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Inglourious Basterds Art Event for Haiti

Mali Elfman — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:20:21 +0000

Wanna get some amazing Inglourious Basterds artwork made by the creative team behind the film that has been signed by Quentin Tarantino AND that helps the victims of the earthquake in Haiti? Of course you do. And Lt. Aldo Raine wants you to as well and you don’t want to get on his bad side, he’ll send the bear- Jew after you. A Studios Global’s Film Marketing Division has teamed up with Quentin Tarantino, Upper Playground and The Weinstein Company to present, “The Lost of of Inglourious” an event that helps raise money to give to the The American Red Cross to help the victims of Haiti.

Tarantino and Co. got their blackberry’s together and asked the following group of accomplished artists to make them a piece of art to support the cause: David Choe, Sam Flores, Estevan Oriol, Grotesk, Jeremy Fish, Patrick Martinez, Alex Pardee, Dora Drimalas, Munk One, N8 Van Dyke, Rene Alamanza, Morning Breath and Skinner Davis, all created their own poster art based off their interpretation of the film.

There are only 6, count um 6 posters made of each artists work, and each one will be numbered and signed by Quentin Tarantino.

Here are the details: The gallery will open will be open to the general public from 6p – 9p on Thursday February 18th, 2010 at Upper Playground Los Angeles located at 125 East 6th Street in Downtown LA. Attendees will have the opportunity to purchase the limited edition prints for $300. The prints are giclée print and are only available for purchase at Upper Playground, Los Angeles. Phone orders and web orders will not be accepted. Prints will be sold on a first come, first serve basis. The purchase of prints will be limited to one per buyer.

I’d plan on getting there early if you want a chance at any of these. Hopefully none of them end up on eBay, or if they do, they get eBayed for Haiti – DOUBLE WAMMY!

Check out the amazing pieces of art below…

Quentin Tarantino and In the Loop at The Egyptian

Mali Elfman — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:09:20 +0000

Sometimes good things happen to good movie-lovers. Coming up at the Eqyptian is one of the best films of the year Inglourious Basterds along with its director Quentin Tarantino and three of his classic films Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill Vol 1, and Vol 2. Tarantino will be making a live appearance at the theater and most likely answering some questions from you all.

The Egyptian will also be featuring one of the best and most underrated films of the year In the Loop, directed by Armando Iannucci and starring Anna Chlumsky, Chris Addison, David Rasche, Gina McKee, James Gandolfini, Mimi Kennedy, Olivia Poulet, Peter Capaldi, Steve Coogan, Tom Hollander and Zach Woods.

Check out the details…

Two Night Quentin Tarantino Tribute:
Monday, February 8, 2010 – Tarantino in person with Pulp Fiction and Inglourious Basterds (Nominated for 8 Oscars)
Tuesday, February t, 2010 – Double Feature of Kill Bill Vol.1 and Vol. 2, both in their extended film festival versions
In the Loop Screening – Biting British Satire & Oscar Nominee for Best Adapted Screenplay
Wednesday, February 10 – Saturday, February 15, 2010 Egyptian Theatre

Ticket prices have been raised as of January 4, 2010. General Admission is now $11 and Student/Senior Tickets are $9.

Inglourious Basterds DVD Bonus Clips

Krystal Clark — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:23:18 +0000

It seems like yesterday, Quentin Tarantino‘s Inglourious Basterds was storming theaters with knives and guns, but that was months ago and now it’s headed to DVD. Traditional and Blu-ray discs will hit shelves on December 15th and will include plenty of extras. We’ve got the lowdown on how much bang you’ll get for your buck, plus a couple of DVD bonus clips featuring Eli Roth and Brad Pitt.

Here are some of the goodies that will pop up on the DVD and Blu-ray formats of Inglourious Basterds.

All three editions of Inglourious Basterds include:

Extended & Alternate Scenes
Nation’s Pride: The film within the film Inglourious Basterds can be seen it its entirety
Domestic and International Trailers

Both the Two-Disc Special Edition and Blu-ray™ also come with:

Roundtable Discussion with Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt and film historian/critic Elvis Mitchell
The Making of Nation’s Pride
The Original Inglorious Bastards – a salute to the original 1978 film
A Conversation with veteran actor Rod Taylor
Rod Taylor on Victoria Bitters, the Australian beer
Quentin Tarantino’s Camera Angel
Hi Sallys – Gag Reel
Film Poster Gallery Tour with Elvis Mitchell
Inglourious Basterds Poster Gallery
Digital Copy of Inglourious Basterds

In addition to the above features, the Inglourious Basterds Blu-ray™ Hi-Def release includes:

BD-Live™— Access the BD-Live™ Center with your Internet-connected player to download the latest trailers, host a chat with your buddies, upload your own webcam commentary, and more!

What do you think of the DVD extras for Inglourious Basterds?

Inglourious Basterds Headed to DVD

Krystal Clark — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:18:08 +0000

Today Transformers Revenge of the Fallen hit DVD shelves and it feels like just yesterday our ears and eyes were being scarred from the film in theaters. That same feeling applies to Inglourious Basterds, which debuted in August and will be available on DVD starting December 15th.

