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I’d been meaning to revisit this for a while, but had been holding out for a 4K release. Since none seems imminent at the moment, I had to relent. This is one of my favourite (if not my absolute favourite) Tarantino joint. I had been quite disappointed with the Kill Bill films and so didn’t know what to expect when this was initially released. The cast seemed top notch and the premise was interesting enough, and so I approached it cautiously but with some optimism. I can never forget my awe and delight after that first, now famous, opening scene at Monsieur LaPadite’s farm residence concluded. Quentin was back, and better than ever!
There are many reasons why I rank this among the top of his glorious resume. Firstly, I’m a sucker for the cast. It’s eclectic, with a nice mix of European and American stars.
Secondly, a lot of this film is in German, Italian or French, with subtitles. Normally I prefer to see films in English, but Tarantino’s now legendary dialogue and repartee works perfectly under this scenario – and the varied languages give the film an authentic quality.
Thirdly, I just love the performances by everyone. Of course there is the (deservedly) Oscar winning and scenery chewing turn by Christoph Waltz as SS Colonel Hans Landa. How can such a diminutive & initially pleasant seeming man appear so intimidating and frightening? It’s a testament to outstanding acting, directing and writing & a brilliant performance in all respects. Probably the best onscreen detective since Columbo imho. Great though he is, there’s far more to appreciate here as well. Melanie Laurent as the revenge seeking Shosanna, a Jewish farm girl whose parents and brother Landa killed four years earlier, is just outstanding. Her expressions and mannerisms are some times subtle and at other times very obvious, but in all cases very authentic and real. We understand her rationale, and empathize with her horrific plan as a result. Daniel Bruhl is also top notch as war hero (and smitten soldier) Fredrick Zoller, about whom a propaganda film is to be released. His outward modesty and politeness masks a determined, ruthless and ambitious character. Diane Kruger is superb as Bridget von Hammersmark, a German film star and Allied conspirator. Again, as with Laurent, her acting is very impressive – particularly at pivotal moments of danger and risk. August Diehl deserves a shout out too. As with Waltz, his Gestapo Major Hellstrom is both charming and frightening, and at the same moment! If all that wasn’t enough, we also have the combined firepower of Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, Mike Myers, Rod Taylor (in a small blink or you’ll miss it part), Eli Roth and Til Schweiger among others.
Fourthly, there are some now iconic scenes in this film which always keep me engrossed. I’m thinking of that opening encounter at the farm, the underground pub massacre, the restaurant Strudel scene (the cream element was a nice touch, and beautifully played by Waltz and Laurent), the ‘if the shoe fits’ scene etc. etc. Tarantino's mastery of slow tension building through setting and dialogue is evident in all cases.
Pulp Fiction is still my number one of Quentin’s, and Reservoir Dogs and Jackie Brown are also superb – but this film is the one that I have the most fun with these days. It’s classy and historic while at the same time fully embraces all of his trademark tropes such as great interactions, rivetting encounters, gory violence, wonderful music etc. etc. Really a great film all round, and I very much look forward to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Great film.
Another good review @bondjames
When I first saw it I was sort of let down being a massive Tarantino fan.
Watching it again recently I think it's a bloody masterpiece!
Waltz is a revelation. One of my all time favourite performance's from any actor. He makes you forget you're watching a film such is his skill. Obviously Tarantino is the main orchestrator of this amazing film and it's yet another reason he will go down as one of the greats.
I'm glad I'm not the only one very much approving of @bondjames's reviews. Excellent stuff as always!
IB is perhaps my second favourite QT film. PF will remain my absolute favorite--nostalgia and all. Oh and TH8 comes very close. But IB is magnificent!
It will never happen of course, but I'd love to see a Tarantino Bond film.
I remember the delight I had watching it at the cinema and QT hasn't visted this kind of quality since, DU and H8 are good films but not at this level.
I'm thinking OUATIH is going to have to get to IB level to justify the extraordinary cast it has, this and The Irishman are my most awaited films of 2019.
1.-Reservoir Dogs (still his best, imo)
2.-Pulp Fiction
3.-Inglourious Basterds
4.-Kill Bill Vol. 1
5.-Kill Bill Vol. 2
Sadly, Jackie Brown didn't do much for me top his other efforts. Django and Hateful hardly capture my interest. Seeing them once was enough.
Then again, PF was "the" film we were all talking about as young teens in the mid-'90s. It was our film, along with Trainspotting. No QT film can beat that nostalgia. The film can be beaten perhaps, but not the wonderful aura that surrounds it. It's the simple equivalent of "hey, so what if your wife is prettier than mine; I love mine so she's my number 1 no matter what!". :)
Violent, well-acted, but ultimately unfulfilling. There's a lot to recommend here; wonderfully shot Scottish landscapes and a very committed performance from Pine go a long way - but when the film ended I was left with a feeling of incompleteness. Still enjoyed it though.
