Inglourious Basterds

We had Valkyrie, Black Book, and the movie with James Bond as a Jew fighting against the Nazis?!? Defiance.
I guess the word got out in Hollywood that World War 2 movies were in Vogue. I hope not to see too many more. I.B. is just ok. The story takes place in Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a group of Jewish-American soldiers known as "The Basterds" are chosen specifically to spread fear throughout the Third Reich by scalping and brutally killing Nazis.
I expected new creative visions from the man who gave us Pulp Fiction but like Orson Welles Quentin Tarantino may have peaked too soon. I. B. is in chapters similar to Kill Bill and has very long dialogue, as always in Tarantino movies, which leads to a climatic scene ending.
Nothing fresh and nothing new except for actor Christoph Waltz as Col. Hans Landa who is amazing to watch and keeps you interested in the movie. Brad Pitt, as always, gives a great performance. Also Mélanie Laurent is striking as Shosanna Dreyfus. Some critics will love this movie because films are finally being shown with Jewish people fighting back. I expect more of these movies to come.

Verdict: Quentin Tarantino has lost his cool.

Michael Jackson's Final Days - Sunset Blvd.

Almost 60 years ago a great movie was released that was disturbing for it’s time.
It’s amazing how many parallels there are in the classic movie Sunset Boulevard and the last days of Michael Jackson.
Norma Desmond played by silent film star Gloria Swanson had a chimp, MJ had Bubbles
Norma Desmond was 50 yrs. old , so was MJ.
Norma Desmond mimics Charlie Chaplin in the film with full costume, MJ was an Icon like Charlie Chaplin.
Norma Desmond was past her prime and trying to make a comeback, so was MJ.
Norma Desmond tried to make her face look young in the movie, MJ always tried.
Norma Desmond was a white woman, MJ ended up looking like a white woman.
And finally Norma Desmond lived in a large home isolated from the world at large and had purchased expense, gaudy, weird crap to fill her home, so did MJ.

Great line from the flick :You’re Norma Desmond, you used to make silent films, you used to be big. I am big, it’s the pictures that got small”.

Verdict: Watch late at night with all the lights off to get the full creepy effect of this black and white classic. Some may find this film campy but it is one of Billy Wilder’s best movie. William Holden is also great, and this was a comeback movie for him. For film buffs this is a movie that should be studied scene by scene. It was groundbreaking for it’s time and has been copied over and over again in films and television. M.J. may have been a fan.

District 9

I am one of the few people who could not get into watching Lord of the Rings. Don’t get me wrong, I tried to watch it 2 times however I couldn’t get past the little people running in the forest in and out of trees. I think they were the Hobbits. After Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson was herald as a great director. I gave him another chance with the 2005 remake of King Kong. It was a bloated mess and it only made me want to see the original black and white masterpiece with Fay Wray.
Which brings me to Peter Jackson’s new movie District 9.
It was everything you want a summer movie to be. New ideas, great special effects (way better than P.J.s King Kong) and fresh talent. The theater I attended on Day 1 of it’s opening was packed so the word was already out that this was something worth seeing. The story is about an extraterrestrial race forced to live in slum-like conditions on Earth suddenly find a kindred spirit in a government agent that is exposed to their biotechnology.
Peter Jackson is the producer of this movie and director Neill Blomkamp does a great job of pacing and character development. There was not a slow period in the movie.
Newcomer Sharlto Copley, as the lead actor, does a great job of nailing his character and I hope to see him again. I may be stretching it here but he reminded me of a method actor in the same vein as Pacino & DeNiro. Only time will tell.
Verdict: Must See! I HIGHLY recommend this movie.

GI Joe

It’s been a horrible summer for movies however GI Joe may be a sleeper hit.
Summer movie hits are all about seeing things on screen that you have never seen before. This is where GI Joe scores. There are action scenes and special effects that are presented that you have not seen in any other movie. Also the action is non stop so there is no time to think about the story because your eyes are being entertained with action, hotties, the big dude from OZ, and that evil dude from the Mummy movies.
The story is about an elite military unit comprised of special operatives known as G.I. Joe, operating out of The Pit (their headquarters), takes on an evil organization led by a notorious arms dealer. In other words take The Fantastic Four and mix it with Star Wars and you have GI Joe. I didn’t expect much from this movie because a Waynans brother was in it. That usually spells doom, however Marlon does a decent job without becoming Jamie Foxx’s character in that poor movie Stealth.
I never knew what the big deal was about Sienna Miller. I didn’t think much of her as an actress however she is great as badass Ana in this movie. Rachel Nichols also has a breakthrough role as Shanna.

Verdict: This ain't the GI Joe puppet we grew up with. Movie is worth the wait, on a cool scale of 1-10 this movie is a 9.

Have they started on a Sapronos movie?

Cast members have stated that a screenplay is in the works.
According to Cinemablend, Sopranos star Lorraine Bracco stated, “We’ve all talked to [series creator] David [Chase] to give him a kick in the booty to get [the screenplay] right.”
In regards to rumours of Jimmy G. holding up the works, Bracco stated: “I don’t think it’s that at all…I think it’s really trying to get the right script. Without the right script, it’s really not worth doing.”
I guess Tony didn't die at the end. My guess is that the movie will be out Summer of 2011, what do you think?