Few living things on this planet are more majestic than a horse. Creatures of graceful beauty and tremendous strength, almost as closely bonded with mankind as the dog, yet as a civilized species we’ve put the horse through so much over our centuries old relationship with the gentle giants.

WAR HORSE, directed by Steven Spielberg, offers a glimpse into the life of just one of these fine creatures. The story is told from the perspective of one horse named Joey, raised from a freshly born colt by an Irish farm boy named Albert (played by Jeremy Irvine) who immediately forms a strong friendship, only to be devastated when World War I hits home and the horse is sold into the cavalry by Albert’s father Ted (played by Peter Mullan).

What follows is the emotional journey of Joey through the trials and tribulations of war. Joey trades hands multiple times, his possession transferred from the British cavalry to German soldiers and to a frail young country girl and her pacifist grandfather. The film’s journey has no central human character, but several roles filling a segmented timeline. This creates a sort of anthology effect, allowing the viewer to more easily experience how this one horse could bring people together as it does.

WAR HORSE has two specific strong points; the performance – if you will allow me the liberty to call it such – of the horse playing Joey, and the gorgeous cinematography from Janusz Kaminski, a regular collaborator of Spielberg’s. The soft, glowing warmth of the scenes away from war and the colder, gray tinged scenes during and surrounding the war, compliment each other, but also often coincide and crossover to meld the two realities into one inseparable truth of the time and place of the film.

No one performance truly stands out amongst the human actors, except maybe that of Neils Arestrup’s as the frail girl Emilie’s Grandfather, the most endearing and convincingly unique performance. Otherwise, the entire cast performed wonderfully in their respective roles, never reaching beyond the scope of their purpose. The cast of many youthful and a few veteran names include Emily Watson as Albert’s mother, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston, David Thewlis and Eddie Marsan.

The original score for WAR HORSE is composed by the legendary John Williams – you know… the guy who helped immortalize Luke Skywalker, Indiana Jones and Superman in our collective aural memory. Surprisingly, the music in this film does not display that characteristically dominating presence of Williams’ most recognizable work, instead slipping into the background to near subliminal effect. I personally didn’t even realize I was listening to John Williams until reaching the end credits, when for the first time, his music became vividly apparent.

WAR HORSE is just as much about the tough times as it is about the horse’s journey. One thing I relished in observing during this film was the attention given to details and lesser known facts about World War I. There is one very powerful scene in the third act that takes place in no man’s land between the British and German trenches. The grounds are obliterated, bodies mangled and tossed about the tangled chaos of the barbed wire. This is not a violent scene, but rather an incredibly poignant and uplifting scene depicting an example of occurrences that actually took place during the war. While WWI and WWII may share very similar names and scopes of conflict, they were in fact two very different wars with two very different pairs of warring sides.

In the end, WAR HORSE delivers on the type of ending most audiences will expect and want, which is fine because it’s warranted in this film. Expect a journey that lasts just barely more than two hours, but doesn’t feel exceedingly long, a journey that will touch the animal lover within and remind us that wars are waged by governments, but fought be regular Joes, and Joeys.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Most adults would concur with the old adage that war is hell. However for many children caught up in these conflicts, war is…fun. Or at the very least a thrilling, magical playground. This view concerning World War II has been explored in films such as John Boorman’s HOPE AND GLORY and Steven Spielberg’s EMPIRE OF THE SUN. While these films showed the war’s impact on children in England and China, Martin Koolhoven’s WINTER IN WARTIME looks at that conflict through the eyes of the children of Holland. Many films have portrayed Nazi occupation in central Europe and France. In this new film we see how the Axis troops take over a small Dutch village in 1945.

