Screen Rant » inglourious basterds

Inglourious Basterds Coming To DVD/Blu-ray In December

Ross Miller — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:03:56 +0000

Well, how about that? Our previous reports that the Weinsteins were planning on releasing Quentin Tarantino’s war film, Inglourious Basterds, on DVD before year’s end for Award reasons have turned out to be true. The Playlist points us to Blu-ray.com where they confirm December 15th in the U.S. and December 7th in the UK as release dates for Inglourious Basterds on DVD and Blu-ray. Earlier this year, the financially strapped Weinsteins sold the DVD distribution rights to Universal who will be handling the release.

However, where the news has been confirmed of an early Inglourious Basterds release, this news differs in that it won’t be a “down and dirty, bear-bones” release after all. You’d think that by releasing it early to get it readily available to award voters (individually watermarked award screeners cost a helluva of a lot more than a general release on DVD/Blu-ray) that special features would be sorely lacking. But at least on the Blu-ray front that won’t be the case.

From Blu-ray.com here’s the list of special features that will be on the Blu-ray release of Inglourious Basterds (identical in both the U.S. and UK releases):

Extended & Alternate Scenes
Nation’s Pride – The film within the film Inglourious Basterds can be seen it its entirety
Roundtable Discussion with Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt and film historian/critic Elvis Mitchell
The Making of Nation’s Pride
The Original Inglorious Bastards – a salute to the original 1978 film
A Conversation with veteran actor Rod Taylor
Rod Taylor on Victoria Bitters, the Australian beer
Quentin Tarantino’s Camera Angel
Hi Sallys – Gag Reel
Film Poster Gallery Tour with Elvis Mitchell
Inglourious Basterds Poster Gallery
Domestic and International Trailers
BD-Live
Digital Copy of Inglourious Basterds

ThePlaylist notes the lack of deleted scenes (including those which include Maggie Cheung and Cloris Leachman), as well as the changes made between the cut of Inglourious Basterds shown at Cannes and the final theatrical cut (we’re just talking a few minutes on that front, however). But I’d say that’s a pretty damn good amount of quality extras on the Blu-ray version (no word on if the simultaneous DVD release will have the same features).

Although there’s no official artwork for the U.S. Blu-ray release of Basterds, the sweet UK cover looks like this:

I don’t imagine the U.S. cover will really differ from this one, and in my eyes it’s so good they don’t need to change it. The normal DVD cover I’m sure will be the same as the UK one, too, which is the art used for a lot of the character posters we saw in the lead up to Basterds theatrical release back in August.

This early release will definitely boost the film’s Oscar chances (a Best Supporting Actor nomination for Christoph Waltz is a no-brainer) – having it readily available on store shelves for voters might work the way it did for Crash a few years back (which surprisingly won Best Picture over the predicted Brokeback Mountain). And it means us fans get to have it on OUR shelves sooner than later.

Christoph Waltz is Colonel Landa, "The Jew Hunter"

I, for one, absolutely loved Inglourious Basterds – though that may have been almost automatic since I’m such a huge fan of Tarantino . But in all honesty, I went in with an open mind, accepting the fact that I may not have liked what I saw – but in the end I loved every minute of its 150-plus minute runntime and I looked forward to owning a copy myself, and watching it again and again; as I do with all of QT’s films, I saw Basterds twice in theater.

What do you think of the special features that will be on the Inglourious Basterds DVD/Blu-ray? Do you like the artwork shown above (will the U.S. cover differ at all, do you think?) Did you like the film and will you be purchasing it when it gets released at the end of the year?

As stated, Inglourious Basterds will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on December 7th in the UK, and on December 15th in the U.S., both in 2009.

Sources: Blu-ray.com, ThePlaylist and Play.com

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Weekend Movie News Wrap Up: September 27, 2009

Niall Browne — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 21:26:43 +0000

This week:

The box office is still Cloudy; Neve Campbell Screams again; Dourif and Plummer confess to a Priest; TNT give some Basterd’s $12 million and Paul Dano decides to Cruise with Diaz.

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs retained the top spot and banked another $24.6 million over the weekend. The animated tale has now made a pretty good $60 million so far.

Bruce Willis had to settle for the runner-up position for Surrogates. The comic book adaptation made a so-so $15 million despite a trim 88 minute running time.

The Fame remake grossed $10 million over the weekend. There’s really nothing that I can say about this.

The Informant brought in a little under $7 million on its second weekend giving the new Matt Damon/Steven Soderbergh team-up $20 million in the bank so far. Off a slim 33% percent from last week means that this looks to have some legs.

Tyler Perry’s I Can Do Bad All By Myself made just under $5 million this weekend giving the film a $44 million total. One word – profit!

The Dennis Quaid starrer Pandorum had a disappointing start with a just $4.4 million. DVD and cult status await.

Aaron Eckhart and Jennifer Aniston’s Love Happens brought in another $4.3 million. With just $14 million so far this will need strong international sales and DVD to seem like a good idea.

Megan Fox’s Jennifer’s Body dipped almost 50% from last weekends debut. With a total of just $12 million it looks like Fox is going to have to gain audience sympathy and some humility if she wants a career that won’t end up on the path marked direct-to-DVD.

9 was ninth this weekend after it grossed another $2.8 million. With $27 million as a total it would appear that this isn’t the break out hit that many had hoped.

Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds brought in another $2.7 million giving the Brad Pitt starrer a $114 million total.

Movie News

1. Neve Campbell will return to the Scream franchise after the actress spent the best part of the last decade saying that she wouldn’t return to the horror film series.

The Weinstein Company plans to shoot Scream 4 in April or May, and they see this fourth film as a starting point for a new trilogy.

Campbell will joing Courtney Cox and David Arquette in the new film that might be directed by original helmer Wes Craven.

Source: Variety

2. Christopher Plummer and Brad Dourif have joined the cast of Scott Stewart’s Priest.

Paul Bettany leads the cast as a priest turned vampire killer. Maggie Q and Karl Urban also star.

Vampires – why are they so popular these days?

Source: Empire

3. TNT has paid just under $12 million for the television rights to Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds.

The sale must come as a relief (and much needed cash) for The Weinstein Company who have a lot riding on the Brad Pitt film.

Television rights are usually 8-10% of a films box office take.

If you haven’t seen it – go see it now. It’s one of Tarantino’s best films.

Source: Variety

4. Paul Dano has joined the cast of the new Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz action-comedy.

The actor will star alongside the Vanilla Sky pair in the James Mangold directed film that is currently without a title.

“Dano will play a charming but mysterious scientist whose invention is at the center of Cruise and Diaz’s chase.”

The script must be good because it took Cruise months to sign on after nearly every other script in Hollywood landed on his desk.

Source: Variety

That’s if for now. See you at the movies.

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Weinstein Employees Not Immune To Job Loss

Paul Young — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 01:27:55 +0000

I’m sure the Weinstein Brothers have told their employees which ones are being let go, because finding out via a movie blog that you need to register for unemployment is really uncool.

