Here or There – Inglorious Bastards/I Love You Man

By Sam Carter

THERE – INGLORIOUS BASTARDS (IN THEATRES)

Actors: Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger, Melanie Laurent, Eli Roth, Mike Myers, BJ Novak

Characters:

• Lt. Aldo Raine is the odd leader of the inglorious bastards
• Shosanna Dreyfus is an escaped Jew who plots revenge on the Nazi’s who slaughtered her family. Col Hans Landa is the creepy and diligent Nazi colonel detective who hunts the Jews and Bastards

Plot: Aldo Raine heads a group of Jewish soldiers dropped into Nazi territory with one mission, to kill Nazi’s. Meanwhile, Shosanna Dreyfus, the owner of a Paris theatre is forced to hold a premier of the newest Nazi propaganda film. The two stories meet in a plan to bring down the Nazi leadership.

Acting/Direction: It is a Quentin Tarantino movie through and through. From his use of interesting music as well as the scattered plots meeting in the end, it takes on the look of his known works. Brad Pitt plays one of his most interesting and funny characters yet. His straightforwardness makes him believable and fun to watch. The acting was quite good as it portrayed interesting characters as well as stayed true to the era the movie was set in.

Laugh out loud moments: Yes a movie about killing Nazi’s had many laugh-out-loud moments. Anytime Brad Pitt was on the screen you could barely hear the dialogue over the laughs. The moments that Tarantino creates are so tense that they cause adrenaline to pump through your veins; this makes the laughter that much better as it comes as a relief from the intensity of some dialogues.

HERE – I Love You Man (DVD)

Actors: Paul Rudd, Jason Segal, Andy Samberg, Rashida Jones, Jaime Pressly, Jon Favreau

Characters:

• Peter Klaven is a socially awkward “girlfriend guy”
• Sidney Fife is a laid-back investment broker
• Zooey Rice is the soon-to-be bride of Peter Klaven
• Robbie Klaven is Peter’s gay brother who enjoys turning straight men

Plot: Peter Klaven is getting married but has no one to stand next to him at the altar as his best man. Having always had girlfriends, he has never made any male friends. After an extensive search and awkward “man-dating” he runs into Sidney Fife. The two begin to get close and Fife is eventually asked to be the best man at Peter’s wedding.

Acting/Direction: As everyone has seen in the past few years, Judd Apatow movies are very well done and very funny. Paul Rudd and Jason Segal have proven time and again that their comedic timing and delivery is spot on. Paul Rudd plays the awkward role as well as anyone, and the secondary characters add to the story very well. Most importantly the chemistry between Segal and Rudd is very evident and makes for hilarious moments throughout the flick.

Laugh out Loud Moments: Of course being a comedy, this is full of these moments. There may be no funnier moment in cinema than when Paul Rudd “slaps the bass.” Okay, maybe a bit of an exaggeration but very funny. People are already quoting this movie and talking about all the hilarious moments. It may not be “Anchorman” quotable but, it is just as funny.

JUDGEMENT – THERE: INGLORIOUS BASTARDS

I Love You Man is a straight forward comedy with a very predictable plot. The characters are loveable, simple and relatable. It is very well done and will have people quoting it and laughing about it for months to come. Inglourious Basterds is very engaging and intense from the very first scene. With the comedy mixed in, the viewer feels every emotion (to its extreme) which makes this movie stand out. The length is a bit much as it lasts three full hours but the payoff is worth it.

Inglorious Basterds is one of the most interesting movies I’ve seen in a long time. The fact that it’s different makes it worth going to see. It’s not for everyone, as it is quite graphic, but even women walking out of the theater were raving about it. So gas up the car, find a date and head to the movies.