55 replies to this topic

[BloodBoal]

I recently rewatched Inglorious Basterds, and I have to say: CHRISTOPH WALTZ IZ DA BOMB, MAN! His Landa is probably the best villain in a movie in recent years, in my not so humble opinion.

But since people are idiots, when they are talking about recent movie villains, all I hear is "Heath Ledger's Joker is awesome, man! His performance was so mesmerizing! HE OWNS, DUDE! Nicholson is a wimp, but Ledger is no shrimp! Ledger's is OK in my ledger! Blabediblabedibla"

Well, I say they're wrong. I say the best movie villain in recent years is Waltz' Landa.

But enough of me: what do YOU say?!

Who is your favourite villain between those two?

Vote now, or you'll suffer the pencil trick!

[alicebrallice]

ledger's joker is overhyped and overrated. landa is brilliant!



BINGO!

[Thor]

I agree. Landa is one of the very best villains in the last 10 years. I like Bardem's villain in NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN too.

As for Ledger's Joker, it's good, but not even in the same league as Nicholson's original, IMO. Then again, Jack is my favourite actor of all time, so I'm biased.

[Chaac]

I love the last film Joker. A lot. A lot a lot a lot. Overrated? Nah. I love the Joker because he's really well writen, really well used, really well acted and he's funny and scary at the same time.

Buuut I think I like Inglorious Basterds more as a film. It's my favourite film of 2009. So I'm going with Hans.


Edit: what, we've got editing tags? I don't like it, I'm always correcting my posts.

Edited by Chaac, 17 April 2012 - 01:12 PM.

[Taikomochi]

Yeahbutno. I hate to seem like a TDK fan boy, which I am not even, but Ledger performance was pretty incredible. He's not even recognizable under the performance(I'm not referring to the make up.) Every time I watch the film, I try to hear Ledger's voice in it, but I honestly can't. The performance is superior to Waltz'. While I do think he did a great job, there isn't much about the Landa character that required a great performance. I suspect Waltz only won an oscar because of the quality of the character in the script.

As for how they were written, while I think they are closer in this respect, the Joker is still far superior. He is the only character that is treated really seriously in the whole film, so give him that much credit. While I was familiar with the Joker before TDK, I was always on my toes as to what he would do next. It was really brilliantly done. Landa is great too, but the perfoormance gives the Joker the edge.

I just can't believe anyone would pick Hans Landa, when he is CLEARLY the inferior of the two. The fact that people keep mentioning the Joker is overrated and the faux quote in the first post makes me think most of you just have butt hurt that The Dark Knight is so popular and just gave it to the less popular of the two.

[Chaac]

I prefer Landa because the way he was written and staged had me in more tension than The Joker.

I've noted The Joker usually gets a different reaction from people. As if the audience was on his side. Which is also fantastic.

[BloodBoal]

I just can't believe anyone would pick Hans Landa, when he is CLEARLY the inferior of the two. The fact that people keep mentioning the Joker is overrated and the faux quote in the first post makes me think most of you just have butt hurt that The Dark Knight is so popular and just gave it to the less popular of the two.

It ain't true, Taiko. For what it's worth, I prefer TDK as a film. Inglorious Basterds has amazing scenes (the tavern scene, among others), but it feels like a lot has been cut off, and because of that, the movie feels unfinished. It could have used a bit more scenes with the Basterds (we don't even know their names! Well, most of them).

But, come on, Landa is a great performance!

Monsieur, à votre famille, et à vos vaches, je dis bravo!

[Taikomochi]

I prefer Landa because the way he was written and staged had me in more tension than The Joker.

I've noted The Joker usually gets a different reaction from people. As if the audience was on his side. Which is also fantastic.

I figured there were some people with legitimate reasons, but looking at the first three posts, all calling Ledger over hyped (which you acknowledged he wasn't) and then feeling the need to compare him to Jack Nicholson, I don't get impression their reasoning is as earnest, but I guess maybe that's just my interpretation.

[Charlie Brigden]

Landa by a hair. Ledger's Joker is amazing though (lol Nicholson).

[alicebrallice]

I figured there were some people with legitimate reasons, but looking at the first three posts, all calling Ledger over hyped (which you acknowledged he wasn't) and then feeling the need to compare him to Jack Nicholson, I don't get impression their reasoning is as earnest, but I guess maybe that's just my interpretation.

well, I like landa more simply because the effect he had on me was heavier and more complex. I loved him, I hated him, he made me laugh, he made me shudder, he fascinated me at the same time as he disgusted me. ledger's joker just didn't have that effect on me.

of course they're both very well written, and TDK is a great movie, and I can understand the ledger-joker hype to a certain degree, but that's about it. got a problem with that!?

[Jason LeBlanc]

Inglorious Basterds has amazing scenes (the tavern scene, among others), but it feels like a lot has been cut off, and because of that, the movie feels unfinished. It could have used a bit more scenes with the Basterds (we don't even know their names! Well, most of them).

Completely agreed! You can see some of the deleted scenes in the film's trailer. I wish Tarantino would release them all like he did with Pulp Fiction!

[Shane]

Landa. Ledger gave a great, twisted performance as the Joker, but the character wears his evil on his sleeve. His appearance alone would give anyone the creeps. Landa, at first glance, appears normal until he starts speaking. He has that air of forced civility about him. It's like he's wearing a mask that almost fits, but not quite. You can still glimpse what's underneath. Get rid of the uniform and put him in civvies, and from a distance nobody would guess what he was, which is exactly why Pitt's character marks him at the end.