Michiel lives in that small Dutch village with his father ( the mayor ) and his older sister and mother who work at the town hospital. He’s fascinated by all aspects of the military and his bedroom is decorated with bits of discarded weaponry and uniforms. Late one night he sees a flaming British fighter plane pass over the house toward a wooded area. A German officer on patrol comes across the wreckage and it’s occupant. Before he can alert others he’s shot and killed by the pilot ( whose parachute has him dangling from a tree top ). Soon Michiel and his best buddy pedal over to the downed aircraft, and get past the barricades. The German guards spy them picking through the wreckage and chase them into the town. Michiel is grabbed and taken to the office of the Nazi command. His father pleads with the officer and takes Michiel home. Dad tells him to not make any trouble. They pass a merchant who is collaborating with the Germans while others attempt an organized resistance. An older neighbor gives Michiel an envelope to give the bicycle repair man in case the neighbor is arrested. Sure enough the neighbor is taken in and Michiel rushes into town for the delivery. Unfortunately the recipient is gunned down by soldiers as Michiel watches in horror. He then opens the envelope that has directions to an area in the woods outside town. There he comes across a hidden underground shelter and the wounded British pilot. Michiel tends to his wound and brings food and drink to him. Can he keep the soldier hidden until he can be smuggled out of the country? Should he reveal his secret to others? Maybe his visiting Uncle Ben who has ties to the underground resistance can help. There’s a lot resting on Michiel’s young shoulders.

Koolhoven gives us a compelling look at this quaint little town that’s been torn apart by the invading forces. The rebels and appeasers are constantly at each others’ throats. This is all witnessed by Michiel. Martijn Lakemeier gives a powerful performance as a boy forced to grow up quickly and handle adult responsibilities. Jamie Campbell Bower ( from the Twilight and Harry Potter films ) gives a great English language performance as the war weary pilot that’s not much older than Michiel. The movie’s heartbreaking and suspenseful while still showing the warmth and humor of this close knit family. This is a fresh approach to the impact of World War II on families and especially on young people whose fantasies of noble battle are quickly shattered.

Overall Rating: Four out of Five Stars

In an unnamed Eastern European country ravaged by civil war, zookeeper Ludovic (Sam Neill) along with a veterinarian (Om Puri) cares for the animals in a small zoo: a couple of tigers, lions, a panther, several primates (including a pregnant monkey), a couple of elephants and various zebras, llamas, goats, sheep and birds. The city is being bombed, and they’re hoping for a break in the fighting so that relief agencies can airlift the animals to safety.

As Ludovic trudges to and from his dreary job (light years away from the prestigious government job he had before the war), Neill gives an excellent browbeaten performance, his sullen demeanor conveying the shell-shocked, anguished, lowly zoo employee. All the other employees have fled so he is left with the enormous and emotional responsibility of taking care of the animals in the deserted zoo.

The sanctuary of the zoo doesn’t last long as a group of soldiers called The Young Lions, suspicious of the vet’s ethnicity, take him and brutally murder him, leaving Ludovic completely alone. Just as you think he’s about to sink into despair (and vodka), a young boy named Zioig (Javor Loznica) and his mother Ankica (Gina McKee) show up seeking protection from the war outside. Survival becomes desperate as the war inches closer and closer to the zoo.

Sam Neill is a consistently good actor, and he doesn’t disappoint here. Ludovic is the heart of the film – he is the caretaker of the last glimmer of humanity in an awful situation, and Sam Neill’s restrained performance is a perfect fit. All three characters see hope in the zoo – as long as the animals are okay they will be too. The boy becomes attached to a mama wolf that has just had a litter of pups; the mother adopts the pregnant monkey; Ludovic struggles to save an elephant that isn’t getting enough to eat. But the reality of war can’t be stopped, and all that is left is a few precious moments and the need to survive. Relief workers eventually show up, but for some it is too late.

THE ZOOKEEPER is well directed, poignant and emotional. However it is also very depressing and at times difficult to watch. The scenes of animals suffering are a few too many, including one that dragged on so long I had to skip past it, and while I get the importance of such scenes to the movie, it’s ultimately too much. And in the end, that could be why this never saw a theatrical release and is now on DVD.

**** out of 5 stars

**Official Selection of the Toronto International Film Festival**
**Official Selection of the Santa Barbara Film Festival**
**Official Selection of the Seattle International Film Festival**
**Best Film and Best Actor(Sam Neill) Fort Launderdale Film Festival**
**Best Film Pensacola Bay Film Festival**
**Best Film Taos Talking Picture**

A MARINE STORY takes a story as old as movies itself and gives it  a fresh new spin. THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES  through IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH have explored the theme of  soldiers returning home. This time the focus is a female soldier and a military policy that has been much in the news in the last few years.

