50/50: Inglourious Basterds

Well, I did it. I managed to get through my first official 50 films list.

Within the next few days I will have a recap of the 50 films, but first let's get to my final film - and boy was it worth the wait.

I don't know why I have waited so long to get into Quentin Tarantino films. I watched Jackie Brown in the theaters when it first came out, but that was my first and only film of his I had ever watched. And, although I enjoyed it, is quite possibly his worst film.

I'll tell you one thing, I will definitely have a hard time picking which of his films is my favorite - because I absolutely loved Inglourious Basterds.

The film is basically an alternate version of Nazi takeover in Paris, France.

First, we meet Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz), or 'The Jew Hunter' as he has been named for his outstanding ability to locate the Jewish inhabitants - which he is now doing in Paris.

On the other side of things we have 'The Basterds', a band of Jewish-American military men led by Lt. Aldo Raine, or 'Aldo the Apache'. His motto is to kill every Nazi in uniform that they find - and every man is to bring him 100 Nazi scalps.

So those are the main characters, but we are also introduced (sort of) to Shosanna (Melanie Laurent) in the very first scene with Col. Landa. She is the only one to escape a mass murder and ends up as the owner of a theater.

What is so relevant about this? Well, it just so happens that her theater is now the home of 'Nazi Night', where a new film by Joseph Goebbels (Sylvester Groth) will be shown - and a ton of Nazi officials will be in attendance. So, it's obvious that 'The Basterds' will do their best to hit this theater and take out as many Nazis at once as they can.

But, what actually happens is pretty interesting.

First off, just amazing acting all around. Two standouts, however, as Brad Pitt and Christoph Waltz were just downright spectacular. Laurent, who I had never heard of before, was also a standout as Shosanna.

Second, Mike Myers was in this film. Yeah, that Mike Myers. You know, Wayne? Schwing?

And, you know what. He was great in his small role. It actually gave me hope that Myers could do something outside of comedy (the cameo reminded me a lot of Cruise in Tropic Thunder, but just not as long).

I was worried a little about the blood and gore factor in this film, as I had heard it was a little more than in his previous films - but it wasn't too bad. Nothing was too much for me to handle.

The only true question I had coming away from the film was where was Samm Levine's character at the conclusion of the film? Levine played Pfc. Hirschberg, part of 'The Basterds'. But, at the conclusion - when I believe everyone has been accounted for, he is missing. I just found it odd that he was introduced, but lost at the end.

So, there you have it. My final film - and I am glad I went out with a bang. If you haven't seen it, make sure you do.

Grade:

Freaks & Geeks

With the huge explosion of all things Judd Apatow nowadays, I felt it was only right for me to try and check out his original television show, Freaks & Geeks.
The show was on NBC during the 1999-2000 television schedule, but unfortunately due to low viewership was canceled after only 12 episodes had aired. The show, however, did complete filming 18 episodes which are now available on DVD.

I have only watched three episodes so far, but I am pretty entertained.

The show is more of a dramedy, which is hard to believe coming from a guy like Apatow - but then again if you think 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up all had underlying messages, despite the outrageous comedy factor.

Anyway, Freaks & Geeks is about Lindsay Weir (Linda Cardellini) and her brother Sam (John Francis Daley).

From the pilot, we learn that Lindsay is starting to rebel after the death of her grandmother, whom she was really close. She was formally a mathlete, straight-A student, and best friends with Millie Kentner (Sarah Hagan), a very relgious girl.

She sort of veers from that path of life into trying to fit in with the "Freaks". These are the kids who would rather skip class, smoke and could care less about high school. The main "Freak" is Dan Desario (James Franco), whom it is obvious Lindsay has a bit of a thing for. He is followed by his two friends, Nick Andopolis (Jason Segel) and Ken Miller (Seth Rogen). A fourth "Freak", Kim Kelly (Busy Phillips), is Dan's on-and-off girlfriend, and gives Lindsay a bit of a hard time.

On the other side of things, Sam is a freshman in high school who is considered a "Geek". He hangs around with his two best friends, Neal Schweiber (Samm Levine) and Bill Haverchuck (Martin Starr). They are in between trying to figure out what is cool and not - and also trying to not get beaten up by Alan White (Chauncey Leopardi).

It's sort of amazing to see the amount of people getting their start in this show. Linda Cardellini now plays Sam Taggart on ER. James Franco has shot up the A-list movie star, especially with the role as Harry Osborne in Spiderman. Jason Segel, despite being part of the new Apatow Universe, is now a star on How I Met Your Mother. Seth Rogen is the king of the Apatow Universe now, and is bringing Martin Starr along with him in smaller roles. John Francis Daley now plays Dr. Lance Sweets on Bones. Samm Levine, however, is due to star in the new Quentin Tarantino movie.

Though I am only three episodes in, I am upset I didn't watch this show from the start. It's just another show that never truly got a chance in this day and age of neilson ratings. A lot of great shows have been canceled due to bad ratings, which usually comes from bad marketing.

Give this show a look if you happen to like the Apatow movies or any of the above people.

I am hoping to check out Apatow's second television try in Undeclared when I am finished. Another show that probably didn't get it's fair shake.