Glourious Work

With great movies in his portfolio such as Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, the Kill Bill volumes, as well as the opinion dividing Death Proof, (which I loved a lot more than it's Grindhouse counterpart!) The genius that is Quentin Tarantino has done it again!!!! There is no doubt that Tarantino is one of the most talented and prolific directors in cinematic history. The latest release Inglorious Basterds, has been in the pipeline for sometime, with numerous script re-writes, unconfirmed actors, who are on and off the project. But it is finally here!! Now I had already resigned to the fact that I wasn't going to see this film in the cinema, mainly because my 'besties' (My best friends!) usually don't see what I call 'proper' films. Once in a while I'll be able to slip one in, in the guise of a superhero movie (Watchmen), or a horror movie (Drag Me To Hell), but this time was not the case(as proclaimed by my friends in a previous screening of another film when the IB trailer came on 'nah mate that looks dry!). So I knew I would have to watch it some other way! Anywho another friend came to the rescue and I was able to see the film, and thank the lord she did!

The main stand out performances for me were Brad Pitt, who is obviously a great actor, but again like with all his roles he is totally believable, and hilarious as the character Aldo Raine (especially the scene where they try to sneak in to the cinema using their awful Italian accents). Another great performance was from the guy who played Hans Landa AKA The Jew Hunter. Throughout the film his merciless, cruel and evil ways were portrayed so well that there is already talks of an Oscar nomination.

The enthusiastic director uses his identifiable quirks and techniques (the film is composed of numerous chapters, and the soundtrack is taken from other movies)to make this a great Tarantino movie. He was recently quoted as saying that he believes this film is his 'masterpiece'. This statement therefore made me believe before going to see it, that I was going to watch something mind blowing and exceptional. But although it was really, really, really good, it wasn't an 'oh my god' feeling at the end, or even an overwhelming sense that it was his best work. So in that sense I do see what a lot of the film critics are talking about. Although I would definitely say it's on a par with Kill Bill. Plus I still have Reservoir Dogs (I know I'm late!!) and Jackie Brown to see, so maybe either one of those could be my Tarantino masterpiece. But its safe to say that this is another accomplishment that QT can add to his list.

I recently watched two classic Brad Pitt movies, which I think are my favourites!!
Legends of the Fall and Interview with a Vampire. Buy them on Amazon if you can, for peanuts!!!


Take a look at his appearance on Ross a few weeks ago!




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Movies, Movies, Movies!!

So my main love is movies, there aren't enough hours in the day to get through some of the greats but I'm getting there!

Recently I watched Taxi Driver (I know pretty late aren't I)and Citizen Kane, which is said by some to be the greatest film of all time! So my expectations were high right? And what a big fall it was when i realised that it was probably the worst film i had ever seen, I know! blasphemy to all you film boffs, but seriously, I think that it was great for that era and a certain period of time in film that I'm not that big a fan of! The whole thing just went right over my head, not interesting at all! But since i've purchased it on dvd, i'll give it a couple of years and try sitting through it again! Taxi Driver, again hyped as one of DeNiro's best, and i would say it's definitely in his top 5, but no where near as good as 'Heat' or 'Goodfellas'! Although Scorsese is one of my favourite directors, so it was nice to see some of his work before 'Goodfellas'!

In the past year though I have seen a lot of films, to many to remember at this moment in time, so i will go with the most recent, and the ones that had the most impact!

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

'Long gone were the glory days of Brad Pitt's excellence', I had been thinking of late, some of my absolutes favourites are, Interview with a Vampire, Se7en, Legends of the Fall, and his last work of genius Fight Club! That was until I watched this film! yes it's a gobfull, but don't let the long-arse title put you off. This film was absolutely brilliant, and I'd definitely recommend not only Pitt fans to see it, but everyone who loves a genuinely good film. A drama/western, tale of betrayal and deceit, Jesse James, was described in history as a 'Robin Hood' type character, and although he committed numerous crimes, and murders, he is still thought in some ways as an anti-hero, especially in the way he is conveyed in the film, all our ill-will and dislike is turned on Casey Afflecks character, Robert Ford. So although I'd love for Pitt to go back to portraying these heartthrob characters, in sweeping epics like 'Legends of the Fall', I have come to accept that with his age, his choice in film roles has matured, and he is becoming more select in what he chooses, although the ratio of good and bad films is tipping in the wrong direction, THIS IS A MUST SEE!

Che: part 1

Oh lord have mercy! Benicio del Toro, Steven Soderbergh! I thought was a recipe for greatness, but watching this film proved other wise. Not to mention it took everything in my power to keep my eyes open (Staring widely every couple of minutes, and tapping your foot constantly does the job). del Toro was great in 'The Usual Suspects' and 'Sin City', but this film just didnt do it for me! It was long, uneventful, and just dull! Pushing two and a half hours, was license for Soderbergh to make something enthralling, something audiences would want to see again, but i know I'm definitely not watching part 2! This film is for those who are either super fans of Steven Soderbergh, or want a history lesson on what went down in Cuba, 50 odd years ago in the revolution! Sorry Soderbergh better luck next time!

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