Eye Candy #74 - "The Inglourious Basterds"

The Inglourious Basterds: This return to form by Quentin Tarantino is a spaghetti war-stern set in World War 2 that often defies genre and motif (I mean, how many other soundtracks veer from Ennio Morricone to David Bowie to electronica?). This film is very much in the same vein as other Tarantino genre-bashing films like “Pulp Fiction” and “Kill Bill” - Part World War 2 war movie, part Schindler’s List-type paean, part grind house, this film is literally all over the place. TIB juggles 2 intertwined stories, one involving a team of Jewish-American commandoes wreaking holy heck behind enemy lines with acts of ultra violence; and the other, the story of a young Jewish woman hiding out in Paris and her plan to seek revenge on those responsible for the death of her family. It’s a hyperkinetic, violent, gory, funny, absurd fantasy, and with a running time of 2½ hours, surprisingly well-paced (there is a lot going on in this picture). And the ACTING - all I can say is THANK YOU, Quentin, for bringing Christoph Waltz to the world. As Nazi SS colonel Hans Landa, he owns every scene he’s in. Malevolent, gracious, and deliberate, he’s magnetic on the screen. If he doesn’t at least get nominated for an Oscar, it would be a crime. And he’s not the only one. Melanie Laurent as incognito Jew Shosanna, around whom the 2nd plot revolves, is also incredibly good. Throw in Michael Fassbinder channeling Errol Flynn, Til Schweiger in literally the best role he’s ever had, Brad Pitt playing the role of his chin, and many European actors that are just as solid as can be, and it‘s one heckuva cast. Most of the basterds themselves get minimal screen time (some don’t even get names) and the weakest link is probably director Eli Roth, acting here as Sgt. Donny Donowitz, “The Bear Jew“, with a New York accent that is faker than fake. But the movie, it was just great. Can’t say enough nice things about it. I’d give it another half-star if I could. Woodchuck sez, “You need to check this out.”