“Movie Review: 'Inglourious Basterds' - Delaware County Daily Times” plus 4 more

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• Movie Review: 'Inglourious Basterds' - Delaware County Daily Times
• Schwarzenegger tours devastation after prison riot - Charleston Daily Mail
• 'Inglourious Basterds': Not your dad's World War II movie - News-Democrat
• Kristen Stewart Bares All For Movie Role - Showbizspy.com
• Movie Review: 'Inglourious Basterds' - Delaware County Daily Times

Movie Review: 'Inglourious Basterds' - Delaware County Daily Times Posted: 21 Aug 2009 01:25 AM PDT By Christy Lemire, Associated Press Click to enlarge In this film publicity image released by The Weinstein Co., Brad Pitt is shown in a scene from, "Inglourious Basterds." (AP Photo/The Weinstein Co., Francois Duhamel) ** NO SALES ** LOS ANGELES — If only Quentin Tarantino the director weren't so completely in love with Quentin Tarantino the writer, "Inglourious Basterds" might have been a great movie rather than just a good movie with moments of greatness. Everything that's thrilling and maddening about his films co-exists and co-mingles here: the visual dexterity and the interminable dialogue, the homage to cinema and the self-glorifying drive to redefine it, the compelling bursts of energy and the numbingly draggy sections. And then there is the violence, of course: violence as a source of humor, as sport, violence merely because it looks cool on camera, and because the 46-year-old Tarantino still has the sensibilities of a 12-year-old boy. "Inglourious Basterds" also reflects the discipline, or lack thereof, of an adolescent — one who's never been told "no." Certain scenes of his wildly revisionist World War II saga have a wonderfully palpable tension, but then he undermines them by allowing them to go on too long. You expect talkiness in a Tarantino film, but rather than whisking you away in waves of poetry, as he did with the Oscar-winning "Pulp Fiction" screenplay he co-wrote, too often here his talk lacks snap. As for the plot ... well, it might be in there somewhere among the many meandering threads. In one of them, "Inglourious Basterds" follows a band of Jewish American soldiers, led by twangy Tennessean Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt), who hunt Nazis with the goal of not just killing them but scalping them and sometimes carving swastikas into their foreheads. Pitt is a hoot, by the way, in the tradition of his best comic supporting work in films like "Snatch" and "Burn After Reading." He's pretty much doing a bad impression of George W. Bush — campy but irresistible — and it is always such a joy to watch him let go and goof off. Among his "Dirty Dozen"-style crew are "Hostel" director Eli Roth as a Boston native who likes to take a baseball bat to the enemy's skull as if he were Ted Williams facing a fastball. But Pitt isn't the star, despite being the biggest name and marketing focal point. "Inglourious Basterds" also intertwines the stories of Shosanna Dreyfus (Melanie Laurent in a subtle and intense performance), a young Jewish woman who fled to Paris and opened a movie theater after Nazis killed her family; Hans Landa (a commanding Christoph Waltz), the cool but cruelly conniving Nazi colonel who orchestrated that attack; German movie star Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger, oozing old-school glamour), who's an undercover agent for the Brits; and Nazi war hero Fredrick Zoller (Daniel Bruhl), who's about to become a star by playing himself in a propaganda flick about his exploits. All these characters converge one night at Shosanna's theater, where their various ambitions and murder plots collide. The climax is a seriously over-the-top explosion — even for a Tarantino movie — of flames, gunfire and screaming, teeming masses. After respectfully ripping off other directors his whole life, perhaps this is intended as a parody of himself, but even he doesn't seem to know how to handle it. While the path to that moment can be torturous, it can also be a visual wonder. "Inglourious Basterds" may be Tarantino's most artfully photographed film next to his "Kill Bill" movies (Oscar-winning cinematographer Robert Richardson shot them all), with spaghetti Western touches at the beginning eventually giving way to dramatic noir imagery by the end. But for every inspiring moment or performance — Waltz especially stands out, in four different languages, no less — Tarantino frustrates in equal measure. "Inglourious Basterds," a Weinstein Co. and Universal Pictures release, is rated R for strong graphic violence, language and brief sexuality. Running time: 152 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Schwarzenegger tours devastation after prison riot - Charleston Daily Mail Posted: 19 Aug 2009 01:09 PM PDT SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday toured the Southern California prison where 175 inmates were injured in a riot earlier this month, likening the devasation to a scene from one of his movies. More than 1,000 inmates were involved in the Aug. 8 riot at the California Institution for Men in Chino. The melee left dormitories so badly damaged that inmates have been shipped to other prisons while the dorms are being repaired. One unit was burned, while toilet seats, pipes and other materials were ripped out to be used as weapons. "Entire housing units were burned," Schwarzenegger said during a news conference after surveying the damage. "It looks like a scene from one of my movies, except this is real danger here and real