"An Allies Wet Dream"

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

Year: 2009

Country: United States

Language: English, German, French, Italian

Number: 1079

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Starring: Christoph Waltz, Brad Pitt, Diana Kruger, Melanie Laurent

Quentin Tarantino's seventh motion picture, Inglourious Basterds, is a war film specially inspired by the sub-gernes the mission war film, such as The Dirty Dozen and the original Inglorious Basterds, which this movie isn't a remake of. But there are some of the the same elements. Quentin Tarantino is famous for breaking boundaries, and he certainly did with this picture exactly called "Inglourious" Basterds. The perfect title. The movie is full of them, those basterds. That is impossible to don't love, or least one of them.

Inglourious Basterds tells many different tales from the nazi-occupied France, but basically it's the story about a group of jewish soldiers, lead by the american Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) who is dropped into Vichy France to take down as many nazi general, or nazi scalps as possible. "They call themselves the Inglourious Basterds, They are pretty much like the bounty hunters, and crooks of the wild west, specially the spaghetti westerns. But there's not only them, It's also the nazi detective, Col. Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz), know as "The Jew Hunter" who job is to find people, many of them jews. He also killed the entire family to Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent) who escaped to Paris where she opened a film theater. Hitler's propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels decides to screen a propaganda film in that theater, where almost all nazi generals will attend, including Adolf Hitler himself. That means this is a target for the Inglourious Basterds to attack. But Dreyfus also has some plans to avenge her families death. This is where all the Basterds meats.

Inglourious Basterds is an amazing, and fresh war film, or more like a black comedy. It's specially Christoph Waltz who steals the whole show, with is charismatic character Hans Landa. A detective who speaks a total of four languages; german, english, french and italian. And unforgettable, and funny performance. Brat Pitt is also funny, talking with his thick southern state dialect. I also loved Mélanie Laurent's performance as the best femme fatal in a long time. I could talk about all the characters, and all their original personalities, but you have to see for yourself. This is truly an original piece of filmmaking, and also a mix of many different sub-gernes that the new generation. What a genius.


Grade: A+

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"Just another day in Truffaut's life"

DAY FOR NIGHT

Original title: La nuit américaine 

Year: 1973

Country: France/Italy

Language: French, English

Number: 567

Director: François Truffaut 

Starring: Jacqueline Bisset, Valentina Cortese, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Jean-Pierre Léaud

François Truffaut's Day for Night is probably his best or shall we say most prestigious film of them all, compared to all the low budget film he had made until then. Day for Night is a meta film (a film about the making of a film) that shows us all the difficulties on the set, that is actually a drama film itself.

Day for Night follows the cast and crew during the filming of Je Vous Présente Paméla (Meet Pamela). Truffaut himself plays the director, Ferrand who faces many difficulties from many of his staff members, like from the old diva Severine (Valentina Cortese) who have troubles of remember her lines. Or the young and heart broken actor Alphonse (Jean-Pierre Léaud) who is about to run away from the set because of that. There's just some of the problems.

Day for Night is a good and well constructed meta film that has everything a movie set needs. All the details, all the props and all the three dimensional people as they are in the real life drama film that we all live in. And what's funny it's that at some point some of the characters says this will be the last film they make, something all of the staff perfectly understand without any form of upsets. Thumbs up.

Grade: B+

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"Tell me something new"

BROADCAST NEWS

Year: 1987
Country: USA
Language: English
Number: 766
Director: James L. Brooks
Starring: William Hurt, Holly Hunter, Albert Brooks, Robert Prosky

James L. Brooks' Broadcast News is an exciting, fresh comedy that takes place inside the world of news reporting. Besides from being funny, the character shows a wide emotional range, everything from happiness and anger performed in a emotional and realistic way. We follows three very different individuals, whom we first see as children and later on see them as adult and laught and clearly see why they are what they are in the present.

Jane Craig (Holly Hunter) has always been obsessed with the news, so much that in some ways it's effecting her mental health. Her friend and colleague Aaron Altman (Albert Brooks) was the nerd that was used as a punching ball by the big guys and instead of lying down he burst out that they in ten years will works as garbage men making only $10 000 a year, while Aaron himself is being a famous reporter. They are the winning team, and there might be a little sparkle between them. But one day a sport anchorman, Tom Grunick (William Hurt) who uses every possible tricks to get what he want, disguised as a humbled gentleman. He breaks through as a news anchorman in his first week at the job, while Jane and Aaron feels out competed by this new threat, while there are a romantic tone between Jane and the man who is against everything she stands for.

