Posts Tagged ‘True Romance’

Film Review: “Inglourious Basterds”

Inglorious_BasterdsI’ve been dying for Inglourious Basterds to reach its official release date, so I could finally talk with you about this movie.

When reading a review, everyone always wants to skip right to the point: Is it any good? Should I spend my hard-earned money to go see it?

Well, let’s cut to the chase then with a nice, small hint: Not only will Inglourious Basterds make my Top 5 Best Films list at the end of this year, but I’m already looking forward to buying the DVD whenever it comes out, so I can revel in the brutal playground of director Tarantino’s semi-historical revenge flick over and over again! So, yes…go see it.

There’s pretty much not a casual filmgoer or cinemaphile on the face of the planet who doesn’t know who Quentin Tarantino (Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2) is, or hasn’t seen at least one of his films. Some people expect a Tarantino flick to be nothing more than a tart of spicy dialogue dipped into a warm cup of violence with a bloody cherry on top. But that’s not Inglourious. Being that the film is set in World War II, some will expect it to be a non-stop shoot-‘em-up action flick with characters spouting well-worn clichéd lines such as “Let’s get those Ratzis!” while lobbing grenades over a distant hill at the enemy. That is also not what Basterds is all about. (more…)

Exit Music (For a Film): True Romance

True Romance DVD Cover

In the final few moments of Tony Scott’s True Romance (1993) Alabama, accompanied by an injured Clarence, drives past a sign that reads “Last U.S. Exit, Mexican Border 5 miles.” It’s at this very moment that the music shifts from the ominous strains that accompanied the chaotic final shootout in the Beverly Ambassador, to the light and playful leitmotif that has been present throughout the rest of the film. The film’s score was written by Hans Zimmer and the familiar theme was drawn from an original composition by Carl Orff, who was most famous for composing another film score favorite, the Carmina Burana.

Once Clarence and Alabama have reached their final destination a sandy beach in Baja, the end credits roll, accompanied by Chris Isaak’s “Two Hearts” from his 1993 album San Francisco Days. It’s a song that’s reminiscent of the works of Elvis Presley, who serves as an imaginary mentor for Clarence during his criminal escapades. For the longest time I thought that it was Elvis Presley himself singing “Two Hearts,” and once I learned otherwise, I still continued to assume that it had originally been recorded by the King until just moments ago.

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