Alexandra Everett (Dreya Weber) is a career marine who return to her rural, dusty California hometown after a log hitch in the Middle East. After getting off the train with no one to welcome her back , she walks through the streets and sees all the boarded up businesses. Stopping at a convenience store she forcibly detains a young man shoplifting while his girlfriend who was distracting the clerk takes off. The local sheriff  chastises Alex for getting involved, although they are severely understaffed and can’t handle the new scourge of small towns: meth addicts. On the way to the family home, Alex buys an old convertible in need of restoration. The old homestead is empty and up for sale as her Dad has moved to Florida. The next day Alex is visited by the sheriff and the young female accomplice from the convenience store. He explains that Saffron (Paris Pickard) will face a long stretch in jail unless she is accepted into the military. Alex reluctantly agrees to get her ready to visit the recruiter. That night Alex meets an old high school boyfriend, Leo (Anthony Michael Jones) at a local bar. After a few drinks, a brawl erupts between Alex and some of Leo’s buddies who challenge her. In between training Saffron, Alex visits her old high school girlfriend Holly (Christine Mourad) and reveals that the real reason for her homecoming is that she was ousted for being a lesbian. Later that night Alex meets up with one of Holly’s girlfriends and are secretly photographed by someone from Alex’s hometown. What will happen when these photos are spread over town? How will it affect the vulnerable Saffron?

A MARINE STORY  is anchored by the strong performance of Weber in the lead. She has a strong physical presence in the big action scenes (the training, the barroom brawl, and at a paintball field). She has a great rapport with all the actors particularly Pickard as the emotionally damaged Saffron. Director Ned Farr keeps the film moving and captures the feel of a sleepy, dying little town. The movie’s not preachy but really shows the devastating impact the “don’t ask, don’t tell”  policy has had.A well done thought provoking  intimate of a modern woman in the military.

A MARINE STORY will play during the 19th Annual Stella Artois St. Louis Film Festival on Saturday, November 13th at 7:15 pm and Monday, November 15th at 5:00 pm at the Tivoli Theatre.

Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Inglourious Basterds’ has come and gone, and it has kicked ass in theaters all over America.   Today, we thought it would be   nice to show you some of the posters the film inspired.

The one you see there at the top comes to us courtesy of Poster Wire and is designed by illustrator James Goodbridge.   It’s actually a completed piece of artwork that was unused for the film, and, as beautiful as it is, I can’t imagine why it was passed over for the posters actually used.   Luckily, as indicated by the interview on Poster Wire’s site, Goodbridge is still holding out hope that his illustration will be used somewhere down the road.

Next up are three poster designs brought to us by the fine people at Mondo Tees.

Fortunately, the three posters you see here are on sale over at Mondo Tees’ website.   Unfortunately, these things flew out the door like frisbees.   Currently, they are completely sold out, but keep checking back.   They might come up with a few more.

The first one up was from Print Mafia.   The last two were designed by famed illustrator Tyler Stout.   Each one has a different feel, but they are all equally cool.

Now, if we can only get Drew Struzan to come out of retirement long enough to design a HUGO STIGLITZ! poster, the world would be a better place.

Special thanks to the boys over at Gordon and the Whale for giving us the heads up on all these badass designs.

“We ain’t in the prisoner taking business. We‘re in the Nazi killing business. And cousin, business is a booming”

As soon as this line comes out of Brad Pitt’s mouth you sink into your chair and say “damn, this is going to be a great ride”. I told you guys when Brad Pitt was first cast in this film that Tarantino would make him a bigger badass than he has ever been before…and I was right.

Quentin Tarantino takes a WWII to an entirely different level that may or may not match what history has show us but   ‘Inglourious Basterds’ is still a triumph that begs to be seen more than once. After you watch this you are going to jump back in line to see the next showing, because this movie is that fun.

When I heard that he was going to be remaking ‘Inglorious Bastards’ my first thought was “How is this going to fit into the Tarantino body of work?”. This film can easily stand with ‘Pulp Fiction’ and ‘Kill Bill’ and that isnt being overly generous with my feelings just because its a Tarantino film.

