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.

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Quick Reviews #1

Recently I have been finding it harder to get reviews out to you because of time constraints and the recent workload that \i have had to have been working on. Therefore I though that every now and then when I can't write a large review for film, instead I could do several short reviews. So today that is what I have done, I put together a short review for the films I have seen over the last few weeks. This ISN'T how I am going to be doing all my reviews from now on, but only when I don't have enough time to compile a large one for you! So please read and enjoy:

Life of Pi

Definitely one of the most visually stunning films I have seen in a while. Life of Pi is a film about an extraordinary journey of a young boy, Pi, and survival at sea with fully frown Tiger named Richard Parker. The film really is a triumph of film making and I found myself at many points wondering 'how would they have filmed that!' The tiger alone is a magnificent creation of live footage, animation, puppeteering  and motion capture. The story is very powerful and is held together by the wonderful performance from Suraj Sharma as Pi. The film has been nominated for 11 Oscars and for once I can see why, I have no doubt that they will not go home empty handed. There is little that isn't great about Life of Pi, some people do just see it as a boy and a tiger in a boat for an hour and half but I never felt like there was a dull moment in this film. The ending however is some what a bit of a let down when you finish the incredible journey but does make sense in the long run. There are few obvious looking CGI moments but they do not take you out of the film. Life of Pi is a masterpiece in film making and I am giving it a rating of 4/5.

Being John Malkovich

After falling in love with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind I decided to write an essay on screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, whilst doing this I watched one of the previous films he had written, that being; Being John Malkovich. Yet another weird and wacky film from an incredible screenwriter, this film is definitely one of his most bizarre works and just like Gondry was a good match for Eternal Sunshine, Spike Jonze is the perfect match for this film. I love the characters in all of Kaufman's work and these are his most interesting as they all have massive flaws that make them almost unlovable. There isn't really hero and a villain in this piece and that I like very much. John Cuzack is almost unrecognisable in the main role and is by far his best performance ever. The film goes to some strange places and you will never know what is going to happen yet, it really was one of the most creative films I have seen and already I am trying to find time to see it again. A truly excellent film and one that I am giving a rating of 5/5.

The Dictator

Although Borat and Bruno were not examples of great filmmaking they were however great fun and very funny. The Dicatator unfortunately is neither of these things. Sacha Bara Cohen creates yet another interesting comic character that is out to offend as many people as possible, this time he takes a more Hollywood route by actually giving the film a scripted story, something I think let the film down. I was hoping for more funny but there weren't that many laughs that had been seen outside of the trailer and the whole thing felt very forced and slapstick, not anything new which I thought Borat and Bruno brought to the plate. The film was also too long and was very obvious as to where it was going. Unfortunately not good enough, therefore I am giving The Dictator a rating of 2/5.

Beasts of the Southern Wild

This film was a funny one for me, on one hand it looked amazing, had a great ensemble of performances and touching story. On the other hand though, I didn't really get some of the more mystical elements of the world that the film was set in. Especially the 'beasts' that are featured in the film which sometimes didn't always make sense as to what their point in the film was apart from be symbolical. I can see why this film has been nominated for many Oscars but I personally have seen better films in the field that I feel deserve the accolade more then Beasts of the Southern Wild. The film was quite hard to follow at times but the story was heartfelt but I think I may have gone into the cinema with my expectations too high, I came out thinking I had seen better indie films in the last year, so therefore I am giving Beasts of the Southern Wild a rating of 3/5.

Rust and Bone

Now here is a film that I believe has been snubbed by the Oscars this year! How is this film not in the best foreign film category, this is Oscar bait! The story of a single father making a living for his child by street fighting and body guarding who falls in love with a whale trainer who ends up having her legs amputated in accident during one of her Shamu type shows. The performances are great and the cinematography is excellent, the story is very interesting. It may not have been the best movie ever made about disability and love but I believe it deserved a place on the Oscars nomination list. I enjoyed Rust and Bone very much and I believe it went to some dark places that Hollywood is yet to feel comfortable with. Some very interesting stuff going on here, I am giving Rust and Bone a rating of 4/5.

Silver Linings Playbook

Now here is a film I wouldn't have thought would make an Oscar nominated film, not because it isn't good but because it is mainly a romcom, a very good romcom! I guess Jennifer Lawrence needed a Oscar for something considering she has been so good in everything she has been in! Bradley Cooper also gives his best performance yet as mentally ill Pat. Robert De Niro is finally back on form here as well and gives one of his best performances in ages! The film is a real feel good and very funny, definitely romcom that both sexes will like and maybe one you can watch over and over again. I can't really flaw this film, all I can say is that it doesn't quite compare with some of the other romcoms out there but it sure does a good job. I am rating Silver Linings Playbook 4/5.

What did you think of these films? Let me know by commenting below!

Thanks for reading!