I am going to stray a little from my usual posts about issues of great importance, and write about movies. I think this is very appropriate because I did see two movies this weekend. I liked one better than the other, but I found both of them to be extremely entertaining, in different ways. One is Neil Blompkamp and Peter Jackson’s District 9 and the other is (highly-anticipated) Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds.
I did not include full summaries of the movies, as that might ruin it for people interested in reviews, who haven’t seen the movie.
Part 1: Alien Apartheid: District 9 (SPOILERS)
District 9 is about a group of aliens who mysteriously show up in a giant ship over Johannesburg, South Africa. These Aliens are malnourished, and suffering, and, as the movie shows, the human race takes the humanitarian route and brings them off the ship and into Johannesburg. But, the aliens are eventually mistrusted and harassed. They react to this harassment through petty crimes and general vandalism. Eventually, all 1.8 million aliens are put in a slum area, called District 9. District 9 resembles the slums of Africa or the Favella of Brazil. They have rickety housing, hardly any running water, crime is rampant and the aliens are being exploited by outsiders, primarily Nigerians.
This movie was an entertaining science fiction movie, with something that many science-fiction films lack: character development and a realistic, human side. This was made possible by the documentary-news-like footage in the beginning. The accessibility of this movie comes from its ability to relate to stories and historical legacies we see today. This movie has the basic story line that a character, who is callous and unsympathetic, learns his lesson and develops a new-found appreciation for the “other” because he is forced into their perspective. But, it transcends that foundation and draws the audience in with its relevance to stories that people might see on the news.
The movie is about segregation, and the treatment of the “other.” It appeals to the generation that protested against the oppression of African Americans, and the detriments of segregation, including poverty, living condition degradation and harassment. It also appeals to the generation who rallied against apartheid in Africa, and the inequality that existed between whites and blacks in South Africa. And, it also appeals to the new generation, who sees inequality, poverty and harassment everyday, on the news stands and on television. Those who protest the wall in the US Southwest and the fence between Israel and the Palestinian Authority can also appreciate this movie. The movie is about aliens, but those aliens could have easily been any marginalized group. The movie also highlights the shock when affluent, western thought is met with the realities of the developing world, and the perceived exoticism and caution when experiencing the world of extreme poverty. I think the only movie to come close to that in the recent decade has been City of God.
Part II: Once Upon a Time in Nazi-Occupied France: Inglorious Basterds
Quentin Tarantino presents, writes and directs the epic WWII-epic (that’s right, I said epic twice) Inglorious Basterds. For me, this might have been enough, seeing as I have enjoyed Tarantino’s slate of movies. Some of these movies he wrote (True Romance, Natural Born Killers) and others he wrote and directed (Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, etc). But, I was disappointed with Four Rooms, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill and Death Proof. Nonetheless, he has had an impressive career, as he is given good budgets, good actors and he rarely makes his money back on movie sales. He is the master of self promotion, and the king of fan-boys all over the world. But, he has something over the fan-boy loved directors, like George Lucas and Sam Raimi. He is a fan-boy himself. And, this movie, along with Death Proof and Kill Bill, shows that he is ready and willing to adapt his love of exploitation cinema, samurai and western films to his own universe. And, since Inglorious Basterds came out, I say…keep on doing it!
I found cinematic substance in the violence, gore and revisionist history of Inglorious Basterds. The dialogue and scenes were true Tarantino, filled with intense close-ups, slow and moving tracking shots and fun ramblings. Whether it was about rats, or a weird German accent, the dialogue worked well. And, each scene’s tension was brought to a climax through some sort of action, which fit well with the scheme of the movie. And, of course I got a satisfaction out of seeing Nazis being scalped, beaten and pumped full of lead. It was a satisfying ending to a very well directed cinematic experience. WWII History according to Quentin Tarantino is well worth it.
But, Tarantino does not stray from his fan-boy roots. Inglorious Basterds is more of a Spaghetti Western than it is a World War II epic. Each major character and scene could have been transported to the desert of the Southwest, and with a little costume change, no one would have noticed the difference. And, the score was adapted from the great Western master himself, Ennio Morricone. To me, Tarantino wanted to stray into new scenery, but without losing the Western feel. This is why one of the working titled passed around was Once Upon a Time In Nazi-Occupied France. One is not meant to analyze the realism of this movie, like they might have in District 9. The over-the-top dialogue and the revisionist history are just elements of the “Great War” according to Tarantino. This is not a history lesson, but more of a welcomed romp through the Tarantino universe.
PS. For some more revisionist Nazi history, take a look at the upcoming "Iron Sky." It is about...yup...you guessed it...NAZIS IN SPACE! Google it for a synopsis.
Nein, nein, nein, nein, nein!
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