It would seem that even Hollywood can fall succumb to the ills of a recession-filled economy. Even as Hollywood boasts of record profits (due mostly to a handful of films and the extra boost from 3D sales), major studios like Universal and The Weinstein Company are either cutting back expenses or letting people go.

Such is the sad case today as TWC announced the trimming of their roster from around 125 to about 90 for the next round of cuts coming next month.

On top of that, TWC will also limit the number of films released to 10 per year. That breaks down to four for each brother, Harvey and Bob, and two extras to pick up during the year at festivals. As was the case this year at the Toronto International Film Festival, when TWC acquired the US and German distribution rights to A Single Man.

Anyone that has ever watch Office Space and worked in a “big” company has at one time faced “the Bobs”. “The Bob” in this case is Miller Buckfire (how ironic) – he is a “restructuring specialist” (read: the guy that fires people for a living) hired by TWC over three months ago and I’m sure he had a heavy hand in this decision process. A TWC rep had this to say about Buckfire (seriously, is this guy a pilot on Battlestar Galatica?):

“We hired a firm to help us restructure and put a plan into place to get us to a size that will fortify our company moving forward. In this economic climate, it makes sense to focus on a smaller slate, and with that, we need fewer people. By the end of the year, the look of the company will be complete, and we can continue releasing successful films.”

Even with Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds bringing in a coffer bolstering $227 million worldwide on a $70 million budget, they still have to split those profits equally with Universal, so that amount is not quite as large as the number first look. They did receive a respectable profit on the partially respectable Halloween 2 which has brought in $31 million so far on a $15 million budget. Unfortunately, all those millions are just not enough right now.

Beside previous layoffs, TWC has been forced to dish off some of their assets including the selling of Genius Products and having Vivendi taking over the distribution operations for World Wrestling Entertainment and the beloved Sesame Street on DVD. The financial crunch can also account for the pushing back of the Michael Cera comedy, Youth in Revolt, from October 30, 2009 to January 15^th, 2010.

TWC isn’t done for the year though; they still have The Road, the Cormac McCarthy novel adaptation on a father and son’s journey across a post-apocalyptic America. So far, reviews for The Road have been favorable and it should do well in theater. There’s always the chance that it could also get a boost if Viggo Mortensen receives an Oscar after the beginning of the year.

Heaven knows; the Weinstein brothers, their employees and their families could use some good news on the financial home front right about now.

Source: Variety

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The Weinsteins Acquire ‘A Single Man,’ Did Tarantino Save Them?

Ross Miller — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:25:23 +0000

Today we have a couple of pieces of news pertaining to The Weinstein Company, headed by brothers Harvey and Bob Weinstein. The first tibit is that the company has acquired the Toronto International Film Festival hit, A Single Man. The second is speculation over the company’s finances, and what part Inglourious Basterds writer/director, Quentin Tarantino, is playing in that calculation.

A SINGLE MAN

The Weinstein Company has acquired the U.S. and German rights to A Single Man, the Tom Ford directed drama – based on a the novel by Christopher Isherwood – about a gay British college professor (played by Colin Firth) in 1960’s LA who is attempting to cope with the death of his partner. The Weinsteins are planning a limited release before the end of the year to make sure it qualifies for the Oscars, with a wider release planned after that in early 2010.

A Single Man was picked up just hours after it played at the Toronto International Film Festival recently, for an undisclosed seven-figure sum (the first “buy” of the festival). The deal was made during an all-night negotiating session between distributors and the director’s CAA reps. It was the first “showdown” over a film at the festival, and is hoped to prompt more acquisitions of other similarly strong films with notable casts, such as the Michael Douglas starrer Solitary Man and the Tilda Swinton starrer, I Am Love.

I’m not usually a fan of Colin Firth (admittedly, I haven’t seen as much of his stuff as I maybe should have), but the story for A Single Man certainly is an interesting one. I will keep an eye out for it when it hits theaters in my part of the globe (the UK).

THE WEINSTEIN’S FINANCES AND QUENTIN TARANTINO

It’s no secret that the Weinstein’s have been in financial trouble for some time, with the bombing of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez’s Grindhouse hitting them hard. Ever since their forming of The Weinstein Company in 2005 (after running Miramax Films), they have been falling short of box-office and critical successes.

According to Reuters, The Weinstein Company had about 25% of its movies earn a million dollars or less, and needless to say the company was “cash-strapped.” The Weinsteins subsequently sought financial advice and even applied for a bridge loan.

However, even if they took a “financial bath” on Grindhouse, they still continued to have faith in Tarantino and went ahead with his Inglourious Basterds. Beforehand I bet they were shaking in their boots, but now I’m betting they’re glad they took the risk. Tarantino’s Basterds has already grossed almost $200 million at the box office, from a budget of $70 million (it will likely continue to make money until it finishes its theatrical run in November). Tarantino himself had this to say about it the situation:

“They [the Weinsteins] were backed up against the wall, and this gives them breathing room. This gets their back off the wall… It will give them some cash by the time the whole thing is over with, but it also even helps them inside of the industry and it actually shows Hollywood that they can open a movie. I’m actually proud that I was able to do that for them, that I could pay back their faith in me, that I could pay back their support.”

Quentin Tarantino with Harvey Weinstein

Needless to say this is a win-win-win situation for Tarantino, the Weinsteins and us, the audience. Picture it: the Weinsteins make their money back (and then some), they continue to work with Tarantino on future projects (they’ve supported him since he started back in 1992), and we get to see more of those (potentially excellent) collaborations.

Even IF Inglourious Basterds has saved The Weinstein Company from financial hell, the studio still isn’t safely in the black ink. Rob Zombie’s Halloween II hasn’t done all that well at the box office – the Weinsteins are just lucky it only cost $15 million to make. I really don’t think they could survive another Grindhouse-like bombing. Will see how well the semi-acclaimed adaptation of The Road fares at the box office when it hits theaters this November.

What do you think of these two pieces of Weinstein news: Are you looking forward to A Single Man? And do you think Tarantino saved the company with his Inglourious Basterds?

Sources: Reuters, ScreenCrave and Variety

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A Glourious Unreleased Basterds Poster

Mike Wilkerson — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 17:26:22 +0000

The imagery of World War II is truly indelible. So many people creating and reacting to so much havoc would make even the most steadfast of wills flinch.

This summer, Quentin Tarantino and company treated us to Inglorious Basterds, which was the seed not only for a great summer movie review, but for a listing of “The 5 Best Films Where Nazis Get Owned!”

The imagery conjured in many WWII films has been at least as powerful as those captured during the actual fight for right in Europe – and now, a new poster has appeared online that offers you even more introspection into the realm of Nazis, Basterds and old-school flavor.

The difference? The imagery in this poster has never been used. Check it out:

Head over to Poster Wire for the full-sized version.

This poster, illustrated by veteran artisan James Goodridge, offers a classic, straight-forward feel and is cast in the light of the original Indiana Jones-posters (doesn’t get much better than that). The tones of color, the expressions, the slightly “illustrated” flair all offer something to revel in and sparks the imagination.