[Wojo]

I still haven't seen Inglorious Basterds, but I can't help but feel that Ledger's Joker is lauded to the extent that it is simply because the man died shortly thereafter.

[Stefancos]

I don't believe I've ever seen a film with him before TDK, his death did not affect me in any way. Yet I thought his performance was superb.

[Chaac]

I'd never seen him before either and I loved him in the trailer pretty much instantly. (It was then when I realized Batman Begins existed...).

[Jason LeBlanc]

I don't believe I've ever seen a film with him before TDK, his death did not affect me in any way. Yet I thought his performance was superb.

You should see Monster's Ball, you'd like it

The Brothers Grimm and Immaginarium of Doctor Parnassus are interesting as well.

10 Thigns I Hate About You, Knight's Tale, and The Patriot are probably what he's most known for

[alicebrallice]

don't forget brokeback mountain and casanova!

[Wojo]

10 Things I Hate About You, Knight's Tale, and The Patriot are probably what he's most known for

I saw the bookends plus bits and pieces of the middle one; 10 Things is actually a good movie.

But I think his legacy will be none of these. His legacy is the Joker and one half of the cowboy couple.

[Taikomochi]

I don't believe I've ever seen a film with him before TDK, his death did not affect me in any way. Yet I thought his performance was superb.

You should see Monster's Ball, you'd like it

The Brothers Grimm and Immaginarium of Doctor Parnassus are interesting as well.

10 Thigns I Hate About You, Knight's Tale, and The Patriot are probably what he's most known for

I don't feel he really shined in any of those. Brokeback Mountain might be better if you're looking for some Heath Ledger exposure.

[crocodile]

I'd say Day-Lewis' Daniel Plainview is more striking, terrifying and memorable than either of them. And so is Javier Bardem's Anton Chigurh, for that matter.

And yes, Ledger gives a much better performance in BM.

I find Inglourious Basterds quite unremarkable (exceot for a few scenes). The word "Fake" comes to mind.

Karol

[Datameister]

Ledger for me, but Christoph Waltz did a fine job, as well.

[Josh500]

Ledger for me too.

I think I just prefer the movie DTH over IB too. IB is not one of my favorite Tarantino movies...

[BloodBoal]

I think I just prefer the movie DTH over IB too.

DTH? Dark The Hidden Knight?

[Marian Schedenig]

Both are great. But Hedger's Joker is, intentionally, rather one dimensional in his chaotic madness... no matter what he does, he's always pretty much the same. Landa on the other hand is much more varied and thus more interesting emotionally, especially when he goes for very subdued threat.

Though I have to repeat that as great as Waltz is in Basterds, Mélanie Laurent is easily his equal.

I find Inglourious Basterds quite unremarkable (exceot for a few scenes).

For me, Basterds deserves the rating "remarkable" like very few other movies do.

[Chaac]

Basterds is fantastic.

[Charlie Brigden]

I liked it a lot when I first saw it, but haven't been able to watch it properly since, which is a theme with every QT movie bar JACKIE BROWN.

[crocodile]

Jacke Brown is fantastic. His best one.

Karol

[Josh500]

Jacke Brown is fantastic. His best one.

Karol

I love almost every Tarantino movie.

Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill, and even Death Proof.

IB wasn't bad, but it just didn't impress me very much like the other movies did.

[Thor]

INGLORIOUS BASTERDS was the best film of that year, IMO. Much due to Waltz' performance, but not only.

TDK was a great film too, but not on the same level.

So we're basically talking degrees of 'goodness' here. None of it is unremarkable or bad.

[Joey]

Ledger by far, though the nazi guy was fine

[TheUlyssesian]

Joker was one note and uninteresting. I never got the feeling there was a human being there somewhere.

With Landa I could actually see the man who was doing all these 'evil' things.

[Drax]

If a performance is good, it's good. It's not like it's quantifiable or measurable.

[Josh500]

If a performance is good, it's good. It's not like it's quantifiable or measurable.

Only a simpleton would think that!

Ledger by far, though the nazi guy was fine

I think it's kinda ironic that an Austrian-German plays a Nazi and wins an Oscar!

Makes you wonder what his father or grandfather was...

[Stefancos]

Wow, uncool bro!

[Josh500]

Well, I am not accusing him or his family of anything, of course.

I just thought (like many others) that it's kinda ironic...

[Stefancos]

well Bruce Willis was very good as John McClane because McClane is an American character and Willis was born n the USA.

[Josh500]

well Bruce Willis was very good as John McClane because McClane is an American character and Willis was born n the USA.

I don't follow your logic. What are you trying to say?

That Waltz was very good as SS Hans Landa because Waltz was a Nazi?

[Stefancos]

No that's what you are saying!

[Josh500]

No that's what you are saying!

No, you moron!

I said it's kinda ironic. But I have no idea what you are trying to say with that Bruce Willis comment (and anyway, Willis was born in Germany!)...

[Elmo Lewis]

Landa, by a long long shot. I never really got the Joker in The Dark Knight. He is the one that advocates chaos and the futility of planning with a series of carefully planned disruptions of a specific established order, right?