Episode 105

[RSS]

In this episode of Dread Media, Desmond Reddick celebrates two years in style when Brian Keene stops by to chat about comics, movies, and those things called horror novels. Darryll and I take in the gloury of Inglourious Basterds, and Brother D drops by to wrap up Summer Knights with part two of our discussion on the Blind Dead series. Make sure to hit up MOZ 83 at www.mailorderzombie.com for part one. On top of all that, there's the New Horror Handbook giveaway results, feedback, and the following terror tunes: "Scarecrow Man" by The Misfits, "Here Come the Bastards" by Primus, "Cat People (Putting Out the Fire)" by David Bowie, "Night of the Seagulls End Title" by Anton Garcia Abril, and "Rabbia E Tarantella" by Ennio Morricone. [ 2:23:00 || 65.6 MB ]

The above is from: http://www.earth-2.net/podcasts/dreadmedia/episodes/dreadmedia_105.mp3

[Venneh]

Goddamn my being at work right now.

Will listen to this when I get home this evening.

[Dread]

I appreciate the excitement, but it'll be there when you get home

[Venneh]

Probably. It just gives me another reason to hope that the next two-and-a-half hours goes quicker. And more to look forward to on Thursday.

[Stavros]

Congrats Des, two years is a heck of an achievement, here's hoping you can manage a couple more before they come for you.

Re Ing Bas- I think you overrate this film by quite a bit. The opening and the bar scene were Tarantino at his sprawling indulgent best, and the lead to and execution of the finale was very well put together, but like Daryll said, there was some connectivity missing here, it didn't feel like a fully realised film. Plus as you mentioned the Basterds were depressingly absent for much of it. I liked it, I'm just not putting it up on a pedestal with Pulp Fiction, or Jackie Brown. The sheer tension of those great scenes means it eclipses Death Proof and Kill Bill pt. II, but I'm not sure it places above anything else he's done.

Christoph Woltz and Melenie Laurent are incredible finds though, Mike Myers aside I thought the casting was superb. Myers looked like he'd stepped straight out of Wayans Bros War Movie, it completely contradicted the black humour that had been running through the whole film.

[Dread]

See, the only complaints I've heard are the ones I have: plot-lite, and very little of the titular characters. Besides that it is a spectacular film.

Not as amazing as Jackie Brown or as smart or tight as Reservoir Dogs but it's next to those in my opinion.

I've always found Pulp Fiction to be relentlessly pretentious. I can't stand that movie. Not as bad as Death Proof though. Kill Bills are fun but not weighty. I feel that IB captures the best Tarantino has done and wraps it into one package.

[D-Man]

I actually feel that Kill Bill, taken as a whole, is more "weighty" than Inglorious Basterds. IB feels a little like a highlight reel for a film Tarantino would like to make. Setting aside the tenuous connective tissue forming an over arching plot, consider the almost complete lack of relationship between characters. I didn't feel a single emotional connection between any of the characters beyond their lightly sketched personalities and their context to the story. I submit for your consideration:

Exhibit A: The Basterds themselves. In a Tarantino world I would liken the Basterds to a WW2 version of Mr. Pink and the gang from Resevoir Dogs. However, while the Dogs were superbly fleshed out individually and in relation to one another the Basterds were not given a single opportunity to banter among themselves or establish any differences outside their defined jewish soldier Nazi scalpers existence. I wanted to know these guys. What did they talk about when they weren't scalping Nazis? How did the Boston guy get along with the Brooklyn guy get along with the Harvard guy (if such existed. I wouldn't know). Our view of the Basterds is seen only through the lens of Lt. Aldo Reigns. A colorful and entertaing lens to be sure but a narrow one, none the less.

Exhibit B: The love triangle (or lack thereof) between Shosanna, Pvt. Zoller and Marcel. In my review, I likened Shosanna to the Bride from Kill Bill. In KB it is around the Bride's relationships and histories with the other characters which the film pivots. The same should have been true for Shosanna since her motivations are very similar to the Bride's. But her relationships in the film suffer from a descending scale of sketchiness and lack of dimension in character development. Shosanna herself we come to know (in no particular order) as jewish, beautiful, revenge fueled, cool, brave and kind of a non conformist during a time when non conformity could get you killed (see brave). Oh, and she runs a movie house in Paris. Not bad. All the ingredients are there for a truly three dimensional character but my emotional investment in her was never as strong as my unabashed love for the Bride. Her would be suitor, Zoller is defined by how others view him and how he wishes to be viewed. A movie buff, a movie star, a hero, a soldier, a lover, a killer, a political pawn. He's obviously a sociopath who is enjoying his newfound fame and looking for a partner to share it with but Shosanna is not once fooled or charmed by his charade. Neither are we, the audience. Zoller is rendered, then, by his transparent nature into a merely two dimensional character. Lastly we come to Marcel. This won't take long. He's black, he's a projectionist in Paris, He loves Shosanna. That's it. He barely has any lines. He's probably the single most one dimensional character ever in a Tarantino film except maybe for that kid that gets his head blown off in the backseat of that car in Pulp Fiction. Who the hell is this guy? What's his story? He didn't have a single scene together with Zoller, his competitor for Shosanna's heart. He doesn't once get to assert himself once in the film. He simply follows Shosanna's orders without question. He is not really a character at all. He is a plot device. Something to allow Shosanna to talk to herself without actually talking to herself and to allow her character to, essentially, be in two places at once; The projection booth and behind the screen, lighting the film canisters. I hold up poor, flimsy, undeveloped Marcel, higher even than the strict Basterd rationing, as my prime example of what was wrong with this picture. My 4.5 rating still stands but it stands with the above caveats to consider.

[Guest]

HA! Brian Keene loves Crossed!

Eat it Reddick!

[Venneh]

Just got back from Inglorious Basterds.

I really liked it; there were some points at which I was squirming

(the finger in leg wound = OW)

, and towards the end the suspense actually had my heart pounding.

One minor nitpick, and I agree with Des on this; this felt more like Shoshanna's film than it did any of the Basterd's, more fleshing out on their end that could've been done. We only know basic differentiating things about each of the Basterds, but that's really about it.

Waltz and Laurent and Roth stole the show.

And also Eli Roth was really hot

But, good first Tarantino.