Quick Reviews #6

Oscar season is upon us and over in the UK we are finally getting to see some of the contenders which have been out in the USA for a month now. Taking advantage of this, over a period of 24 hours I went to see The Wolf of Wall Street and 12 Years a Slave. Below are my reviews for both films.

The Wolf of Wall Street

Martin Scorsese is my favourite director, I look up to the man, he is a big inspiration so therefore I couldn't wait for his latest film with the super talented Leonardo DiCaprio. The film is a masterpiece and very reminiscent of Scorsese's best film Goodfellas. The film is adapted from the autobiography of Jordan Belfort, a sly banker with a addiction to money, sex and drugs. The film is crazy from the beginning and never runs out of steam. Every scene in its three hour running time is fast paced, funny and beautifully shot. How this film isn't up for a best editing Oscar is beyond me! Scorsese has a great eye for pacing among other things and the story is just so well told. Although not technically a comedy, I actually laughed more at this film then I did when I saw Anchorman 2 the other week. One stand out scene that involved Belfort on drugs (although there are many) had me in stitches! The acting is great with Leonardo DiCaprio giving a brilliantly enigmatic performance that will undeservedly be snubbed at the Oscars yet again. Everybody else is also brilliant including Jonah Hill who is becoming a force to reckon with. The film has been criticised for 'glorifying' what these bankers were doing, but by the time the films ends I did not want to be in any of their shoes. Apart from being slightly long there aren't really any flaws plus, I don't care about watching three hours worth of footage from the best director around today. Scorsese just doesn't get lazy, with this being one of the last few films we will see from him, he still puts many younger directors to shame, he takes risks and he isn't afraid to move the camera around as much as possible. I am rating the film a 5/5. On another note, don't watch this with your Mum!

12 Years a Slave 

A bit more serious than The Wolf of Wall Street, 12 Years a Slave is also based on a true story, this time one about Solomon Northup, a free man who was kidnapped and spent 12 horrible years as a slave. The film is no doubt going to win big at the Oscars not only due to it's delicate subject matter, but also because of it's great cinematography and heartbreaking tale. Compared to Steve McQueen's previous work, this film is a little bit more safe, going for more of a linear narrative rather than his more experimental style, however this film still has a lot of powerful imagery that is really well used to provoke a wide range of emotions whilst viewing. It was nice to see a change of pace, with McQueen adding many long shots letting us observe certain moments that drag on (in a good way) to try and fully engage us with the troubles and hardships of the characters. Each character was so well written with plenty of layers that make none of them stereotypical. The film is quite tough to watch at times, with a lot of violence shown at it's most graphic, it was nice to be reminded that I wasn't fully desensitised to it. The film was educational, it showed things that happened during this period of time that I was unaware about. Similarly to films about the holocaust, it makes you feel guilty knowing the capabilities of the human race and ultimately Solomon becomes our eyes and ears of the era as he witnesses terrible events which have all been drawn from reality. It's a sad and heartbreaking tale and you don't come out of the cinema fully happy knowing that this period in time happened and racism still exists today. It's also very well acted with Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Fassbender giving some of their best performances in this film.  It's an enlightening film that captures the incredible story of Solomon Northup in a very powerful way, I am giving the film a rating of 5/5.

Two excellent but very different films, both up for a lot of Oscars. The competition is big this year! What did you think of the films? Did you enjoy them as much as I did? Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!

Django Unchained

Revenge isn't clean but it sure does look and sound good. Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained came out in the UK at the weekend and I have finally watched it after the agonising wait, during which it got great reviews from the its release in the USA. I am a big fan of Tarantino, everything he does looks amazing and the man writes dialogue that is so intelligent and witty, it is out of this world. Django Unchained is not an exception in his great line of work and may just be one of his films since Pulp Fiction.

Once you get into Django Unchained you are in for a ride, a very long ride. But it will be worth it. The plot goes like this 'Former dentist, Dr. King Schultz, buys the freedom of a slave, Django, and trains him with the intent to make him his deputy bounty hunter. Instead, he is led to the site of Django's wife who is under the hands of Calvin Candie, a ruthless plantation owner.' It's a crazy film that won't be for everyone but if you are a fan of Tarantino then, like me you will come out of the cinema a very happy person. The film is full of great moments, my particular favourite being a scene where members of the KKK are moaning about the masks they have to wear, the scene is comedy gold.

After a few small roles over the last few years it feels good to see Jamie Foxx back and being in the main role as Django and doing a mighty fine job of it as well may I add. Other additions to the cast include Christoph Waltz who is just as good as he was in Inglorious Basterds maybe even better. Leonardo DiCaprio plays the evil plantation owner and he plays evil so well and still manages to make you laugh along the way, he surely is one of the best actors of our generation and Tarantino's dialogue just helps to make this performance extra special. Kerry Washington puts on her best performance of her career as Django's wife, whilst Samuel L Jackson is no longer that cool dude you want to be friends with, this time he just plain evil and also gives off an incredible performance. The only exception of great performances is Quentin Tarantino's cameo, usually I don't mind his place in his films but this time it didn't seem right. Apart from that though it is a pretty amazing cast! The first half of the film does seem as if it belongs to Christoph Waltz, with Jamie Foxx playing second fiddle but by the second act you will know why this film is called Django Unchained!

Be warned this film is very violent, but you probably already knew that. Tarantino does not hold back in trying to show us how bad it was for black people during this era in the United States. This may be controversial but it sure does help make you feel for the characters in this brutal world that once was ours. In some scenes it literally looks as if it is raining blood with the amount spilt on camera. I am usually good with violence on film but even I had to avert my eyes in places, especially in scene which contained 'mandingo fighting'.

The film looks great and Tarantino proves that he is not playing safe when it comes to working the camera. The camera moves around the place in ways that are rarely seen on film anymore, he isn't afraid to experiment and the film gives off the fun pulpy style that the rest of Tarantino's work has. The guy pulls of several crash zooms that are just really enjoyable to watch. 

One of my favourite things about this film though was the soundtrack. It was different and all over the place but it worked! Tarantino really knows how to pick the right songs for his work, I doubt anyone else could fit a 2Pac song into Western/Southern movie. It makes the whole experience a lot more enjoyable and I found myself smiling away at the back of the screening.

Another thing that made me smile was the dialogue. Yet again Tarantino has a his way with words and creates some brilliant speeches and one liners that are interesting and funny at the same time. Thank god he was able to casta ctors who were able to get the timings perfectly and create some really great moments in the film.

There are not many flaws in this film apart from the cameo from Tarantino himself. If I was to be picky I would say that the film went a bit 'Peter Jackson' at the end and had a few too many places where the movie could end. But apart from that I loved this film! That is why I am rating Django Unchained, 5/5.

What did you think of Django Unchained? Please comment below.

Thanks for reading!