Back for more, eh? They can't stay away. No matter how far they run, they always come CRAWLING BACK! ... Wow, it sure sounds like I'm unneededly pissed at you guys.
Onward!
Django Unchained: (2012) R (Action/Comedy)
Starring Christoph Waltz, Jamie Foxx, and Leonardo DiCaprio
Overview - Django (Foxx) is a slave who had his wife taken from him. He is given a chance at freedom, and a chance to get his wife back, if he helps the overzealous Dr. King Schultz (Waltz) in collecting on his bounties.
Review - I avoided this one at first because I am not a huge fan of Quentin Tarantino (the director). He has done movies like "Kill Bill", "Pulp Fiction", and "Inglorious Bastards" (don't get me started on the horribly mis-marketed "Inglorious Bastards". It's NOT a comedy, any more than I am a peacock with a wolf's head). His style of directing is that of dramatic hyperbole. He has a tendency to feature insane amounts of blood, guts, and gore in his films. Instead of putting a bullet hole in the head, he makes the entire head explode and splatter brain matter on the ceiling. Now, I'm a fan of hyperbole, so this doesn't bother me that much. What bothers me is that I know may people who would enjoy these films, but have no stomach for gore. If he toned down the gore, he would gather a much bigger fan base, and I don't feel he would be sacrificing his creative genius in the slightest.
Jamie Foxx is an actor that I don't usually get excited about. I haven't seen him in anything where I would say "He was SO GOOD in that!!". I feel he is a double for Will Smith, the same way that Morgan Freeman is a double for Samuel L. Jackson. If Will Smith can't do it, they call Jamie Foxx. Don't get me wrong, he does a great job as Django, and I have no problem with him in the role. He portrayed Django well, and was very convincing. I just don't think he is anything to write home about, overall. Christoph Waltz, on the other hand, is absolutely hilarious! His voice, banter, and mannerisms will have you holding your sides and massaging your jaw because it's sore from laughing so hard. And I feel I'm underselling his performance. He redeems his credit as an actor after the atrocious "Inglorious Bastards" (he played a Natzi Colonel who had way too much fun murdering folks). If you base your opinion of Waltz on that terrible piece of Tarantino garbage, then I encourage you to give him a second chance in "Django Unchained". He will tickle your funny bone like no one else.
I will say that Tarantino knows how to tell a story. Excessive hyperbole or not. He knows how to develop characters, and really get you connected with the story. The writing was incredible. I don't know how much of it was ad-libbed, but I'm on board either way. The banter between characters is great, and the jokes are pure gold. Save the fact that we have to see a shot of Foxx's inverted naked butt. I know I am overselling the comedy, but don't misunderstand that the overall story arc is amazing. Tarantino is one of the few directors who truly knows how to write a great story. The cinematography was great. He didn't waste his time on the new obsession with the whole hand-held shaky camera thing. Seriously people, stop! It's supposed to be a film, not a home movie of your kids picking their nose and then delivering dad a crotch-shot. Save it for AFV.
Lastly, but certainly not least......ly. Leonardo DiCaprio. I have spent a good portion of my adult life trying to figure out why this guy is so dang good. How does he seamlessly transition from playing a mentally handicapped child, to a street thief, to a dream state adventurer, and now to a wealthy slave-trading land owner, and never once get you to believe he's anything else. DiCaprio is probably the best actor this world has seen in the last 10-20 years. There isn't a role he can't play, and make you believe. To give you an example, in "Django Unchained" he gets fired up and hits the table, breaking a glass with his hand. His hand starts bleeding quite heavily and he just keeps going on. I did some research and found out he did in fact split his hand open, but when Tarantino tried to stop the camera, DiCaprio insisted it made the scene more real. He finished out the fairly long scene with a gushing hand. The dude going to go down in history as one of the greats. Mark my words.
Overall I am going to give this one a 4.5 out of 5. It has all the action I want, and more comedy than I can handle. I will buy it on Blueray, and share it with friends (those who can handle the blood).
Anything else you want to hear about? Email me at entertaindave@gmail.com and follow me on Twitter @entertaindave
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