Saturday was getting pretty tight, but with some determination and a little creative packing, Kendall and I managed to squeeze the Basterds in between Target and HEB. It meant some of my Saturday spilled over into Sunday - it was 1 a.m. before I got home from all the shopping and shuttling - but it was worth it getting to spend time with Kendall, grab a hug and kiss from Daniel, and get my movie and popcorn fix.
Now, I'm not a passionate Tarantino fan, but I do recognize his talent and creativity, and I've seen most of his movies. I've enjoyed quite a few of them to a certain extent. But there are two things about his movies that always distract me from the brilliant screenplay and acting: for me, he just goes too far with the violence and blood (I know, I know...it's meant to be over the top, blah, blah, blah...it's a long-running discussion with my kids) and his characters, while being very detailed and interesting...well, I just don't really like a lot of them. As in...I just don't care one way or another about them. They don't have any redeeming values. I like to "feel" during a movie - happy, sad, mad - and if you can't sympathize with something about the character, you're not going to feel very much.
But...I'd heard good things about "Inglourious Basterds," and wanted to see for myself. My verdict? I think it's Tarantino's best movie (of the ones I've seen, anyway.) It's a gutsy, creative story. The screenplay is tight, and the acting is fantastic (all of the actors...not just Brad Pitt.) During the course of the 153 minutes (it sure didn't seem that long) I laughed, cheered, gasped with fear and surprise, and got mad. I didn't cry, but I did feel sad. Tarantino is an expert at using camera angles, lighting, music and flashbacks.
I expected the high level of violence (after all, the whole story is about killing Nazis! It's a war story!), but I still felt there was more gore than necessary (about the same level as "Saving Private Ryan".)
The rest of us have imaginations, too, Quentin. Let us use them!
