Quentin Tarantino's INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

[Johann]

There's gonna be a red carpet premiere of Quentin Tarantino's latest work at the Scotiabank Cineplex next Wednesday night and I'll be there.

QT and Eli Roth will be there in person.
Hella yeah.
Maybe I can get an autograph, photos.
I'll let you know how it goes.

[Johann]

I just read one review and the writer said that this film is the one where Tarantino goes from director to MASTER.

I'm getting pumped...

[Chris Knipp]

I saw it yesterday but am holding my review till the US opening day. You have reason to be pumped. It's got a lot going on it it. The trailer if you have seen it is a bit misleading, just shows one good moment from it. But I like that. A trailer that doesn't give it all away -- probalby another example of Tarantino's smart directorial control.

[Johann]

I went to the Canadian Premiere of Inglourious Basterds last night. (I'm not telling you how I got two passes- that's my little secret) and Quentin Tarantino and Eli Roth were on hand to introduce the film, which packs one hell of a wallop!

I was late in getting there (I got there ten minutes before showtime) and Quentin was outside the Scotiabank theatre, on the red carpet, talking to reporters. It was a nice little gala- army camoflage nets up, vintage WWII ammo boxes everywhere, "extras" in vintage uniforms and ladies dolled up to look like Miss Hammersmarck? And a deuce-and-half army truck parked right near the entrance. It was awesome, and of course, I decided not to take any pictures because I wanted to get into the theatre and I figured I'll be able to get shots with QT and the setting outside after the movie. Not to be. Security was INSANE.
They took my camera. They took everybody's camera. Everybody's cell phone. Any suspicious looking backpacks- not going in. You get the airport screening with the metal detector, the whole nine yards. I was waiting for the body cavity search.
They were not fucking around with the recording of the movie.
No twittering no nothing.

This was one sold-out capacity crowd that I didn't mind being in.
Even though I was in the very first row, looking straight up the whole time, it kicked ass because I was five feet from Quentin and Eli as they introduced the film onstage.

They were introduced by the host of Canada A.M. and Quentin came out first, to a roar of applause. He looked great, black suit jacket with a t-shirt that had some kind of cartoon character on it, black slacks and the coolest pair of dress shoes I've ever seen. They were black, with silver melded into them and they were really shiny. I want to know where he got them.
He said he loves Toronto and that he was first here to promote Reservoir Dogs in 1992, was back in '94 for Four Rooms, was back again for his girlfriend Mira Sorvino's premiere, and other times since. He said he's been in many of Toronto's bars. Awesome. He introduced Eli Roth (to another round of applause) and Eli said he loves Toronto too because at the premiere screening of Cabin Fever two ambulances were summoned.
He praised "working with this man" and pointing to Quentin, saying We're all fans, right?.

Then Quentin got the audience to shout in unison:
ELI ROTH YOU'RE A BASTERD!!!!
Then he introduced the movie shouting: GET READY FOR INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS!, while throwing the microphone down like a gauntlet, so hard it bounced and rolled off the stage to the floor.
I couldn't believe I was actually there.

I'd give you a review now, but Chris is waiting for the opening next week to say anything and so will I.

[Chris Knipp]

Wow! I had no idea there would be a "Canadian premiere" of INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS at this point in time -- did you? When did you find out about this? . You're luckier than I was now. Your account shows this was a most vivid and memorable event. Obviously everything was done to insure that.

I think everybody involved is stoked about this show. As you probably know, or at least as is my impression, Tarantino took it on the chin for this at Cannes. I may be wrong but I don't think it was very well received there generally, though the Variety reivew is very favorable. This gave the misleading impression that the film was a disappointment. I think you'd agree that's not the case.

Forget about QT's shiny shoes -- they most probably come from the megabucks movie bigwig shop!

The showing I went to was more full than press screenings out here usually are, but not a full house by any means and tame stuff compared to what you witnessed.

Thanks for holding your remarks to the opening day.

[Johann]

It's hard to hold back on saying anything.
I wanna blast with both barrels...

I heard about it over a week ago and an angel gave me two passes. To prove I was there, I'll post pics on facebook of the pass I didn't use and the ticket of the one I did.
I'm not shitting you, I was front fucking row.

The audience was great. They seemed to get it that this was a special evening. You could hear a pin drop when it started and everyone reacted to the scenes/chapters in the way I would hope intelligent people would. Especially three sequences in particular...Holy fucking shit!
This film surprised me very much.
I was not really expecting what ended up being the finished picture. Sure it's Tarantino, all the way (Baby!), but this one is quite different from the others..you can tell he's shifted gears in his career. Some shots are glorious indeed. The women..Great God almighty...

I'm still in shock that I was 5 feet from the man last night and that I was actually at the premiere. It must be a dream. lol

[Chris Knipp]

You sly dog, you sure trumped my relatively quiet (if well filled) San Francisco press screening with this one. Let's not tell too much about the actual film till opening day though, please.

[Johann]

No more posts from me on it until then.
Hey, I said in my opening post here that I was going.
Nobody seemed to care...lol

[Chris Knipp]

Sorry I missed that. But did you give the date? I did not imagine it would be over a week in advance of the general opening date.

