Director: Quentin Tarantino
Writer: Quentin Tarantino
Released: December 2012/January 2013
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson
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Django.
The D is silent.
Well, I got to say, the first quarter of the movie is incredible! Django (Jamie Foxx) being freed by a strange man named Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) and the show-down that occurred between Schultz and the Speck Brothers who were transporting Django and other slaves to a plantation. This is where Django and Schultz become a team and continue the journey as Bounty Hunters (killing criminals and selling their corpses for rewards).
Dr. King Schultz: My good man, did you simply get carried away with your dramatic gesture, or are you pointing your weapon at me with lethal intention?
Ace Speck: [cocks shotgun] Last chance, fancy pants.
It was a fantastic start to another incredible Tarantino film… Or at least that’s what I thought… Let me tell you, the idea of “less is more” is not something that Tarantino agrees with.
It slowly (and boy do I mean slowly!) unravelled to reveal a story that consisted of long scenes of dialogue with very sudden outbursts of bloody gunfire that would last an eternity. Particularly the final fight.
Well you think it’s the final fight until another scene of dialogue and another fight follows. By the time it reaches the actual final gun fight, you’re so over the blood and gore that you’re immune to the tragedy of it all and the impact of the violent film has subsided.
If you’re worried that this film is going to be too sadistic… Don’t worry. It’s not. I’m not going to lie, I did flinch when a slave was ripped apart by dogs, and when a horse was shot in the head… But it is essentially a black comedy – it ain’t no Saw. It is seriously more comedic than violent, especially with the scene featuring Jonah Hill.
Christoph Waltz was absolutely hilarious too. Actually, this guy is going to get a whole paragraph dedicated to his acting. He is totally incredible! Did you know that he can speak three languages fluently!? English, French and German, which he speaks in Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained. His way of acting is unlike any other… you can’t even tell if he is acting or not because he is just so natural. *Sigh*. Maaaan… He needs a hi-5. His character had some wicked quotes too.
You silver-tongued devil, you.
Unfortunately, some things were unintentionally funny. Like Quentin Tarantino’s cameo… Yeah. That was… Weird. Especially since him and another character were speaking with an Australian accent. That literally came out of nowhere, so confusing! It was kind of disturbing.
I have to make a quick point about the horses. They were SO well trained! Incredible stunt horses. Being a horserider myself, I tend to get really picky about how the horses or riders are doing something wrong, like if the horse-doubles look very little alike or how the actors can’t ride or how sometimes I notice that one of the riders is totally out of control of their horse.
But I couldn’t fault any of the horses or riders in this film! Particularly Jamie Foxx when he was riding a horse with no bridle or saddle… Actually that was yet another left-field occurrence. It was kind of pointless, unexpected and weird.
I had read somewhere before seeing Django Unchained that there is a part where Leonardo accidentally slams his hand down onto a wine glass while in character. I looked out for it, and it makes the scene a hundred times better because for a split second you see the shock on his face, but he carries on. Throughout the scene he picks glass out of his hand, even smearing his own blood over another actor’s face. Awesomely grotesque, I have got to say! Good on you, DiCaprio. He played an mildly insane and overpowering man very well!
Gentlemen, you had my curiosity, now you have my attention.
The music was pretty cool. My favourite song was one called Freedom by Anthony Hamilton and Elayna Boynton. But out of nowhere a hardcore rap song blared against while a group of horses and riders walked from one end of the screen to the other… The mood of the movie was sort of ruined by odd little choices like that.
It wasn’t as sadistic or gory as I was expecting it to be. Also, the story line did not involve as many personal details about many characters, like there was in Inglourious Basterds. It made the entire movie seem distant, making it difficult to lose yourself in the movie.
I reckon Quentin Tarantino was just having fun in this movie. I reckon it would have been much more entertaining being on set every day rather than sitting through a Lord of the Rings-length Western/Black Comedy/Romance/Action movie.
Still confused by what I just watched…
Jodie’s rating: 6/10
You need to watch this trailer to listen purely to Christoph’s voice! His use of inflection is perfection!
