Quentin Tarentino

[charliechaplinfan]

In parts too it seemed overlong, like in the bar were they are trying to discuss blowing up the cinema, that lasted an age. A tad too gory for me too, I can imagine a scalping without seeing the picture but heck I'm a girl, of course I don't like gore.

I didn't feel completely in Tarantino's mindset. Why did the guy betray his friends? I asked hubby, he'd seen the writing on the wall. If you're harbouring Jews I wouldn't have thought it mattered punishment wise whether you volunteered the information or whether they were found. There was a chance they'd not be found. Also, whilst I'm knitpicking, the ending felt false to me. Why would the allies stick to their deal once Hitler had been blown up, Hans had no cards left then and it had hardly been a war of gentlemanly agreements.

I did like the Landra character but it jarred with thr falseness of Pitt's character.

However, I was still better than many of the modern films and Tarantino still ranks as a great director.

[klondike]

Alison, after enjoying Inglourious Basterds at our local theatre, I worried that it would be one of those rare modern movies which instead of suffering a little from being watched on a small screen, would actually suffer a lot. And now, having seen it both ways, I think my initial concern is, sadly, very true.
Beyond saying that, I guess my only other thoughts to share would be that: a) as with so much of Tarentino's body of work, Basterds edges into that prickly country of all a matter of personal taste pretty quickly, from which the only escape is good ol' Luck o' the Draw, and: b) no, I wouldn't call Brad Pitt a bad, or very bad, actor, but rather, a really pretty good one, and one who in the past 22 years {oh yes, at least that long now}, has worked fairly diligently to improve himself at his craft, and has turned-out some nicey well-hoaned performances . . but admittedly, still seems to choose some of his roles impulsively, and ends-up portraying some very broad & shallow characters . . you know, like our buddy, Lt. Aldo Raine.
Who I found to be a GREAT deal of fun to watch, and even mimic . . but whose portrayal won't be getting viewed at any award ceremonies . .

[charliechaplinfan]

Is there any significance in his name? I spent half the movie thinking his name was Aldo Ray but couldn't fathom why Tarantino would chose that Hollywood actor, I know nothing of the actor Aldo Ray that would shed light on it.

I don't think the screen size had much to do with it in my case, it felt far more personal. I admit to feeling a great deal of discomfort when watching anything that touches on what happened to the Jews in Europe. This isn't because I think it should be ignored, pushed aside or treated only in the most serious of ways (I like Life is Beautiful and what it says). I think this film just set off wrong in that first sequence for me. It felt like the hero of the movie was Hans Landra because his second sense won out and continued to win out until he was pushed into a corner but being on the losing side, even here he seemed to be walking away with a new start albeit with a swastika engraved on his head. I think ultimately Tarantino's fault to me is that he tried to rewrite and distort this period of history, which to me is quite sacred. I'm sure the majority of people that watch this movie will realise that it is only a story and not based on fact but after what hubby tells me about the kids he teaches, I'm sure they'll take it as a history lesson.

All this said, it is only what I perceive personally. I admit that it still flashes Tarantino magic, the scene at the end must have looked very powerful in the cinema and I would watch it again.

As for Brad Pitt, I'll never be a fan, I must have watched his bad performances, I've never been enamoured of him since he came on the scene in Thelma and Louise, he always seems to play the same guy for me only in InGlorious Basterds it was with a Southern accent.

[klondike]

Interesting.
Alison, have you ever watched Legends of the Fall?

[Rita Hayworth]

Is there any significance in his name? I spent half the movie thinking his name was Aldo Ray but couldn't fathom why Tarantino would chose that Hollywood actor, I know nothing of the actor Aldo Ray that would shed light on it.