There are plenty of extra features that will be included on the disc so here’s the complete rundown…

Written and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds is available on Two-Disc Blu-ray(TM) Hi-Def, Two-Disc DVD Special Edition, Single-Disc DVD and download to own. Both the Blu-ray(TM) and Two-Disc Special Edition DVD come with a Digital Copy of the film for a limited time only just in time for the holiday season and over 90 minutes of startling and engrossing behind-the-scenes bonus features.

BONUS FEATURES

All three editions of Inglourious Basterds include:

* Extended & Alternate Scenes
* Nation’s Pride – The film within the film Inglourious Basterds can be seen it its entirety
* Domestic and International Trailers

Both the Two-Disc Special Edition and Blu-ray(TM) also come with:

* Roundtable Discussion with Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt and film historian/critic Elvis Mitchell
* The Making of Nation’s Pride
* The Original Inglorious Bastards – a salute to the original 1978 film
* A Conversation with veteran actor Rod Taylor
* Rod Taylor on Victoria Bitters, the Australian beer
* Quentin Tarantino’s Camera Angel
* Hi Sallys – Gag Reel
* Film Poster Gallery Tour with Elvis Mitchell
* Inglourious Basterds Poster Gallery
* Digital Copy of Inglourious Basterds

In addition to the above features, the Inglourious Basterds Blu-ray(TM) Hi-Def release includes:

* BD-Live(TM)– Access the BD-Live(TM) Center with your Internet-connected player to download the latest trailers, host a chat with your buddies, upload your own webcam commentary, and more!

Inglourious Basterds is priced at $39.98 SRP for Two-Disc Special Edition Blu-ray(TM), $34.98 SRP for Two-Disc Special Edition DVD and $29.98 SRP for Single Disc DVD. Preorder close is November 3, 2009.

What do you think of the details for the Inglourious Basterds DVD?

Source: ComingSoon

Quentin Tarantino Plans Kill Bill 3

Krystal Clark — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 22:16:43 +0000

Ever since the release of Kill Bill Volume 2, director Quentin Tarantino has been dishing out ideas for the third installment of the series. The most common pitches he threw out had to do with the orphaned daughter of Vernita Green (Vivica A. Fox) and her plan to exact revenge on The Bride for killing her mother. Tarantino was recently on an Italian TV show, where he announced that there would be a Kill Bill 3, and the Bride will fight again.

Take a look at his interview…

Tarantino starts talking about Kill Bill Volume 3 around the 5:53 mark on the video.

As you can tell from the response of the host and the audience, everybody was excited to hear that there would be another film. I’m not surprised by this development, because Tarantino has proven that he can get asses in the seats when it comes to his movies. The first two Kill Bills, and now Inglourious Basterds have given him some serious box office clout. Are you ready for another round of old school martial arts action?

What do you think about the news regarding Kill Bill 3? Do you want to see another film?

Did Inglourious Basterds Save The Weinstein Co?

Krystal Clark — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 19:41:32 +0000

Studio executives and siblings Harvey and Bob Weinstein have been avid supporters of director Quentin Tarantino since his first theatrical release back in 1992. But after the launch of The Weinstein Co. four years ago, the studio hasn’t had a string of massively successful hits. With a flailing track record at the box office, and serious investments to recoup, who do you call? Quentin Tarantino?

According to Reuters, last year the production company was seriously strapped for cash after they realized that a quarter of their films earned $1 million or less. The Weinstein’s had sought financial advice and even considered applying for a bridge loan.

“They were backed up against the wall, and this gives them breathing room. This gets their back off the wall,” Tarantino told Reuters. It will give them some cash by the time the whole thing is over with, but it also even helps them inside of the industry and it actually shows Hollywood that they can open a movie. I’m actually proud that I was able to do that for them, that I could pay back their faith in me, that I could pay back their support.”

According the director, his film Inglourious Basterds has already made 200 million dollars worldwide at the box office. The film’s budget was set at 70 million dollars, so the studio has recouped their initial investment and then some. The film is scheduled to complete its theatrical run this November, and by that time they will have made a healthy profit.

This explains a lot about the Weinstein’s behavior when it came to editing down the film. There were so many rumors about them being overly critical of Basterds but after reading this, they had good reason. Even though Basterds is doing well, another Weinstein Co. feature, Halloween II is not. Perhaps if they stuck with semi-decent material they wouldn’t have this much of a problem.

Do you think Tarantino saved the Weinstein Company from going bankrupt?

Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds Interview

Mali Elfman — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 23:00:14 +0000

We have done some thorough interviews with the actors from the latest epic war film, Inglourious Basterds, but the series really isn’t complete without talking to the man behind the film, Quentin Tarantino. If you haven’t had a chance, take a look at our interviews with B.J. Novak, Michael Fassbender, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, Melanie Laurent, and Christoph Waltz.

