I may have been absent from Blogspot for quite a while now, but working, university and the festive period can add up to being pretty busy! I haven't gotten the chance to actually go to the cinema for months now until this week, and I thought that Quentin Tarantino's new 'Southern' Django Unchained was the perfect thing to start 2013 with.
Django Unchained (2013)
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, Samuel L. Jackson
'Gentlemen, you had my curiosity.
But now, you have my attention.'
Django Unchained is Quentin Tarantino's debut in the Western genre, or as he calls it, the 'Southern'. It is set two years before the Civil War in a Deep South rife with the slave trade. Django (Foxx) is freed by German dentist-turned-bounty-hunter Dr. King Schulz (Waltz) so as to assist him in finding his next targets, the three Brittle brothers. After a prosperous winter of vigilante justice, they set off to rescue Django's wife Broomhilda (Washington) from sickly sweet plantation owner Calvin Candie (DiCaprio).
Now, I may be a bit biased with this one. I'm a huge Tarantino fan, the classic Pulp Fiction and brilliant Inglourious Basterds being my top two, and have been excited for the release of Django ever since I heard about it last year. But I have to say, I loved this film.
Everything is good here; the soundtrack is effortlessly cool, the acting incredible, the tension unbearable and the comedy brilliant.
Django is full of Western iconography, with plenty of swooping camera angles, pistols drawn from hips and close ups of beer spilling over tankards. Tarantino is the master of switching the atmosphere between the laugh-out-loud and the downright frightening, including a memorable scene at Calvin Candie's dinner table.
Speaking of Candie, Leonardo DiCaprio's sycophantic monster is the highlight of the film. He brings a slimy unease to the screen, and there is always the sense of rage and psychosis simmering under the overly polite exterior. He is like a petulant boy at times and a heartless villain at others, and him and Samuel L. Jackson as the devoted Stephen make for a great comedic pairing.
As for the 'good guys', Christoph Waltz is excellent as always, pulling off reels of smart dialogue effortlessly as well as truly emotional moments between him and Django. Jamie Foxx does well as the vengeful slave, showing a real progression through the film from someone unable to read and too sympathetic to fire a fatal bullet, to a convincing hero who is as resourceful as the German who unchained him. Foxx has a real physical presence and has you rooting for him, but gets a bit lost surrounded by massive performances by those around him.
A character I personally found issue with was Django's wife Broomhilda, played by the beautiful Kerry Washington. She's very much a damsel-in-distress for the whole film which gets a bit wearing, but in terms of the story she couldn't really be anything else. A German fairytale is at the center of the plot, with Django playing a 'real life Siegfried' who dodges a fearsome dragon and walks through hellfire to save his beloved Broomhilda, simply because 'she's worth it'.
One thing to be warned of is the violence. This is, of course, a Tarantino film, so expect the usual cartoonish gunfights and lashings of spurting red stuff, but there is also some pretty gruesome scenes involving dogs, whippings and a particularly brutal 'Mandingo fight'. I don't think it's anything an over-18 audience can't handle, but it will have you wincing in your seat (which is, of course, the point). The director has faced slavery head on, and made the unthinkable racism the real horror of the film.
The film is most definitely a triumph and is seriously enjoyable to watch, but, I hate to say it, it is long. Really long. Although the ending is certainly gratifying and worth the wait, it feels like it should come about half an hour before it actually does. Despite that, it will definitely be one I'll watch again and again!
Rating: Not my favourite Tarantino, but still utterly brilliant.
5 out of 5!
Go see this film!
Thanks for reading,
Sophie.
'This is your life, and it's ending one minute at a time....'
As you may know, I am a Media Student at Teesside Uni. Some people consider a Media degree to be easy, a cop out, something students do when they aren't intelligent or motivated enough to do a 'real' degree. What these people don't realise is that the Media is something that all of us consume every day, so in my opinion, studying it is one of the most relevant things in our culture to gain a degree in.
I want to work in the media...so why wouldn't I study a degree in it? Yeah, astrophysics might push me more academically, but whats the point if it has nothing to do with the career I want?
Anyways, rant over.
My point was that studying Media involves studying aspects such as philosophy, sociology and psychology as part of media theory. One part of media theory we have been studying lately that has particularly interested me is postmodernism.
I'll try and sum this up, because defining postmodernism could take a long time. The main points are that we live in a postmodern society; nothing is original, nothing has substance, and nothing is real.
In our lecture, we recently watched David Fincher's brilliant Fight Club, and discussed how it is a postmodern text.
'You're not your job. You're not how much money you have in the bank. You're not the car you drive. You're not the contents of your wallet. You're the all-singing, all dancing, crap of the world.'
The Narrator, played by Edward Norton, is an insomniac. He is also obsessed with Ikea, and meticulously scrolls through the catalogue 'as if it were pornography'. He attends self help groups because they are the one place he can let go, cry, and finally get some sleep. Before he discovers Fight Club, that is.
