Michael Gildea (mjgildea)

Somewhere along the line I heard the term "fabulous mess" to describe Inglourious Basterds and I couldn't agree more. The opening sequence is something straight from Sergio Leone and the final big sequence is complete and total grindhouse madness. Even though the trailers profess this movie to be something way off the mark from what is actually delivered, Inglourious Basterds is a total blast. Brad Pitt is fucking hysterical and Eli Roth was a riot. And Cristoph Waltz. Oh, CHristoph Waltz...! Unfortunately, the story is too big to keep most of the great, great characters around for too long but you definitely enjoy your time with them even if you feel a little gypped. As always Quentin Tarantino's dialogue and direction are superb to the point where the blatant historical inaccuracy at the end of the movie is easily overlooked. The Samuel L. Jackson and Harvey Keitel cameos were also a nice touch. I wouldn't call Inglourious Basterds Tarantino's masterpiece but its definitely up there.

Remember the Night is a good but not great movie. The Preston Sturges-scripted story starts off with his signature madcap qualities but director Mitchell Leisen takes the movie into melodrama country for the last act. In Leisen's defense, that Niagara Falls scene was beautiful. Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck are as always, amazing together And of course Beulah Bondi was fantastic to the point where you almost wish she was your mom. Remember the Night is a great watch if you're tired of Christmas movies--there's enough Christmas going on without it getting shoved down your throat.

Jack Nicholson is a magical combination of rambunctious and hilarious as Bad Ass in this riotous and sometimes touching movie wonderfully done by Hal Ashby. The drunken parking lot and hotel scenes are great, but the bar scene is one of my new favorite scenes ever. ("I am the motherfucking shore patrol, motherfucker! I am the motherfucking shore patrol! Give this man a beer!") My only gripe was that the ending was kind of anticlimactic and really fizzled out even though I knew how it was going to end. But still--I'm not so sure that Chinatown is my favorite Nicholson movie anymore. It's also great for some much-needed laughs.

One of the most amazing movies ever made. Not a dull moment and not a bad song. Too bad there's a sequel.