When we spoke to the self proclaimed cinephile, Tarantino revealed how he came up with the idea for the film, his favorite characters, and the lackluster reviews the movie received at Cannes.

Check out what he had to say in our interview below…

In the promotions for this film Brad Pitt’s Aldo Raine is front and center, even though the story focuses more on Shossana and Landa. Where did Raine come from?

QT: I disagree with that take. This is totally not trying to bend over and make Brad [Pitt] seem bigger than he already is, but I think it is a movie with three leads. In no order, Hans Landa, Shossana, and Aldo Raine. The thing is, even the whole structure of the movie to me, was to set up the first three chapters for these three characters. You get Shossana’s backstory even though you don’t know her in the first chapter, and in the third chapter you do. I mean in it’s own way, Frederick Zoller, is one of the goddamn leads. [laughs] You know what I mean? In a way, the whole movie revolves around him. If he hadn’t done any of the things that he did, there would almost be no movie later.

To me, that is kind of the structure of it. The first three stories, and then from chapter four until the end, is like the straight-ahead adventure. If it were a Devil’s Brigade movie from the mid-60’s that Mike Myers scene would be the first scene of the movie; as he sends them on their mission. I really like proposing things and bringing them up, but not answering them, and letting you figure out stuff. You might be right or you might be wrong. As far as you’re concerned, you are always right. The minute I start throwing my two cents in then everyone lets go of what they have come up with. For instance, I don’t explain the scar; you’ve got to explain the scar. How did he get the scar?

How did you come up with Landa’s character, and why did you cast Christoph Waltz?

QT: The thing about Landa is, I honestly did not know who Christoph was when he came in. He is a TV actor in Germany, and he is well known for doing miniseries and stuff. He came in and picked up the script and half way through the reading of that first scene, I knew I had found my guy. Again it was great because I didn’t have anybody in mind, so the character could become the character. If I were writing it for somebody else, maybe he wouldn’t be so multi-lingual, because then he couldn’t do that. If Landa is just Landa, he could speak every dialogue. When I finished writing the character, it was obvious that Landa is a linguistic genius. So, I was going to need an actor who was a linguistic genius. If this character on the page is ever going to get on the screen, that doesn’t mean fluent in languages. That means a linguistic genius and that is Christoph.

How did you end up casting an African American character in a period piece like this?

QT: Yeah, I know. The thing about Marcel is you know he is a Frenchman. There were a whole lot of Blacks living in Paris in the 20’s and 30’s. The thing that is very fascinating is, I have heard some people say, “Well, wouldn’t the Nazis round them up?” No, no, no, no. Hitler was very clear about how he felt about Blacks, but they didn’t do anything to them. Basically, where they were coming from, they didn’t have a “Black problem”, the way they had a “Jewish problem”, the way they had a “homosexual problem”, the way they had a “gypsy problem”, or a “Communist problem.” France was the only place you were going to find them. They weren’t the scourges of Europe as far as Hitler was concerned. The ironic reality is this, if I was a Black guy in Nazi occupied France I’d keep a low profile to be sure, having said that, he would have more rights in Nazi occupied Paris than he would have in downtown Dallas at that same time. Marcel could walk into a restaurant and order a dinner. Marcel could walk up to a bar and sit at the bar amongst white people. Now that’s irony for you.

You have been working on this film for years now, what inspired you to make it?

QT: I just got a kick out of the original. I like the rip-off quality of Italian exploitation movies. They are kind of not serious, and that is what I like about them. This movie has that. Also, I love the title. I really did love the title. Even when I worked at Video Archives, Inglourious Basterds became our name for a bunch of guys on a mission movie. It was like a genre. That was the name that we gave the genre. Now they call it macaroni combat. But you know, it had a really interesting story. There is an aspect about the original story that I don’t do in this movie, but it was really neat. It was a bunch of soldiers that are prisoners, that are on their way to a Court Marshall. Their convoy is attacked by a German plane, so now they are in war torn France. They can’t go to the Americans because they are going to go to jail for the rest of their lives and they can’t go to the Germans, so they are trying to get to Switzerland. Now, that’s a really good idea for a story. When I bought it, I didn’t know how much of this was going to be a remake, but at least I could use the title.

How did the story evolve over time?

QT: When I started writing it years ago, I had all the characters, but I had a different story line in mind. It was just too big. I just kept making it a miniseries as opposed to a movie. It was just getting so unwieldy. I was like, “What am I saying? I’m too big for movies? Movies are just too puny a canvas for me to paint on? I can’t even possibly comprehend making it three hours? That is just too short!” You know? I kind of had to get over myself, to tell you the truth. So, I put it away and did little Kill Bill, which turned into Kill Bill Volume 1 and 2. This tells you where I was coming from at the time. When I came back to it in 2008 I loved the story, but I just couldn’t tell it as a movie. So, I came up with a whole new story, and that story is the Fredrick Zoller story; the story of him being a war hero, then making this movie, and now the mission would be blowing up the Premier. So, that’s new.

There were a lot of comments about the length of the film. Do you think you should have cut it down?

