We watched it tonight and I didn't think I would like it but I might even like it more than PF.

What I liked was how at the premier you are watching these Nazi's enjoying a movie where a Nazi kills all these Amercians and allies and you think, "what a bunch of a-holes and then the fire starts and you are watching them all die and you are excited about it. I think that was just pure genius.

Sassy point right there.

Great movie, but it doesn't touch Pulp Fiction.

I think it will definitely be re-watchable.

I knew nothing about this movie before I saw it tonight, and thought the ending was exceptional. Yes, tip-toe-ing around conversations about it for six months was not easy.

Everyone was fantastic, including Brad Pitt. Except Mike Myers. Come on, are you kidding me?

I'm not a big milk drinker.

The next time somebody wrongs me, and I know it, and they don't; when I confront them I will thoroughly enjoy my attempt to be Jew Hunter-y.

The first scene was amazing. For me, it was one of those rare scenes where time seems to stop you're so enthralled in every word, every syllable, every movement, like the gas station scene in No Country, or the first time I saw girl on girl.

I want to cuddle with Melanie Laurent.

4 3/5 stars because it was better than a 4 1/2, but not quite a 5.

Finally saw this movie and thought it was great. Very well shot. Loved the opening scene, but agree with BG that it felt a little contrived. Overall it didn't feel too long. Sort of disappointed that there wasn't much Nazi Hunting going on.

My biggest problem with the whole movie is the complete historic revisionism. I mean, in real life the bad guys lose anyway - do you need to make up an alternate reality where you get to machine gun down Hitler in a Movie Theater? Seems like if it had just been a story about luring a bunch of Nazis to their deaths, then it would have been a fine piece of fiction instead of alternate reality fiction.

Overall loved how the story was shot, directed, acted, and told. It wasn't nearly as graphic in the violence as I had assumed. Pitt's character was a little cartoonish, but still solid.

The Jew Hunter was great - glad he got an Oscar.

yeah but the jews getting to do the deed is satisfying

i thought it was cool in the age of anti terrorism to essentially make a pro terrorism movie

Yeah, the Wachoski Brothers (Brother?) can be counted on to bring the proterrorist vibes as well.

I mean, a lot of people's objections to the movie come down to this.. can you accept a movie re-writing history or can't you? I personally think it's great. So many movies do the same thing, but are far less honest with it. They make movies " based" on history, but butcher and manipulate it the history past the point of recognition. The only way that Inglorious Basterds is different from Braveheart, is that IB is competely honest and obvious in the it's historical manipulation. It never claims to be based on history, but rather makes a fictional movie using historical characters. It's not really historical revisionism, it's historical fictionalization. Might be splitting hairs there, but it's an important distinction. QT is never claiming that IB is history.
Also, you should consider making that a spoiler alert,
I know it's been a long time since the movie, but there still might be people who haven't seen it, and I know I for one was shocked that they actually killed Hitler. I never thought he was actually going to die, right until the point they were shooting him. THat's another reason I liked what QT with history in this movie, he totally leveled me with his hitler slaughter.

OK

The scene at the premier when Pitt's character tries to converse in Italian is priceless. The rest of the movie...I don't know, it was one of those movies I knew was pretty great while I was watching it (the multi-language wordplay was particularly impressive), but I never actually got into it on any level. By the end I really didn't care all that much about any of the characters and was ready for it to be over. So I guess I didn't think it was that great.

I am: sad panda.

your mom didn't think you were that great.

incorrect. he is Jewish so his mom thinks he will cure cancer and then usher in world peace. sorry.


Just taped this movie off showtime, going to watch it tonight......well, I already watched the opening scene which was incredible on every level. I can see why people were so adamant he win best supporting actor.

I'm not saying it's not a great movie as much as I'm saying that I wasn't nuts about it. Just like I know that Bowfinger isn't a great movie but I am nuts about it.



I'm still holding out hope for Fantastic Mr Fox.



Your mom didn't think you were that great.



Oh, yeah, he certainly deserved it. Guy was pretty amazing.

You were pretty amazing.

Thank you.

Did you know about the ending before hand?

Also, the ending played a bit differently in the mind when you're in a movie theatre, watching a movie theater get barricaded and burned to the ground. Plus, you know, Hitler was in there.

No, but I had heard the hulabaloo about rewriting history, so I wasn't all that surprised.

This is my only disappointment with the movie.

Have you been doing some sort of bizarro-brvheart experiment these past few days? You are cut off from being my movie doppleganger.

Well, if it makes you feel any better, I almost didn't post it, because I knew you wouldn't agree.

I just like realism in my movies and my initial reaction to Hitler being there was disappointment. Once I got over that, it became exciting in the planning stages of the "execution" of the plan. The joy they would have felt was clearly expressed through the actors and I enjoyed it very much.

Also, COME ON! I've never led you astray... have I, Mr. Jo?

