Django Unchained Steve's Review

Let me start off by saying that Django Unchained is the first movie I ever read the script before seeing the movie.  I wasn't sure how that would effect the movie watching experience.  I was afraid it would spoil certain parts.  But nothing could prepare me for what Tarantino had in store.  

Django (pronunced jango the D is silent) played by Jamie Foxx is a slave who is bought by a bounty hunter Dr. Schultz (Christoph Waltz).  Dr. Schultz needs Django to identify the Brittle Brothers since Schultz does not know what they look like.  The two set out on an adventure and soon become friends and a bounty hunting team.  After Schultz gives him his freedom Django wants to find his wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington).  With the help of Schultz he finds out who bought Broomhilda and together devise a plan to get her back.   The plan brings them to face to face with powerful slave owner Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio) in a big con game. 

In typical Tarantino fashion the movie is violent, funny, and has great dialogue.  This is unlike any western you have ever seen. It combines a lot of the western elements we all know mixes them with the visual style of Tarantino.  The violence is sometimes over the top and stylized fun.  There are a few gruesome scenes that are meant to portray the evils of slavery and they are not stylized but shown in a cringe worthy style. Unlike other Tarantino movies this movie does not have the time shifts and is a very linear movie and this is probably the first Tarantino film that has a little love story in it. Also while his music selection in movies is usually spot on I felt it didn't work here. This might be a personal pet peeve but I do have issues with modern songs in movies that take place in the past.

 There is one scene that felt out of place. the scenes with Jonah Hill are silly and meant for comedy but just doesn't fit with the tone of the rest of the movie (there is another scene with Tarantino playing an Australian which is odd and works only slightly better).

The acting was all top notch.  Christoph Waltz who won Best Supporting Actor for Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds gives another great performance and I would argue better then his one in Inglourious Basterds.  Jamie Foxx's performance is one of his best and Oscar talk is already buzzing for Leonardo DiCaprio. I have to say the one performance that I was not totally impressed with was Samuel L. Jackson's.  The interaction between is character and DiCaprio's character is a complex one but  Jackson is such a presence it is hard o see him as anyone's slave.  

As far as reading the script before seeing the movie it was interesting.  First off it doesn't matter what was in the script Tarantino has such a unique direction that it is still amazing even if you know what is going to happen.  Some of the biggest differences are with the back story of Django and Broomhilda.  In the script there is more to their story and it would have been nice to see that.  The one scene that I mentioned earlier that felt out of place in the movie also felt out of place in the script.  I would have liked to see that one taken out and more of the Broomhilda story.  

Overall: 4.5/5 Great movie.  Tarantino delivers a masterpiece of revenge with a side of  love story. I only had a few small issues with it but one of Tarantino's best and one of the best movies of the year.  

Sunday Spotlight: Oscar Predictions

Well it’s one of my favorite days of the year Oscar day.  For some inexplicable reason I have always been obsessed with the Oscars. 

This year is the second year in a row where I was not able to see all the movies nominated for Best Picture but that is not going to stop me from making predictions. 

Best Picture

The second year in a row where 9 movies are nominated and this year I only managed to see 6.  But a clear front runner has emerged

Prediction- Argo – The start of Oscar season there was no clear front runner and seemed a toss-up between Argo, Lincoln, and Zero Dark Thirty.  But after the nominations were announced and Ben Affleck did not get a best Director nomination people felt the need to rally around Argo and has been cleaning up every award since then. 

Who Should Win- Lincoln or Django Unchained -Like I said I only have seen 6 movies in the category but as much as I liked Argo I would rather see Lincoln or Django Unchained win Best Picture. 

Best Director

With Argo the front runner for Best Picture and Affleck not nominated for Best Director it makes this category a little tougher to predict. 

Prediction – Steven Spielberg-Lincoln – Spielberg is the safe choice in this one for Academy voters.

Who Should Win – Steven Spielberg – I have seen 4 out of 5 movies in this category and while I really liked Life of Pi and Silver Linings Playbook I feel Spielberg did a great job of making a movie about politics a fascinating story and showed Lincoln as not only a great politician but a fully rounded person.

Best Actor

This is the one category that is a no doubter

Prediction – Daniel Day Lewis- Lincoln – He has been a front runner since it was announced he was going to star in the movie. 