QT: Well, no. Look, I am guilty of this too, alright. It is the number one thing you say when you go to a film festival, especially when you go to Cannes. What did you think of the movie? “It was too long!” But, you are also seeing 9 or 10 movies in the course of four days. I didn’t think it was too long, but I heard those comments. You hear those comments, but I wasn’t necessarily responding to them per se. We kind of weren’t done when we were in Cannes. What happened with it is, we did tiny nipping and tucking. It is interesting because the movie is actually a minute longer than it was at Cannes. But you know what? You do some nipping, and pruning, and monkey around with a couple scenes and all of the sudden, one minute longer plays ten minutes less.

QT: It was funny though. The thing is, especially in this script, I really made it a point to be disciplined on this. I didn’t really want an unwieldy movie, and I knew I didn’t have time to shoot a bunch of stuff that may or may not make the cut. I was more disciplined with this script than I have been in a long time. So, it is not like I have tons of stuff left over. I have stuff that I wrote, but it never made the final script.

Were you influenced by the likes of Robert Aldrich, Samuel Fuller, or Sergio Leone? What other directors have had a positive effect on you?

QT: Oh, yeah. You better believe they were big influences. Sergio Leone is my favorite director of all time. I don’t think this is it, but I remember when I first started the movie after Jackie Brown, it was one of the things that I wanted to be my The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, and it was. I love those guys’ work. Oddly enough though, as much as I love Sergio Leone, if you are familiar with a lot of those directors, I think my work resembles more of Sergio Corbucci. Not that I am trying to do either of those guys, but he is the other master as far as I’m concerned. I think my films are closer to his than Leone’s.

This didn’t feel like a WWII movie as much as a movie based on WWII movies. Where do your homages to these directors get your signature?

QT: Echoes of something is not the same thing as recreating scenes. It is very, very different. Look, everyone knows that I love movies, so I can’t hide that, nor do I want to hide that. Because of it, it’s like I have a target on me. Most critics are cinephiles to one degree or another, so there is nothing a cinephile loves more than showing off their knowledge. They want to play games with the mastermind when they sit down to watch my movies, and they start playing a game of “spot the reference” that a lot of is completely of their own making. The other thing is, that was legitimate when it came to Kill Bill. That was very legitimate.

Well, how do you toe the line between an homage and recreating a scene from another film?

QT: It [Kill Bill] was a “movie” movie. There was an aspect of the Bride, not just fighting through her death list, she is fighting through the whole history of exploitation cinema, with every character on that list representing a different genre. That is just such a movie mad thing that’s totally okay to have the checklist. This is different. I am not doing that. I have no problem evoking the macaroni combat. I have no problem saying, “I am working inside of a genre.” I think every movie is a genre. An Eric Rohmer movie is a genre movie, and if you make a movie like his, you are kind of making an Eric Rohmer-style movie. Thus, making it a genre. It is the same thing with [John] Cassavetes.

Your movies are very dialogue driven, and some people have complained about that. Are you concerned about losing that in your films?

QT: I have to say I get a little “huh” when they say it is too talky. When you go to a play, do you think it is too talky? I am in good company. Well, you know it comes and goes depending on the artist. I saw Funny People, and I think it is one of the best movies I have seen this year. I think it is a true auteur piece of work, and that is all dialogue. Comedies are known for having mostly dialogue. Basically, you gotta be able to pull it off. Paul Thomas Anderson, his dialogue is as good as mine, but he breaks it up where he has the 20 minute opening that is silent in There Will Be Blood.

You like to draw attention to the fact that the audience is watching a movie. Some people complain that it pulls them out of the story. What do you think?

QT: To me, that is one of those fake arguments. I don’t know about you, but I always know I am watching a movie when I am watching a movie. I have never forgotten while I was watching a movie that I was watching a movie. No more that I have forgotten I was driving a car while I was driving a car. I can have my heart ripped out, but I know I’m watching a movie.

Is there more footage that may come out on the DVD or a different Director’s Cut of Inglourious Basterds?

QT: Not really to tell you truth. We were working on this at such an accelerated pace, I couldn’t afford to shoot stuff that I didn’t think was going to make the film. I always pride myself on my director’s cut that plays in 3,000 theaters. I take a lot of pride in that. There are two sections that I shot that I’m actually not going to put on the DVD. One is because it is more of Shossana’s back-story from 1941 to 1944, and you know, I don’t want to show that at all now. I really want the audience to actually come up with it in their own mind about how she survived. I want that to be like you own movie in your head, and I want you to figure it out. The other one is a backstory on Eli Roth’s character, Donowitz. It didn’t fit into the section that I had planned it, but it worked so well that if the movie is a hit, and if I were to do a prequel with the Basterds, I could just plug it right into the other movie. So, I think I will save it on the chance that the movie is popular.

Inglourious Basterds is playing nationwide in theaters everywhere.