Broadcast News is a good comical and satirical view about the life of a news reporter. Among all the employee there's all kinds of special types that we can see our self in, if it's the stressed out type or the arrogant ones. This not only a comedy, but also a serious drama about how much stress it's actually is to be working in the news and that their job is always hanging in a thin tread. It's a great cast, specially Holly Hunter who playing a character that is so into her work, that it's changes her mentally. But when she's alone and has nothing else to do, she gets all her frustration out by crying, and this is probably the funniest, and saddest moment in the film because it's shows that she tries to do everything and is afraid of not being successful. Albert Brooks is just supper and is probably the character we have most sympathy with because he's intelligent but not the love he needs. William Hurt isn't anything but the same monotone character as he's played dozen of times, but this add some anger towards his character. Broadcast News is a great film with a well chosen cast and a great story about the difficult life of journalism.


Grade: A-


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"We don't take kindly to strangers"

BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK

Year: 1955
Country: USA
Language: English
Number: 287
Director: John Sturges
Starring: Spencer Tracy, Robert Ryan, Walter Brennan, Anne Francis

Picture this: A western noir, which John Sturges' Bad Day at Black Rock happened to be. Seeing my first so called "western noir" It's simply one of the best and most suspense films I've seen until now in the western genre. Featuring great performances that we already know from this genre such as Spencer Tracy, Robert Ryan, Walter Brennan, Ernest Borgnine and Lee Marvin that all fits right into the film and makes the whole setting believable.

The movie is set in the year 1945. A town called Black Rock lies in the middle of the desert where the Southern Pacific Railroad train always pass by. But one day, the first time in four years the train actually stops there. But there's only one passenger that goes of the train. A war veteran named John J. Macreedy (Spencer Tracy) who has only one functional arm. Most of the inhabitants, who mostly are workers who spend most of the day just sitting rocking' in their chairs out in the hot sun, is very suspicious of this new stranger and wondering what is he doing here. They find out that he's looking for an old man named Komoko. But every where he ask about him, all the people of the little town are scared that he might stick his nose into something that shouldn't be any of his business.



Bad Day at Black Rock is a very well made western film, set in modern day where it doesn't seemed to have changed at all since the wild west. The crooks are pretty much the same and there's also no law at all. Robert Ryan does an excellent performance as the unofficial leader, Reno Smith who does every thing to get rid of the man who might reveal the towns darkest secret. The rest of the western cast is just superb, their appearance have the kind of "We don't take kindly to strangers" kind of feeling that really makes this film so exciting and thrilling to watch. I don't want to give away the ending, but I promise this movie doesn't ever drag.


Grade: A+


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"Everything other than sweet"

TURKISH DELIGHT

Original title: Turks fruit

Year: 1973

Country: Netherlands

Language: Dutch

Number: 572

Director: Paul Verhoeven

Starring: Monique van de Ven, Rutger Hauer, Tonny Huurdeman, Wim van den Brink

Before Paul Verhoeven made a career in Hollywood as one of the most infamous director with such controversial films as Total Recall and Basic Instincts, he made even more daring films in his native Netherlands. And it's Turkish Delight that clearly stands out as his greatest one, with Rutger Hauer in the leading role, another Dutchman who later became international famous. And also the cinematographer Jan de Bont who later made such great action films as Speed and Twister. Turkish Delight have many times been ranked as the best Dutch film of all time, and was a big box-office hit in Netherlands.

Turkish Delight is the story about the hyper sexual sculptor, Eric (Rutger Hauer) who one day hitchhike with a girl named Olga (Monique van de Ven) whom he develops a sexual desire for, but is later evolved into what they think is real love. Eric is a restless and egocentric person, who don't like to be bossed around, he's more or less a real anarchist. Olga seems to be more and more repulsed by his wild pranks, but there's also the problem that every one around him seems to be effected in a negative way. Nobody, specially Olga's family can't stand him, he's seems to not get along with any one.

Turkish Delight is a very dark and perverse, but at the same time kind of liberating film. I think that has very much to do with the fact that Eric is an artist. This is truly an amazing performance by Rutger Hauer, a man we either love to hate or love. There are also a lot of shocking scenes (thought I can't understand why they actually censored people's private parts) many shocking sex scene which is either to daring or embarrassing to watch. There's also a pretty violent scene, a dream sequence where Eric brutally kills Olga and another man whom she have slept with. My overall opinion is that this is a wonderful but grotesque love story.

Grade: A-

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"Samurai Jef"

THE GODSON

Original title: Le Samouraï
Year: 1967
Country: France
Language: French
Number: 466
Director: Jean-Pierre Melville
Starring: Alain Delon, François Périer, Cathy Rosier, Nathalie Delon

There is no greater solitude than that of the samurai unless it is that of the tiger in the jungle... Perhaps... A sentence that is viewed on the screen in the beginning of Jean-Pierre Melville's masterpiece of a neo-noir which is absolutely true about the plot and it's characters. We get a pretty solid performance from Alain Delon as the cold-blooded hitman Jef Costello. A pretty clever criminal, but what I like even more is the intelligent police force that is actually doing their job and don't sit around and eating donuts.