I find it strangely ironic that something so glorious went unused for Hollywood feature film that had the title “Inglourious” in it. This poster really does convey pretty much everything that the movie covers.

Tell us what YOU think about the poster and also tell us what YOUR favorite movie posters of yesteryear were in the discussion section.

Source: Poster Wire via First Showing

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Inglourious Basterds Oscar Strategy: DVD Before Year’s End?

Ross Miller — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:58:41 +0000

Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds opened last Friday to a $14 million first day reception and $38 million opening weekend at the domestic box office, with a worldwide reception of $65-plus million. Right about now, exec producers the Weinsteins are bound to be breathing a big sigh of relief, since after the financial failure of Grindhouse they not only want, but need, this movie to make money.

Basterds was released on August 21st, which is a bit early – you would think that they’d wait out as long as they could and release the film in late November/December, sliding it in there before the end of the year to make it eligible (and to keep it fresh in mind) for the Oscars. That’s exactly what they did with The Reader last year, which garnered it five nominations including Best Picture. But it appears that Harvey Weinstein has a different strategy in mind for pushing Inglourious Basterds into the awards arena…

According to LA Times, Basterds is going to be released later this year on DVD, and by having it in mass release, it will be readily available for Oscar voters (or any other award voter for that matter). Instead of sending out individually watermarked Oscar screeners to Academy voting members, which can cost around $20 per copy, the Weinsteins plan to basically flood everyone with copies of Inglourious Basterds. After all: a $5 non-watermarked copy, versus a $20 watermarked copy, is a no-brainer for a studio hurting for cash and understandably setting their sights on those gold statues. That’s apparently one of the ways that Crash won the Best Picture Oscar a few years ago, beating out predicted winner Brokeback Mountain: the studio shoved out over 120,000 cheap DVDs to make sure everyone saw it.

I’m really not surprised that the Weinsteins are pushing Inglourious Basterds for the Oscars. Having seen the film twice now, it easily deserves a Supporting Actor nomination for Christoph Waltz (he should also win, IMO), and also a couple for Original Screenplay and Best Director for Tarantino. I have a feeling that at least a couple of those will end up being the case (Actor and Screenplay), with Best Picture maybe slipping in there as well, since the Academy has expanded the Best Picture nominees from five to ten entries.

Christoph Waltz deserves an Oscar for his role as "The Jew Hunter"

It’s an interesting, but not altogether surprising, tactic that the Weinstein’s are employing to get the Basterds on the mind of everyone who has a counting vote at the various award organizations. It makes sense from a money point of view, and even more sense when you consider it’s the Weinsteins we’re talking about: producers who really need this to make money (rumors are that they’re absolutely banking – pun intended – on Tarantino’s latest being a success).

However, what will this mean for what we get on an Inglourious Basterds DVD that’s apparently set to drop before the end of the year? Something tells me we might not get an edition that’s packed with special features, and that it may just be a rushed, no frills version just to get it out there, with the proper special edition appearing some months (or years, knowing Tarantino) later. Generally this is something we’ve all have to put up with pretty much since DVDs came out, but with Inglourious Basterds it would be particularly annoying. There’s so much detail in the film – as well as the fact that a lot of stuff was inevitably cut in the editing room – that the extra features will be of particular interest.

Here’s hoping it doesn’t turn into another Grindhouse or Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair situation: we’ve been waiting on those special editions for years now. As a big fan of Tarantino’s latest, a proper DVD release of Inglourious Basterds being a long way away doesn’t even bear thinking about…

What do you think of the Oscar strategy being planned for the Basterds? Do you think this mentioned DVD release will be a simple one and that we’ll have to wait ages for the real, extras-filled edition?

Inglourious Basterds is currently in theatrical release, and, as stated, supposedly will be coming out on DVD before the end of the year.

Source: LA Times (thanks to ThePlaylist)

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Weekend Movie News Wrap Up: August 23, 2009

Niall Browne — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 19:08:47 +0000

This Week:

The Basterds have landed at the top of the box office; Karl Urban takes a bite out of Priest; Summit attempts to grab Jodie Foster’s Beaver; Rosario Dawson boards Unstoppable; The Twilight Saga: Eclipse begins; Pandorum is pushed back and is it a trick or a treat for Trick r’ Treat?

Box Office

Quentin Tarantino scored the biggest opening of his career with Inglourious Basterds. The Brad Pitt film shot up an impressive $37 million over the weekend giving The Weinstein Company a much needed financial boost. The R-rated Nazi killing epic will have a chance of cracking $100 million if word of mouth is good.

District 9 dropped less than 50% this weekend after banking an estimated $18.9 million. With $73 million already in the bag it looks like this $30 million film will be very profitable.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra banked another $12.5 million. The action-figure movie has now taken an impressive $120 million. The sequel should be out in a couple of years.

The Time Traveler’s Wife took $10 million this weekend. With a television series on the way it looks like someone somewhere thought that this would be profitable.

Julie & Julia is playing as expected. Just down 25% from last weekend The Meryl Streep starrer banked $9 million this weekend. The film has now made a healthy $59 million.

Robert Rodriguez’s Shorts didn’t open as well as his buddy Quentin Tarantino. The directors latest family film grossed a meek $6.5 million. It was probably very cheap so it’ll turn a profit.

G-Force’s total now stands at $107 million after making $4 million. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince brought in another $3 million. With $290 in the bank already it looks like this Potter pic might just limp to the magic $300 million barrier.

The Ugly Truth and Post Grad were pretty much neck and neck with just under $3 million each. One has a grand total of $82 million and the other will finish it’s run with under $10 million.

Movie News

1. Star Trek and Lord of the Rings star (we’ll forget about Pathfinder) Karl Urban has signed on to Priest.
In the Scott Stewart directed film, Urban will play Black Hat, an evil vampire in the Paul Bettany film.

Hollywood really has gone vampire crazy lately. Let’s hope it doesn’t suck!

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

2. Summit Entertainment is in “advanced talks” to buy Jodie Foster’s The Beaver. The Mel Gibson starrer follows a depressed man who starts wearing a hand-puppet of the titular beaver.

I’m looking forward to this quirky dramedy.

The Beaver starts shooting in September.

Source: Variety

3. Rosario Dawson has jumped on board Tony Scott’s action-thriller Unstoppable. The runaway train film stars Scott favorite Denzel Washington and Captain Kirk himself, Chris Pine.

The film has had a start-stop momentum from when it was announced earlier in the year with Washington leaving the project when 20th Century Fox wanted him to make the film for less than his usual $20 million pay day. An agreement was reached and the film regained its drive.

Unstoppable arrives on November 12, 2010

Source: Variety

4. Earlier in the week cameras started rolling on The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.

That’s right you can now start anticipating new news featuring Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and company. The hugely successful vampire series has been a massive hit with teens and fans of vampire fiction.

Creator Stephenie Meyer’s bank manager is also very interested in the books too!