Weekend Box Office: Basterds Lead the Way

Mali Elfman — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 01:25:02 +0000

The Basterds smashed their way to number one this past weekend, sadly, not with the $50+ million they deserved, but number one none-the-less. It seems like a slow weekend for movie theaters, none of the numbers are that impressive. Robert Rodriguez‘s kid’s film Shorts, had a slow start, it only managed to come up with $6 million. Meanwhile, G.I Joe hasn’t dropped out of the top three, but it still didn’t make much.

Check out the top ten films this weekend below…

Inglourious Basterds | New | Weekend Gross $37,602,000 | Average Per Theater $11,881 | Total Gross $37,602,000 | Production Cost $70 | Week 1
District 9 | LW 1 | Weekend Gross $18,900,000 | Average Per Theater $6,197 | Total Gross $73,491,000 | Production Cost $30 | Week 2
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra | LW 2 | Weekend Gross $12,500,000 | Average Per Theater $3,162 | Total Gross $120,531,000 | Production Cost $175 | Week 3
The Time Traveler’s Wife | LW 3 | Weekend Gross $10,025,000 | Average Per Theater $3,355 | Total Gross $37,448,000 | Production Cost $39 | Week 2
Julie & Julia | LW 4 | Weekend Gross $9,000,00 | Average Per Theater $3,654 | Total Gross $59,288,000 | Production Cost $40 | Week 3
Shorts | New | Weekend Gross $6,600,000 | Average Per Theater $2,126 | Total Gross $6,600,000 | Week 1
G-Force | LW 5 | Weekend Gross $4,205,000 | Average Per Theater $1,642 | Total Gross $107,315,000 | Week 5
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince | LW 7 | Weekend Gross $3,515,000 | Average Per Theater $1,816 | Total Gross $290,275,000 | Production Cost $250 | Week 6
The Ugly Truth | LW 8 | Weekend Gross $2,850,000 | Average Per Theater $1,446 | Total Gross $82,887,000 | Production Cost $38 | Week 5
Post Grad | New | Weekend Gross $2,800,000 | Average Per Theater $1,429 | Total Gross $2,800,000 | Week 1

It’s good to see that Meryl Streep still has enough pull in theaters to keep people coming in for more.

What do you think of this weekends box office numbers?

Quentin Tarantino’s Five Favorite WWII Movies

Krystal Clark — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 19:30:58 +0000

Today Inglourious Basterds debuted in theaters across the country. The film takes place in Nazi occupied France during World War II, therefore it’s no surprise that Quentin Tarantino has decided to let us in on some of his favorite films based on the time period. Over at Yahoo, the director dished on several well known war movies that he considers stand outs among many. Find out who he picked below.

The Great Escape – The 1963 John Sturges film, is about a group of Allied POW’s planning a massive escape while incarcerated at Nazi prison camp. The cast was filled with a group of bad ass actors lead by Steve McQueen, James Garner, James Coburn, and Charles Bronson. According to Tarantino, “”Probably my favorite war movie.”
The Dirty Dozen – The 1967 Robert Aldrich film centered on a group “of imprisoned bottom-feeders who get a second chance as part of a hell-raising Allied commando unit.” The cast featured Lee Marvin, John Cassavetes, Jim Brown, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Sutherland, and Kojak himself, Telly Savalas. Tarantino states that the film makes the list”for its iconic cast alone.”
Five Graves to Cairo – The 1943 Billy Wilder drama “centered on an undercover British officer (Franchot Tone) and a woman (Anne Baxter) who helps run a desert hotel where Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (Erich von Stroheim) establishes his headquarters.” “Billy Wilder and (co-writer) Charles Brackett wrote their own story for it. It doesn’t follow history. They came up with their own way. It’s not even a very credible version of Rommel, either, but it’s a fantastic version of Rommel.”
Tonight We Raid Calais – This 1943 epic was directed by John Brahm and features John Sutton as a British Intelligence Officer plotting to destroy a Nazi munitions plant in France, where he takes shelter with the family of a French farmer (Lee J. Cobb), whose daughter blames the British for the fall of France. A fantastic movie that I fell in love with,” Tarantino said. “It has a couple of sequences that really seem like modern storytelling. It doesn’t have a classical storytelling feel. Waldo Salt, they consider him the father of modern screenwriting.
Action in Arabia – The 1944 drama directed by Leonide Moguy, starred George Sanders as a reporter in the Middle East who’s caught up in the Allied-Nazi struggle for the sympathies of the Arab world. “I really love that movie, but you will notice, though, when I talk about these different films, it’s not the collection of tanks and big-battle things. Even though I like that stuff, I’m more into the more story-oriented versions of the war.”

Do you agree with Tarantino’s choices? Who did you expect to make the list, but didn’t?

Poll: Who Was Your Favorite Basterd?

Mali Elfman — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 17:41:00 +0000

Now that you’ve all had the chance to get your asses out to see Quentin Taratino‘s WWII war epic, Inglourious Basterds starring Brad Pitt, Mélanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz the question now is, who was your favorite? We all know that there is no such thing as a small part in a Tarantino film. A line, a look, a lost limb, anything might go down in history as a great moment in cinema.

