Inglorious Bastards

macrojack · « **Reply #60 on:** 19 Jan 2010, 10:52 pm »

I thought I explained the violence - it sells tickets. Fresh and clean wholesome films generally don't do well in our market. Americans crave sensationalistic crap. Desperate housewives and people being fired get our motors running. Goofy gays and clowning blacks keep our condescension on track. We worship the wealthy and like to fantasize about being them. We dig brutal hits in football and crashes in NASCAR. We're avid about hospital dramas and police sanctification murder investigations. Does anybody else think it unlikely that cops take a personal interest in every victim and discuss them on a first name basis? We are nutso as a society. I think, given what idiots we are, that QT shows great restraint and, if anything, treats us with more respect than we earn. Roll it.

Kevin Haskins · « **Reply #61 on:** 19 Jan 2010, 10:58 pm »

Quote from: Wind Chaser on 19 Jan 2010, 10:50 pm

Great discussion. Kevin certainly has to be respected for his POV. The older I get and the more I see how our society is changing, the more I am inclined to agree with him.

I'm also cognizant of being a hypocrite. Lots of the stuff I watch has trash in it.

macrojack · « **Reply #62 on:** 19 Jan 2010, 11:06 pm »

They say that we can never be outside ourselves and see ourselves as others see us. That results in all of us turning up as hypocrites with regularity.

Making an effort to come to grips with our inconsistencies causes us to evolve and grow.

QT does appear unrepentant, now that you mention it.

If you had stuck around until the end, Kevin, you would have seen hundreds of films go up in flames. Maybe there were some evil ones in that batch.

ajzepp · « **Reply #63 on:** 19 Jan 2010, 11:07 pm »

Quote from: Kevin Haskins on 19 Jan 2010, 09:40 pm

I really liked Flags of our Fathers and I'm reading the book now.

You should also watch the counterpart, "Sands of Iwo Jima"....it was very well done.

ajzepp · « **Reply #64 on:** 19 Jan 2010, 11:11 pm »

Quote from: JRace on 19 Jan 2010, 10:41 pm

And this movie did a great job at showing us that the Nazis were not the only sadistic terrible people in that war.

True, but I think there is a difference between being sadistic and initiating violence vs. being inspired to vengeance. I've never harmed a fly. I work in healthcare, I love animals, and I treat others the way I want to be treated. However, if, God forbid, you ever touched a hair on my 8 y.o. niece, I would take your last breath and not think twice about it.

We're all capable of horrifying acts, but I think it's the motivation behind them that is the difference.

ajzepp · « **Reply #65 on:** 19 Jan 2010, 11:13 pm »

Quote from: lonewolfny42 on 19 Jan 2010, 05:38 am

And he won the Golden Globe.....it was a good performance..

I was very happy to see that...the guy was just outstanding! I hope the academy follows suit

macrojack · « **Reply #66 on:** 19 Jan 2010, 11:16 pm »

After Viet Nam left America with a serious distaste for war, the warmongers needed to reverse that sentiment among their adoring but reluctant public. Hence, the Greatest Generation ad campaign and the preponderance of glory laden uber patriotic WW II flicks. Tom Hanks led the charge. He even turned up in Bedford, VA. for the much ballyhooed World War II Memorial dedication.

These things might make your chest swell with pride or your eyes well with tears but they are very much an effort at manipulation of your feelings ----
to a much greater degree and in a much more cynical fashion than Tarantino ever would.

S Clark · « **Reply #67 on:** 19 Jan 2010, 11:19 pm »

Tarentino uses evil and violence to appeal to our fascination with the abominable. I agree with Kevin that this is a cheap/easy way to find an audience. Yet a movie can use violence and evil in a way that lets us learn about ourselves and our fellow man. I cannot imagine a mature human being not emotionally shaken by Shindler's List.

Tarentino is a talented, highly stylized director with a knack for violent films. His films can be entertaining, but seldom have depth or real meaning.

ajzepp · « **Reply #68 on:** 19 Jan 2010, 11:22 pm »

Quote from: S Clark on 19 Jan 2010, 11:19 pm

I cannot imagine a mature human being not emotionally shaken by Shindler's List.

The scene where Schindler breaks down, wishing he could have done more than he did, pretty much killed me. I was crying like a baby when I saw that.

Kevin Haskins · « **Reply #69 on:** 19 Jan 2010, 11:25 pm »

Quote from: macrojack on 19 Jan 2010, 11:06 pm

They say that we can never be outside ourselves and see ourselves as others see us. That results in all of us turning up as hypocrites with regularity.

Making an effort to come to grips with our inconsistencies causes us to evolve and grow.

QT does appear unrepentant, now that you mention it.

If you had stuck around until the end, Kevin, you would have seen hundreds of films go up in flames. Maybe there were some evil ones in that batch.