Who Should Win – Daniel Day Lewis- Part of the reason Lincoln was such a great movie was Lewis’ ability to convincingly show all sides of Lincoln. Not only as a Politian, but a father, a husband, and a friend.

Best Actress

Not as easy to predict as Best Actor. Jennifer Lawrence has been getting plenty of awards leading up to the Oscars but Emmanuelle Riva has been slowly gaining a following.

Prediction – Jennifer Lawrence – Silver Linings Playbook I think the momentum that Riva has been getting is too little too late. 

Who Should win – Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook Hard for me to say I have only seen two performances nominated but I did love Jennifer Lawrence and she is one of the reasons that movie worked so well.

Best Original Screenplay

This seems to be a category that is kind of up in the air.  First we got the rematch between Mark Boal and Quentin Tarantino who went head to head a few years ago with Mark Boal coming out ahead for The Hurt Locker. But also in the mix this year is the love that Amour seems to be getting lately and it could pull off the upset if Boal and Tarantino split the vote.

Prediction – Mark Boal – Zero Dark Thirty – Zero Dark Thirty got a lot of praise early on in the Oscar season but it has really fallen off.  I think this is the one award it will win.

Who Should Win – Quentin Tarantino- Django Unchained.  Tarantino is one of the most original screenwriters around who not only comes up with interesting stories but has great dialogue. 

Best Adapted Screenplay

Another tough category.  Lincoln had been the front runner for so long but with the resurgence of Argo and it’s win at the Writers Guild it seems it has the momentum.  But you can’t count out Silver Linings Playbook which made a simple romantic comedy something special and the writer of Life of Pi who took what many considered an unfilmable book and made a great movie.

Prediction – Chris Terrio-Argo – again with the snub of Ben Affleck for director it seems like everyone else that worked on Argo is going to get rewarded.

Who Should Win – Tony Kushner for Lincoln like I said lots of great stuff in this category but again I am going with Tony Kushner.  The movie is about a bunch of guys talking and he managed to keep it interesting.

Best Supporting Actor

Prediction – Robert De Niro- Silver Linings Playbook – I am going to predict a minor upset here.  I don’t think Alan Arkin will benefit from the Argo love but I think they are going to reward De Niro who has not won an Academy Award in over 30 years.

Who Should Win – Christoph Waltz – Django Unchained – One of the best things about Django Unchained was Waltz’s performances but I think this is the wrong category for him since he is more of a main actor then a supporting actor.  

Best Supporting Actress

This is the one category that historically has given us the biggest surprises. But the past few years it has been pretty predictable.

Prediction – Anne Hathaway – Les Miserables – Like Daniel Day Lewis she has been winning every award so far and I don’t her losing here.

Who Should Win – Amy Adams- The Master.  I have seen 4 out of the 5 movies and Les Miserables is the only one I haven’t see so I can’t say if Anne Hathaway should win. But out of the other 4 Amy Adams, Sally Field, and Helen Hunt are some of my favorite performances this year so it is hard for me to pick.  But I am going to say Amy Adams It is the one performances that truly surprised me.  She holds her with both Joaquin Phoenix and Phillip Seymour Hoffman and manages to shine. 

My picks for the rest of the categories

Best Animated Feature Film

Frankenweenie– I haven’t seen any movie in this category but I think it comes down to Frankenweenie and Wreck-it Ralph and I am going with Tim Burton this year.

Cinematography

Life of Pi - No movie looked more beautiful than Life of Pi this year but voters could go for the more traditional cinematography of Skyfall

Costume Design 

Anna Karenina – Big costume drama always wins this award

Documentary Feature

Searching for Sugar Man – Searching for Sugar Man has been getting all the pre-Oscar Awards seems like a sure thing.

Documentary Short

Open Heart – When it comes to the shorts it is a pure guess.

Film Editing

Argo – Again the Argo train I think wins it.  Although it could as easily go to Zero Dark Thirty.

Foreign Language  Film

Amour – This is as much as a sure thing as you can get

Makeup and Hairstyling

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – The makeup had to be amazing because any flaws would have been obvious at the high frame rate.

Original Score

Lincoln – because I think John Williams will finally win again after 30 years.