The movie is split into 5 chapters, the first chapter features Nazi officer Hans Landa, AKA “Jew Hunter” played by   Christoph Waltz. His main duty is to seek out and find homes that are hiding Jewish families and the opening scene is delves into one such endeavor. This scene, even though it features none of the “basterds”, is absolutely amazing and really sets the tone for the film. Almost entirely dialogue driven, Tarantino creates a slow mounting tension that is almost unbearable at times.

From there the movie delves into each additional chapter, the next which features all of the Basterds and how they became the merry band of Nazi hunters that they are. Led by the twang filled back woods LT Aldo Raine, Brad Pitt, their only goal is to find Nazi soldiers, attempt to get information from them and then eventually “scalp” them. The first scalping scene is pretty graphic but super badass at the same time. Every once in a while when a Nazi soldier helps them, they let him go, but fearing that he will take his uniform off they always want to be able to recognize him so they cut a swastika into their foreheads.

Hitler is made to look both ridiculous and entertaining at the same time, played by Martin Wuttke who does a pretty convincing job as the former dictator. As soon as he comes onto the screen you immediately hate him and cant wait to see what exactly the fate is that Tarantino will give him by the end of the film. I will tell you that the fate he does meet, doesn’t stand to historical facts but I would have preferred this ending to the real one.

I was completely blown away by Eli Roth who plays Sgt. Donny Donowitz AKA the “Bear Jew”. His specialty is killing the Nazi soldiers with his bat, again pretty graphic the first time you see him take one out. He doesnt talk much but when he does its pretty entertaining. Even without much dialogue you cant help but love his facial expressions, especially those during the theater scenes.

The entire cast is absolutely impeccable. Diane Kruger   does an incredible job as Bridget von Hammersmark, the world famous actress who is moon lighting as a double agent.   I could easily see Christoph Waltz getting nominated for Best Supporting Actor. I honestly cant say enough about this damn film. Almost everything is brilliant and perfect…except Mike Myers in the movie but we wont go there

It’s destined to be one of the greatest films-within-a-film, and, who knows, maybe somewhere down the line, Eli Roth will actually be able to make his own, World War II feature film.   For now, however, all we have is this trailer for the film that is playing at the premier that is the central plot-line in ‘Inglourious Basterds.’

Check it out:

‘Stolz der Nation’ makes its world premier at Le Gamaar Theatre in Paris on August 21st.   ‘Inglourious Basterds’ opens worldwide the same day.

You can also check out the trailer in HD over at Apple.

Hollywood producer extraordinaire, Jerry Bruckheimer, has grabbed the rights to the graphic novel ‘World War Robot.’   The deal was finalized during last week’s Comic Con in San Diego.

Written and drawn by award-winning designer Ashley Wood, the graphic novel follows a small band of human and robots who do battle on Earth, on the Moon, and even on Mars.   The story is set near the tail-end of the larger war and also includes a bit of dark comedy along with epic battle sequences.

IDW Publishing, the rights owners for ‘World War Robot,’ is also home to the ’30 Days of Night’ comics.   Bruckheimer has a lot of high-profile projects in the pipeline including next year’s ‘Prince of Persia,’ a third ‘National Treasure’ film,   ‘The Lone Ranger,’ and a fourth entry in the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ franchise.

Source: Variety

Chances are you have seen at least one thing that Kathryn Bigelow has done in the past, and it is probably ‘Point Break’ or ‘Strange Days’. What she has done in ‘The Hurt Locker’ is bring us one of the most real, intense films about war ever created and although that is a broad and wide open statement I can confidently stand behind it.

The film follows a Explosive Ordnance Disposal team in Iraq whose sole purpose is disabling bombs that would otherwise destroy innocent soldiers and civilians. The movie opens with Sergeant Matt Thompson(Guy Pearce) as the guy in the bomb suit putting his life on the line to disable a bomb that is threatening the lives of innocent Iraqi civilians. When he goes to attempt the disarm they quickly realize its a setup and someone remote detonates the bomb which as you can guess kills him in the suit.