destruction." The Republican governor said California's strict sentencing laws have contributed to inmate overcrowding, which is at the heart of several lawsuits that have led to federal oversight of the state prison system. Schwarzenegger seeks to cut the inmate population by 27,000 this fiscal year, which would allow the state to reduce the corrections budget by $1.2 billion. He seeks another reduction of 10,000 inmates in the fiscal year that will begin next July. Diverting that many inmates from state prison cells also will help California comply with a ruling made earlier this summer by a federal judicial panel. The judges ordered the state to reduce its inmate population by 40,000 inmates over two years. The federal courts have ruled that overcrowding has been the leading cause of unconstitutional inmate medical and mental health care. "Politicians in Sacramento have swept the problem under the rug for so long," Schwarzenegger said. "We must be measured and smart about how we go about and create these reductions." It's not clear whether overcrowding played a role in the riot at the Chino prison because various investigations into the incident have yet to be completed. Prison officials said it began with a fight between black and Hispanic inmates. The governor's plan includes releasing older or physically frail inmates to home confinement, allowing more inmates to earn early release by completing rehabilitation programs and reducing certain thefts and other crimes to misdemeanors, which would keep more convicts in county jails and out of state prisons. Schwarzenegger promised he would not relax the state's three-strikes law for repeat offenders or allow the widespread early release of violent criminals or sex offenders. The state Senate has scheduled a debate on his plan for Thursday. Majority Democrats could approve the plan without support from Republicans, who oppose early release programs. Senate Minority Leader Dennis Hollingsworth disagreed that the Chino riot demonstrated the need to reduce the prison population. Rather, he said it shows the state needs more prisons and guards, not fewer inmates. "The message I get from it is these are dangerous people who should not be roaming the streets," said Hollingsworth, R-Murrieta. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

'Inglourious Basterds': Not your dad's World War II movie - News-Democrat Posted: 21 Aug 2009 02:51 AM PDT With its fable premise, "Inglourious Basterds" nearly defies description, but it's cheeky and inventive, a "Dirty Dozen" for the millennium. Immerse yourself in Tarantino's alternate universe, and be entertained by the revisionist history. The demise of the Third Reich is very cathartic even though nothing in the movie really happened. The showdown between Germany's lunatic leaders and Allied Forces comes down to a night at the movies. Der Fuhrer will attend the premiere of the much-ballyhooed "Nation's Pride," a German movie focusing on a young soldier's heroics. An opulent Paris cinema, swathed in red velvet, is the setting. Blood-thirsty villains, double agents, double-crossers, hellcats seeking revenge, and swashbuckling Americans masquerading as Italians will mingle on the red carpet. Beforehand, we find out how they all managed to converge in one place. And that's why this movie is such a wild and ultimately satisfying ride. A special unit known as The Basterds, a band of wily Jewish soldiers hell-bent on vengeance, wants to end the war in one fell swoop. They are led by a swaggering hillbilly, Lt. Aldo Raine, who is from the Smoky Mountains and takes an Apache uprising approach to killing Nazis. Or, in his dialect, "Natzis." Brad Pitt's terrific in the tough-talking role. But the picture belongs to Christoph Waltz as menacing Col. Hans Landa, nicknamed "The Jew Hunter" by the Gestapo. He's cunning and confident, able to get results through his charm, but turns cutthroat in an instant. Waltz won the best actor award at the Cannes Film Festival, and he's certain to be nominated when the year's awards hooplah gets under way. Nazis will always be the ultimate villains, but here Waltz makes Landa positively chilling. He's not a cartoon, like so many portraits of the SS are. The riveting opening sequence, in which Landa visits a peasant dairy farmer to interrogate him about his Jewish neighbors, is an exceptional piece of filmmaking. Tarantino, using chapter cards, starts with "Once Upon a Time in Nazi-Occupied France." He methodically builds tension during the 20-minute encounter. The movie grabs hold then and doesn't let up for the next four chapters. Scenes of unbearable tension are ended with quick explosive violence. European actresses Melanie Laurent, as Jewish survivor Shosanna Dreyfus with a new identity, and Diane Kruger as a German actress who's also a British spy, are strong in support. Mike Myers shows up briefly as a British officer. Tarantino's work has always been a fusion of cinema classics and exotic B-movie flourishes, but with his own unmistakable twists. "Inglourious Basterds" has taken the war movie formula and turned it upside-down, and that's a good thing. It also has some very funny moments, too. Why wouldn't Jewish soldiers whipping Nazis be something you want to cheer? 