00s Movie Review - Inglorious Basterds

Director: Quentin Tarantino
Genre: Action/ Thriller
Runtime: 152 minutes
Year: 2009
Starring: Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger, Mélanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz, Daniel Brühl, B.J. Novak, Eli Roth, Til Schweiger, Mike Myers, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Fassbender, Cloris Leachman, Gedeon Burkhard

Description: In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a plan to assassinate Nazi leaders by a group of Jewish U.S. soldiers coincides with a theatre owner's vengeful plans for the same.

Review: When the name Quentin Tarantino os on a movie poster, I’m in! He is probably my favorite director of all time and he has a fantastic resume (all but one film). His style is unique, his dialogues are memorable and quotable and the characters are unforgettable. “Inglourious Basterds” is definitely one of my favorites.

“Inglourious Basterds” shows an alternative history of World War II. In this version there is a group of infiltrating soldiers called the Basterds. It’s their task to scare the occupants by killing Nazis in the most brutal ways. They are led by Aldo Raine and all of the men are Jewish Americans. During their quest, the get together with the German actress Bridget von Hammersmark, who also works as a spy.

This film is again filled with amazing characters. It’s a bizarre potpourri of people, that are hard to believe to be real, but are convincing anyway. Brad Pitt portrays Aldo Raine in the most fantastic way. Hilarious even. Mélanie Laurent is a great newcomer, as Shoshanna Dreyfuss, who wants revenge for the death of her family. But Christoph Waltz is probably the greatest discovery of the ‘00s. As Hans Landa is manages to scare you, charm you and disgust you at the same time. What a fantastic performance and also one of Tarantino’s best characters ever.

Like I stated before, Tarantino knows how to write great dialogue. And that’s no different here. The dialogues are long, but never dull. The conversations stay interesting and the situations original.
“Inglourious Basterds” is a film that I can enjoy every single time, even due to the length of the film. It’s a must for every Tarantino fan. No, for every movie fan. Last correction: it’s a must for everyone!

Rating: 5/ 5

Movie Review - Murder Mystery 2

Director: Jeremy Garelick
Genre: Comedy/ Adventure/ Mystery/ Action
Runtime: 90 minutes
Year: 2023
Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Adam Sandler, Melanie Laurent, Mark Strong
 
Description: Full-time detectives Nick (Adam Sandler) and Audrey (Jennifer Aniston) are struggling to get their private eye agency off the ground. They find themselves at the center of international abduction when their friend is kidnapped at his own wedding.

Review: In “Murder Mystery” (2019) Nick and Audrey accidentally ended up in a murder mystery. In the sequel, “Murder Mystery 2”, they are working as private investigators, but aren’t very successful. When a rich friend invites them to a wedding on his private island, they decide to take some time off to enjoy a vacation. But their friend goes missing, meaning Nick and Audrey have to investigate again.

I really enjoyed the first film. It wasn’t great, but it was funny and surprisingly entertaining. I had a good time watching it and I loved the concept of the murder mystery. A lot is wrong with the second installment. For starters, the mystery itself. The movie is called “Murder Mystery 2”and while there are people being murdered in this movie, the actual mystery is a kidnapping, the murders are just collateral damage and the characters don’t seem to care about these people.

Second, the film isn’t that funny and both Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler act like this is a routine job. The movie feels uninspired. Literally so much can be done with murder mystery in your film title, and then they are using a kidnapping as your main plot. And I love Aniston and Sandler, also as a duo. But this movie is not it. I barely remember any details, and I watched it yesterday. A waste of time, talent and concept.

Rating: 2/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 39: Enemy

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Genre: Thriller

Runtime: 90 minutes

Year: 2013

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Mélanie Laurent, Sarah Gadon, Isabella Rossellini

Description: A man seeks out his exact look-alike after spotting him in a movie.

Review: That there is a person on this planet that looks exactly like you, is an intriguing idea. Director Denis Villeneuve used it as a theme for the movie “Enemy”. It’s loosely based on the novel “The Double” by José Saramago. In the lead Villeneuve choose Jake Gyllenhaal.

The university of Toronto is the work place for professor Adam Bell. His days are dull and filled with giving lectures and pleasing his girlfriend Mary. When a colleague recommends him a movie, Adam decides to rent it. In that movie he spots a man that looks just like him. He can’t get him out of his head and wants to find the man.

If you’re a fan of Villeneuve’s movie “Prisoners”, be prepared for “Enemy”. It’s not as mainstream and probably not as known. Be ready for an abstract movie, with images that will haunt you for a long time.

The unexpected process makes it interesting and your attention never fades. The sinister music gives it a worrying and disturbing atmosphere.

Jake Gyllenhaal does a fantastic job by playing both Adam and Anthony. His great performance makes it easy to separate the two character, although looking identical. It’s in the little details. You hardly notice the transition between the two characters in the first half hour, but it’s clear you’re dealing with two different men.

The movie might make you feel uncomfortable and especially that ending is something you won’t forget very easily. It’s one of the scariest endings I have seen in a long time, because it’s so unexpectedly and it messes with your mind. This movie will stay with you for a long time, you want to unravel every little detail of it. It’s complex, so not a movie for just any viewer, but for us movie fans it’s a cinematic masterpiece.