Le Samouraï is the story about Jef Costello who's living is as an assassin for the mafia. He lives in an empty apartment where the only significant thing is a little canary bird in a small cage. The purpose of this bird isn't only to keep Jef company but also to alert the owner that there been some strangers in his apartment. And it might getting handy because of one hit that might have gone wrong.



This film is simply a joy to watch because most of the suspense lies in Alain Delon straight ice cold face, as it get warmer and warmer of the on going heat. But we also get to see how effective a police organisation really is. It's a better alternative to most american movie where the police is paralyzed and doesn't have any idea of how to do their job, or their just to scared or just lazy. It's the perfect film noir that hit the right strings and knows how to get up the right amount of suspense in the characters and the plot.

Grade: A-

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"They say Pat Garrett is got your number"

PAT GARRETT & BILLY THE KID

Year: 1973
Country: United States
Language: English
Number: 577
Director: Sam Peckinpah
Starring: James Coburn, Kris Kristofferson, Bob Dylan, Katy Jurado

Sam Peckinpah's Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid is an amazingly lyrical and melancholy western. It's one of many goodbye letter to the western genre, which was declining throughout the 70s. This was Peckinpah's last western film, before he went into an even greater depression. This picture is his tombstone, his legacy and his goodbye. For those of you who don't know the story about Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid. It's based on real events and is probably the most famous western tale of them all. It takes place in New Mexico in the early 1880s. It's about two best friends, Pat (James Coburn) and Billy (Kris Kristofferson) both outlaws. But one day a twist of fate occurs when Pat is elected Sheriff of Lincoln County. He's first assignment is to catch Billy the Kid, dead or alive. How will he find the strength to kill his best friend? How could he sell himself to the greater capitalistic powers?

Even though the actors in the film is way older than the characters they portraying where in real life. In reality Billy the Kid was only 21 at the time of his death. He is played by the 37-years-old Krisrofferson. And Pat Garrett who was just 30 at that time, is portrayed by 45-years-old Coburn with gray hair. Probably is the whole cast least over 35. Why did Peckinpah cast such an old cast. I tell you why. Because of the time this movie is made in the 70s where the western genre was nearly extinct and it began to be old. The movie portrays a society where the old outlaw west is declining. but there still some old foxes who tries to hold on to the past (Peckinpah was one of them). What better way of showing this then show old people who have lived the life and thinks it's time to grow up. And who in our society is still children? Rock singers. Like most rappers today is fit to play any form of gangsters, is rock singers the most suited to play outlaws because of their hate towards the society and their short but troubled journey through life.



Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid feels very authentically inset of characters of the old west, the locations, the sets, the landscape and the fading wallpapers. You can almost feel the dust coming at you, just like in The Wild Bunch. There also a lot of the good all western character actors, such as Katy Jurado, Chill Wills, R.G. Armstrong, Slim Pickens, L.Q. Jones and Harry Dean Stanton. Their present makes this a secure film. I feel happy, all saying a last farewell, and one by one is taken down in western style.

I know that I defended Kristofferson's performance, but Bob Dylan's by the way is far more difficult. He playing one of Billy's closest outlaw friends who goes under the named Alias, alias anything you like. This is a pretty unstable performance by Dylan. He has no spirit in his voice, he doesn't try to act. Today this could might as well been a Razzie award worthy performance. But I can give one good argument of why I think this is a good performance. It's simple, he is a character without no spirit. He used to be a black smith and when he finally saw Billy escaping from prison Alias decides he should escape from his boring life as well. He was in reality a shy person that never stood up for anything until that moment. And don't tell me shy people doesn't exist. So why not expose them to the pictures? It takes time of a shy person to shake of his shyness.

I almost forget the main character in this film. James Coburn as Pat Garrett is simply his best performance in his entire career. His character goes through a rough transformation from being a free outlaw to become the law which is cold and inhuman. His transformation starts when he decides to grow his famous mustache. He begin as a healthy man, always happy. But as the pressure on catching Billy grows stronger, makes him want to forget the whole state of mind by drinking his problem away. One scene that is interesting is when Pat walks into a bar and force every one in the bar to act violent toward each other as they use to before. There's no problem for Pat to catch the Kid, but for how long can he postpone his destiny. The ending is just so emotional loaded and I can't remember the last time I was so moved by a film.

My conclusion about Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid is that it's a very emotional touching film. I've seen it four times. This film has a strange grip upon me. I just coming back to it at one point or the other. It's not a perfect film, mostly because of the poor construction and the terrible acting by Bob Dylan. But I actually look at it different and finds more new interesting details every time I watch it. It's my Citizen Kane. I categorize as one of my favorite movies of all time, or rather more of a love hate relationship. sometimes I love it, sometimes I hate it, but I can't live without it. But the soundtrack by Bob Dylan is quiet good and brings the perfect melancholy to this film, It's from this movie the famous rock anthem "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" first appears.

Grade: B+


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