I agree with the Historic Revisionism. I mean, the Nazis lost anyway in real life. This sort of came across as sort of a dreamer's fantasy: "Wouldn't it have been great to take a bunch of Nazis and Hitler and burn them alive? That'd be so cool." To me it needlessly detracted from the other well written and acted elements of the story. Everything else could have happened without having to willingly suspend my disbelief too much.

Yes, the suspense in valkyrie really had me on the edge of my seat.



Note: I haven't seen valkyrie.

Well, your The Departed > Goodfellas statement is just horrendous.



Sort of?

say it isn't so, Brv?

If anything, Goodfellas was 10x better than Departed. Ugh.

Finally something on which we can agree. At least The Departed finally got him his Oscar.

lifetime acheivement award. I am sure we agree on lots of non-debatable things.

It's my opinion. I told you that the issue was the hype.

It's also important to note that I always confuse Goodfellas and Reservoir Dogs in my head, because I saw them both for the first time within the last 2 years, and they both came out like 20 years ago and have been built up more and more and more over that period, to a point where my expectations were so high that they couldn't help but be a disappointment. I thought I explained that. YOU ARE TAKING ME OUT OF CONTEXT!

Res Dogs = terrible acting by Mr. Orange at the end.
Goodfellas = airport robbery


Also, I DO like The Departed 10x more. I haven't had a desire to rewatch either Goodfellas or Res Dogs since I saw them twice, but I watch The Departed pretty regularly. (Maybe once every 3 months or so)

We are allowed to have the opinion that your opinion is bad though.

Agreed.

I mean...that kind of is the basis behind the movie, right? The fact that none of the events actually transpired? I don't exactly see how you could be against the revision of history but still like the movie...sort of. Ok, I guess I can see how you could feel that way. But I wanted to argue about something...



...again, isn't that the whole point of the movie? And really, we're talking about one scene in the last 15 minutes of a long movie, how much could Hitler' death really have detracted if you were willing to suspend your disbelief about a group of Jews entrenched in Nazi territory, just decimating their troops?



Heh.



Again: heh.

I agree with what you're saying, but I like the fact that all of the events of the movie COULD HAVE happened, and we just didn't hear about it until now. All except for Hitler being there.

And the other main guys being there. But not really them being there, them getting dead there.

Sure, but did I know the other main guys? I'm sure the Nazi's had tons of high ranking officials that aren't really well known and could have been killed by a small elite commando team. I just think the movie would have worked better for me if it was framed as 'possible', instead of 'fantasy'.

I also am fully aware that that would have ruined the movie for other people that liked it.

Similar Script, Coen's directing, and I probably like it twice as much.

Basterds doesn't do any more revisionism than braveheart, it's just more honest about it.

It didn't present itself as being 100% true.

I have no problem with revisionsim for the story, and I understand the levels that Hitler adds to what QT was going for. That much revisionism just isn't my thing.

You haven't heard of guys like Goebbels, Goering, Himmler, etc?



The mass assassination of the highest ranking members of the Nazi party is a higher degree of revisionism than braveheart, I'd say. At least braveheart does have some elements of truth...although I guess it could be argued that that's what makes it even more revisionist as opposed to pure fantasy.

that mel gibson sure is one crazy, drunk anti-semite, though.

also, saying the departed is better than goodfellas is just silly. movies have a watchability scale along with a quality scale. goodfellas is......virtuosic filmmaking.

Have you seen Infernal Affairs?

I'm not totally certain that I've even heard of it. I'll watch it tonight.


EDIT: This one? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338564/

Since it's foreign I might not be able to watch it tonight. But I'll look for it soon.

I wasn't talking about quality at all. Simply my enjoyment of the movie.

Yes, that one.

From Ebert's review of The Departed:

The story is inspired by "Infernal Affairs" (2002) by Alan Mak and Andrew Lau, the most successful Hong Kong film of recent years. Indeed, having just re-read my 2004 review of that film, I find I could change the names, cut and paste it, and be discussing this film.

I have to say that I am enjoying this discussion. Usually brvy is setting people straight about what is good and what isn't and in this topic he is getting a taste of his own medicine, but sadly you all are being nicer about it than he usually is.

Dumb question though, wasn't Inglorious Basterds a remake?

The title was inspired by a movie called Inglorious Bastards but note the slight alteration of the spelling in Inglourious Basterds.

Hmm. I'll watch it. But I love Marky Mark and DeCaprio, and can't imagine it being better with different people in their roles.




Hey. **** You.

Yeah I just found it on netflix. Might watch it since it is on watch instantly.



And may God be with you too, my son.

and that's exactly what I would argue.

I didn't like The Departed. I didn't dislike it either.

It's worth a watch. It doesn't follow normal rules about movie characters, especially the ending. I was like: wait...what? Then I took another hit, watched the end again, and I was like: ohhhhhhh....wait...what?