Vote below!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Further Reading:

Movie Review
Final, Old School, Nazi Posters
Interviews with: Mélanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz, Michael Fassbender, Diane Kruger, Eli Roth, B.J. Novak
Trailer for Nation’s Pride - the movie within the movie
Play with a Basterd
International Trailer

Inglourious Basterds: Movie Review

Mali Elfman — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 07:03:56 +0000

It’s finally time for Quentin Tarantino‘s war epic Inglourious Basterds starring Brad Pitt, Mélanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz, Michael Fassbender, Diane Kruger, Eli Roth, B.J. Novak to hit theaters and all I can say is get your asses over to the theater now!

Warning: This is a review of a Tarantino film, I’m going to swear. Get the fuck over it, it just wouldn’t be right if I didn’t…

Plot:

I don’t want to give too much away. All you need to know is that the film takes place during WWII in Nazi-occupied France, where a group of Jewish-American soldiers known as “The Basterds” are sent in to spread fear throughout the Third Reich by killing Nazis in as many obscene ways as possible.

The Good:

A Short to Start: The first 20 minutes of this film are fucking phenomenal. Tarantino is known for delivering great monologues and much like Samuel L. Jackson’s “…and I will strike down upon thee…” speech in Pulp Fiction, this scene will go down in history as a great. With two people just sitting at a table, there is so much suspense, so much rich dialogue, so much great acting. It’s as perfect as it gets.
Christoph Waltz: Now, aside from the one person mentioned below, I LOVED almost every performance in the film, but none of them quite add up to Waltz who is quite possibly one of the most dynamic, interesting and entertaining actors to watch. You absolutely never knew what he was going to do next and he had you mesmerized the entire time. A close second goes to Brad Pitt, who completely transformers himself and nails the humor in his blood thirsty, Nazi scalping, character.
The Dialogue: This should be a given. Aside from blood spurting, great dialogue is the other thing we have come to love from Tarantino and he doesn’t disappoint.
The Costumes and Sets: The film looks amazing. No spot was left un-decorated. Everything from the clothes to each Basterd having their own weapon of choice, to the high-heeled cast — all of it was perfectly placed.
The Runtime: For all the bullshit we heard about Weinstein trying to get them to cut the film down, the film flies by. Just like Taratino’s past movies, although it’s long, this film doesn’t lag once and keeps you entertained at all times.
The Comedy with the Seriousness: Let’s face it, the Holocaust is still one of the most touchy subjects around. It’s not easy to make a mainstream movie about the Holocaust that has a lot of humor in it, leave it to Tarantino to pave the way. He does not shy away from the horror of the Holocaust, and yet also has no fear in setting up a joke in a scene others would think is too sensitive. He takes no prisoners and makes no exceptions, and it pays off in the end.

The Bad:

Mike Myers: He’s not supposed to be the funny one in the scene, so I don’t know why he was doing his Austin Powers impression. It doesn’t come off as funny and steals away from Michael Fassbender’s humor.
Choppy: Unlike the choppiness in Kill Bill, I could feel it in this film. Something about it didn’t flow quite as nicely as I would have liked.

Overall:

The film was fucking amazing, but one of the problems with having a director as distinctive as Tarantino, is that you A. Set ridiculously high expectation for him and B. You most likely already have a favorite film of his, that you’ve watched a million times and are willing to fight tooth and nail for. Although this is not my favorite film of his, (possibly due to my own biases) it’s a great film and even though it started an hour late and I was exhausted, it FLEW by. Not many directors who do ten minute scenes with two people talking at a table can keep you that enthralled for that long.

Rating: 8.75

Check out the film in theaters everyone August 21st!

Interview: Diane Kruger for Inglourious Basterds

Mali Elfman — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 18:11:01 +0000

Rounding out our Basterd interviews, is the hottest on the bunch, double-agent Bridget von Hammersmark played by Diane Kruger in Quentin Tarantino’s war epic Inglourious Basterds. As we all know, it wouldn’t be a Tarantino film without some sexy, sassy blond with a mean pedicure shooting up someone.

We’ve already posted the interviews for B.J. Novak, Mélanie Laurent, Michael Fassbender, Eli Roth and Nazi detective Christoph Waltz, just click their names to read our interviews with them, or keep reading to see what Kruger had to say about shooting the film…

What was it like to work with Quentin Tarantino and what was the absolute craziest thing he said to you or made you do on-set?

Kruger: (Laughs) What didn’t he ask. Well, it is everything you would imagine a Quentin Tarantino movie is like. When you watch his films it’s pretty much what he’s like on-set. You know, he’s a little larger than life. He’s very exuberant, and mad, and manic running around. There is real childlike quality to him. He can sit next to the camera and he can get so excited about the scene you’re doing. But at the same time, he can also be incredibly soft-spoken and sensitive. I think what sets him apart from other directors is that he has the ability to sense what different actors needs for different scenes. And he just knows exactly what to tell you to serve [that scene], to help you open that door.

Did he give you any advice specifically on-set on opening doors?