Join Edward and Bella at a cinema near you when The Twilight Saga: Eclipse opens on June 30, 2010.

Source: Coming Soon.

4. If you’ve been waiting to see the Dennis Quaid/ Ben Foster sci-fi horror, Pandorum, then you’re going to have to wait a while longer. The film has now been pushed back a week to September 25th, moving it away from coming out at the same time as the Megan Fox starring/ Diablo Cody-scripted Jennifer’s Body.

Pandorum will now open opposite Bruce Willis’ Sci-fi actioner Surrogates.

Source: Shock Till You drop

5. Speaking of release dates – Michael Dougherty’s Trick r’ Treat finally has a concrete release. The long-awaited film will be out in time for… you guessed it: Halloween. Trick r’ Treat will be available on DVD and Blu-ray from Tuesday, October 6.

Source: Shock Till You Drop

That’s it for now. See you at the movies.

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Inglourious Basterds Review

Vic Holtreman — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 00:21:55 +0000

Short Version: Don’t go into Inglourious Basterds expecting a serious WWII film and you’ll probably end up having fun with it.

Screen Rant reviews Inglourious Basterds

I am not a Quentin Tarantino disciple (just thought I’d get that out of the way).

Now don’t jump to conclusions – I like most of Tarantino’s films, I’m just not a dyed in the wool Tarantino junkie. I like most of his movies but I haven’t made a secret of the fact that I absolutely despised most of Death Proof.

Despite a directing history going back to 1987, Inglourious Basterds is only the seventh movie he’s directed. If there’s one thing you can say about him it’s that he’s got a sense of style when it comes to his films, and this one is no exception.

Inglorious Basterds (and unless I missed it, it’s never explained why it’s not just spelled Inglorious Bastards) is the story of a small team of Jewish-American soldiers assembled by Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) in order to strike fear into the soldiers of the Third Reich by brutally killing (”we don’t take prisoners”) and scalping Nazis. Eventually they cross paths with Shosanna (Mélanie Laurent), a young French-Jewish woman whose family was murdered when she was younger and now runs a movie theater in Paris.

The film is broken up into chapters, beginning with: “Chapter One – Once upon a time in Nazi-occupied France.” It’s a cool retro way to segment the film into its different sections. Also retro was the music during the opening credits, which seemed to come right out of a 1960s Sergio Leone spaghetti western – it put a grin on my face and was a good way to get the audience in the right mood for the film.

Now I like fast-moving scenes as much as the next guy, but this first chapter opens in 1941 on a rural farm in a scene that is (and I hesitate to use this word) deliciously slow. A farmer spies a carload of Nazis a mile away coming towards the farm. He has four daughters, is concerned about them and has them head inside their small home. Here is where we first meet Col. Hans Landa (brilliantly played by Christoph Waltz) – a charming on the outside, Machiavellian on the inside Nazi officer with the nickname of “Jew Hunter.” The tension in this scene builds and builds and is excruciatingly good. Tarantino is known for the dialog in his films and uses it to great effect here.

Christoph Waltz in 'Inglourious Basterds'

It is in Chapter Two that we meet the “Basterds,” a line up of what looks like mainly a bunch of pencil-necked Jewish guys, along with a crazy-eyed Eli Roth playing Sgt. Donny “Bear Jew” Donowitz – a soldier with a predilection for bashing Nazi brains in with a baseball bat. We see Brad Pitt looking like he’s doing his best facial impression of Marlon Brando as The Godfather, but with a seriously Southern accent. He tells the men (and the audience) the purpose of their mission, which is to kill Nazis in the most brutal ways possible in order to strike fear into them and have it spread throughout their ranks.

We get to see them in action, and their shall we say “no nonsense” approach is immediately evident in their interrogation of a German officer and then an enlisted man.

Advertising and trailers aside, the real story here is about Shosanna. She is beautiful and a hero of the Reich has become enamored with her. Of course considering her family was murdered by Nazis she is not swayed by his charm at all. Things being what they are she is dragged into being forced to show a Nazi propaganda film at her theater and she devises a plan to take full advantage of that.

Melanie Laurent in 'Inglourious Basterds'

Eventually her plans dovetail (not smoothly) with that of the Basterds, along with a plan by British officers to do some serious damage to the Nazis as well. Hint: This is an alternate universe version of World War II.

Tarantino has come up with a decent combination of a throwback to World War II movies from 40+ years ago mixed with more graphic (how about swastikas being carved into foreheads?) violence, his signature dialog and great use of music. I mentioned the tension in the opening chapter, but there are a lot of tense scenes throughout the movie – however beyond the opening scene (which while long and drawn out, worked well), some scenes later in the film do suffer from the typical Tarantino “over-dialoged” style and go on too long. Mixed in between the drama and violence were moments of humor that worked very well and didn’t suck you out of the movie.

On the other hand, don’t go in expecting a balls-out action movie, because this isn’t it. While there are action set pieces in the film, it’s mostly about the dialog. There are a lot of characters in the film, some of which seem like they could have been cut without doing the film much harm. And for Brad Pitt fans – know that while he has quite a few scenes in the film, he’s not in it as much as you might hope.

Except for Eli Roth (who really seemed out of place), performances throughout the film were very well done (again, Christoph Waltz is my absolute favorite). Laurent was mesmerizing in her performance in addition to being easy on the eyes. I got a kick out of Brad Pitt, but I couldn’t get the vision of Brando with cotton in his cheeks out of my head.

By the way, you’d better be a fan of subtitled movies because there is a LOT of that in this film – most scenes involving the French or Germans are spoken in their native language.

Overall this is a typical over the top Tarantino film, alternately intensely serious and then not taking itself seriously at all. Frankly, I would have preferred (and was expecting) more of The Dirty Dozen type of film, focused on the Basterds taking out tons of Nazis throughout the movie. If you’re a Tarantino fan you’ll most likely enjoy Inglourious Basterds – if you’re not and don’t have an issue with graphic violence mixed with close-to-campiness you may have a good time with it as well.

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New Posters: Saw VI, Inglourious Basterds, Shutter Island & More!

Ross Miller — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:15:35 +0000

Today we have a bunch of new posters for you that have appeared online over the lat few days or so. They include posters for Saw VI and a new George Clooney film, Up in the Air, a couple of special ones for Inglourious Basterds, and a couple foreign language ones for [REC] 2 and Shutter Island. Check them all out below.

First up is the new poster for the upcoming next installment in the successful torture-porn horror Saw franchise, Saw VI. I’m not going to waste much time in saying this franchise lost what made it interesting long ago.

However, what I must admit is they sure do know how to design cool-looking posters for these movies. Last time we had the “Blood Bank” posters that have been used since the first movie, but not this time. No, this time we have a rather ingeniously designed and creepy-to-look-at poster that merges an old pair of gloves with human hands. Oh, if only the actual Saw movies were as good as the posters they come up with for them. Check it out:

I’m guessing the poster is supposed to symbolize the fact that someone else is taking over for Jigsaw by (figuratively speaking) putting on his gloves. It seems like an obvious idea to put on a poster and yet no one has really picked up on it and employed it before. Nice.