Original Song

Skyfall – Because it is one of the best Bond songs in a long time and everyone loves Adele

Production Design

Life of Pi – I think Life of Pi will win in most of the technical awards

Animated Short

Paperman – Not betting against Pixar in this category.

Live Action Short

Henry – another pure guess

Sound Editing

Argo – Because everyone loves Argo

Sound Mixing

Les  Miserables – Apparently having people sing live makes this hard. 

Visual Effects

Life of Pi – again the movie looked amazing and was done with mostly special effects

Box Office Wrap-Up 2/112013

Box Office Wrap-Up

Identity Thief opened big this weekend exceeding most peoples expectation with $36.5 million easily taking the number one spot.

Dropping to number 2 is the Rom-Zom-Com (or is it Zom-Rom-Com) Warm Bodies with $11.5 million. 

The other big new release this weekend Side Effects landed in 3^rd with only $10 million.  A lot different than the last time Channing Tatum and Steven Soderbergh teamed up with Magic Mike that opened with $39 million. 

Still hanging out in the top 5 is Silver Linings Playbook. In its 13^th week it made $6.9 million for the fourth spot.

Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters rounds out the top 5 with $5.75 million.

Jessica Chastain stars in movies that are in the 6^th and 7^th spot. With Mama making $4.3 million and Zero Dark Thirty making $4 million.

Argo managed to jump back into the top 10 riding the wave of award season wins and additional theatres it made $2.5 million for the 8^th spot. 

The 4^th best pic nominee to be in the top 10 this weekend was Django Unchained which made $2.2 and has become Quientin Tarantino’s highest grossing movie.

Still managing to stay in the top 10 was the Sylvester Stallone action movie Bullet to the Head with $1.98 million. 

And just missing the top 10 was the 3D release of Top Gun which made $1.9 million from 300 IMAX screens. 

2013 Oscar Nomination Predication

Here are my annual Oscar Nomination Predictions. 

I am going for a few surprises.  The biggest being that Silver Linings Playbook will be the first movie since 2004’s Million Dollar Baby to be nominated for the Top 5 (Picture, Director, Screenplay, Actor, and Actress) although the Director and Actor nominations are the shakiest.

Best Picture- This year like last year there is not a specified number of Best Picture nominees.  There could be anything from 5 – 10.  Last year we ended up with 9 this year I am predicting 8.

Argo

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Django Unchained

Les Miserable

Lincoln

Life of Pi

Silver Linings Playbook

Zero Dark Thirty

If it does make it to 10 here are the two movies I think will be number 9 and 10

The Master

Moonrise Kingdom

Best Director- With all those Best Picture nominations it is hard to figure out which directors will get nominated for Best Director.  Tarantino feels like the big one missing from this list but Ang Lee did get the Directors Guild nomination.    

Ben Affleck (Argo)

Tom Hooper (Les Miserables)

Steven Spielberg (Lincoln)

David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook)

Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty)

Best Actor-There have been lots of talk about Denzel Washington making the list for Flight but I am guessing he gets snubbed. 

Hugh Jackman (Les Miserables)

Daniel Day Lewis (Lincoln)

Joaquin Phoenix (The Master)

John Hawkes (The Sessions)

Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook)

Best Actress – Naomi Watts has been getting lots of talk recently for The Impossible she could make the list but I think it might be too little too late.

Emmanuelle Riva (Amour)

Quvenzhané Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild)

Marrion Cotillard (Rust and Bone)

Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)

Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty)

Best Supporting Actor-Christoph Waltz was fantastic in Django Unchained but I consider him more a lead and not supporting actor and am guessing the Academy will also.

Alan Arkin (Argo)

Leonardo DiCaprio (Django Unchained)

Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln)

Phillip Seymour Hoffman (The Master)

Robert DeNiro (Silver Linings Playbook)

Best Supporting Actress- Pretty crowded field and maybe adding Ann Dowd is just my wish but there has been lots of talk and think she can pull off that 5^th spot.

Ann Dowd (Compliance)

Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables)

Sally Field (Lincoln)

Amy Adams (The Master)

Helen Hunt (The Sessions)

Best Animated Feature

Brave

Frankenweenie

Paranorman

Rise of the Guardians

Wreck-It Ralph

Best Original Screenplay-Looper is going to be my surprise pick for this category. 