Superman The Movie 4K I am not sure what I was expecting though realistically there is only so much they can do with this film. Unfortunately the 4K print is a mixed bag. Some scenes look great certainly in Metropolis, though even though some optical shots are momentarily jaw dropping some of the special effects are exposed in this format. The standard Bluray versions are ultimately better, the 4K version is only for die hard fans that will enjoy seeing some scenes look better than they ever have. The major plus is the sound is quite incredible.
I may still be able to get more out of the film visually, tomorrow on my day off I'll do some extensive picture adjustment to get the best possible look.
A great film and I learned a lot about Queen both from the film and research after wards it’s a solid film I recommend
Films I have seen in 2018 (I don't think I am splitting up bond and non bond this year as I don't know how many I am actually gonna see)
1. Batman Begins
2. Casino Royale
3. The A-team
4. Mission impossible fallout
5. The final girls
6. Clue
7. Bohemian Rhapsody
8. A simple favor
9. The Saint
10. Taken 2
11. Halloween
12. Taken 3
13. The Shadow
14. Batman Under The Red Hood
15. Batman Gotham Knight
16. The Meg
17. Big trouble little China
18. Halloween 2
19. Taken
20. Ferris buller's day off
21. Valley girl
22. Nonstop
23. Batman Mask of the Phantasm
24. Unknown
25. Classic Artists presents Yes
26. Stand By Me
27. Before Sunrise
28. Star Wars Episode 1 Phantom Menace
29. A walk among the Tombstones
30. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
31. Arthur
32. Goonies
33. 9012live
34. Before Midnight
35. Revenge of the nerds
36. Grease
37. Before Sunset
38. Porky’s
39. A Good Day to Die Hard
40. Porky's 2
Before series
1. Before Sunrise
2. Before Midnight
3. Before Sunset
Stephen King movies
1. Stand By Me
Halloween series
1. Halloween
2. Halloween 2
Corey Feldman movies
1. Stand by me
2. Teenage mutant ninja turtles
3. Goonies
Die Hard Franchise
1. A Good Day to Die Hard
Taken Series
1. Taken 2
2. Taken 3 (I put this second because at least there is somewhat of a twist and its not the same formula.)
3. Taken
Liam Neeson (sort of) retrospective series
1. Batman Begins
2. The A-team
3. Taken 2
4. Taken 3
4. Taken
5. Non Stop
6. Unknown
7. Star Wars Episode 1 The Phantom Menace
8. A walk among the tombstones
Batman/Dc films ( as I can guarantee I will see more then just Batman Begins this year)
1. Batman Begins
2. Batman Under the red hood
3. Batman Gotham Knight
4. Batman Mask of the Phantasm
Films in 2018
1. Mission Impossible Fallout
2. Bohemian rhapsody
3. A simple favor
4. The Meg
I was blown away when I saw RD and then PF although over the years as I've got older I've continued to see RD in the same light but I find PF a terrific film with flaws.
First of all it has no real depth, it's a show piece a very entertaining one at that and it ranks no. 4 for me. Though the one thing that does stick in my craw and didn't bother me at all aged 22 when I saw it is the Butch segment of the story, if only that red neck rape sequence wasn't there.
Yes I found it very funny at the time but it has none of the levity and consideration that we get with the scene in Deliverance, no real consequence it's just a sick joke that I'm afraid I find myself deducting points for.
Also QT's cameo and that line, he can't act and it really makes the scene jar. Pity as that segment is one of the funniest and best performed of the film.
Don't get me wrong I can watch it but I don't hold it up as QT's best as it regularly seems to be hailed, it's a bit like Goldfinger for me, it's somewhat overrated although I understand it's impact and it's legacy.
Jackie Brown on my first intial watch on the big screen (I've seen all his films theatrically bar Death Proof) I enjoyed but at the time found it a little slow but it held my attention. Though on each subsequent viewing it started to reveal more, the subtlty of the performances, everyone even Chris Tucker is doing at the least good work here and it's not shackled with a QT cameo.
Pam Grier is so good in this and Robert Forster also, the chemistry between them is subtle but it really crackles on the screen. QT really knows how to cast and to bring those two back into the limelight again was a masterstroke.
Also Ordell is easily one of SLJ's best performances, unlike Jules this is a realistic character that isn't just saying impressive lines and making us laugh. Ordell is somewhat of a monster, a charismatic one but SLJ isn't afraid to make him unpleasant and unlikeable. Whereas everyone loves Jules despite the fact he's a killer and a gangster.