Saw VI hits U.S. theaters on October 23rd, 2009.

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Top 5 Movies Where Nazis Get OWNED!

Mike Wilkerson — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 19:15:59 +0000

Nazis. They’re the focus of those seeking justice everywhere and have been put squarely in the cross-hairs of one of Hollywood’s newest offerings, Inglourious Basterds, starring Brad Pitt and directed by Quentin Tarantino. In the film, Pitt governs a cavalcade of Nazi-killing talent, providing us with what could be an end-of-summer hit.

However, Inglourious Basterds wasn’t Hollywood’s first dance with epic Nazi ass-kicking.

Nazis have rightly been the recipients of the cinematic hammer of scorn for years and now is a perfect time to showcase some of the best of the best examples of those evil bastards getting what’s coming to them.

Screen Rant is proud to corral some of the greatest silver-screen titles that feature unforgiving Nazi punishment, as we review the “Top 5 Movies Where Nazis Get OWNED!”

THE LONGEST DAY

For those of you that haven’t partaken in this special piece of Hollywood, you are in for a treat. This film has not only been re-released on special edition DVD (with features that are something to truly marvel at) but features one of the largest casts of greats that I don’t think has ever been matched. This 1962 classic offers some history-based events (including paratroopers being mowed down by Nazis as they enter into a drop zone) that truly stoke the fire for vengeance. Fear not, folks. The Longest Day provides you with vengeance and then some. The cinematography is truly from a completely different age, and if you’re going to see Nazis get owned, why not see it differently than you’re used to? The focus on Hitler literally sleeping while the walls were coming down around his regime is truly something to behold. It was a different kind of film making, to be sure, and provides us our initial entry of Nazis being owned!

FORCE 10 FROM NAVARONE

Recipe for Nazi-Ownage: Briskly convene a team of lethal commandos from all points. Provide and dice potentially-friendly spies who turn out to be Nazi sympathizers. Fold in an A-list cast chock-full-o’-talent and you have the 1978 follow-up to The Guns of Navarone: Force 10 from Navarone. Harrison Ford and the gone-too-soon Robert Shaw head this outstanding offering that teaches you what it means to be hanging by the skin of your teeth in an occupied foreign land. It’s also a perfect showcase of what happens to those that sympathize with the Nazis! They get OWNED!

BAND OF BROTHERS

While not a “feature film,” you would be hard-pressed not to call this HBO-offered series some of the best Nazi-fighting entertainment ever offered. From the cultivation of new recruits, to in-country bullets blazing, to quiet nights where even the bravest soldier would have messed his fox hole, to thunderous artillery shellings that make even the viewer’s teeth shake, this quality program offers up some of the most engaging scenes of Word War II ever. You also have an introspective look at a variety of operations that helped us not only “Own the Nazis,” but win the war. The storytelling in this series is a sample of why we must continue to tell the stories of the heroes and deeds of WWII, so that future generations can understand just what plans and sacrifices were required to ensure that the Nazi’s GOT owned and that freedom continued to ring. Add to the fact that Band of Brothers is over 10 episodes and you’ve got yourself a gargantuan platter of “Ownage de Nazi.”

THE DIRTY DOZEN

Often it isn’t enough for the United States to send out our best bunch of baddie-dispatching commandos. The Dirty Dozen provides you a sample of taking the WORST of the best – military prisoners – and honing them into another set of fine Nazi-killing machines. The training of the new, bad-ass recruits is just as exciting as the action scenes featured in this film, and ends with one of the most engaging scenes that is sure to satisfy those looking for a high Nazi body count. The cast of (what were then) babies eventually became some of Hollywood’s biggest stars during the 60’s and 70’s, making this another excellent addition to anyone’s DVD library. It’s one of the greats to be sure.

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK

Sure, Nazis have gotten “owned” by gunfire, carefully-plotted artillery rounds, blown up bridges and even baseball bats (see: Inglourious Basterds). Show me another film where the Nazis get their faces melted like crayola crayons in a microwave! Raiders of the Lost Ark isn’t just my favorite movie, it’s Hollywood’s best offering for seeing these nefarious bad guys get theirs. It also STILL retains the highest potential for a wide audience with subject matter (adventure, humor) that other films on this list just can’t claim. This initial installment of Indiana Jones and his adventures simply has more staying-power than most other films (even the classic The Longest Day, which would be Sominex for most younger audiences), and won’t soon be trumped.

Now THAT is Nazi Ownage!

I remember as an 11-year-old knowing that the Nazis were “bad” and that Indy and co. were good. The reason? Watch Indy OWN THEM ALL. When Indy doesn’t own them “the power of God, or something” does. It’s a TRUE example of good triumphing over evil and that’s why it serves as the pinnacle of Nazi ownage!

So you’ve got OUR 5 films. What did YOU think of the list? Got one that we missed? Discuss below and tell us of the many other feature films over the decades that showcase “The Nazis Gettin’ OWNED!”

To keep up with the latest on Nazi Ownage on film, check out Inglourious Basterds this weekend.

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SR Pick [Video]: Inglourious Plummers

Paul Young — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 19:55:36 +0000

As Screen Rant readers may be aware, this Friday, Quentin Tarantino’s highly anticipated film Inglourious Basterds bludgeons its way onto theater screens in what is sure to be a bloody, violent (if not dialog heavy) film. What you may NOT be aware of, is that before Tarantino came along, Mario did it first, using his plunger of Justice to crack some Koopa shell!

The guys over at Gamer Vision have put together a humorous Inglourious Basterds parody video involving Toadsworth as Brad Pitt (funny mustache and all), Mario, Luigi, Toadstool and the Princess playing the parts of the Basterds and Koopa and his henchman playing the parts of the Nazis. Well done guys! Check out the video below.

My favorite scene was Mario running through the tunnel shooting fireballs out of his hands -- good stuff! Actually, the video makes me wonder if a hardcore action film of Super Mario Bros. isn’t well over due? Make it a little dark, a little brooding and for goodness sake, leave Dennis Hopper out of it!

Are you looking forward to watching Inglourious Basterds and what do you think about a more up-to-date darker version of Super Mario Bros.?

Inglourious Basterds opens August 21^st, 2009.

Source: Gamer Vision

Image Source: Blog by Ramunas

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Tarantino Reveals His Top 20 Movies (Since Reservoir Dogs)

Ross Miller — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:46:27 +0000

With Inglourious Basterds opening in theaters everywhere this Friday, August 21st, it will mark Quentin Tarantino’s sixth movie (if you count the Kill Bills as one movie). Compared to some other directors that’s not that many movies -- particularly considering the talent Tarantino has for both writing and directing.

