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So last night I'm watching Inglorius Basterds, not on purpose mind you I just happen to be flipping through the channels and came across it during the first scene and started watching.  I didn't realize it was IB until the second scene.  Anyway I watch the whole thing and I get to the end and I'm like WTF was THAT and then I realize my mistake when the credits roll.  I just don't get Quentin Tarantino movies.  It's not that they are bad movies, I just don't understand them.  What is the point?  Is there a point? Are his movies just an excuse to show as much violence as possible?  If I were to list my top 5 most overated movies, IB, Pulp Fiction and Reservior Dogs would be on the list.  Not that they are "bad" movies, but they just don't deserve all the accolades they get, not when there are so many really good movies out there.

So how about the rest of you.  Do you "get" Quentin Tarantino movies?

I have not seen the movie, nor do I plan to. 

Not a big fan of movies set during World War II that portray the Nazi's as the victims of war crimes and portray Jews as brutal war criminals with no regard for the rules of war. 

I rank Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs as two of my favorite all time movies.

Hoodie, they really don't portray Nazis as victims in the film. I guess if someone was really trying to define things as we do in our society they would of course call the Nazis as victims, but the movie isn't designed to create any empathy towards them. At least I didn't feel any.

Like Phishmeister, I consider Pulp Fiction to be one of the great movies of my generation, and Reservoir Dogs isn't too far down that list as well.  I haven't seen Inglorious Basterds yet, though the fact that you put it in the same sentence as Pulp Fiction (even in a negative way) makes me want to watch it even more.

^^ Don't get me wrong, I know there are a lot of folks that love QT films, so obviously there must be something there that appeals to people, but personally I just don't "get" them.  Even watching IB last night there were parts of the move that I really enjoyed (the bar scene), but when I got to the end of the movie, I just have no reaction to it.  It just doesn't do anything for me.  Most movies invoke some kind of reaction from me and the stronger the reaction I get the better the movie is for me, but after IB I was like that's it?  That's the end?  What was I suppose to feel?  It doesn't engage me in any way.  And that's the same response I had to pulp fiction and for the most part Reservoir dogs.

I consider Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs two of the best movies I've ever seen. (Modern, of course.)
However, Kill Bill just does it for my necessary kick-ass woman side. Uma Thurman as The Bride was perfection.

First of all you have to look at the director.
Quentin is inspired by old 60's and 70's campy B movies. Many of his trade mark styles are actually homages to old B movies and cult movies few of the mainstream viewers have ever seen.
IB was actually his take on a campy Italian film of the same name. There are multiple aspects from Kill Bill that came from the spaghetti western Death Ridea on a Horse.
As someone who loves the spaghetti western genre and the old campy martial arts movies, I appreciate what he does in his movies. Also if you think his movies are just seeing how much violence you can stuff into 120 mins, watch some of the old spaghetti westerns or martial arts movies.

I hear ya Pappy, you and I are on a lonely-ass boat on this one. I don't get the fascination with his movies either.

I think we need a bigger boat..... :D

As I have not seen the film, I can not comment on whether the film the Nazis are designed to be sympathetic characters or fully warranting the violence imposed on them nor if the Jews are designed to be seen as justified vigilantes or ruthless bastards. 

However, the plot summary makes it clear that the the events of the movie portrays the Jews engaging in conduct clearly in violation of every international agreement regarding the conduct of war, including the killing of those who have surrendered and are unarmed and torcher.  The victims of this violation of international law are the nazis.

The title suggest the even if the Nazis are not designed to be seen as sympathetic, the fictional Jews are designed to be seen ruthless killers who engage in behavior no more acceptable by international standards than the what the real Nazis did during WWII. 

This is not a movie I plan to watch. 
 

Yeah, because there's no way that a Jewish person could be a ruthless killer...or do anything illegal or immoral.

(the roll-eyes smiley is a given)

::)   ::)    ::)

It is a movie Hoodie. I realize you are Jewish (I think I remember that) and this subject matter can be difficult but in movies we have "heroes" that break rules quite often. I enjoy movies for what they are, entertainment. I don't look too deeply into movies like this and don't care about international law. I respect your opinion, I just think you are looking too deeply into it. For two hours I was able to see the good guys do what I wanted them to do. If that meant bashing a Nazi with a baseball bat in order to get information, more power to them. Batman was a vigilante, but since his story was originally geared toward a younger audience the violence is toned down. Do you skip Batman movies because he breaks the law?

