andPOP » Inglourious Basterds

Eli Roth Almost Dies

andPOP Staff — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:53:17 +0000

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Eli Roth is a great actor but not a great kayaker (or maybe just an unlucky one). TMZ reports that the “Inglourious Basterds” star was kayaking in Careyes, Mexico and was pulled under by a sinkhole. He further tells TMZ he tried climbing onto a rock covered in sea urchins, but was engulfed by another wave. He tried to remain balanced on the rock until the sea urchins unleashed spikes all over his body.

Luckily a fisherman picked up Roth and took him back to shore. Unfortunately he was greeted by a fan who insisted Roth meet his son. Eli’s response you ask? ”Um, really, I just almost died out there.”

Movie Review: Inglourious Basterds

Ilan Mester — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 01:55:45 +0000

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It only seemed like a matter of time before World War Two was “Tarantino-ized.” After all, it’s the perfect setting for the “Pulp Fiction” director’s self-proclaimed poetry and mind-boggling gore.

Set in the first year of Germany’s occupation of France, “Inglourious Basterds” – a film that’s loosely based on the 1978 Italian war flick “The Inglorious Bastards” – kicks off with Nazi Colonel Hans Landa (played by German actor Christoph Waltz) who’s on the lookout for Jews (he’s literally referred to as the “Jew Hunter”). One of Landa’s searches in the outskirts of France leads him to a Jewish French girl, Shoshana Dreyfus (played by the beautiful Melanie Laurent) – whose family is killed by Landa and his crew.

Simultaneously (but in a different part of Europe) Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) organizes a group of Jewish American soldiers to perform swift acts of retribution. And by retribution, he means Tarantino-style revenge (which translates to gore X 150).

See, Lt. Aldo wants each and every one of his “Basterds” (as they’re nicknamed in the movie) to conclude the mission with 100 Nazi scalps – not in a figurative manner. He actually wants Nazi scalps peeled from their heads. And let’s just say the special effects and makeup department do a damn good job of literally pulling that off. Eventually “The Basterds” cross paths with Shoshana and the two stories mend together.

Odds are you won’t be looking at your watch throughout “Inglourious Basterds” (although you might look away at multiple borderline repulsive scenes in the film, like when Brad Pitt’s character puts his finger directly into another character’s wound).

Only Tarantino can create a movie that combines action-packed gore with an equally powerful screenplay that carries on like rapid fire. All in all, there are four languages spoken in this film (German, Italian, English and French) which could have easily turned “Inglourious Basterds” into a chaotic mess – but that’s not the case, mainly because Tarantino made it clear that he wanted native talent in his film.

And what a relief it is to see Germans play Germans, Americans play Americans and French play French (for the most part), which really adds some authenticity to Tarantino’s take on the Nazi regime.

Waltz’ portrayal of a Nazi colonel is by far the standout performance of “Basterds.” He makes music out of Tarantino’s dialogue with his sly rendition of the character. The actor, who’s relatively unknown outside of Germany, has already won the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival and there’s buzz about an Oscar nomination as well.

French actress Melanie Laurent is equally dead-on with her role. Anyone who’s seen “Kill Bill” knows Tarantino is keen on having strong-willed women in his movies and this is the case for Shoshana and somewhat for German-movie-star-turned-ally, Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger). It’s needless to say Pitt stands out in the movie as Aldo. Although the previews make him out to be the film’s protagonist, be warned that he’s not. Aldo is a cartoon-like character that oozes some comic relief in the gloomy WW2 setting.

Sure “Basterds” is a half hour too long, bounces around like a 1940’s Volkswagen Beetle and drags out some of its scenes, but its greatest flaw is a Mike Myers cameo. Nothing against Myers but come on; who can think of the man outside of comedies like “Austin Powers?”

As is the case for most Tarantino flicks, you either glorify them or in-glorify them. And you might even call him a bastard – whether it be a brilliant one or not.

Inglourious Basterds Trailer

Robert Ostfield — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:02:22 +0000

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The movie comes out tomorrow so check back for our review later tonight. In the meantime here’s the trailer for the film starring Brad Pitt, Eli Roth, and directed by Quentin Tarantino.

Red Carpet Pics: Canadian Premiere Of Inglourious Basterds

Ilan Mester — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:54:39 +0000

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andPOP was at the Canadian premiere of the highly anticipated “Inglourious Basterds,” the latest Quentin Tarantino film. The director himself was present along with Eli Roth, who plays Sgt. Donny Donowitz in the war movie.

The event took place on Aug. 12 at the Scotiabank theatre in Toronto and featured two World War II vehicles mounted with models dressed in ‘40s attire. Hundreds of fans lined the street of the theatre to catch a glimpse of the director and a star of his film.

“Inglourious Basterds” is set in Nazi-occupied France during World War II, where a group of Jewish-American soldiers led by Lt. Aldo Raine (played by Brad Pitt) are chosen to spread fear throughout the Third Reich by killing Nazis. The group, known as “The Basterds,” soon cross paths with a French-Jewish girl who’s escaped a near-death experience.

“Inglourious Basterds” opens in theatres on Aug. 21. Keep checking back for a review of the film.