MOVIE NIGHT: District 9, Thirst, & Inglourious Basterds

District 9 (2009) - So glad I made it to the theater to see this one, but that's not to say it isn't good at home. The second time around was still a blast. The plot is set at a blinding pace, the cinéma vérité style is executed perfectly, and the effects are superb. I can't get enough of watching the alien weaponry instantly destroy the target--love the flying chunks of human flesh and blood smacking the camera lens!

Thirst (2009) - This, too, was a re-watch, and it was much better the second time around. I must have been in a bad mood, maybe stressed, when I wrote my initial review. It's a shame to read it now, but it's how I felt at the time. This second time, however, I was enthralled with the movie. Chan-wook Park takes the vampire genre and the biblical theme of original sin, works his superb direction, and delivers another thrilling adventure. Though I still agree that nothing will top Oldboy, Thirst's charm illuminated during my second viewing.

Inglourious Basterds (2009) - Oh boy. This could get me banned from the movie blogosphere altogether, but I have to say it. As much as I've toyed with the idea of pretending to love it, I hated Inglourious Basterds. I loved, loved, loved Jackie Brown, Kill Bill, and (especially) Pulp Fiction, to name a few, but my love for Tarantino began to taper with Death Proof. Coincidentally, I hated this one and Death Proof for the same reasons: too much pointless dialogue, minuscule wit, and one-hundred-percent predictability. Once the movie finally ended (in the exact manner everyone watching expected it to end), I said the same thing I said after Death Proof: "I could never make it through that again." It was made out to be thrilling and hilarious. It failed on both counts, though it had its charming moments few and far between. So far, I am the only one giving the movie a panned review, but I can't find "it" in Inglourious Basterds.