Anyone who knows anything about Tarantino will know that he’s not only a filmmaker but a truly avid and well-versed film fan. He’s revealed his almost encyclopedic knowledge of movies on several occasions, including during TV, print and online interviews, to commentary tracks and film discussion documentaries (a notable example of the latter is the recent Not Quite Hollywood -- wow, does he know his stuff). Many of Tarantino’s favorite films are obscure and older movies (Rio Bravo I believe is his favorite of all time) that many of us may not have seen or even heard of.

So, bringing things a bit more up-to-date, what are Tarantino’s favorite movies of the last couple of decades or so? Well, the man himself has recorded a little video where he reveals his favorite movies of the last 17 years. Why that specific number, you ask? Well, that’s how long he’s been making movies, with his first directorial effort, Reservoir Dogs, being made in 1992. The list is very interesting: for example, there isn’t a Best Picture winner anywhere on it, which just furthers Tarantino’s reputation as a lover of cinema and not just what’s universally popular. Take a look:

Wow, what an eclectic list of movies Tarantino’s chosen as his top 20. I’m happy to say I’ve seen 14 out of the 20, and the ones I haven’t seen are as a result of me just not having had the opportunity to watch them. I fully do plan to catch up with them though -- now that one of my favorite directors rates them so highly.

There’s a few choices on there that are really popular with a lot of movie goers (Fight Club, The Matrix, Shaun of the Dead), but for the most part his choices aren’t predictable. It’s interesting that he notes that The Matrix has dropped on his list because the second and third movies ruined the mythology for him -- I share in that frustration, QT, I really do. I’m also glad to see Unbreakable (my favorite M. Night Shyamalan movie), Joint Security Area and Friday get a mention -- three movies that often go overlooked or underrated.

Hey QT, No love for Oldboy?

I, for one, really enjoyed this video. Him referring to Shyamalan as “Shamalamadingdong” cracked me up It’s great to see what a filmmaker thinks of his peers’ work, and which movies he ranks above others. There are plenty of other movies that could have been on that list (Oldboy, Donnie Darko and Mulholland Drive would be on mine for sure), with Oldboy being a particularly strange omission, since Tarantino himself pushed for it to win the Palm d’Or at Cannes when he served as President of the Jury back in 2003. But as I’m sure Tarantino will agree with, it’s hard to put these lists together fairly -- whenever I do, I always feel bad for leaving certain movies out.

This was fun: let’s hop more of our favorite directors put together these lists.

Do you agree or disagree with any of the choices out of Tarantino’s top 20? Which movies would you put on your list?

Inglourious Basterds opens in theaters this Friday, August 21st, 2009.

Source: Sky Movies (via InContention) and YouTube

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New Clips: District 9 And Inglourious Basterds

Ross Miller — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:15:16 +0000

A bunch of new clips have recently appeared online for the two movies that will effectively cap off the summer of 2009: District 9 and Inglourious Basterds. Both are highly-anticipated movies around these parts, and thankfully we won’t have to wait much longer before they get released in theaters.

District 9

This was one of the hottest films at Comic-Con this year, with just about everybody who managed to see the super-secret screening of the movie saying nothing but positive things about it. These new clips basically show off the news footage angle of the movie, which is said to be mixed with the sci-fi/action alien stuff. First time director Neil Blomkamp recently described the movie as a mix of traditional cinematic storytelling and documentary and news footage. A unique and interesting way to tell an alien story, I think you’ll agree.

The first clip is basically an extension of a part of the trailer we saw where a main character gets infected with an alien substance. The other two clips are the aforementioned news footage, as well as “talking heads” style documentary footage, explaining the aliens’ arrival and the like as if it were actually real life. Check out the three clips below, courtesy of EW, Yahoo and Sony Pictures (via YouTube):

For the Final “First Contact” clip you can head over to Yahoo.

I really dig the mix of documentary/news footage and regular storytelling they’re employing within District 9. I don’t know if it’s just me but I get a strong Cloverfield vibe from this movie (but in a good way). Not just because of the “real life” feeling it gives off, but also because of the whole viral marketing thing that’s been going on.

Inglourious Basterds

This is another one of those movies we’ve not only covered quite extensively here at Screen Rant, but also are highly anticipating. This is for a number of reasons: the movie looks awesome (we have it from a VERY close source that it’s pretty damn good); it’s the latest film from Quentin Tarantino; and above all it’s about soldiers kicking Nazi ass. What more do you want from a movie?!

There’s a whopping nine new clips that have recently made their way online over at IESB.net. I’ve included the clips which show off the new stuff. A bit of variation never hurts. Check the clips out below:

For the rest of the clips head over to IESB.net.

I’m sure there can’t be too much more stuff (posters, trailers, clips…) released for Inglourious Basterds, as it’s just about to hit theaters. I’m not surprised the Weinsteins have been pushing this one so hard -- with the financial bomb of Grindhouse (their previous venture with Tarantino) they really do need as many people in the seats as possible.

What do you think of these latest clips for these highly anticipated movies?

District 9 hits US theaters this Friday, August 14th, with a UK release of September 4th following that.

Inglourious Basterds is released everywhere on August 21st, 2009.

Sources: EW, IESB, Yahoo and SonyPictures (YouTube)

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Lucky ‘Basterds’ Will See Chris Nolan’s ‘Inception’ Teaser Trailer

Niall Browne — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 17:22:31 +0000

While some fans of Chris Nolan’s directorial work can’t wait to see his third film in the Batman franchise others are excited by his next work – the Leonardo DiCaprio starring Inception.

Little is known about this mysterious science fiction film, but we finally know that the teaser trailer will be attached to some (but not all) prints of Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, which opens on August 21st.

The plot for Inception has been kept under wraps since the film was announced back in February, and I can’t imagine that the teaser will give away too much. All that is known about the film is that it is “a contemporary sci-fi thriller set within the architecture of the mind.” It is believed that DiCaprio will be playing a “CEO type” who is blackmailed, but this information is pure speculation, and even if it is true – with Nolan there is always more than meets the eye. However, I’m guessing that it’ll have nothing to do with Transformers.

Joining the A-list DiCaprio in the film is pretty much a who’s-who of critically acclaimed modern actors: Michael Caine, Cillian Murphy, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Paige, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ken Watanabe.

It looks like August 21st is going to be a very important day for fans of sci-fi cinema: it’s is also the day that James Cameron unveils his trailer (and footage) for the long-awaited Avatar.

Inception opens on July 16th, 2010 and then it is hoped that Nolan will (supposedly) begin work on his much-anticipated third Batman film.

Source: Slash Film

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Faux Trailer For Inglourious Basterds’ ‘Nation’s Pride’

Ross Miller — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:45:18 +0000

A faux trailer has been released for Nation’s Pride, which is the movie-within-the-movie from Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming WWII revenge flick, Inglourious Basterds. Directed by Eli Roth (Hostel, Cabin Fever), Nation’s Pride tells the story of German War hero, Fredrick Zoller (played by Daniel Brühl). Within Basterds universe, the faux film serves as the propaganda tool of Joseph Goebbels’ (Hitler’s Minister of Propaganda).

