I'd like to INFORM you about BASTERDS!

THE INFORMANT - I originally planned on seeing "Inglorious Basterds" yesterday, but then mom said she needed to get out of the house. I called Richie who had seen "Basterds" to ask him how my mom would feel about this inevitably violent Tarantino film. Richie said it depends on if my mom wouldn't mind seeing nazi's getting bashed in the head with baseball bats and getting all carved up. I suggested maybe we see something else...so it was to be "The Informant" with Matt Damon. I mean, it looks hilarious, doesn't it? Well, turns out, the joke's on us. It wasn't so funny. The audience laughed a handful of times, mostly in the latter half of the film. Directed by Steven Soderbergh, this is NO Erin Brockovich. Based on the true story of a guy from Decatur, Illinois...See? It's already boring. They should have filmed it in Vegas and thrown in some chainsaw wielding maniacs. Now there's a great true story! Matt Damon was outstanding as usual, and his amusing narration throughout the movie promised to breathe life into this flat story, but the promise went unkept. The movie shows glimpses of hitting its stride half way through when it becomes more compelling, but this peaked interest doesn't last long. maybe the script needs to be tightened up a bit. The whole movie is filmed in a consistently bland, yellow filter, and the soundtrack is like hearing marching band music at an amusement park all day long....A Hot Mess! One of the worst examples of the usage of music in a film that I can remember. This is an interesting true story that I wish someone would have just told me over a nice dinner. At one point mom leaned over to me and said, "we should have gone to see the violent one."

INGLORIOUS BASTERDS - The very next day I did just that. I went to see the violent one, Quentin Tarantino's latest vehicle, "Inglorious Basterds." The first 20 minutes were better than all of "The Informant." With characters you love and characters you love to hate, this was an engrossing story. I was riveted to its unfolding, and I couldn't wait to see where it was going and how it all would end. When it was violent it was to the extreme, but the film was mostly comprised of Tarantino's sharp dialogue. The Q.T. violence makes ya think...why wasn't Tarantino ever blamed for the senseless violence of the world? I'll tell you why...cause his movies kick ass!