4 stars Director: Quentin Tarantino Starring: Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Diane Kruger, Melanie Laurent, Eli Roth, B.J. Novak Rated: R for strong graphic violence, language and brief sexuality Length: 2:23 Should You Go?: This is like no war movie you've ever seen! This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Kristen Stewart Bares All For Movie Role - Showbizspy.com Posted: 21 Aug 2009 01:47 AM PDT Kristen Stewart is gearing up for her raunchiest role yet — as a young lap dancer and prostitute in James Gandolfini's gritty new film Welcome to The Rileys. The actress — who shot to fame in the teen-friendly Twilight movie franchise — plays the promiscuous Mallory in the independent drama film. The role sees Stewart — who is rumored to be dating her Twilight costar Robert Pattinson — walk around naked in many scenes. No official release dates for the movie have been announced. "It's an independent movie that nobody would normally see and now it's like, 'Oh, let's go see Bella [Twilight character] in this stripper movie; it'll be crazy!'" Stewart, 19, is quoted as saying. "Working with James Gandolfini and Melissa Leo, who is just incredible, was the most fruitful life-changing experience on a movie that I've ever had. "It was just the hardest subject matter I've ever had to deal with — I play a very broken young girl who is a runaway. She's a street kid. She's working in a strip club and James Gandolfini's character is just as dead inside as she is — and they wake each other up." This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Movie Review: 'Inglourious Basterds' - Delaware County Daily Times Posted: 21 Aug 2009 01:25 AM PDT By Christy Lemire, Associated Press Click to enlarge In this film publicity image released by The Weinstein Co., Brad Pitt is shown in a scene from, "Inglourious Basterds." (AP Photo/The Weinstein Co., Francois Duhamel) ** NO SALES ** LOS ANGELES — If only Quentin Tarantino the director weren't so completely in love with Quentin Tarantino the writer, "Inglourious Basterds" might have been a great movie rather than just a good movie with moments of greatness. Everything that's thrilling and maddening about his films co-exists and co-mingles here: the visual dexterity and the interminable dialogue, the homage to cinema and the self-glorifying drive to redefine it, the compelling bursts of energy and the numbingly draggy sections. And then there is the violence, of course: violence as a source of humor, as sport, violence merely because it looks cool on camera, and because the 46-year-old Tarantino still has the sensibilities of a 12-year-old boy. "Inglourious Basterds" also reflects the discipline, or lack thereof, of an adolescent — one who's never been told "no." Certain scenes of his wildly revisionist World War II saga have a wonderfully palpable tension, but then he undermines them by allowing them to go on too long. You expect talkiness in a Tarantino film, but rather than whisking you away in waves of poetry, as he did with the Oscar-winning "Pulp Fiction" screenplay he co-wrote, too often here his talk lacks snap. As for the plot ... well, it might be in there somewhere among the many meandering threads. In one of them, "Inglourious Basterds" follows a band of Jewish American soldiers, led by twangy Tennessean Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt), who hunt Nazis with the goal of not just killing them but scalping them and sometimes carving swastikas into their foreheads. Pitt is a hoot, by the way, in the tradition of his best comic supporting work in films like "Snatch" and "Burn After Reading." He's pretty much doing a bad impression of George W. Bush — campy but irresistible — and it is always such a joy to watch him let go and goof off. Among his "Dirty Dozen"-style crew are "Hostel" director Eli Roth as a Boston native who likes to take a baseball bat to the enemy's skull as if he were Ted Williams facing a fastball. But Pitt isn't the star, despite being the biggest name and marketing focal point. "Inglourious Basterds" also intertwines the stories of Shosanna Dreyfus (Melanie Laurent in a subtle and intense performance), a young Jewish woman who fled to Paris and opened a movie theater after Nazis killed her family; Hans Landa (a commanding Christoph Waltz), the cool but cruelly conniving Nazi colonel who orchestrated that attack; German movie star Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger, oozing old-school glamour), who's an undercover agent for the Brits; and Nazi war hero Fredrick Zoller (Daniel Bruhl), who's about to become a star by playing himself in a propaganda flick about his exploits. All these characters converge one night at Shosanna's theater, where their various ambitions and murder plots collide. The climax is a seriously over-the-top explosion — even for a Tarantino movie — of flames, gunfire and screaming, teeming masses. After respectfully ripping off other directors his whole life, perhaps this is intended as a parody of himself, but even he doesn't seem to know how to handle it. While the path to that moment can be torturous, it can also be a visual wonder. "Inglourious Basterds" may be Tarantino's most artfully photographed film next to his "Kill Bill" movies (Oscar-winning cinematographer Robert Richardson shot them all), with spaghetti Western touches at the beginning eventually giving way to dramatic noir imagery by the end. But for every inspiring moment or performance — Waltz especially stands out, in four different languages, no less — Tarantino frustrates in equal measure. "Inglourious Basterds," a Weinstein Co. and Universal Pictures release, is rated R for strong graphic violence, language and brief sexuality. Running time: 152 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

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