Those who have seen Inglourious Basterds already say that Nation’s Pride can be seen scattered throughout the film. It seems a bit late in the game for The Weinstein’s to be releasing viral marketing trailers, since it’s so close to the release date of Basterds. When they worked with Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez on Grindhouse (which flopped, by the way), they released all sorts of marketing stuff months before the film hit theaters.

While it might be hard to fully appreciate Nation’s Pride out of context, it’s a cool thing to watch nonetheless. Check it out:

For the HD version you can head over to Apple.

Inglorious Basterds is (of course) written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It has an extensive cast that includes Brad Pitt, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, Mélanie Laurent, Christoph Waltz, Daniel Brühl, Til Schweiger, Mike Myers and Michael Fassbender. The film will be released on August 21st, 2009.

Sources: /Film and Apple

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Quentin Tarantino To Do A Western Next?

Ross Miller — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 18:28:03 +0000

Quentin Tarantino is one of those filmmakers who has so many ideas for what he still wants to do some day, but either takes a helluva of a long time to get around to them, or nothing even comes of them. For avid fans of the man, this is so often a disappointment. So what’s the next idea Tarantino has in mind? A Western, that’s what.

Whilst at the red carpet premiere of his WWII flick, Inglourious Basterds, Tarantino himself revealed to Empire his interest in doing a Western at some point – “Well I still want to do a Western, I haven’t done a Western yet. I keep flirting about with it, but I haven’t done it yet.” That, of course, isn’t confirmation or an announcement that’s what the director will be doing next, but it just lets us know he’s interested in doing it.

However, for those (such as myself) who would love to see QT dabble in cowboy hats and six shooters (ooohh, did that sound wrong?…), it won’t be soon since it’s just an idea at this stage – “Well I won’t be able to do anything in ten months from now, because I don’t even know what the next movie’s gonna be.”

Although technically the Western would be a new genre for Tarantino, his resume so far reads as a whats what of genre homages: With Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction it was crime/gangster, with Jackie Brown is was blaxploitation, with Kill Bill Vol.1 and 2 it was martial arts, with Death Proof it was 70’s exploitation homage, and with his upcoming Inglourious Basterds, it’s war. A Western is something he tipped his hat to in Kill Bill Vol.2, specifically the spaghetti Western (the music of classic composer of that genre, Ennio Morricone, littered that movie).

QT on set of Death Proof

Oh, and for you Asian cinema fans out there, Tarantino also starred – in a small role – in Takashi Miike’s phonetically-English-spoken Western, Sukiyaki Western Django a couple of years ago (see header image).

It may just be the Tarantino fan in me, but I would absolutely love to see him do a Western at some point. He’s not just a filmmaker but a true movie fan, and he’s proved time and time again that his knowledge of a lot of different types of films is almost encyclopedic in nature.

I’m sure, like all of his other movies, his version of a Western would have countless homages to the best (and most obscure) examples of the genre and more dialogue than anything else. As a Tarantino fan that is exactly what I look for in his movies.

However, with the amount of different movie ideas that get mentioned by Tarantino and never come of anything, it’s hard to imagine his Western will happen anytime soon.

Would you like to see Quentin Tarantino do a Western?

Inglourious Basterds opens on August 21st, 2009.

Source: Empire

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Inglourious Basterds New Poster & Soundtrack Info

Ross Miller — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:00:05 +0000

Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds was at one point just an idea for a project that he always said he’d do, but never quite seemed to get to. Then, suddenly, the project picked up steam and before we knew it, Inglourious Basterds was finished and premiering at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. The marketing for Basterds has been in full speed for a few months now, with posters, images and trailers galore.

Today we have a new poster for Inglourious Basterds, along with the news that the soundtrack will go on sale close to the film’s theatrical release. But before we get onto the soundtrack info, take a look at the 14th poster for Inglourious Basterds (yep, there’s been that many). Is it just me, or does Brad Pitt look sort of… odd? Check it out:

(click for larger)

The soundtracks to Tarantino’s movies are always the highlights – Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill Vol. 1 and 2 and Death Proof soundtracks (all of which I own) are just fantastic, and logically we shouldn’t expect anything less from the soundtrack to Inglourious Basterds.

The Basterds soundtrack has gotten a release date of August 18th this year, just three days before the film’s release. Although no track listing has been released officially yet, a lot of track list was leaked while the film was playing at Cannes (you can read the French-language version of the list here). We already know Ennio Morricone, David Bowie and 70s Brit pop band, The Arrows, are all included on the soundtrack. But just recently, Tarantino revealed he has added additional music cues to the movie, notably the main theme from the film Dark of the Sun.

Screen Rant will let you know when the official soundtrack listing gets released, but for now, how do you think the soundtrack is shaping up?

The Inglourious Basterds soundtrack is set to be released on August 18, 2009. The film itself will hit theaters three days later, on August 21st.

Sources: ThePlaylist and Yahoo (thanks to IMPAwards)

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Tarantino Confirms Inglourious Basterds Final Runtime

Ross Miller — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 01:00:37 +0000

About six weeks ago, Screen Rant reported on the rumors that Quentin Tarantino was going to be re-editing his WWII film Inglourious Basterds, even adding some scenes and thus adding a lot more minutes to the almost two-and-a-half hour Cannes version runtime. The majority of movie goers who weren’t lucky enough to be at Cannes to see the Basterds premiere could cling onto the fact that when we see the film we will get more of those Basterds to enjoy.

Well, today we get word from Tarantino himself that the final runtime of Inglourious Basterds is a full ONE MINUTE longer than the Cannes cut. Ah, and there was us fans looking forward to another Gone With The Wind length marathon…

After the news came out that Tarantino would be re-editing Basterds post-Cannes, a rumor surfaced that the Weinsteins (namely Harvey) were pressuring him to cut a shocking 40 minutes from the reported, “contractually obligated,” 2 hour 48 minute length. However, just over two weeks later, Harvey Weinstein came out and called the 40 minute cut report a load of rubbish (that’s the family-friendly version of the swearing version he delivered). He also said that Tarantino was just re-organizing some scenes, and even said he was begging Tarantino to include a lot of the stuff (instead of the other way around).

Well, it appears that after all, one half of the Weinsteins was speaking the truth, as in an interview with Variety’s BFDealMemo, Tarantino spoke about the whole runtime business, separating fact from fiction, as well as what he’s added to/changed about the film. Here’s some of what he had to say [Warning: moderate SPOILER warning]:

“I’ve heard these rumors that the studios told me to cut out 40 minutes. These are complete lies. The movie is actually a minute longer, in running time, than it was in Cannes. It was 2:28, without end credits, and now it’s 2:29, or 2:32 with end credits.”

“I added a sequence between where Mike Myers and Michael Fassbender discuss Operation Kino [the plot to blow up a theater as Joseph Goebbels and other Nazi brass watch a film], and the shootout scene in the basement tavern La Louisiane. In Cannes, we went from one to the other. I’d shot another scene, right before that, where Fassbender meets The Basterds, before they go to La Louisiane. That’s back.”

