MIdnight movie review: Inglorious Basterds

There is a remark toward the end of the movie where a character says: "This is my masterpiece." Maybe this line reflects how director and writer Quentin Tarantino feels right now or maybe it's an assessment that this is his best work thus far, whatever the case Tarantino pulls out all the stops creating an over the top and zany war-western-foreign-action-adventure-comedy-film that showcases what Tarantino does best and that if history was rewritten World War 2 and Hitler were defeated by a band of soldiers known as the BASTERDS.

Combining everything that Tarantino loves about the cinema he has created an exhilerating film going experience. Using his trademark non linear storytelling the film jump betweens two parallels story, the story of the basterds led by Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt sporting an over the top Southern accent) who commands a team of Jewish-American soldiers on a mission into Nazi-Occupied France to as he says "killing Nazis." But not only do they kill them they scalp them and imbed a swastika on the heads of those who live as a reminder to the world that they are evil.

The 2nd story is Tarantino's homage to the World cinema of the late '60s tells the story of french- Jewish girl named Shoshanna (Melanie Laurent) who escpaes the massacre killing on her family by Colonel Hans Lada (Christopher Waltz), Lada is known as the "Jew Hunter" for his cunning skills in finding Jews around. Shoshanna after escaping the bloodshed heads to Paris where she runs a cinema under a new identity. When the Nazi's decide to host the premiere of a new pro-Nazi war film, "Nation's Pride," Shosanna sees it as a opportunity to exact revenge on the Nazis.

Tarantino draws inspiration from the classic man-on-mission series of films such as "Great Escape," "Bridge on the River Kwai," "Guns of Navarone" and so forth creating a film that is as much as original as it is an homage to these type of movies. Tarantino knows this is not meant to be a history lesson so if your going to kill Hitler he figures, do it with style, substance, blood, guts and lots of bullets! But what really drives the movie are the eclectic characters that encompass the story:

Sgt. Donnie Donnowitz (The Bear Jew) played by Eli Roth is known all through out Europe for killing Nazi's with a baseball bat, hitting them as if he were the Sox in the World Series.

Hugo Stiglitz- A german soldier known for his violent temper and basic bad ass-ness.

Brigitte von Hammersmark- A german actress who happens to be a double agent who helps the basterds.

Archie Hichcox (Michael Fassenbender) (one of my favorite characters)- a British secret Agent and former film critic who has to put on the performance of a lifetime to make it pass a bar full of Nazi's

and it features cameo performances by Mike Myers as a British General, Harvey Keitel, and if you listen closely Samuel L. Jackson.

If the the history books had told the story of the Basterds, well it would make history class a whole hell lot of fun. So when you get a chance become a basterd and let Tarantino tell you his World War Two story.

p.s. for you "the Office Fans" B.J. Novak for the two lines he speaks does a funny job delivering them in the most deadpan way possible.

Mles vs Top 5 pop cutlure things a Beer Summit could Solve

New Castle is the best beer around in my opinion. Barack Obama apparently prefers Bud Light and Henry Gates, the black professor prefers Red Stripe (he probably enjoys some Bob Marley Music as well and some ganja to get his lectures going). So what better way politically to hammer out differences in this case racism by sharing a beer between the President of the United States, a black Harvard professor, and the white cop who arrested him. I say bring on more beer summits to solve our nations problems so here it is a top 5 list for the best use of the beer summit:

5. Jon and Kate minus the 8- Get Obama, Jon & Kate together over a beer to solve their marital disputes, maybe we will find that Kate just doesn't want to be married to a man who wears nothing but ED Hardy.

4. Oasis and Jay-Z= get them drunk, hammer out their differences then get them in a studio together. Pronto.

3. Seth Rogen and Megan Fox- So she snubbed giving Rogen a Kiss during the "jimmy Kimmel Show" well make it up to him by sharing a deliciously brewed beer with him with President Obama, then give him the kiss after a few drinks, it would be ok cause you both would be drunk.

