Basterds are all around.

On my days off, I like my experiences to be free of the kind of stupidity that earmarks my work days. However, when I boarded the bus headed for the mall, I saw an old man complaining of chest pains. The bus driver wasn't moving. A number of people were on cell phones, either calling for help or telling friends what was happening. Before long, the EMTs arrived. offering to provide oxygen for the man and take him to the hospital. The old man kept saying he didn't need to go. A lot of people felt that it would be better for the man to go, as the rest of them needed to get to places. This went on for a good twenty minutes.

People started to leave, as it became clear that the man wasn't leaving. Those who stayed on started to jeer (I don't like being late for things - least of all, movies - so, naturally, I was upset); why was he wasting the time of angry passengers and trained professionals? Another bus pulled up to continue on the same route. A few stops up the way, the old man was walking just fine. He may have recovered, but the fact that he was so willing to put people through this for nothing still sticks in my craw. If I ever see him again, he's gonna need a fucking coroner instead of an EMT.

Fortunately, the day improved when I got to the mall (and on time; this other driver wasn't fucking around). I saw Inglourious Basterds. The titular 'Basterds' were but a small fragment of the overall narrative. Much of it was an engaging, Kill Bill-like (the similiarities are hard to miss) story bolstered by fine acting and a slight tongue-in-cheekiness. Despite what I said in the last post, this film didn't suffer a bit from the loss of an original score. In fact, I was quite tickled to recognize at least two pieces that Tarantino utilized for Kill Bill and the use of "Tiger Tank" from Lalo Schifrin's Kelly's Heroes was very welcome.

Following the movie (and following up on a tip at Toonzone) I headed for Hot Topic and found a pair of "Angry Beavers" t-shirts. While I'd still, after all these years, pay good money for an "Obey the Fist!" tee, this made for a nice surprise...that is, until, I found that the largest size for the "That Was Nuts!" tee wouldn't fit. Thankfully, the next largest size is available online. I'm not defeated yet.