Insert his replacement Staff Sergeant William James(Jeremy Renner) who jumps in the suit and immediately goes into combat. At first he comes off as a hot shot who fears nothing and is willing to put anyone and everyone in danger to get the job done but after seeing the dedication to his craft his team really comes together and puts their trust in him. He soon starts showing flashes of a true leader and that more than anything gets them through some really dangerous situations. Eventually they all realize that this is the job he is meant to do, and even when he isn’t doing this job thats all he can think about.

Jeremy Renner could easily pull off an Oscar nom for his role as Staff Sergeant William James because he is absolutely incredible in this movie. Renner has really come into his own with recent roles and this in particular really shows what he is capable of. I also want to say what an great job both Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty as the other 2 members in their EOD squad. The acting turned in by everyone in the film is an added bonus to the incredible and emotional story it follows.

Kathyn Bigelow went above and beyond to keep the film as authentic as possible and shot the movie in Jordan which is as close to the Iraqi border without actually crossing over the line and hanging out in the pits of where the war is still currently going on. Bigelow also went as far as to cast real Iraqi refuges who had been forced from their homes during the war in the film in the roles of Iraqi citizens.

Bigelow isn’t the only person involved that cared about the realism of the film, Jeremy Renner went and trained with real EOD teams prior to shooting the film. In interviews he also mentions that they were shot at during filming, two by fours that had nails in them were being thrown off 2 story buildings and that authenticity really comes through the film.

The one thing that you cant say about this movie is that it isnt real, or that it doesn’t feel like you are in the middle of the action. Bigelow went to great lengths to ensure that when you are watching certain scenes you feel knots in your stomach. Don’t expect to see anything this genuine without it being actual footage of EOD teams disabling bombs.

Oh, man… There is no easy way to go about telling America that I disliked a movie with American Soldiers as the main characters. I didn’t realize that there is a way to make a war that has been fought in our lifetime look positively boring and ridiculous. I am sure there are tons of stories from the men and women that have served and/or are serving overseas that are way more inspiring, real, and worthy of the screen-time.

The Hurt Locker follows Staff Sergeant William James (Jeremy Renner), Sergeant JT Sanborn (Anthony Mackie), and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty), three elite soldiers in Iraq that are part of a special bomb unit. The three men, especially Staff Sergeant William James, have one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. They have to find and disable bombs, while also keeping their eyes peeled for suspects that might be trying to detonate them while the soldiers are working on them. As if their job isn’t dangerous enough, Staff Sergeant William James comes in after their former leader was brutally blown up, and is completely reckless. He does things his own way, doesn’t listen to orders, and jeopardizes the safety of his team. Now it’s a struggle of not only getting out alive, but controlling their new leader so that they make it home.

One of the problems I have is that the characters are very dry. The characters have very little development other than being soldiers in the same place, at the same time. If you want your audience to empathize with your characters, then you have to introduce them to each other. They give you very little personal information about the three soldiers that they are following. Sure, we know how they react to one another, and that they are brave, and even that Staff Sergeant William James has a family, but that is as far as they delve into the characters. I get that they are scared, every rational human being would be terrified, but tell me where the character grew up, how they got to where they are, and what kind of person they are.

It really doesn’t help that I am not a big Jeremy Renner fan either. He made a horrible Jeffrey Dahmer in Dahmer, being in an awesome zombie movie didn’t help him (28 Weeks Later), and even the naughty sheriff in Pink’s Trouble video didn’t earn him cool points in my book. Guess there were no real bonus points to be earned unless this movie was stellar. Brian Geraghty is the only one who gets some street cred for Jarhead, but that is quickly destroyed by his role in Lindsay Lohan’s I Know Who Killed Me. Ohh… tough break! Even the explosions didn’t add excitement to this movie, which for a movie involving a bomb squad didn’t have any cool ones.

Just to clarify… I am not saying that I do not like war films, or that I do not appreciate the men and women fighting for our country. I do however, think that this film is going to be given way to much credit and praise just because of its content rather than its cinematic value.

August 21st cannot get here soon enough.   That is all.

