Oooh, that's a bingo!

Inglourious Basterds

By far one of the best and most fun movies of 2009 and my favorite Tarantino film, Inglourious Basterds is a "comedy of horrors." The film is hilarious and depicts a fictional, but awesome way to have ended World War II. However, it could be a mediation on violence and crippling revenge.

But first, I must give obvious praise to Christophe Waltz. Within the first five minutes of watching him on screen, he sucked me in. His performance is hypnotic, engrossing, and incredible. I knew he was destined for greatness in American cinema. As Hans Landa, also known as "The Jew Hunter," Waltz is pure evil and sprinkles his performance with uncomfortable and corny humor. He is chilling and theatrical. The opening scene is just...I have no words. I was literally on the edge of my seat. The way Waltz can switch back and forth between persona's as casually as he switches between languages is incredible. One has to remind him/herself that Waltz is playing a Nazi, a particularly evil one at that. I really look forward to seeing the work he'll do. Tarantino discovered a star.

Also notable is Melanie Laurent as the heroine Shoshana. Her performance is very subtle but her face speaks volumes. When reunited with Landa, Laurent does an excellent job of conveying Shoshana's fear and need to remain composed in front of Landa, the murderer of her family. She's breathtaking in many ways, particularly in that red dress.

Brad Pitt's hilarious Tennessee accent is a pleasure and Michael Fassbender is very enjoyable. Diane Kruger also turned out a great performance...but none of them can touch Waltz and Laurent.

Tarantino writes an excellent parallel between Waltz and Pitt's characters. Both are committed to their jobs, hunting and killing their respective "enemies." Both have nicknames, which they take pride in. Though Waltz kills persecuted innocents, both men have similarities that cannot be ignored.

Inglourious Basterds is a fantasy, a great "hey wouldn't it be cool if..." Tarantino clearly had fun writing and making this film. Nazi's are a universally despised symbol and watching American Jewish officers and a stunning French Jewish woman take them all down is many people's dream come true. Comedy, drama, thrills, suspense and a sweet love story all climb into bed together in Inglourious Basterds. Furthermore, there is no question that this is a Tarantino. The witty and snappy dialogue along with the perfectly selected music help the film fit nicely in Tarantino's filmography.

I read an article by Mark Blankenship around the time of the film's release. He wrote an excellent piece for The Huffington Post about the film's larger theme, of how revenge can cripple society. Blankenship writes how "culturally acceptable hatred creates a terrifying mob mentality." Case in point, the climactic and incredibly shot cinema burning scene. The audience watches a film of a Nazi soldier killing hundreds of Allied soldiers and we are disgusted. But when Shoshana sets the theater on fire and two of the Basterds, perched in an opera box or "bird's nest," start shooting at the people below, much like the Nazi in the film, we cheer. Blankenship asks, "when we celebrate death, who have we become?" Good question. When is violence worthy of celebration? I found myself internally cheering at the bloody demise of Hitler, Goebbels and other evil doers, but I felt a little gross afterwards too.

Here's the link to Blankenship's piece.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mark-blankenship/another-way-to-see-inglou_b_270952.html

Bottom line, the film is fun, thought-provoking, and well done. I'm not sure how I feel about this rumored prequel Tarantino already has written. However, if Waltz is in it, I will be there opening night.

Zach Galifianakis in The Hangover

Oh dear God, he was just hilarious. The one liners, the mispronunciations of words, asking if Cesar's Palace in Vegas was actually Julius Cesar's palace. He was the strongest comedic actor in the film, and he's good in the other things I've seen him in, namely on "Bored to Death." This guy needs to be in more movies.

Netflix

Capitalism: A Love Story-I usually enjoy Moore, but I do take everything he says with a grain of salt. This is his latest.
Love Story-Yeah, I know.
M-Netflix Instant. Classic.