Kruger: No, that’s not really how it works either. You can’t open a door by saying, “Take it this way.” You know? You have to find that door yourself; it’s like going to a psychiatrist, I guess. But sometimes someone will say something to you that makes you think, well, “Oh okay, maybe I’ll do it this way.”

Who were your inspirations for the role?

Kruger: No one in particular. I guess the only character in the movie that could have maybe existed is Bridget von Hammersmark, so it’s a bit of a puzzle of different people. [Quentin] had a lot of actresses that he loved that he wanted me to watch. Of course being German I knew a lot of German actresses of that period. So I really like Hilde Konetzni. So you take a little a bit and then make it your own. But it was pretty much on the page.

We don’t really get much of a back-story on her. So, we have to take her word for it that she’s as famous as she says she is.

Kruger: Well the truth is I could tell you 20 years of back-story on Bridget von Hammersmark, which is what Quentin does, right? He tells you about your character and why and why. Without getting into too much details, because I don’t know if that’s going to be in a prequel or not, but in my head she’s truly come to despise the Nazi regime for whatever reason and truly is trying to use her power, or her influence to get rid of the Third Reich or try to end the war?

Can you tell us a little about finding the tension in your character. As with every other character, she has a larger than life quality to her but she’s grounded in true reality? Can you break that down?

Kruger: It was very important to Quentin. When you watch movies from the ’40’s, acting was very different then. It was a little more formal in how people spoke. And especially for actresses, and there was, you can call it, a commanding presence. They all spoke formal, it’s less conversational-like. Real movie stars, you could really see they were stars. The lighting, the filter, and everything. And it was important when you first see [von Hammersmark] on-screen you immediately know she’s the movie star. And when she speaks nobody else does. And also, it was important you would see that fierce intelligence that Bridget von Hammersmark is. If you doubt she’s just this ditzy movie star, you’d never believe she was able to pull off this Operation, you know. It was her idea that she has been able to be this spy for two years without being discovered. That gave me a great arc to play later on. Because you do see the real Bridget when she’s in distress. She knows what she’s doing when she steps into that office. She thinks the Basterds are morons for messing it up. There was so much to play with her.

***SPOILER***What was it like filming the fight scene with Christoph, the cast and being throttled out of your chair, looked a little rough and tumble?

Kruger: It was rough, yeah. A really funny thing about that is that it is actually Quentin who was strangling me. I know it’s like, “Are you trying to tell me something!? Did I do something wrong?” It was my last day, and he came into my trailer and he said, “Christoph is just an actor. He’s going to squeeze too hard or too little and we’re going to do it over and over. I just know exactly what we need, so I think I should just strangle you.” I’m like, “sure thing, Quentin!” And then, we see Christoph and Quentin is about two heads taller than him. So none of his costumes would fit him. So they had to make strap on and fake SS sleaves, that are strapped to the back of his collar. And here is this huge man on top of me – squeezing. He really was a lot less strong than Christoph, and I couldn’t tell Christoph, “Oh yeah, no-no [feign coughing], we can do one more.” He’s so sweet, you know.

What was the casting process like? How was your first meeting with Quentin?

Kruger: Casting with me was not pleasant. [LAUGHS] You know, he had someone in mind when he originally wrote the script so there was never going to be the opportunity to meet with him. And that didn’t work out for whatever reason, so of course, everybody calls and you have to say it’s Diane! And he says, “No, no. I want a German.” Okay, so… you know that was hard. He didn’t believe I was German. He didn’t want someone that was American that had German roots or grandparents. So it took a little while to convince him that I was German. I guess he was casting in Germany and he didn’t find the person that he was looking for. So it took awhile for him to say, “You can come to Germany if you like and meet with me.” Thanks Quentin! So I flew myself to Berlin. I had two days to prepare thirty pages of dialogue in German and in English. And when we met it was the easiest thing in the world. It was obvious, you know, that we liked each other and that we had the same sort of idea about the character. And I think the humor of the character is very important, and so, I think we both saw the same humor.

Did you grow up in Germany and how long did you spend there?

Kruger: I did. Born and raised until I was 15. So German-German.

For someone that speaks different languages, from the acting side of it, are you more comfortable with one than the other?

Kruger: Not really, but you do tend to be different in different languages. I think German tends to be a lot tougher for whatever reason, and French is like soft, and English is sort of… normal for me.

What is the German film industry like as opposed to the American film industry?

Kruger: It is a big – it’s like the studio system here, you know. It’s sort of like the legend of Germany. Some big movie stars came out of that system just like here. So it was a dream factor that I guess people are responding to.

Was it honor for you to be the foot fetish in the film?

Kruger: [LAUGHS] It was funny thing because I guess, I was lazy, I didn’t know about that. And then I was interviewed by a journalist as I just got the job. And he said, “So, ah, have you heard about this?” And I said, “no.” And he said, “Really, you don’t have a foot scene?” And I said, “actually, I do!” And then the day comes and I’m like, “Quentin, are you excited?! It’s the foot day!” And he was like, “No, it’s not true. It’s all made up. Journalists made it up.” And I was like, Okay. [Pretends to hide]. Six close-ups later on my foot and not on my face, and I thought, maybe there is some truth to it. I don’t know!