Source: Yahoo

CineVegas 2009 is right around the corner (next week to be precise), and We Are Movie Geeks are going to be there in full force. Throughout the festival, which runs from June 10th through the 15th, we are going to be bringing you all the coverage you need including reviews, interviews, party breakdowns, and red carpet premiere coverage.

‘Impolex’ is a surreal, WWII era film by writer/director Alex Ross Perry.   It’s a film the director states has roots in both John Ford and Abbott & Costello.   Evidently, there’s a talking octopus in the first 15 minutes.   Color me there.

Here’s the synopsis:

Months after the end of World War II, fresh-faced Tyrone is sent on a mission by the U.S. Army to locate and retrieve German rockets. This quest leads him through the woods without a map. But on this journey he gets advice from fellow travelers, sees visions of a girl he left behind and, most importantly, kicks back with a talking octopus on a tree. In spite of or perhaps because of his odd journey, Tyrone eventually discovers a V-2 rocket, the most advanced long-range rocket ever created to that point. It is the second-to-last one manufactured; now Tyrone must find the last. With IMPOLEX, director Alex Ross Perry creates his own eccentric world with deep emotional arcs and fairytale outcomes, a story laced with poignant touches and curious characters to keep you charmed and smiling. In spite of its sometimes fantastical scenarios, somehow you connect to this world, like all those times you were searching for history while stumbling over your past. You laugh with the film but you also sink in to its colorful, fuzzy confines.

Yeah, that’s a talking octopus, there.

This movie looks to make up in the story and comedy what it lacks in budget, and it’s among the most anticipated films of the fest.

‘Impolex’ screens on Thursday, June 11th at 12:30pm and Friday, June 12th at 10:30 pm.

Still the focus of some major buzz surrounding his science-fiction film ‘Moon’, director Duncan Jones has announced his second feature film directorial outing. Jones will helm the adaptation of the non-fiction book ‘Escape From the Deep’ for Brilliant Films. The book, written by Alex Kershaw, tells the amazing story of a legendary WWII submarine that sank as the result of a torpedo malfunction and the nine men who survived being stranded at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean by swimming back to the surface without suffering “the bends”. While this film appears to be quite different from ‘Moon’ on the surface, but there may be some similar underlying thematic elements at play here.

[source: Hollywood Reporter]

The Movie:

I missed all of our screenings for ‘Valkyrie’ last year and although I was a little disappointed about it, I didnt hold high hopes for it. Last week I got a blu-ray copy in the mail to review so it was due time that I sat down and gave it a shot.

Let me first say that I absolutely love WWII movie and I find Hitler a very fascinating subject despite the mass genocide he produced. The first thing that turned me off about this movie wasnt even Tom Cruise, I still like the guy! It was the fact that Bryan Singer decided to not even bother giving the main characters German Accents, that was just a super downer from the beginning.

The opening scene of the movie has Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg(Cruise) writing a journal entry about how disgust on the war and Hitlers actions thus far. Originally there is an inner monologue with him speaking German, without an accent, and then it does a cheesy transition into him speaking English. I audibly laughed during this scene and my wife had no idea why to which I later had to explain myself.

Once I got over the no accents the movie really digs in and is quite enjoyable. I say enjoyable lightly because the entire movie is about plotting to kill Hitler, which by most standards is a good thing but its still seems twisted.

Cruise is accompanied by a star studded ensemble cast with the likes of Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, Terence Stamp and Eddie Izzard who definitely help him carry this movie. Lets face it, Tom Cruise doesn’t have the public appeal that he once had but I still like him as an actor and definitely think he did a fantastic job as Stauffenberg. This could easily creep into my favorite WWII films list.

The Disc/Features:

There are 2 commentary tracks featured on the blu-ray release, one of which features Tom Cruise, Bryan Singer, and writer Christopher McQuarrie. I didnt listen to the full thing but its great to hear Cruise and Singer go back and forth on some of the scenes as opposed to just the Director talking about making the scene.

By far my favorite feature on the disc has to be ‘The Journey to Valkyrie’ which is a documentary that focuses on the journey Bryan Singer and the crew endured trying to make this film. Most of which they faced from the German government in order to get permission for filming.