Ok, I "get" that.  He's poking fun at things, I "get" that.  I really enjoyed all the Wayan's brothers Scary Movies, moreso than the movies they are making fun of, but are they the best movies of their time?  Hardly.  How can you compare a movie like IG with Schindler's list or Saving Private Ryan for example?  You can't.  There's NO comparision IMHO.  I don't get that.

I wouldn't make that comparison. I would however put Pulp Fiction into that class of movie.

On my list of "meaningful movies" that affected the way I view the film industry, both Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan are way up there...right along with Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs.


Warning: Saying something complimentary about the Wayans brothers movies after saying you don't like Tarantino Films is a sure way to make me go "what is this dude thinking?" Comparing a Wayans brothers movie to anything done by Tarantino is like comparing a Jehovah's Witness leaflet that someone hands you at the bus stop with an original print run copy of "Lord of the Flies."

How would you compare Pulp Fiction to a movie like the Godfather or Goodfellas?  I consider those movies some the best of the time and far outclass Pulp Fiction IMHO.

Well okay maybe that was a bit of a bad example, but I think you know what I mean.  How about a movie like "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb".  Is that a better example?  I didn't really care for that movie either, but I think it's a closer comparision to a Tarrantino movie.  I've seen Pulp fiction described as making fun of something that's not funny.  I think that's pretty close to what it does and what the above movie did as well.  Not bad movies in my opinion, but don't compare to the best.

Batman is pure fiction.  IB is a fictional movie set in a historical setting. I skipped Pocahontas because I did not like Disney's distortion of history.  On the other hand I had no problem with them deviating from the original plot of the Hunchback of Notre Dame.  

Also I am not fan of gratuitous violence in movies. Violence has a place in movies, but just to see 2 hours of people getting killed is not my idea of entertainment.  I was not entertained by Indepence Day.  Gratuitous female nudity on the other is just fine for a movie.  

I watched part of Pulp Fiction but thought it was pointless.  

The plot of IB sounds stupid.  I am not watching it.  I have that right.

I would put all three on my list of favorites. Saying any are better is almost impossible. I just don't compare things that way. I don't really know that I can say I enjoy any of them more than the others. I just know I enjoy watching all three.

I am not saying that.  But during this historical period of time there was a clear evil and clear victim.  QT has them backwards. 

Perhaps this is my problem.  I hear people say that Pulp Fiction is one of their favorite movies and I take that to mean it's better than most other movies, yet perhaps they simply don't make a big distinction between a lot of movies.  Like you said you enjoy watching all three.  There are parts of Pulp Fiction that I really enjoyed with excellent dialogue and acting, but when I view the movie as a whole, it doesn't have the same impact upon me that others do.  Perhaps it's not suppose to and I can respect that and yet in my humble opinion if that's the case it's lacking something the others are not, therefore they are better movies.

That's just my opinion, I could be wrong.

Why are Tarantino Films considered some of the best ever?

You can not like him, and I get that -- he does  a lot of things that may turn you off, however, it's pretty undeniable that he's unique in what he does.  ...and he has a distinct style that sets him apart from other story tellers.  Let's talk Pulp Fiction.  He tells the story out of order, he all but invented the idea of fantastic characters in fantastic settings talking about very regular things.  That's now been copied over and over, but he popularized it.  When's the last time you saw two gangsters on their way to a hit talking about the differences between McDonalds in America vs. Amsterdam or the sensuality of a foot massage?  Also, he uses these moments to build tension.  There is a scene in Pulp Fiction where two gangsters are at a guy's house to collect money, and Sam Jackson's character starts asking the guy about his lunch.  They talk all about how he loves burgers, but doesn't eat them often and he even politely asks for a drink of the guy's soda.  Then, he abruptly shoots another dude lying on the couch.  These scenes build real tension, but through non-conventional means.  The opening scene of Inglorious Basterds (with the farmhouse and the guy drinking milk and talking about languages) does this better than any film I've ever seen.  There is an incredible amount of tension, and yet nobody is really talking about danger, but we can infer that it's there.