Fight Club is an incredible film, making a dramatic social comment on our consumerism-filled lives. Until he meets Tyler Durden, the Narrator compulsively collects furniture, belongings, wondering 'what kind of dining set defines me as a person?'. Some postmodernists believe that today, we have no actual personality because we define ourselves through our possessions, much as the Narrator does with his yin-yang coffee table. Tyler offers the Narrator the option of a life without materialism or authority, without being held down by a house or a job. He is the alternative voice, one that says we do not need to own things to be 'complete' (if we can ever be 'complete' at all).
'I am Jack's
wasted life
broken heart
complete lack of surprise
inflamed sense of rejection
smirking revenge.'
The presumption that we as people have no substance because we are too busy being mindless, excessive consumers might seem....offensive, belittling or infuriating. After all, it would be pretty difficult to live in the Western world as we do and not give in to materialistic pressures. We are richer than we used to be, so it makes sense that we would buy more things.
Tyler Durden: 'Reject the basic assumptions of basic civilization, especially the importance of material possessions.'
I know I'm being a little deep here, but I found myself really interested in this issue and wanted to share it.
I can't help but agree that these days, we do define ourselves by what we own. I do, anyway; I love fashion, and what is fashion if not a way of showing who you are by wearing clothes, shoes, the latest trend?
However, I don't think this is as bad a thing as it sounds. I think the stuff we own, wear, listen to, watch.... it's a form of self-expression that we just couldn't afford years ago. I'm sure we could all do with getting back to basics a little, but that doesn't mean that by being active consumers we are nothing but style rather than substance.
Apologies for the wordy/theoretical post, but this is what I'm studying so this is what I'm thinking/blogging about!
Hope this gave you some food for thought, and do please comment if you have any opinions!
Thanks for reading,
Sophie.
.....this is going to be a bumpy ride.'
Apologies for it having been so long since a new post; I've been busy starting my second year at uni, and wanted to work on redesigning the layout of my blog (though it is still a working progress), so I hope you like it!
I've seen a lot of great films recently, so wanted to write a few reviews. First up is:
Zombieland
Directed by Ruben Fleischer
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1156398/
Zombieland is the tale of Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), a slightly awkward sociopath with a phobia of everything who is one of the few humans left in a zombie-infested world due to a list of rules for survival. He begins a journey to discover the fate of his parents and comes across a lively gang along the way, consisting of Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) and sister act Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin).
Rule No. 18: Limber Up
For starters, the acting is simply brilliant. There is no weak link in the foursome; each is witty and excellent, and they gel together perfectly considering their only other co stars (with the exception of Bill Murray) are blood-crazed zombies.
Rule No. 17: Don't Be A Hero
Jesse Eisenberg is one of my favourite actors; his subtle yet remarkable performances in films like The Social Network and Adventureland are full of smartly spoken dialogue and dripping with sarcasm. He does well at making Columbus nervous and lonely, but incredibly likeable.
Rule No. 8: Get A Kick-Ass Partner
The first companion Columbus acquires is the steely, hot-headed Tallahassee, a man who thoroughly enjoys ripping zombies to shreds and is unstoppable in his quest for his favourite snack, the illusive Twinkie. I love Woody Harrelson in just about everything; he's quirky, gritty, and an amazing presence on the screen.
'When Tallahassee goes Hulk on a zombie, he sets the standard for 'not to be fucked with"
Columbus and Tallahassee set off on their travels, and everything goes well until they meet their match in sisters Wichita and Little Rock. Both Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin are naturals and make for some of the best moments in the film, not least how they fool the two boys. Twice.
Rule No. 31: Check The Back Seat
Emma Stone, I believe, is one the best comic actresses in film at the moment. She has a way of bringing a script into reality, and has an ease in front of the camera that always makes her so enjoyable to watch (her performance in Easy A is outstanding).
'It's amazing how fast the world can go from bad to total shit storm.'
Zombieland is short (only around 80 minutes), snappy, and seriously smart. There are genuinely hilarious moments throughout, full of fantastic one liners delivered by a superb cast. The story is simple but well executed, and there is a comic book feel to it (especially in the theme park section) that really suits the genre and enhances the zombie-killing action. Eisenberg's deadpan narration really makes the film, as does the idea of the survival rules appearing on screen when relevant (again adding to the sense of the characters living in a comic book, or even a virtual game-world). The tentative relationship between Columbus and Wichita does seem almost like a generic required romantic element, but makes for some nice scenes and brings the group together.
It's a whole lot of funny with just the right amount of emotion, and will definitely become one of my favourites.
Rule No. 32: Enjoy The Little Things.
Verdict: The American equivalent of the excellent Shaun of the Dead.
Rating: 5/5
Watch this film!
Thanks for reading!
Sophie.