I don't think the screen size had much to do with it in my case, it felt far more personal. I admit to feeling a great deal of discomfort when watching anything that touches on what happened to the Jews in Europe. This isn't because I think it should be ignored, pushed aside or treated only in the most serious of ways (I like Life is Beautiful and what it says). I think this film just set off wrong in that first sequence for me. It felt like the hero of the movie was Hans Landra because his second sense won out and continued to win out until he was pushed into a corner but being on the losing side, even here he seemed to be walking away with a new start albeit with a swastika engraved on his head. I think ultimately Tarantino's fault to me is that he tried to rewrite and distort this period of history, which to me is quite sacred. I'm sure the majority of people that watch this movie will realise that it is only a story and not based on fact but after what hubby tells me about the kids he teaches, I'm sure they'll take it as a history lesson.

All this said, it is only what I perceive personally. I admit that it still flashes Tarantino magic, the scene at the end must have looked very powerful in the cinema and I would watch it again.

As for Brad Pitt, I'll never be a fan, I must have watched his bad performances, I've never been enamoured of him since he came on the scene in Thelma and Louise, he always seems to play the same guy for me only in InGlorious Basterds it was with a Southern accent.

I agree with her.

Tarantino is not my cup of tea. He is too strange to me ... when I saw a clip of a movie of where a woman had a chain saw - on one of her legs ... don't know the movie ... but only movie that I like was Kill Bill - but that movie was too much gory - I could not believe what I seeing here. Tarantino ... a very strange man indeed.

[charliechaplinfan]

Interesting.
Alison, have you ever watched Legends of the Fall?

Yes, I have, years ago, I didn't like it or Brad Pitt. The closest I've come with Brad Pitt as appreciating him as an actor is Fight Club but I didn't like the subject matter. I'm not a big fan of modern movies or actors, that's why I wanted so much to like this as much as the others but it wasn't to be.

I do like Tarantino as a director, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown and Kill Bill 1 and 2 I really enjoy.

[movieman1957]

It's been talked about in a few other places but "Django Unchained" is a good, if pretty bloody, western. It's feels like a spaghetti western without being one. The music does much to help and I suppose the blood hints at them. You can't have one though that is set in Mississippi. For the most part everyone is too clean as well.

It's a big movie. It's long, it's loud, it's full of familiar faces, and some you won't know you saw until you see the credits. The performances are big. It's funny. (See the raid during the Tennessee visit, in particular. It also manages to show how pretty stupid people can be too.)

Christop Waltz may be the most charming bounty hunter you will ever see. Jamie Foxx is very good as a freed slave who lives on a short fuse. Leonardo diCaprio is probably a matter of taste. Scene chewing and evil with an oh so smarmy sense of Southern manners you will either find him fascinating or a complete ham. Samuel L. Jackson's "Steve" may be the biggest enigma in the picture. Old and sassy and, in his way, as much running the place or is it a front for a calm, cool man who is behind more than he lets on.

I could have done with a shorter time at diCaprio's plantation. It feels like it takes a long time to pan out but that is my taste. Mostly, it moves along well and is interesting.

I liked it. It's nice to have another western, if you will, to have around.

[Rita Hayworth]

My Top 3 Quentin Tarentino Movies (Both Film and Directing)

1) Pulp Fiction (1994)
2) Kill Bill Volume 1 (2003)
3) Kill Bill Volume 2 (2004)

Mixed Reviews - A quandary about these two.

1) Inglourious Basterds (2009)
2) Jackie Brown (1997)

My Top 3 Quentin Tarentino Worst Movies (Both Film and Directing)

1) Django Unchained (2012)
2) Grindhouse (2007)
3) Love Birds in a Bondage (1983)

[Mr. Arkadin]

While I admire Tarantino's passion for film, I must say that there are very few works by him that I actually would call great. He's a wonderful ambassador for genre film, but if you know those films--you realize just how little he adds to them. He pretty much just lifts ideas and scenes (as well as music) from his favorite movies and creates his films from that. In that sense, he's not Louie Armstrong, or Monk, but a DJ who takes their works and mixes them in a sonic collage. Talented, yes, but original--no, and he'd be the first to tell you that.

[RedRiver]

My top three Tarantino films:

PULP FICTION
PULP FICTION
PULP FICTION