Tag: Eli Roth

INGLORIOUS BASTERDS (2009)

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Written & Directed By: Quentin Tarantino
Cinematography By: Robert Richardson
Editor: Sally Menke

CAST: Brad Pitt, Melanie Laurent, Diane Kruger, Christoph Waltz, Daniel Bruhl, Eli Roth, Samm Levine, B.J. Novak, Paul Rust, Omar Doom, Til Schweiger, Michael Fassbender, Mike Myers, Michael Bacall, Rod Taylor, Jacky Ido, Julie Dreyfus

I am going to start off by saying this is not Tarantino’s best film. it is good but not his best. Then again it could just not be my favorite so far of his films.


It breaks him out a little paying attention a little more to history which of course he re-writes for his own purposes. The film shows that Tarantino is a man in love with dialogue and words particularly his own. Like DEATH PROOF there are tons of scenes of dialogue. The dialogue is great but he needs to learn to edit it down.

The film is long and unfortunately feels the same way. Having read the script I knew what I was getting into but still a few times the film managed to surprise me. Though I will warn you it is advertised as an espionage action-oriented war film but knowing Tarantino you should know it’s not exactly like that and almost half the film is in various foreign languages so there is a lot of subtitles. But if you are a true film fan you shouldn’t mind that. 

Many scenes feel too long but they are understandable as each scene seems to be Tarantino taking glee in having each scene begin innocently that as it goes on it slowly switches gears into a thriller with impending doom. Then towards the end, the tables turn and show that a certain character has been in control the whole time without letting any other person knowing it. 
 
Christoph Waltz steals the movie as a nazi, who is nicknamed the jew hunter his character is the best written and the actor has fun and truly inhabits the role with steely determination and certain happiness. His mastering and fluency of many languages and dialects is amazing. 

Brad Pitt seems to be having fun with his role but it delves into the more ridiculous aspects of the movie and seems more like a character than a real person. Which is the problem with the third act. The third act excites and speeds up the action that had been in the film before but feels more movie action than the real war film finale. 

Also considering you filmed in Europe with beautiful buildings interesting locales and beautiful nature you would figure a filmmaker with an eye would use these locations to their fullest. But just as Tarantino has a talent with dialogue and an eye for visuals. He has always seemed a perfect Indie director as he makes his scenes and camerawork feel claustrophobic. This is a tale that needed to be more open it looks like it was shot on a set or soundstage instead of on location in Europe.
 
 I also wish the Basterds had more time to prove themselves and let us get to know them I know his original ideas were much longer so it feels almost like this is a condensed version. 

not that impressed by Melanie Laurent she didn’t do anything wrong but she didn’t impress or engage me either and the less said about Director Eli Roth the better it seemed like a natural fit of a character for him but he goes for a ridiculous accent and is way too over the top. He also directed the film within a film NATION’S PRIDE. 

 I guess I feel the movie had a great bunch of elements and memorable scenes but they don’t merge to make a great movie. This is a mild disappointment. 

It is in the Tarantino mold of KILL BILL VOL. 2 AND DEATH PROOF where it is tons of dialogue and a few scenes of extreme shocking violence and action mixed in to keep the audience awake and interested in what is happening. Almost like a gift or payoff for sitting through the previous scenes. Trust me it still isn’t a film that will be easily forgotten. 

 Plus I wonder if the reason for the last line in the film “This may be my masterpiece” is what Quentin Tarantino really believes about this film. 
 Now don’t get me wrong I respect Tarantino and get excited when he has a new film out. He is one of my favorite Auteurs, it’s just I hold him to a certain high standard that this one approaches but doesn’t quite rise to that level. 

It is a movie best seen on the big screen but you could wait for home video 

 GRADE: B

AFTERSHOCK (2013)

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Directed By: Nicolas Lopez 
Written By: Nicolas Lopez, Eli Roth & Guillermo Amodeo 
Cinematography By: Antonio Quercia 
Editor: Diego Macho Gomez 
 Cast: Eli Roth, Andrea Osvart, Ariel Levy, Natasha Yarovenko, Lorenza Izzo, Nicolas Martinez

After an earthquake erupts in Chile, tourists discover that a neighboring prison in the area collapsed in the event, and all surviving criminals managed to break free. Soon they learn that the most terrifying thing, more threatening than Mother Nature, is what she created.

The film was originally rated NC-17 but had to be cut and re-edited in order to get an R Rating.

Now, this film could have easily gone the wrong way and been schlocky. The longer the film plays and you watch the more impressive it becomes as it truly shows you the terror and danger of the various situations, while setting up a time limit as an impending doom worse than anything they encounter physically and personally might becoming.

The film feels at times to just be punishing its characters just to do it. While it’s no torture porn. It’s quite cruel but maintains a certain reality while also following certain genre rules and tropes.

No one comes out of the film clean. They all end up becoming victims in some way, shape, or form.