I'm not at the burning books stage. I guess I just prefer that it was a societal norm that it was considered not worth watching.

macrojack · « **Reply #70 on:** 19 Jan 2010, 11:47 pm »

Societal norms!! Boy, I wish I could implant a few of those myself. I'd love to see an end to macho disease. And Limbaugh. And credit card applications in the mail. And TV ads for prescription drugs.

Everything would be so much better if everyone could evolve to my level.
I fear the grasshopper will need to be verrry patient in watching for that to come about. Meanwhile we worry about Tiger Woods and Serena Williams and the new Fox commentator.

No wonder recreational drugs remain popular.

Kevin Haskins · « **Reply #71 on:** 19 Jan 2010, 11:54 pm »

Quote from: macrojack on 19 Jan 2010, 11:16 pm

After Viet Nam left America with a serious distaste for war, the warmongers needed to reverse that sentiment among their adoring but reluctant public. Hence, the Greatest Generation ad campaign and the preponderance of glory laden uber patriotic WW II flicks. Tom Hanks led the charge. He even turned up in Bedford, VA. for the much ballyhooed World War II Memorial dedication.

These things might make your chest swell with pride or your eyes well with tears but they are very much an effort at manipulation of your feelings ----
to a much greater degree and in a much more cynical fashion than Tarantino ever would.

WWII was at least a war with clear moral distinctions. You can look at the event from a lot of perspectives but I challenge you to find a rosy view of a triumphant Nazi Germany and Imperialistic Japan. Sure... our form of Government has its evils but ask the Japanese now who they wish had won the war. The very people who attacked us ended up with a better life and more liberty and security for their average citizen than they would have had if they won the conflict.

Vietnam, Korea or many of our other wars have not been near as pretty. For that reason it is easier to romanticize WWII and the sacrifices that individuals made and it makes for better story telling. Good vs. Evil is a popular theme easy to get behind and when the story has roots in truth. Schindler's List is a great movie but if it were fiction it wouldn't have near the appeal.

S Clark · « **Reply #72 on:** 20 Jan 2010, 12:48 am »

The point I make comparing Shindler to Basterds is that one is great epic storytelling, the other merely jaded "entertainment" in the vein of "Oh yeah, if you think THAT'S disgusting, listen to this..." while both using man's inhumanity to man as a common backdrop.

macrojack · « **Reply #73 on:** 20 Jan 2010, 01:02 am »

Kevin - If a story is not fiction when it enters Hollywood, it surely will be when it emerges.

Kevin Haskins · « **Reply #74 on:** 20 Jan 2010, 01:42 am »

Quote from: macrojack on 20 Jan 2010, 01:02 am

Kevin - If a story is not fiction when it enters Hollywood, it surely will be when it emerges.

I'm with you there.

Kevin Haskins · « **Reply #75 on:** 20 Jan 2010, 01:49 am »

Quote from: S Clark on 20 Jan 2010, 12:48 am

The point I make comparing Shindler to Basterds is that one is great epic storytelling, the other merely jaded "entertainment" in the vein of "Oh yeah, if you think THAT'S disgusting, listen to this..." while both using man's inhumanity to man as a common backdrop.

I agree Mr. Clark. It isn't violence that is the problem. It is the manner in which it is viewed and what is done with it.

Same with sex. It isn't a taboo subject but there is clearly a healthy context for sexuality and an unhealthy one.

droht · « **Reply #76 on:** 20 Jan 2010, 02:56 am »

Quote from: macrojack on 19 Jan 2010, 11:47 pm

Societal norms!! Boy, I wish I could implant a few of those myself. I'd love to see an end to macho disease. And Limbaugh. And credit card applications in the mail. And TV ads for prescription drugs.

Everything would be so much better if everyone could evolve to my level.
I fear the grasshopper will need to be verrry patient in watching for that to come about. Meanwhile we worry about Tiger Woods and Serena Williams and the new Fox commentator.

No wonder recreational drugs remain popular.

jack, you've hit enough nails on the head in this thread to build a small house. Nicely done sir.

S Clark · « **Reply #77 on:** 20 Jan 2010, 05:26 am »

Quote from: Kevin Haskins on 20 Jan 2010, 01:49 am

I agree Mr. Clark....

Obviously, Mr. Haskins is a man of superior breeding and sensitivity, a man of carefully weighed thought and excellent intellect.

jimdgoulding · « **Reply #78 on:** 20 Jan 2010, 06:07 am »

Been a lil philisophical soul bearing this time out. Lil integrity. Thanks for the reassurance.

Tyson · « **Reply #79 on:** 20 Jan 2010, 06:17 am »

The fact that a Tarantino movie can engender this level of intellectual debate and discussion is very interesting...