Quentin Tarantino (Django Unchained)

Rian Johnson (Looper)

Paul Thomas Anderson (The Master)

Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola (Moonrise Kingdom)

Mark Boal (Zero Dark Thirty)

Best Adapted Screenplay

Chris Terrio (Argo)

William Nicholson (Les Miserables)

David Magee (Life of Pi)

Tony Kushner (Lincoln)

David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook)

Sunday Spotlight: Best of 2012

Well it is finally here.  The day we share our Top 5 movies of 2012.

Steve's List
Well as I said last week with my bottom 5 I did not see as many movies as I have in past years.  Apparently having a kid means making a few sacrifices.  But I did manage to see quite a few great movies and here is the list of my favorite.
 
5. Django Unchained -As a big fan of Quentin Tarantino I eagerly awaited Django Unchained and he did not disappoint.  One of his best movies a western filled with violence and comedy.  It feels like every movie he keep honing his craft with every movie he makes.

4. Safety Not Guaranteed- With all the big budget movies coming out in the beginning of the summer this was a nice refreshing movie. Part romantic comedy and part time travel movie it had a great cast and fun story. Jake Johnson from New Girl and Aubrey Plaza were the stand outs. The movie is about a newspaper crew doing a story about an ad in the classified section that read “WANTED: Someone to go back in time with me. This is not a joke. You’ll get paid after we get back. Must bring your own weapons. I have only done this once before. SAFETY NOT GUARENTEED”

3. The Avengers – Definitely the most fun I had at the movies this year.  On paper this looked like a movie that could never work.  How do you take superheroes from 4 different movies and jam them all into one movie?  Somehow Joss Whedon figured out how to make it work.  Each character gets their time in the spotlight and their is great banter between them.  A great example of what a popcorn movie should be.

2. Lincoln – Another movie that just sounded awesome from the beginning.  How can you go wrong with Steven Spielberg directing a movie staring Daniel Day Lewis. I was thoroughly engrossed in this political drama. Some people might have thought there was too much talking but it sucked me in. All the performances were amazing and I thought the movie presented Lincoln as well rounded man and not just as a flawless leader.   

1. Compliance - Not a movie a lot of people saw and caused division among those who did see it. For some the movie and the characters are stupid. But for me it was a fascinating look into the psychology of men. The movie gets under your skin with the sadistic prank phone caller who seems to get off on a power trip.  The question is how far are the people on the other end going to go.  And it turns out pretty far.  What is most disturbing is the fact that it is based on real events that happened in multiple locations around the country.  I read an interview with the screenwriter who said that he  left some things out that actually happened because he thought it would be too unbelievable.  Here is the news article from the original story warning it does have some spoilers.  A Hoax Most Cruel

Honorable Mentions:
sound of my voice- the only reason this didn’t make my list is because it made my list last year. I saw this at Sundance in 2011 but it did not get released till this year but didn’t feel right having it on my list two years in a row.

Holy Motors – Every year there is that one movie that you see that is so bizarre it takes a while for it to really sink it. While I don’t think it was a great movie it did have some good moments but like great films it caused some fun conversations trying to figure out what it was about.


Chris' list
2012 was a great year for movies. It seemed that every week, there was a great new movie opening.
It was hard to whittle them down to a top 5 but, here are my picks for the year.


5. Prometheus - How many other movies released in June are still being debated now? Prometheus marks Ridley Scott's return to the Alien universe he created in 1979. With a fascinating story and top notch acting, Prometheus fits right in on my top 5 list. With an open ending, Scott confirmed that a sequel is in the works.

4. The Cabin In The Woods - This is a fun horror movie. With a very clever script and a talented cast, this was a breath of fresh air in a season of sub par horror movies. Delayed for some time, Lionsgate snapped this up for distribution.

3. The Avengers - One of the greatest popcorn movies of all time is The Avengers. Marvel had been building up to this for years with their previous films. This is a blast to watch from start to finish. This is the new gold standard for comic book films.

2. Django Unchained - Tarantino's western opus is nothing short of fantastic. Jamie Foxx is so well cast as Django and Tarantino's clever writing has never been sharper here. The action is total Tarantino, as is the humor. See this film ASAP.