Rating: 5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 47: Now You See Me

Director: Louis Leterrier
Genre: Thriller
Runtime: 115 minutes
Year: 2013
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Mark Ruffalo, Mélanie Laurent

Description: An FBI agent (Mark Ruffalo) and an Interpol detective (Mélanie Laurent) track a team of illusionists who pull off bank heists during their performances and reward their audiences with the money.

Review: “Now You See Me” introduces the four illusionists in the opening sequence. All of them with their own specialty. The magicians are brought together by a mysterious figure and they get a Las Vegas show. In that show it seems that ‘the four horsemen’ are robbing a bank in Paris. FBI agent Dylan Rhodes and Interpol agent Alma Vargas have the task to find out how they pulled it off.
Because you’re constantly shifting between the four illusionists and the two law enforcers, it’s really hard to see the ethnic difference between good and bad. It’s never clear who the real protagonist is in the movie. The story is missing an edge. With that the characters aren’t all as important. Of the four magicians, there are only two that really have a purpose. The other two stay in the background. Eventually we get a pretty predictable twist in the end.
The visuals are amazing, it’s a very good looking movie. And it’s certainly a very good concept. But it’s not as sensational as the tricks in the film.

Rating: 2/ 5

In the Picture: The Characters from "Inglourious Basterds"

Quentin Tarantino is probably my favorite director and I already dedicated this item to one of his movies. This time I'm going to look closer at the characters from "Inglourious Basterds", which is an awesome movie.

Lt. Aldo Raine
Played by: Brad Pitt
Aldo is 2nd lieutenant in the US Army First Special Service Force and now the leader of “The Basterds”. Aldo's nickname, "The Apache", comes from his penchant for scalping Nazis. He’s determined to kill all the nazis he can get his hands on.

Col. Hans Landa
Played by: Christoph Waltz
Hans Landa is called “The Jew Hunter” and he carries that name with success. He is well known for finding Jews in hiding and eventually killing them. He’s a very smart man who can speak at least four different languages fluently. Landa is the main target for “The Basterds”.

Shosanna Dreyfuss
Played by: Melanie Laurent
Shosanna is a French-Jewish girl who’s entire family was murdered by nazi’s. She was the only one who could escape and now hides in Paris as a movie theatre owner that goes by the name of Emmanuelle Mimieux. Shosanna is strong, smart and out for revenge.

Sgt. Donny Donowitz
Played by: Eli Roth
Donny is Aldo’s right hand. His nickname is “The Bearjew” and he is ruthless. Donny is known for killing his victims with a baseball bat because he wants to feel the violence and the sensation of beating nazis to death.

Bridget von Hammersmark
Played by: Diane Kruger
Bridget is a popular filmstar in Nazi Germany and a spy for the Allies. Because of her beauty and charm, she often gets her way and she can easily win you over. But Bridget can be outsmarted though.

Fredrick Zoller
Played by: Daniel Brühl
Fredrick is a German officer and a war hero. He is pretty full of himself and is not shy to brag about his actions as a soldier. His affection for Shosanna, although she doesn’t really return it, is genuine. Everything he’s doing for her, he’s doing with the best intentions.

Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz
Played by: Til Schweiger
Stiglitz is an ex-Nazi and now recruted into “The Basterds” unit. He is knows as a maniac to both German and US forces, because of his cruel ways of killing people. Many people fear him.

Favorite Character: Shosanna Dreyfuss

Movie Tip #40 - Inglourious Basterds

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Starring: Brad Pitt, Eli roth, Diane Kruger, Melanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz, Til Schweiger, Daniel Brühl

Description: In Nazi occupied France, young Jewish refugee Shosanna Dreyfus (Melanie Laurent) witnesses the slaughter of her family by Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz). Narrowly escaping with her life, she plots her revenge several years later when German war hero Fredrick Zoller (Daniel Brühl) takes a rapid interest in her and arranges an illustrious movie premiere at the theater she now runs. With the promise of every major Nazi officer in attendance, the event catches the attention of the "Basterds", a group of Jewish-American guerilla soldiers led by the ruthless Lt. Aldo Raine (brad Pitt). As the relentless executioners advance and the conspiring young girl's plans are set in motion, their paths will cross for a fateful evening that will shake the very annals of history.

Review: Quentin Tarantino is one of the best directors in film history. He hasn't directed much, but when he does, it results in movies that we can (almost) call masterpieces. "Inglourious Basterds" is one of those films. He tells the story in a original way, like only he can. But this is the first time that the movie is fully chronological. There are some catchy flashbacks, like the one were Hugo Stiglitz is introduced. Great roles by Brad Pitt, Eli Roth, Til Schweiger and Diane Kruger. The ones that impressed me the most were off course Christoph Waltz, who won an oscar for his performance. And well deserved, because he steals every scene he's in. The other actor that caught my eye was Melanie Laurent, another name that we didn't know. She plays Shoshanna and her role is very strong and convincing. I hope to see more of her in the future. This film is great, but the ending is a little bit over the top and to 'American'. And the way the basterds caught Landa, no way that would happen. Landa is way to vicious and smart for that. But even then, this movie is a great experience for the eye.