To Hoodie

If you aren't a fan of Tarantino and don't want to watch Inglorious Basterds, that's cool.  However, your stated reasons for not wanting to watch it are a gross, gross misrepresentation of the film.  First off, to say that it's a fictional story set in a historical setting is not even really all that accurate.  It's more of an alternate universe and it's very clear that this is not historical fiction....just fiction (the ending cements this).  It also does some really interesting things with the portrayal of both Nazis and Jews, by flipping the script on them.  The Nazis are very much portrayed as real, calculated evil, being done by real people, rather than the comic-book one-dimensional Nazis that film usually gives us.  On the other hand, the Inglorious Basterds are a complete comical group of bad-asses.  These are not real characters and are portrayed a lot more like super-heroes.  It's like revenge-porn for Jews, if anything.

Also, the villain in Inglorious Basterds is up there with Hannibal Lecter as one of the best ever.  The character is fantastic and the actor's performance is even better.  The guy is amazing.

The beautiful thing about opinions is there is no right or wrong.

You're talking crazy.  That's not the case at all.  ...at all.

Your idea of what the film is is way, way, way off.

^^^ Not only is his interpretation of the film wrong, his interpretation of history is a bit off as well. The Allies most certainly committed war crimes (which apparently we cannot mention because the Nazis committed crimes as well) just as every waring nation has committed crimes during war.

Holy crap man. If that wasn't entertaining to you then what kind of movies do you like? By the way, I finally saw IB about a month or two ago and it was nothing like I thought it would be. I thought there would be a lot of violence, shooting, clubbing, etc..., but there wasn't. It was a pretty good movie and it shows everyone in a negative light so I don't think there is any kind of bias.

Comedies  --  Animal House, Caddy Shack, All of Mel Brooks movies, Stripes, etc.

quality dramas- Crimson Tide, A Few Good Men, Goodwill Hunting, Mr. Holland's Last Opus.  etc. 

SciFi - that has a plot and is more than just things getting blown up -- Star Wars, Star Trek, Harry Potter, etc.

I don't know if he's unique, but he is different, I acknowledge that.  I think there have been a few others before and after him that have done some things similar to what he does.  In fact in some ways he gets his ideas from other films.  That's Ok, I just don't see what he does as unique.

I agree.  This is actually the reason that I stopped to watch the movie in the first place.  I really liked this first scene and I liked the scene in the tavern and I liked the scene where he is eating pastry with the girl.  There's obviously a lot of tension throughout all those scenes and yet they are merely 3 memorable scenes in a jumbled mess of a movie.  I had no clear concept of what it was QT is trying to say with the movie other than it's like all of his other movies.

Yes he has a style.  But that's all he has, a style.  Where is the substance?  Can he do something MORE than just his style or can he make his style work in a movie that has a real story to tell.  Maybe that's a bit much to ask, but then that's what I expect of a truly great movie.  I very much enjoyed a movie called Memento (I wouldn't put it as one of my favorites, but I liked it much better than IB) because it has a pretty unique style, but in that movie the style actually makes the story work.  It's essential to make the story and what makes it a good movie.  Now maybe that was true for Pulp Fiction as well, in fact that's kinda the point of Pulp Fiction, it's not really about the story, it's about the style and I can appreciate that and Pulp Fiction is probably his best work, but lets see him do something else now.  His style was not really needed for IB, it's just accepted now that a QT film will be done in his style, but it's getting old now.

I enjoyed the 2 hours I spent watching IB, but I probably won't watch it again and I probably will forget it rather quickly.  Great movies are movies that I want to watch over and over because they are so powerful and they'll remain in my thoughts for a long time to come.

Here's a few of what I would consider my favorites.  I'm sure it's not all encompassing, I just tried to pick a couple from different genres.  I sorted them alphabetically because it would be extremely hard to try to sort them best to worst.  Feel free to rip me on my choices.

12 Angry Men
2001: A Space Odyssey
A Few Good Men
Avatar
Blade Runner
Braveheart
Bridge Over the River Kwai
Goodfellas
It's a Wonderful Life
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Platoon
Saving Private Ryan
Schindler's List
Shawshank Redemption
Silence of the Lambs
Spy Game
Star Wars
The Deer Hunter
The Godfather
The Lord of the Rings
The Sixth Sense
Twelve Monkeys
Unforgiven

Let's just make this perfectly clear: There is no such thing as gratuitous female nudity.