[oscar jubis]

I love your vivid account of the experience Johann. Thanks. I'll probably come a bit late to the discussion of the movie. I am playing catch up. I don't remember August being so crammed with interesting movies. I still haven't seen JULIE AND JULIA and IN THE LOOP, for instance. And the new Miyazaki has arrived. And DISTRICT 9 looks like a must-see. I also want to rewatch MOON because I dozed off for about 10 minutes. Does that ever happen to anyone else?

[Chris Knipp]

Definitely JULIE & JULIE AND IN THE LOOP need to be seen. They are all dwarfed by INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS though. It and Jarmusch's THE LIMITS OF CONTROL are the two most exciting new American films of the summer. Didn't know about DISTRICT 9 but will see it, thanks for the heads-up on that. PONYO is not my thing, but I'm sure it's good if it's by Miyazaki.

I would also recommend, seen in NYC recently:

LORNA'S SILENCE (Dardennes)
LOREN CASS (Eric Fuller)
THE ENGLISH SURGEON (Geofrey Smith)
THE VANISHED EMPIRE (Karen Shakhnazarov)
FLAME AND CITRON (Ole Christian Madsen)
SOMERS TOWN (Shane Meadows)

As I said in my review in late June of "Moon doesn't dazzle but gives pleasure in its low-keyed conviction." I didn't doze off during it and rarely do but it can happen when one is very tired. It happened to me a bit during Park Chan-wook's Thirst. (I have not reviewed it.)

[Johann]

Chris is right with saying that Jarmusch and Tarantino have delivered the exciting goods.
But let's not forget Michael Mann and his brilliant Public Enemies, still my favorite film of the year.
Jarmusch's film is possibly the greatest work of the year too.
This is great year for cinema.
And it ain't over.

[Chris Knipp]

This invitation came in to get a front-of-the-line pass. I probably will miss it though I'd like to see Tarantino.

Woohoo! I’ve been able to create some room in my special screening of INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS featuring a Q&A with Quentin Tarantino. It’s after deadline, but I’m still happy to invite you to attend. (Sorry I couldn’t get this cleared before everyone attended the press screenings.) This will not be a typical screening, so please read the following very carefully.

IMPORTANT
· We are NOT accepting guests (Sorry! Please don’t ask.)
· We will NOT have a reserved press section. I can give you front-of-line access, but seating will be open soarrive early.
· RSVPs are for the entire event. No one will be admitted once the screening starts, and no one will be admitted just for the Q&A.
· There will not be a red carpet, nor will there be photo or interview opportunities at the event.
· Please do not forward this invite to anyone. We are not accepting new press list inclusions to be considered for this screening.

How to RSVP:
Please reply directly to me! You absolutely must have an RSVP confirmation from me to attend.
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS featuring Quentin Tarantino Q&A
Wednesday, August 19
7:00 PM
Castro Theater
429 Castro St
San Francisco
Doors will open at approx 5:45 PM. General audience admission will begin at 6:15 PM.

I have a complete press kit for the film which has a lot of interesting anecdotes about the making of.

The Castro is a classic big movie house and this would be fun, if a big hectic, but not worth the hassle for me given that it's hard to get there and I've already seen the movie. (I may see it again later; probably will, but later would be better.)

Anyway Johann, nothing could beat your description above anyway. But this is another sign of the showmanship surrounding the opening of this movie.

[Chris Knipp]

I wish I could see Tarantino at the NYFF, but that is not to be. It's Cannes or nothing with him. He's a Cannes boy. Tarantino loves this place. "There's no place like Cannes," he said at the press conference for his latest, "Inglourious Basterds," a May 20 article opens.* (He was at that point perhaps referring not just to the festival in general, though that has served him well, bu to specifically to the Grand Lumiere theater where the premiere of INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS was about to be shown to a full house.) Fifteen years ago PULP FICTION won the Golden Palm at Cannes -- and went on to make a lot of money. in the US, a rare combination. But Cannes reviews of the film were mixed and some were terrible. In perhaps the worst one, Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian said it was "an armour-plated turkey," "Gott awful," "a bore." (Some reports are there were tweaks based on Cannes reactions.)

*Guess who came through with a fair, balanced, and informative review of the movie at Cannes time? Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune, he of the new TV At the Movies duo with A.E. Scott.

Quotes from Tarantino in recent interviews (LA. dateline, but the photo and the newspaper are Canadian and refer to the recent Toronto appearance).

[Johann]

Tarantino is doing a blitzkreig of premieres for this film all over the world. Canada is just one stop. He was here only for the one night. And yes, he took it on the chin at Cannes.
Not well received there. Aside from acting honors.
Chris, do you think that the "Jew Hunter" deserved his Best Actor award at Cannes? I sure did. What a delicious performance...
Critics who pan it are idiots. Anyone who pans it is an idiot.
If you know Tarantino's M.O. (i'e. penchant for glorified violence) then stay the fuck away from the theatre! It ain't for you, no way no how!
Nothing boring about this.
I think QT pulled a Kubrick move- "Don't give 'em what they want. Give 'em what they don't know they want yet".
Tarantino fans will not be disappointed.
You have to be patient while watching this one.
A freight train is waiting...