Once is plenty: Kriv Stenders' been-there done-that KILL ME THREE TIMES hits theaters. Duck.

I love Simon Pegg (shown at center on poster, left) and will see him in just about anything. Now, I feel I have. A movie that recycles nearly every trope we've previously viewed in the way of Tarantino-ish, black-comedy thrillers, without adding even a whiff of something new, KILL ME THREE TIMES is a film that has no reason to exist. Other than that, it's a barrel of ugly, bloody fun. I suspect your enjoyment will depend on how many movies you have so far seen in your lifetime. A few too many and you'll be clock-watching often.

As written by newcomer James McFarland and directed by Kriv Stenders (at right) , the movie, shot in some lovely, sun-drenched, seaside locations in Western Australia, has comic noir written all over it -- with plot twists and turns so plenteous (though not particularly clever) that, after awhile, you'll yawn instead of gasp. But again, it you are a relative newcomer to comic noir thrillers, you may be very well sit up and take notice, thinking, "Wow -- this is cool!" At the very least you'll be watching a smart and attractive cast being put through their paces with professionalism and some nice cinematography (by Geoffrey Simpson).

But there is an obviousness about all of this that soon rankles. And the movie glorifies violence and blood without much else on its mind -- especially humor (what's here is pretty tired, even as delivered by the usually effective Mr. Pegg), wit or satire.

The budget must have been pretty "mini," too, as we see only characters who are absolutely necessary to the plot. No one else appears to even exist in the little seaside town. This makes the movie both fake in appearance and feeling, and since most of its characters are utterly venal and nasty (those who are not are simply stupid), you won't mind seeing most of them dead before the film has run its course.

These would include a local dentist (Sullivan Stapleton, two photos above) and his assistant/wife (Teresa Palmer, just above); Alice Braga (below, as their very unlucky patient, who seems to have connections to all the remaining folk in town); her creep of a husband (Callen Mulvey)...

...and her lover, played by yet another of the Hemsworth family, older brother Luke (below), who proves every bit as memorable a hunk of eye-candy as his younger siblings (if a bit shorter); and a local cop who's venal and nasty, too (Bryan Brown).

These folk diddle, dither, kill, maim and screw each other -- physically and figuratively -- until there's little left to do or see. Whether it's all your cup of tea is anybody's guess. I found it an almost shocking waste of time, while a compatriot of mine, whose opinions I value, told me he thought it was quite fun (he's much younger than I, however, and so has seen far fewer films).

From Magnolia's Magnet division and running, thank god, only 90 minutes, Kill Me Three Times -- after a spell on VOD -- opens tomorrow, Friday, April 10, in sixteen cities across the country, including New York (at Landmark's Sunshine Cinema) and Los Angeles (Landmark's NuArt). You can view all currently scheduled playdates, with cities and theaters listed, by clicking here.

Disappointment of the Year: Tarantino's INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

How glad is TrustMovies that he waited for DVD and didn't waste any of his slowly disappear-
ing savings by rush-
ing to the theater to view Quentin Tarantino's tiresome INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS? Very. But now, having seen 1-1/2 hours of it on DVD (yep: he skipped the last hour and went back to blogging: time better spent), he admits he is flummoxed as to what all the fuss is/was about.

Starting at the beginning, with the scene between the French dairy farmer and the naughty Nazi, we get it, we know what's going to happen, and then we just wait. And wait. Past surprise, past suspense, past humor, past caring. Later, when we see both the Nazi and the escaped Jewess together again in the same scene, do we really have to be reminded of what happened earlier? Does Mr. Quentin, shown at right, believe his audience is that dumb?

I guess so.

Scenes like this first one -- lengthy, drawn out talk-fests during which we are reminded of things we already know -- keep happening over and over: the cute-meet via ladder, the restaurant into which every noted Nazi in Paris appears, the secret meeting at the how-come-it's-in-a-basement? bar (shown above). And then there is Brad Pitt (below), giving the absolute worst performance I have ever seen from this OK-to-sometimes-very-good (Burn After Reading) actor: one-note, one-expression, with the accent on the accent, an insult to himself and his viewers.

Take away the needless repetition and all the visual and verbal movie references from Inglourious Basterds and that first 90-or-so minutes that I watched might have been paired down to a swift and decent hour. Of course we expect and get over-the-top violence from Mr. Quentin: Here it's scalping, clubbing-to-death, various shoot-outs and the finger-in-the-leg-wound (kinda paltry, really, but I'm not complaining). Well, I am complaining, but not about the violence. Rather it's the film-making in general. This self-bred auteur seems to have lost not just his edge but his overall ability to tell what's funny (or dramatic, suspenseful, and/or necessary) from what's not.

The writer/director does gets points for casting international stars like Mélanie Laurent, Diane Kruger, Christoph Waltz and Daniel Brühl (shown, right). But the praise heaped upon the cinematography and sets seems a tad over-the-top. You'll find more creativity and the right "look" from Paris 36 than anything I saw in those first 90 minutes. I'll probably finish the film someday. I've certainly seen worse this year. But nothing as over-hyped, over-rated and obvious. I realize that I am in the great minority on this one. Over the years I've run hot and cold on the work of this particular filmmaker, enjoying some films (or parts of them), disliking others. Until now, however, I had never found myself bored.

Inglourious Basterds makes its DVDebut today -- available for purchase or rental.