August 24, 2009
Back to Work
I spent most of the last week writing a couple of pieces that will be published elsewhere (I have to make a living, after all), but will be linked here when they're available online.
I'm also working on my book again, and I should be able to finish it by the end of the year. It's about 40 percent finished now. I could probably finish it within two months if I could drop everything and work on it exclusively, but I don't want to "go dark" for that long. I'll tell you more about the book later, when I have something more that I can announce other than the fact that I'm spending about 25 hours a week on it.
In the meantime, stand by and I'll have some fresh material for you here shortly.
Oh, and by the way – Go see Inglourious Basterds.
Michael,
I'm flying to Berlin in a couple days for a two-week vacation and I'm looking forward to seeing Inglorious Basterds with a bunch of Germans. I'll let you know how that turns out. Having lived in Germany a couple times, I know that they're not going to get some of the humor. But it should be fun, nonetheless.
*
at August 24, 2009 11:37 AM
By the way, the discussions of the Youtube clip of Inglorious Basterds in German are really interesting. The range of comments is wide, coming from all angles, with some of the debates being pretty heated. If you can read German, check it out. Here's one comment:
ABSOLUTER MIST!!!!
Welcher normale Mensch schaut sich einen Film an in dem tonnenweise das Blut der eigenen Großväter und Urgroßväter an die Wand spritzt???
Sie sagen Nazis und meinen uns Deutsche!
My loose translation:
ABSOLUTE SHIT!!!!
What kind of normal person watches a film in which he hears the sound of his own grandfather's and great-grandfather's blood spurting against the wall???
They say Nazis and think about we Germans!
*
Posted by: Jeffrey
at August 24, 2009 12:07 PM
I totally agree about the movie! Totally shocking and hilarious at the same time. Typical Tarantino in that regard. I loved it. Completely low brow movie that I have no doubt I am going to remember for years to come :)
Posted by: programmmer_craig at August 24, 2009 6:04 PM
They say Nazis and think about we Germans!
Wait until you see the movie and you'll probably understand why they feel that way :)
Posted by: programmmer_craig at August 24, 2009 6:07 PM
Craig,
I'll be in Berlin on Friday morning, so either that night or Saturday night I plan to see it. I'm really looking forward to getting in line at the theater. Who knows? Maybe there will be a Neo-Nazi protest outside. That in itself would be worth the price of the ticket.
*
Posted by: Jeffrey at August 24, 2009 7:33 PM
Really funny movie, in that Tarantino way, but he also threads the tragedy and horror of the period more subtly and persuasively than I would have expected from him. Very good flick.
Posted by: AZZenny at August 25, 2009 8:00 AM
Michael,
I won't be seeing this movie. It bothers me that Q. Tarantino would cravenly pick such a safe target as the Nazis for his psychotic cinema. Had he gone after some narco-terrorists, Islamic-fascists, PETA nutcases, etc. I'd at least have given him some backhanded credit for picking a target worthy of his strange movingmaking talent. As it is he's just another in a long line of left leaning Hollywood knuckleheads who don't recognize murderous behavior happening after 1945 outside of Germany. Count me out.
at August 25, 2009 10:50 AM
I must agree with makrb here.
Another "Dirty dozen" like flick is hardly needed.
However, if Tarantino's goal was simply to entertain, then Kill Bill Vol. [whatever] would've been much better choice.
at August 27, 2009 5:32 AM
Mike, I hope that book is something along the lines of a, "Mike & Sean's excellent adventure" travel adventure/comedy. To Northern Kurdisatan/Iraq from Turkey in just a few days during the unstable war years? It just about writes itself
Posted by: Mike at August 27, 2009 1:59 PM
I saw the movie twice now.
I've thought over my impressions a few times -
1) Entertaining while viewing it, though the middle dragged a bit.
2) The ending was over the top and I think a little cheesey at that as Tarrantino tried to emulate another 70's movie, Carrie, I thought.
3) Tarrantino actually has A LOT of subtle intelligently crafted digs at the Germans and Nazis... most Americans will not pick these up but the Europeans likely will.
4) The carving of a Nazi swasticka was an ingenius FU to the Germans.
5) I don't know if its just me but I felt like Tarrantino went between over the top 70s pulp fiction parody style and serious points, I'm not sure if it worked though most would chalk that up to Tarrantino style and it could be me wanting Tarrantino to have a slightly more serious well done movie about this topic, which he pulled off very nicely in several parts.
6) My feelings after leaving the movie is one that tasted good during viewing but after didn't feel as impressionable.
I really thought Tarrantino could have made a phenomenal movie because of the way he portrayed some historical contexts in the movie extremely well if not simplistically sometimes.
Mike
Posted by: Mike_Nargizian at September 2, 2009 11:55 AM