1. Lincoln - Daniel Day-Lewis is one of, if not the finest actor working today. If you don't believe me, see Lincoln. Steven Spielberg's Lincoln has been in the making for years and it comes to the screen in grand form. The game of politics hasn't changed much and, it is fascinating to see Lincoln play this game. This is a close look into the final days of the Civil War and, Lincoln's fight to end slavery. This is my favorite film of the year and really one of my favorite's of all time.

Sunday Spotlight: The Movies of Quentin Tarantino

When Reservoir Dogs premiered at Sundance the world was introduced to a new and visionary director.  Quentin Tarantino shocked audiences with violent images, vulgar dialogue, and non-linear storytelling. 

I love the quote from him about making movies.  When asked if he went to film school his reply is no he went to films.  Which is all you need to know about his directing style.  As a video store clerk he had the opportunity to watch lots of movies from lots of genres.  Taking something from each movie he liked he is able to craft something that feels different.  His movies borrow themes from past movies and it is not unusual to see various types of genres in one movie. 

After writing and  directing Reservoir Dogs he wrote screenplays for a couple of movies he did not direct including True Romance and Natural Born Killers  both which contained his violent and vulgar writing style. Although Natural Born Killers was rewritten and Tarantino only got story credit and not screenplay credit.  It wasn’t until Pulp Fiction in 1994 that he really broke out as a director.  Pulp Fiction was unlike any movie that had come before it.  While at its core it has similar elements to Reservoir Dogs it raises it to a whole new bar.  I remember sitting in the theatre watching it and just being blown away.  A lot of people got turned off by the non-linear storytelling and graphic violence but I fell in love with it.  The dialogue was funny and the violence was over the top.  It really led to a new way of storytelling that has influenced directors of today.  Tarantino has a way of casting people that seems to fit perfectly in the world he creates.  Every actor in Pulp Fiction seemed tailored made for the part.  I am sure anyone that saw the movie has a scene that sticks out in their mind which says a lot about how many great scenes are in the movie. 

After the success of Pulp Fiction Tarantino went on to work with fellow director Robert Rodriguez for a couple of movies.  Including Four Rooms where they each wrote and directed a segment and From Dusk till Dawn which Tarantino wrote and starred in and Rodriguez directed.  Tarantino then wrote and directed his next feature film Jackie Brown a homage to the 70’s Blaxploitation films.  Again showcasing his love of movies from the past and bringing them into the present.  While it did not have the critical praise as his previous movies it showed how talented he really was. 

His next project was the ambitious Kill Bill.  A story that he talked about with Uma Thurman while they were making Pulp Fiction.  The movie ended up being a long and violent revenge movie.  The movie ran so long that he decided to release it in two parts  Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Kill Bill Vol. 2.  A gamble even for a veteran director no one was sure how it would be received.  The first one opened to great critical praise.  But by the time the second one opened the praise was not as big.  But the movies have gone on to gain cult status. 

Tarantino then went on to team with Robert Rodriguez again this time to make a grindhouse double feature like the ones they grew up watching in the 70’s.  Each director made one half of the double feature.  Tarantino’s movie was Death Proof about a murderous stunt car driver.  This ambitious venture ultimately flopped in theatres.  I was lucky enough to get to see a sneak preview of the movie and thought it was a lot of fun (although I enjoyed Rodriguez’s Planet Terror a bit more).  The original release featured fake trailers before and between the movies.  These fake trailers were some of the funniest parts and went on to spawn their own movies. 

After the disappointment of Grindhouse Tarantino made a huge splash with his next movie Inglourious Bastards.  A WWII movie about Nazi killers was a more linear storytelling but still had the violence and dialogue that Tarantino is known for.  Released to critical praise it was his first movie to get nominated for an Academy Awards since Pulp Fiction.  The movie got nominated for 8 Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay and won Best Supporting Actor for Christoph Waltz. 

This brings us to Tarantino’s newest movie.  An homage to Westerns Django Unchained.  With an all-star cast including previous Oscar nominees  Leonardo DiCaprio (What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, The Aviator, Blood Diamond), Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction) and 2 previous winners Jamie Foxx (Ray) and Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Bastards).  The movie is already getting critical praise and looks like it will land Tarantino another Best Picture nomination and right now appears possibly another nomination for DiCaprio.  

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