The sound will absolutely blow you away! Between the war scenes and the score that John Ottman brings to the film are both outstanding. The picture in 1080p is absolutely glorious and mixed with the audio makes for an incredible home movie watching experience.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5

#853 in the list of character posters for ‘Inglourious Basterds’ comes to us today straight from the streets of the Croisette at the Cannes Film Festival.Ă‚   This enormous banner features Michael Fassbinder as Lt. Archie Hicox.Ă‚   I’m sure people over at Cannes aren’t too excited about more posters for this film, since they’ll be able to see it next Wednesday night.

The rest of us get to see Tarantino’s latest opus on August 21st.

Source: Ion Cinema by way of Gordon and the Whale

In a recent interview with the New York Times, director Quentin Tarantino sat down to talk everything ‘Inglourious Basterds.’ Ă‚  Every topic was broached from Tarantino’s inspirations for the film to the unusual spelling of the film’s title. Ă‚  However, the most interesting news came at the very end of the interview, when Tarantino had this interesting piece of information to dish out:

“I have a half-written prequel ready to go if this movie’s a smash,†ť he said.

Evidently, the prequel would center around the African-American soldiers stuck behind enemy lines. Ă‚  This is very interesting when you consider Spike Lee, a director who has had less-than-friendly run-ins with Tarantino in the past, just had ‘Miracle at St. Anna’ release last year. Ă‚  I’m sure whatever Tarantino has up his sleeve for the prequel to ‘Basterds,’ it will elicit a far better response than Lee’s film.

‘Inglourious Basterds’ is set for release on August 21st.

Source: NY Times

I’d like to take this little moment in time to express my love for Til Schweiger.Ă‚   The guy’s been on my “badass” radar since ‘The Replacement Killers,’ and, yes, I even loved him in the stupid but fun Renny Harlin film, ‘Driven.’

I can’t wait to see what Tarantino does with Schweiger, and, today, we bring you Til’s character poster for ‘Inglourious Basterds.’Ă‚   This makes five character posters, so far, and it doesn’t seem like these are going to stop any time soon.Ă‚   By the time the film comes out, who knows what secondary characters could have their own poster?Ă‚   Personally, I’m looking forward to Alex Boden’s poster as the Military Attache.

‘Inglourious Basterds’ comes out on August 21st.

Source: SlashFilm

The men have had their say, and now the women want to make their presence known, as well.Ă‚   We brought you Diane Kruger’s ‘Inglourious Basterds’ character poster on Wednesday, and, today, we bring you the character poster for Melanie Laurent’s character.

In ‘Basterds,’ Laurent plays Shosanna Dreyfus, a French-Jewis girl who feels to France and seeks revenge against the Nazis who murdered her family.Ă‚   In the film, she runs a movie theater, where her revenge is acted out.

The poster comes to us from Cinematical, where they also dish out some information that I was not aware of until now.Ă‚   Cloris Leachman has a role in the film, and Tarantino staple, Samuel L. Jackson, narrates the film.Ă‚   Very excellent.

Source: Cinematical

And here is Wednesday’s character poster for ‘Inglourious Basterds.’Ă‚   It features Diane Kruger sporting a handgun and an awesome, 1940s dress.Ă‚   I wonder how much the whole set of these posters is going to cost, because a lot of fanboys out there are going to want every one of them gracing their movie room walls.

‘Inglourious Basterds’ comes out on August 21st.

Source: The Weinstein Company

There’s the bat.Ă‚   There’s the smirk.Ă‚   The shotgun is a nice addition.Ă‚   I’m not much of an Eli Roth fan when he’s behind the camera, but I couldn’t love this man more right now.

Here is the second character poster for ‘Inglourious Basterds,’ and I’ve got to say, I think they’ve peaked.Ă‚   Where are they going to go from here?Ă‚   Is Hitler getting his own character poster?Ă‚   Mike Myers?Ă‚   I think as far as the character posters for Tarantino’s next go, it should be two and out.

Now, I bold the question, is it strange to want a poster of Eli Roth on my bedroom wall?

‘Inglourious Basterds’ comes out on August 21.

Source: Tarantino.info