He is not really poking fun at things. He is a very astute observer of all things pop culture, and he is an incredible student of all things movies to include genres of movies that are in the realm of cult classics that have gotten very little viewership by the mainstream.
He is paying homage to these older movies by using and updating gimmicks and ground breaking ideas 30-40 years ago that few people ever saw.
Resevior Dogs was not a huge hit, and Pulp Fiction was not as big as many other movies, but you see many, many directors trying to copy his style.
If you were going to compare QT to any director, I would pick Sam Peckinpaw as he was ahead of his time with violent movies and many of his movies were not fully understood and excepted by the public, but he is still considered a genius director.

I love several movies on this list.  And I love Memento, too.  Have you seen Fight Club?  That movie is tits!  It is my favorite of all time.

Dave don't go there it is against the rules.

Nobody talks about fight club. 
Nobody talks about fight club. 

There are 20 movies on this list that I enjoy.

I know this topic wasn't about Memento, but I must chime in here--I LOVE that movie.  Man, it is so awesome! 

To keep things on topic, though, yes, I also thoroughly enjoy Tarantino's films, at least all of the ones I have seen.  While I would put "Pulp Fiction" and possibly "Reservoir Dogs" ahead of IB, I still found it to be an entertaining movie.  While I get Pappy's point that perhaps movies like Pulp Fiction or IB don't necessarily resonate as much with me or the general populace as another amazing film such as Shawshank Redemption, Saving Private Ryan, or The Green Mile (at least on the emotional level), I still think they have their place (at least Pulp Fiction, and to a lesser degree, Reservoir Dogs and the Kill Bill series) for, yes, their *unique* style (or call it whatever you want) and the fact that they AREN'T necessarily trying to say a whole lot.  At times in my life I have been wanting to see movies that have that effect on me such as the Shawshanks and the Schindler's List and so forth that really stick with you, but at other times, it's nice to just be able to sit back and enjoy movies like Pulp Fiction for what they are--something that might not even be in chronological order or even make very much sense (without going to the extreme of utter ridiculousness) but still have great dialogue, intense acting, and amazing characters (who can ever forget Harvey Keitel's sick Winston "The Wolf" Wolfe as he helped Vincent and Jules figure out how to clean up the car?).  ...and I don't necessarily want to repeat-watch those movies any less than I do movies like Shawshank or whatever.  I think it just really depends on my mood and what kinda crowd I'm with.


Agreed on both counts.  I found the opening scene of IB to be incredibly well-done, and the villian of IB absolutely does take the show, even though Brad Pitt and The Basterds don't exactly do a shabby job themselves.....but ol' Christoph Waltz was just really on top of his game in this one, fo' sho'. 

I guess I will have to see more QT movies, because the only one I have seen is "Pulp Fiction" and I loved it.  I love dark comedy.

I also enjoy Dusk till Dawn. It is not a great movie, but to me it is still entertaining.

Pappy you really need the Big Lebowski on your list ;)

True Romance is another good QT film.  I think he just wrote that one and didn't direct it.

I've never watched that film, not quite sure why.  I've been told I should several times.

I finally watched Fight Club a few months ago, it's OK, but didn't really grab me. *shrugs*

I like Snatch better.

Snatch is awesome and I do believe it gave Jason Stathan his start in popularity  ...in fact everything by Guy Richie is pretty awesome.  Lock, Stocked and Two Smoking Barrels is another good one. 

Sexy Beast, RocknRolla, I'll Sleep When I am Dead, Layer Cake, etc. I love all the British gangster movies

Oh hells yes...all of those are good movies. Methinks I see a British crime movie marathon coming in my near future.

I particularly enjoyed the movie RocknRolla...it's one that I'll stop and watch pretty much any time I see it listed in the guide.

The only one I do not own yet is I'll Sleep When I am Dead

If I were Jewish I would love Ingloriouis Bastards if only for the sake of seeing the nazis getting theirs in the end.I enjoy the way Q T layers his dark humor/fantasy into his films,as well as the music.I found Brad Pitt to be hilarous in this role although the lead up to the end seemed as though they ran out of ideas(they capture the americans but then the ss officer decides to sell out--lame)My 72 year old mother in law,who was married to a Jew and can remember being in the bomb shelters while the allies were bombing her hometown,absolutely loved this movie.

I got a kick out of the concept of Jewish suicide bombers. That was crazy.