“It might sound weird that I added a minute, but you can add little things and actually quicken the pace, and we were very aware of keeping the pace up. To add the one scene, I reduced a couple scenes by a line here, a line there.”

Tarantino also mentioned there was a, “cool sequence,” involving Eli Roth’s Sgt. Donny Donowitz which explained his background but as the writer/director he felt it, “got in the way,” of the reveal of his character (which is presumably the one in the trailer where he comes out of the tunnel holding a baseball bat). He also went on to talk about the much speculated Basterds prequel, saying that he’s got it half written and the cast is game for it, but admits he’s made project promises before that he hasn’t gotten around to:

“All through the movie, Brad Pitt and Eli Roth just kept saying, “Prequel. Prequel.” Brad would say, “Let’s talk him into doing a prequel.” The guys love the idea. I’ve got the storyline. Then again, I was going to do all these animated prequels to Kill Bill. I didn’t end up doing any of those.”

[End of SPOILERS]

For the full Q&A with Tarantino you can head over to Variety.

So there you have it: We have the final Inglourious Basterds runtime as 2 hours 29 minutes (or 2:32 if you include the scrolling of the last word of the end credits), not the 2 hours 48 minutes that was reported as the original original runtime, or the 2 hours 8 minutes that would’ve been the case if the rumors of the 40 minutes being cut were true. And when you consider two of Tarantino’s most enduring movies, Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown (which both clock in at 150 minutes), the Basterds’ runtime may be pretty damn perfect.

Of course, I haven’t seen the Basterds in action yet (beyond all the promo material, that is), so I can’t say for definite that just under two and half hours is fitting. But something tells me that Tarantino wouldn’t just cut his Palme d’Or nominated “baby” at that length if it weren’t what he thought was right.

Anything that Tarantino cut out of the Basterds (such as the Roth backstory sequence) I’m sure will make their way onto the eventual DVD/Blu-ray release later on down the road. Die hard Tarantino fans out there (of which I’m one) would have taken them all within the theatrically released one, but I understand there has to be a cut-off point as far as what you include and what you don’t in a movie (at least for it’s theatrical run).

So after all that, those who already have Inglourious Basterds marked on their calendar’s can breathe a collective sigh of relief as it finally looks like the whole runtime mess has been mopped up for good.

Let’s just hope no one missed a spot…

What do you think of what is the final runtime for Inglourious Basterds? Do you think it should be longer, shorter, or is it just right in your eyes?

Inglourious Basterds will open in theatres on August 21st, 2009.

Sources: Variety (special thanks: ThePlaylist)

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New Inglourious Basterds Character Posters

Ross Miller — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:58:36 +0000

The posters, trailers and images for Quentin Tarantino’s Palme d’Or nominated, WWII film Inglourious Basterds really are shooting out at a rapid pace. In terms of posters, we’ve had nine already and today Empire has premiered four more to add to that list. They are separate character posters that expand on the International (Italian) poster we saw a few weeks ago. We have those four for you – plus the International one now in English!

The four new posters feature some of the main cast of Inglourious Basterds: Brad Pitt as Lt. Aldo Raine, Diane Kruger as Bridget Von Hammersmark, Christoph Waltz as Colonel Landa (who won Best Actor at Cannes for the role) and Melanie Laurent as Shosanna Dreyfus.

Strangely, Eli Roth and Til Schweiger, who were featured on the full character posters, don’t get their own character-centric posters here (though Diane Kruger and Mélanie Laurent sure do!). But I’d imagine we’ll see theirs sooner rather than later, though. Check out the English language version of the previously seen Italian poster, and the four new character centric posters below. Enjoy:

The Inglourious Basterds together.

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‘Inglourious Basterds’ and the Tarantino Universe

Rob Frappier — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:43:47 +0000

Whether it’s his razor sharp dialogue, his impeccable use of popular music, or his ever-stylish cinematography, Quentin Tarantino is undoubtedly one of Hollywood’s most exciting and talented directors. And judging by the buzz surrounding his latest film, the WWII epic Inglourious Basterds, that isn’t going to change anytime soon.

One of the things I like best about Quentin Tarantino is how he always works in sly references to his previous films. Not only does it give us fans something to look for, it also makes his films that much richer and more complex. Take, for example, the Vega Brothers.

In Pulp Fiction, John Travolta plays Vincent Vega. In Reservoir Dogs, Michael Madsen plays Mr. Blonde a.k.a Vic Vega. While there is no dialogue linking the two as brothers, as viewers, we make the connection. Suddenly, their brotherhood adds a new dimension to each of their characters. It makes them more interesting, and, in a weird sort of way, more real.

Naturally, Inglourious Basterds will also feature some clever Easter eggs. But what will they be? Recently, the MTV Movies Blog caught up with Eli Roth (director of Hostel and one of the stars of Inglourious Basterds) to talk about the film and some of the special Tarantino details which would be included:

“We have the ‘40’s version of Red Apple cigarettes…If you had cigarettes [in ‘Basterds’] they were Red Apple. They were the same ones that you see in ‘Death Proof,’ but the lettering, the style, the drawing, was the 1940’s version of it.”

While that might not sound like such a big deal to casual fans, to Tarantino fanboys like myself, it means a lot (Hint: Bruce Willis orders a pack of Red Apple cigarettes Pulp Fiction). Besides the Vega Brothers and Red Apple Cigarettes, can you name some of the other easter eggs hidden throughout the Tarantino Universe?

Big Kahuna Burger

“Mmmhmm. This is a tasty burger.”

So says Samuel L. Jackson as Jules in Pulp Fiction just a few minutes before he shoots poor Brad to death. While Pulp Fiction may have the most famous Big Kahuna Burger scene, the fictional Hawaiian fast food restaurant made its first appearance in Reservoir Dogs. Big Kahuna Burger was also referenced in the Robert Rodriguez-directed vampire flick, From Dusk ‘Til Dawn, which starred and was written by Tarantino; it was also mentioned in Death Proof.

Fruit Brute Cereal

Fruit Brute cereal, which was a brother to such other famous monster-themed cereals as Frankenberry, Count Chocula, and Boo Berry, has made an appearance in two different Tarantino films. In Pulp Fiction, the character of Lance (played by Eric Stoltz) is enjoying a bowl of the cereal right before Vincent Vega (John Travolta) brings an overdosed Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman) to his front door. Fruit Brute cereal is also seen in passing at the apartment of Mr. Orange (Tim Roth) in Reservoir Dogs.

Jack Rabbit Slim’s

Seen extensively in Pulp Fiction, Jack Rabbit Slim’s is a 1950s-themed restaurant with servers dressed as famous celebrities of the era. While the restaurant plays host to John Travolta and Uma Thurman’s famous dance scene in Pulp Fiction, Jack Rabbit Slim’s was first mentioned in Reservoir Dogs through a radio commercial.

There you have it, a few choice staples of the Tarantino universe. Do you have any others to add to the list?

Inglourious Basterds hits theaters on August 21, 2009.

Source: MTV News

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