The first act sets up the characters as we get to know them and see them enjoying their vacation setting up group dynamics, Relationships, and friendships. It works as act 2 and 3 then unspools and we feel more of a connection to the characters. We find ourselves caring about their fates. It feels like a continuation of co-writer, co-producer, co-star Eli Roth’s other horror films. Where a trip to a foreign locale, We see the fun and pursuit of sex that often backfires and leans towards comedic. Then all of a sudden moves into horror pretty quickly. Here it feels like a more mature version of it. I have to give both credits. I feel he is growing his talent more and this helps represent a newfound maturity. It shows.

None of the leads is completely evil or completely good. They do what they have to do to survive.

The film does reek of a B-Movie aesthetic at times. Mainly due to the disaster aspects.

There are no sacred cows as the film sets itself up pretty early, That anyone can be taken out and killed. This helps throw the audience off as you never are quite sure how far it will go nor what can and can’t happen. Just general randomness Through many challenges no one great villain just has to survive. No stalking monster though the tsunami warnings give the characters incentive to rush the experience and keep moving while working against the calamities.

The film shows what can be scarier than a natural disaster is the citizen’s reactions.

Of course, the casting of Eli Roth in the lead and him being a producer and co-writer. He will be accused of having this film be just another extension of his ego or just another project for him to star in. A vanity project almost as he has cameoed in his films and in others. Though the film doesn’t leave him in a heroic light. He does fine with the material

What sometimes disturbs me in films is that whenever it is more of a minority culture. When things break down. They are always shown as looters, Gangs, and rapists. Whereas Caucasians are usually the heroes or the victims. Rarely do we see them along as the ones going crazy and being just as bad unless it’s post-apocalyptic. Where they are the organized villains, part of a hierarchy. Here it happens in a foreign locale and directed and co-written by a native of Chile where it is filmed

Nicolas Lopez who I am a fan of ever since seeing the preview of the film PROMEDIO ROJO. 9 years ago and then finally seeing it last year. He has a vision and while the film includes a scene of the thing I hate most in films (Rape) it’s not as graphic as it could have been or still disturbing.

This is a bleak downtrodden tale that I have to say I found exceptional than what I thought it would be or easily could have become, truthfully the preview made this film look like a SyFy original film. Thankfully it’s much better.

It’s a movie to seek out more if you are a genre fan.

 GRADE: B

THE MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS (2012)

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themanwithiron

 

Directed & Story By: Rza
Written By: Rza & Eli Roth
Cinematography By: Chi Ying Chan
Editor: Joe D’Augustine 


Cast: Russell Crowe, Rza, Lucy Liu, Jamie Chung, Rick Yune, Dave Bautista, Byron Mann, Zhu Zhu, Pam Grier

On the hunt for a fabled treasure of gold, a band of warriors, assassins, and a rogue British soldier descend upon a village in feudal China, where a humble blacksmith looks to defend himself and his fellow villagers.

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DEATH WISH (2018)

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death-wish

Directed By: Eli Roth
Written By: Joe Carnahan
Based On The Novel By: Brian Garfield
Based On the original Motion Picture Screenplay By: Wendell Mayes
Cinematography: Rogier Stoffers
Editor: Mark Goldblatt & Yvonne Valdez 


Cast: Bruce Willis, Elisabeth Shue, Vincent D’Onofrio, Camilla Morrone, Dean Norris, Beau Knapp, Kimberly Elise, Kirby Bliss Blanton, Len Cariou, Jack Kesy, Stephen McHattie, Jaslene Gonzalez

 
Dr. Paul Kersey is a surgeon who only sees the aftermath of his city’s violence as it’s rushed into his ER -until his wife and college-age daughter are viciously attacked in their suburban home. With the police overloaded with crimes, Paul, burning for revenge, hunts for his family’s assailants to deliver justice. As the anonymous slayings of criminals grabs the media’s attention, the city wonders if this deadly avenger is a guardian angel…or a grim reaper.

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THE SACRAMENT (2014)

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thescarement

Written, Edited & Directed By: Ti West 

Cinematography By : Eric Robbins 

Cast: AJ Bowen, Joe Swanberg, Amy Seimetz, Kate Lyn Sheil, Gene Jones, Kentucker Audley, Donna Biscoe

A fashion photographer is traveling to meet his sister at Eden Parish. Once there, his friends begin to film interviews with the Eden Parish inhabitants, all of whom speak of the commune in glowing terms. However, they soon discover that there is a sinister edge to the commune that belies the seemingly peaceful setting.

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KNOCK KNOCK (2015)

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knockknock

Directed By: Eli Roth
Written By: Eli Roth, Nicolas Lopez & Guillermo Amoedo
Story By: Anthony Overman & Michael Ronald Ross
Cinematography By: Antonio Quercia
Editor: Diego Macho 


Cast: Keanu Reeves, Lorenaa Izzo, Ana De Armas, Aaron Burns, Colleen Camp, Ignacia Allamand

When a devoted husband and father is left home alone for the weekend, two stranded young women unexpectedly knock on his door for help. What starts out as a kind gesture results in a dangerous seduction and a deadly game of cat and mouse.

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