Also DeNiro first time looks like he's slumming it but there is a subtle build there throughout so when he finally does snap the moment in question comes as big shock. We haven't even mentioned the supporting players here, Keaton is superb, Fonda has rarely been better.
To me and some others it's a pure joy to watch and while it doesn't get the same attention that PF does and the soundtrack isn't as iconic, QT's choices are just as effective.
I think what separates this from his other work is that it is an adaptation of Elmore Leonard's work, Justified is another example where someone as done a terrific job of using his work. It's a match made in heaven and QT rises to the occasion beautifully, the players don't get just smart memorable lines although they are there.
It's his most human and real film and I think it will in time age much better than PF, it's a bit of hidden gem.
The slow burn nature of it though is likely where some will never warm to it so I understand why it will never click with some.
1. Jackie Brown
2. Reservoir Dogs
3. Inglourious Basterds
4. Pulp Fiction
5. Kill Bill Part 1
6. Hateful Eight
7. Django Unchained
8. Kill Bill Part 2
9. Death Proof
I love the bit where Harrison hears 'What a Wonderful World" on the radio and sings along with it. Great scene.
That is a great scene. Ford and the whole cast were top-notch. It’s just a really well done, unique movie. I had been meaning to see it for a while and finally got around to it.
Agree, very good film.
Noticed it was on Prime I may rent it later, loved the first movie. Is Michael Giacchino back to do the score for the Sequel?
Yep Giacchino did the score for II and it's pretty good. :D
His score for the first film was excellent, its a score I have been meaning to buy hough never got round to it.
Agreed. It's excellent.
TLJ is the first SW film I only saw once in theatres and didn't anticipate coming out on DVD/BR all that much. I pre-ordered the BR as a routine job rather than with excitement. The BR had been sitting in my collection, untouched, for all these months until yesterday I felt a perverse curiosity swell up to see the film again.
I'm one of those "second viewing" people. Countless films have left me confused the first time I watched them, only to suddenly hit hard the second time around. Some of my favourite movies of all time, such as Blade Runner, 2001, GoldenEye (!), Quantum Of Solace ... have gone through those stages. With re-adjusted expectations and some time to contemplate the film and my own initials response to it, I have a better chance to see it as the filmmakers intended.
Being a SW fan, I can safely say that I'm never going to give up on a SW film just like that. Besides, I recall not being terribly upset about TLJ when it came out. The problem I had with the film was purely and simply one of Disneyfied boredom. Every time I expected the film to go left, it went right. Every time I expected to learn more, the film kept its lips sealed. Every time I expected the film to bring rock 'n' roll, it brought some Nickelodeon pop for the wee ones. I left the theatre with question marks buzzing in my head. Because by the same token, we get some awesome space battles, some cool lightsaber action and a few really solid callbacks to the better days of SW.
Having now returned to the film, TLJ has instantly drawn a more favourite response from me. The things that troubled me the first time were suddenly much less problematic. The good things I seemed to have glanced over the first time were much more apparent to me now. The overall experience was one of joy and excitement. Don't get me wrong, I still don't think the film did everything right. But I can now hear the rock 'n' roll and not so much the childish pop music.
My opinions about the post-Lucas films seem to differ largely from the majority vote. You see, I like TFA and, since yesterday, TLJ too. But the ones that I absolutely love are RO and Solo! Yes, Solo. Why? Because Solo is simple, a lot of fun, like taking a rollercoaster ride at a theme park. It's jazz, and fun jazz. So my ranking, if you can believe it:
Post-Lucas SW films
1) RO
2) Solo
3) TFA
4) TLJ
Right, now bring the rotten eggs and go ahead. ;-)
1 THE FORCE AWAKENS
2 ROGUE ONE
3 THE LAST JEDI
4 SOLO
Yeah, I won't lie. That disembowelling scene made me wince quite a bit. I didn't find the ending to be the issue with it, myself. The final battle is well-staged and the last couple of scenes were pretty touching. It was more the sagging at the beginning of the third that was an issue for me. I thought the film couldn't really decide whether it was trying to be an historical epic, like Braveheart; or if it wanted to be leaner, meaner beast. It kind of fell between the two, and I had hoped there was going to be a bit more of a build-up to Loudoun Hill.
Nevertheless, it's much better than any other historical efforts of recent memory. If Ridley Scott had been a bit more efficient in his storytelling approaches with most (if not all) of his post-Gladiator historical blockbusters would have been much improved.
Plenty to recommend and I enjoyed it. And I actually liked Pine a lot in it. His accent was more convincing than I thought it would be.