Post by Eddie Love on Oct 12, 2009 16:59:36 GMT -5
You hit the nail on the head about asking him to stop floating ideas for upcoming pictures that don't materialize. For instance, at the moment he's talking all about how he's going to film Len Deighton's trilogy Berlin Game / Mexico Set / London Match as one three act movie with Kate Winslet. As you can guess from my avatar, I get seriously giddy thinking about this. If it doesn't happen, I will be sorely pissed.
I think some of the ambivalence that people have toward him, even an admirer like me, is that he's a sensational filmmaker, but will attach his name to other films (ala "Quentin Tarentino Presents") that are nowhere near in his class. I'm sure he does this to advance his friends and people he admires, but it taints his own name when these pictures suck. For instance, I know you guys didn't like Hostel, although I confess I did -- but did anyone ever see the neo-biker movie he produced called Hellride? I'm sorry, but save for some gratuitous nudity, that was aggressively unwatchable. Same with the Modesty Blaize prequel he produced. And the original Inglorious Bastards. Scorsese and Spielberg serve as producers on pictures, but don't go so far out there to promote them. He should cut down or dial back on this.
Having said all this I loved Inglorious Basterds which I thought was a visionary exploration, not of duologue as maybe others of his films are, but of language. I mentioned on this board once that I love to watch Peter Cushing because he's so physical, I love watching a star's individual skills on display. I don't think there's ever been a film that showcased the cast's facility with different tongues as being central not just to their performances but to the story. The character's expressing themselves, or failing to, in different languages was central to everything that happened and QT's highlighting a cast's abilities in this regard was something no filmmaker has ever done. Even when the actors convey that they don't understand what's going on, it's thrilling.
Also, this film reminded me of first seeing The Right Stuff or Fast Times at Ridgemont High, because you were seeing actors you didn't know who you knew you were going to see again and again. The main heavy has gotten a lot of praise, but I would also cite Shoshanna and the British film critic as also being revelations. I can't imagine anyone seeing this film and not wanting to talk about it for hours after and ruminate about for days.
I think some of the ambivalence that people have toward him, even an admirer like me, is that he's a sensational filmmaker, but will attach his name to other films (ala "Quentin Tarentino Presents") that are nowhere near in his class. I'm sure he does this to advance his friends and people he admires, but it taints his own name when these pictures suck. For instance, I know you guys didn't like Hostel, although I confess I did -- but did anyone ever see the neo-biker movie he produced called Hellride? I'm sorry, but save for some gratuitous nudity, that was aggressively unwatchable. Same with the Modesty Blaize prequel he produced. And the original Inglorious Bastards. Scorsese and Spielberg serve as producers on pictures, but don't go so far out there to promote them. He should cut down or dial back on this.
Having said all this I loved Inglorious Basterds which I thought was a visionary exploration, not of duologue as maybe others of his films are, but of language. I mentioned on this board once that I love to watch Peter Cushing because he's so physical, I love watching a star's individual skills on display. I don't think there's ever been a film that showcased the cast's facility with different tongues as being central not just to their performances but to the story. The character's expressing themselves, or failing to, in different languages was central to everything that happened and QT's highlighting a cast's abilities in this regard was something no filmmaker has ever done. Even when the actors convey that they don't understand what's going on, it's thrilling.
Also, this film reminded me of first seeing The Right Stuff or Fast Times at Ridgemont High, because you were seeing actors you didn't know who you knew you were going to see again and again. The main heavy has gotten a lot of praise, but I would also cite Shoshanna and the British film critic as also being revelations. I can't imagine anyone seeing this film and not wanting to talk about it for hours after and ruminate about for days.