2. Larry Flynt and Sarah Palin- Wanna bailout the porn industry, talk about it with the Hustler himself over a nice Bud Light (Once again I say the White House should only drink New Castle) and Palin could be there just because she has nothing better to do.

1. Paula Abdul- Have a beer summit and explain to her that American Idol is all she has going for her now, no one want's to see a rapping cartoon cat anymore, that was so '80s and American Idol is so Now. C'mon Paula have a drink, settle for 10 million, and get back to being the unusually happy judge you are!

Miles Vs. (500) Days of Summer or how it should be the best picture of the year

Boy Meets Girl. check.
Boy falls in love with girl. check
Boy loses girl. check
This is a love story. Wrong.
This is a story about LOVE. DOUBLE CHECK.



And so begins (500 Days of Summer) with its catchy and hip pop songs, romantic views of Los Angeles, and the gorgeous Zooey Deschanel staring at every guy in the room with her dooey blue-eyes and pouting lips. She's the "It" girl of the picture, the one that sets in motion a series of sometimes tragic, sometimes funny, but always enlightening course in the relationship between her and Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). Music video director Marc Webb (Michael Bay and Brett Ratner could take some lessons from this guy) brings a lot of heart to the most original story about Love I have seen in a while, and at the center of is Summer, who doesn't believe in love, only cause she hasn't had that "feeling" where as Hansen realizes from the moment he meets her on Day 1 that she is the ONE.
What makes the movie work is how it takes the conventional wisdom of movie romances and flips them over and inside-out. Tom is the romantic through and through but you'll find by the end of the movie that when you thought he would have learned his lesson, it like a cylce, rinse. wash. repeat. but in this case See her. Fall for her. repeat (SPOILER: relates to how the movie ends). I could probably also spend an entire post discussing Zooey as Summer because like all great female characters, Kate Hudson as Penny Lane, Shirley MacClaine in "The Apartment," Kate Winslet as Clementine, not only do you realize that Tom is falling for Summer she is also the apparition or avatar even for any or every girl that as guy you have run into. She represents all that you may have thought you wanted or desired and plays that to the T.
Which is why it is my bid for Best Pictue this year, I mean when a soundtrack(that I bought after seeing the movie), a cast, a script, a city, and a entire film comes together as amazing as (500) Days of Summer does, what can I say, I don't want to challenge the merits of this movie, so maybe I should change this post to 'Miles Champions 500 Days of Summer".... In the meanwhile I need to find my own Summer or just escape to the catchy

p.s. songs from the album to listen/download/ cry/ fall in love to:
Regina Spektor- Us
Carla Bruni- Quelqu' Un M'A Dit
Temper Trap- Sweet Disposition
The Smiths- There is a light that never goes out

p.p.s changed my mine GET THE ENTIRE ALBUM. NOW. GO.
Miles will return in: Miles Vs Quirky

Miles Vs. "The" Social Network

Facebook: The Movie starring Shia Laboeuf as the young upstart who builds a social networking website as a prank that becomes a multi-million dollar investment.

Ok so this isn't a real movie well at least not yet but the in-development film "The Social Network," is just that, an upcoming movie about the creation of Facebook (sorry MySpace but it seems the world has nearly forgotten to you like William Hung or more aptly Myspace is what American Idol is to Justin Guarini) but that is besides the point, you know social networking has got it made when they are making a movie about it. I social network everyday whether it is Facebook, @Twitter or my newest obsession FICLY.
what was going to be a blog about our obsession with social networking I have now decided will be about Ficly, cause what can really be said about our social obsession except were OBSESSED like Beyonce. My aunt facebooks 24/7, celebrities are tweeting 24/7 and everyone is living out their Kerouac fantasies on Ficly.
What makes Ficly fun is that like Twitter, you are only aloud a certain number of characters to write a short story then other people can rate them by pencils (ex: I give your story 3/5 pencils), like Twitter you can also follow Ficly authors. Anyways maybe I didn't really have a chance to conquer the social network today but there is always tomorrow and tomorrow I won't be hungover.

Miles will Return in Miles Vs. The Wild Wild West and others in my should be considered cult films list (some good, some bad, all enteraining)