like The Dark Knight and Watchmen create?
It’s perfectly understandable if you legitimately did not like this movie, but you need to come up with some new reasons. Is it so wrong to just say “I didn’t like it?” Must you contrive a list of excuses? If you honestly hated the movie, don’t say, “I hated it because the acting was bad,” just suck it up and say, “I hated it because of the serious lack of Will Ferrell.”
Of course, I think I lost all faith in movie reviewers when I read the following review of The Graduate:
“Never before have I met an on screen character that annoyed me and aggravated me like Dustin Hoffman’s Ben. He’s like Napoleon Dynamite without the comedy. He’s like an early, unfunny version of Michael Cera. And here’s a comment that will gain some groans – I think if they made a remake with Michael Cera, it might actually be watchable. He goes from a lazy, mopey whiner to an unlikable co-dependent, no personality punk to a creepy stalker. The girl isn’t much better. One date (one date that didn’t go well at all) and all of a sudden they’re in love! How very believable.
By the end of the movie, I was rooting against Ben more than I’ve ever rooted against a character before, although I knew that being an old movie, it would end up with ‘the good guy’ winning.
I wouldn’t ever watch this movie again. I wouldn’t recommend this movie to anyone. I wish I didn’t waste an hour and a half of my life on it, and I only did so because I had to because of this IMDB 250 goal. I have no idea how this movie ‘launched Dustin Hoffman’s career’. I really don’t.
There are two redeeming qualities of this movie. One, Dustin Hoffman’s Alfa Romero, and Simon & Garfunkel’s soundtrack (although I could have done without hearing the song about spices over and over and over and over and over and over and over and o…)”
True Blood is a show that after watching the pilot, I wasn’t overly impressed. Interesting concept, good acting, but nothing to go crazy over. I was actually very disappointed. This is produced by Alan Ball for crying out loud! The man who created Six Feet Under made this?! (which is quite possibly the most brilliant, complexly written series I’ve seen ) However, I felt there was room for potential in the series and decided to bite my tongue (no pun intended) and keep watching.
I’m on the second season now. I’m proud to say this one of the few TV shows I’ve actually made an effort to stay on top of and I haven’t missed an episode yet. My girlfriend and I are now True Blood addicts and discuss on the phone the episodes we’ve seen and what situations the characters will get into like two giddy high school girls.
The storytelling feels organic. It doesn’t feel like something borrowed (despite being based on the Sookie Stackhouse novels written by Charlaine Harris) and cliche. It has a mind of its own and it’s constantly surprising. The story just keeps getting more interesting between characters. Things get so crazy that you have doubts the writers can pull it off. They haven’t failed yet. The show carries on the myths about vampires (stakes in the heart, silver, crucifixes, day light) and brings attention to overlooked perspectives on vampires. Such as their memories, their place in history, and how that has carried over to the way certain vampires behave in the present.
It also features some new abilities such as retractable fangs that allow them to blend in with the human population (if someone tells them to say cheese, they’re not totally fucked). Vampires can “glamor” their victims and control their mind. If vamps were Jedis they would’ve won the war against the Empire in no time. Darth Vader would’ve pissed his space pants. Vampires are now organized in their community with sheriffs, kings, and other leaders who govern sections of states.
The undertones of the show are also fascinating. At the very start of the show, vampires have now “come out of the coffin” and have revealed their existence to the world. No longer working behind the scenes, they’ve now become a part of society. That’s not to say that they’re no longer taboo to humans. If anything, the human race is having an even harder time accepting vampires as something real and not myth. Because of this vampires are now in the civil rights spectrum fighting for equal rights and tolerance. Religious and racial persecution all play parts and motives within the show with such groups as the Fellowship of the Sun–a religious group that condemns vampires and supports violence against the vampire race.
The two main characters, Sookie Stackhouse played by Anna Pacquin (a human with telepathic abilities), and Bill Compton played by Stephen Moyer ( a vampire who struggles to regain his sense of humanity) are perfect examples of victims of persecution. Bill and Sookie are a couple to the dismay of both vampires and humans within the town. It may sound like something from a cheesy emo vampire novel (no sparkles included) but their story is mostly about the burden and the danger that come with being a human and vampire couple (an interracial couple during a time of extreme intolerance).
Suck it.
The characters all have their strengths and weaknesses as well as their good sides and bad sides. They all have their share of troubles, but the troubles these characters face would make Bernard Madoff blush. You’ll be saying to yourself, “Oh fuck…” a lot. All characters are likable, even the bad ones. Some you’ll cheer on more than others, like Lafayette. A bad ass cross-dressing gay cook who deals V, vampire blood that is trippier and will get you higher than the blood of Keith Richards and Jerry Garcia combined!
He’s funny, he’s loyal to his friends (whether it’s in his interest or not) and he’s not afraid to tell someone to fuck off. He gives cross dressing cooks like Barefoot Contessa a run for their money.
The action is also very good in this show. Violence is depicted raw and somewhat jaw dropping. I haven’t seen a character die of old age, disease, or in their sleep yet. We’ll put it that way.
The only problem I have with the second season so far, is the cliffhangers. Lately it’s been cliffhanger after cliffhanger. The episodes seem to stop when something insane happens (or an “oh shit!” moment, if you will..)and then you curse at the ending credits.
Then you salivate at the next episode’s preview. The second season is doing a mighty fine job of keeping you wanting more. It’ll reveal you some major plot points but not expose them completely. I’m also very excited to see the other supernatural elements in the show such as werewolves , shape shifters, and the vampires in other areas. If you haven’t seen the first season, I highly recommend you give it a watch and check out season 2. This show if taking off big time and has quite a large fan base.
Alan Ball is very good with producing shows that are far from the norm with some very intriguing story telling. You can’t go wrong. I mean, what else is out there featuring vampires? Twilight? HA!–Joe G/
Whether it be in cinema, video games, or World History, there rarely comes a moment as wholly emotionally gratifying as watching a Nazi drown in a pool of his own blood. And it is with this scenario in mind that we take this time to review two new releases: Inglourious Basterds and The Saboteur.
