Who2 Editorial Blog
Notes and Commentary from the Editors
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Short Review: Inglourious Basterds
Yesterday I saw Quentin Tarantino's new movie, Inglourious Basterds.I like Tarantino, but I don't love Tarantino. Pop in Pulp Fiction and I'll watch it any time. Pop in Reservoir Dogs and I'll watch most of it, if not all of it. For Jackie Brown I'll stay to see Pam Grier and Robert De Niro. Probably.
But Kill Bill I prefer to see in bits and pieces (har har). Sitting through both parts of that movie is just too much Tarantino at once. And when it comes to Death Proof, I only want to see the last half, that fantastic car chase with Kurt Russell and the over-the-top charming Zoe Bell.
All that said, I still believe a Tarantino movie is going to be worth seeing, and I've liked Brad Pitt ever since 1995's 12 Monkeys.
It turns out Brad Pitt isn't in Inglourious Basterds as much as the advertising would have you believe. He turns in a good, comical performance, but the real star of the show is Austrian actor Christoph Waltz, who plays Nazi Col. Hans Landa.
Inglourious Basterds didn't thrill me, and it's long. The more movies I see that last longer than two hours, the more I think no movie should last more than two hours. Argue with that if you can.
One of the best parts of my movie-going experience yesterday: at one point in the movie you can hear The Wilhelm Scream on the soundtrack.
Labels: Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Kurt Russell, Pam Grier, Quentin Tarantino, Robert De Niro, Zoe Bell
Posted by Mr. Hehn at 10:39 AM 
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Sunday, January 11, 2009
The 'Star Wars' Audition Tapes
Blast from the distant past: Kurt Russell tries out for the part of Han Solo in Star Wars......and Robbie Benson reads for Luke Skywalker, with Harrison Ford feeding him lines.
Yow.
It's easy to imagine Russell as Han Solo -- and this was five years before he channeled his inner scoundrel as Snake Plissken in Escape From New York -- but poor Robbie seems halfway into a nap.
To be fair, that famous Lucas dialogue can't have been easy to read cold: "You can't find Organa Major?" "Look at those radiation readouts!"
We're lucky it all turned out as brilliantly as it did. For two movies, anyway.
(Tip o' the stormtrooper helmet to Mike Duffy.)
Labels: George Lucas, Han Solo, Harrison Ford, Kurt Russell, Luke Skywalker, Robbie Benson, Snake Plissken
Posted by Mr. Holznagel at 7:34 PM Share on Facebook 0 comments