It was your foot?

Kruger: Oh yeah. It never looked better, are you kidding? The pedicure lasted forever. [LAUGHS]

How did working on this movie change or affect your attitude on Quentin?

Kruger: The truth is I feel confident. I think that’s what he does. He installs confidence in actors and he has faith in actors. And I feel you can do anything when someone has faith in you. And especially as a woman who works in Hollywood to feel valued, to be given, a dialogue that is intelligent and nuanced, and you’re not just being treated as an accessory to whatever male story is happening in the movie. It makes you – it’s empowering. He empowers women. I think women should be thanking him for the parts he writes for him.

***SPOILER*** How was it wearing a high-heeled leg cast?

Kruger: I just think it’s a genius idea when I first saw it, I thought, you’re kidding – it has a heel, really! It was genius but it was not comfortable. But it sure looked good.

How do you think this film will be received in Germany? Do you think it will be different from America because there is comedy, there’s parody in this film. Is it still a sensitive subject in Germany for going back to WWII?

Kruger: I know it’s going to play well in Germany because we premiered it there two weeks ago. It’s funny thing because journalists have asked us the same question since we’ve screened the movie in Cannes. The thing is it’s the same audience that is here, because it has been 60 years, three generations that have not lived through the war – and had to grow up with this heavy shadow on their shoulders. And honestly, they don’t want to hang out to Adolph any longer than you guys do. If they could, they would have killed him themselves. If anything, it’s even more positive towards seeing a movie like this that has so this revenge aspect, and you know, let’s change the ending of World War II.

So what was the reaction in the theaters in Germany?

Kruger: It brought down the house. It was Cannes times three. You know, my grandfather came to see it. I was a little nervous about that. And he was all like, “It was all fairytale. They messed up [Joseph] Goebbels, he didn’t talk like that!”

***SPOILER*** When you first read that you were going to rewrite history what was your first response?

Kruger: That’s why I wanted to do it. You can imagine as someone born in Germany, I get offered World War II movies once a week. And I never wanted to do it. Because why should I associate myself with that just because I’m German. So this came along, and I was like, that is cool. I will be able through Bridget von Hammersmark to bring down the Third Reich. I like it, let’s do it!

What was your favorite scene?

Kruger: They all were different. The tavern scene was exhausting to film. It was a two weeks scene. Just imagine keeping up that energy for two weeks. Ten or twelve minute takes and you’re in every shot. So even when you’re not on, you’re on… I think the funniest one was the one in the theater with Brad and the two other Basterds trying to pass for Italian. It was really hard to keep a straight face. [SPEAKS BAD DIALECT] Bongiorno! I loved it because my character could really go big. “Are you a fucking moron?!” It was so funny, like an old screwball comedy to do?

What was it like to work with Brad Pitt again after Troy?

Kruger: I’m glad I got the opportunity to meet him later on in my career because I was so green and inexperienced and completely overwhelmed when we were doing Troy. That was my second or third movie, ever. Being a little calmer about the whole thing, having experience and having such a cool character to play, and so did he. And knowing each other it helps because we were laughing, we had such a good time. His accent [THICK], “What are you talking about?” And everybody’s doing accents, and the dog’s barking. It was great.

What do you have coming up next?

Kruger: A movie I shot just before, Mr. Nobody which was just selected for the Venice Film Festival which is cool because I’ve never had a movie in competition there. So I am going to go to that. And then I’m going to do a French film in French. It’s a love project, I’ve been trying to get this movie made for years and it’s finally coming together. And I try to make one French movie per year at least.

Was it difficult or refreshing getting used to Quentin’s on-set demands and requirements?

Kruger: Well I think the ban on cell phones should be a given. I don’t know what idiot would bring a cell phone onto a movie set. Seriously, I think that’s disrespectful. I would never do that anyway. But I think that will happen because a cell phone went off while we were filming, and he went ballistic… obviously. No, but what he’s so strict about, what takes time getting used to – he’s so attached to his words – if you don’t say one word he will break a scene. He wants you say every single word. That’s an exercise that is quite difficult actually. You know because you could forget an “and” or a “but” or whatever – that takes time getting used to.

Quentin likes to play movies for his cast, I heard he played them on Thursday nights. Was there a special movie he played for you?

Kruger: All his favorite movies. He loves spaghetti westerns, so there was a lot of that. I saw The Good, The Bad & The Ugly. But the funny thing about it is, it’s not actually the movies that are so good, he has a popcorn machine and hot dogs and he sits through every one of them. He does that on every movie. He has seen all these movies 200 times, and he [MOCK IMITATION QUENTIN LAUGHTER] and you just watch him really be like a boy.

Check out Inglourious Basterds in theaters this Friday, August 21st.

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Plot:

The Good:

The Bad:

Overall:

Rating: 8.75

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