OR the mamsy-pamsy emotional blubbering characters who through the fog of their infatuation are unable to reach logical decisions.
Unfortunately, the fairytale romance unravels due to the Duke (Richard Roxburgh) – an investor in Satine and the Moulin Rouge – attempts to put an end to their love affair. Christian and Satine’s love turns into a concoction of “desire, suspicion, jealously, anger and betrayal”.
It is full of colour and energy! It feels like you’re right there in the Moulin Rouge with them. The lighting is incredible along with Baz Lurhmann’s trademark choppy edits and steadicam footage. This all adds to the excitement on the dance floor with the colourful dresses and cabaret dancers.
The music is fantastic! They’re not songs that describe mundane things, it’s music that supports the emotion of it all. They’re modern songs by incredible artists such as Bowie, Rufus Wainwright and Elton John, as well as bands such as T.Rex, Queen and Nirvana, in an orchestral fashion, and/or medley mash-up of multiple songs, sometimes in aMoulin Rouge party style.
Inspired by true events, this exciting and high-energy journey follows Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) as he discovers the world of counting cards and the game of blackjack in Vegas. The huge financial rewards and glamorous way of life that was supposed to be a means to an end for Ben, became an addictive and extremely risky and dangerous lifestyle choice.
This is a fast paced film of high-rollers and well-educated characters, some with intimidating power and control. A once conscientious student becomes wrapped up in the underworld of counting cards which jeopardises his future as a Harvard Medical student as blackjack team member, Professor Mickey Rosa (Kevin Spacey), turns on him.
The soundtrack to 21 is a mixture of popular artists such as Rihanna and MGMT, classic artists such as The Rolling Stones, plus some more of the middle-of-the-road artists like Peter Bjorn and John and Unkle. There are a few R&B songs that I don’t really like, but the best parts are used in the film effectively.
Musical or not, its fifties costumes and authentic hair-dos are enough to make me love this optimistic film. I love this era and it’s portrayed in the most idyllic light. Obviously Grease is essentially a stage play which isn’t lost in the movie form with the occasional fourth wall barriers lost.
Tim Burton’s quirky and off centre idea of normalcy is shown in Edward Scissorhands which is about a man who was created by an inventor who died before he could complete him – hence the scissors for hands. Edward finds himself embraced into suburbia which challenges the belief system of the small, gossipy population, before everything goes wrong and Edward finds himself in a more confused state than ever.
It does seem like a crazy storyline. A man with scissors for hands? Imagine trying to pitch that to a production company…
Speaking of casting, one of my favourite actresses, Dianne Wiest, (
The sets look like a model set because of all of the pastel colours and cookie-cutter, two dimensional looking houses, especially in contrast with the black, gothic castle that Edward Scissorhands hides out in. It is actually a spectacular set which is an exaggeration of suburbia’s claustrophobia, uniformity and lack of individualism or creativity, which is what Edward Scissorhands inadvertently changes when he is introduced to the neighbourhood.
It is a comedic view on the insanity of normalcy. An entertaining watch – unlike anything you have ever seen before. It is a typical Burton film so if you’re not a fan of his work usually, you may not enjoy the weirdness of Edward Scissorhands. However, the love interest between Edward and Kim (Winona Ryder) as well as the snowy Christmas scenes makes it a great festive movie (despite the somewhat sad ending which Tom Cruise disliked).
The protagonist is a storyteller although he is known to exaggerate and embellish the story of his life with fantastical metaphors and unbelievable occurrences. Just like 
Fate, destiny, time, love and death. From real life giants and lion tamers to mermaids and witches, Big Fish is a fantasy/adventure/drama movie, but with a make-believe glaze over it.
Director: Jon Favreau
It includes my favourite Christmas song; Baby, It’s Cold Outside, sung by Zooey Deschanel and Will Farrell. The same song on the official soundtrack is by Zooey Deschanel and Leon Redbone which is a great version.
NZ Film Freak 