Off the chain: Tarantino’s ‘Django’

Django Unchained (2012)

Directed by Quentin Tarantino

8.5/10  R

“Django” is an unchained melody of sheer force. Quintessential Quentin Tarantino. But more than gallons of fake blood and dozens of pistols, this is something different. Boldly original, this is quality Quentin Tarantino. And as a self-proclaimed Tarantino hater, that’s saying something.

From the very first scene, where Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), a smooth-talking, no bull shit bounty hunter, takes slave Django (Jamie Foxx) under his wing, I knew this would be something special. As the saga continues and the plot grows thicker, we discover that Django has a wife (Kerry Washington) separated by the harsh realities of slavery, but by now he had lost all hope of saving her again. Not so, says King. After a unforgiving winter of bounty hunting for monetary rewards, King and Django devise a plan to rescue the woman from her master, the owner of one of the South’s largest plantations, Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio).

Tarantino takes his time letting his slow-burning spaghetti western marinate, but once he tells you what’s really driving Django you won’t want to miss it. His unique brand of dry humor and abundance of violence make “Django” the man’s movie of 2012. It’s a two and a half-hour bloodbath that ends in the gun fight to end all gun fights. With Tarantino at the helm, you expect no less. Plus, you won’t
want to miss the auteur’s most ironic cameo yet.

This isn’t your father’s depiction of slavery. This is graphic oppression, Tarantino style. Q gives audiences a severe taste of the realities (or embellishments) of slavery, a stirring picture that will leave you cringing with goosebumps. That’s what he wants. Slavery has never felt so real, at least not to anyone without personal ties. The beautiful Antebellum American South is contrasted by the brutal truths of bondage. Tarantino trash talks his slavery predecessors who, he says, wimp out of showing the terrible violence associated with post-Civil War America. I don’t think he cares that he went a little over the top, he’s f***ing Quentin Tarantino.

An inspired Kerry Washington will make sure you leave “Django” with a picture of slavery impressed in your mind, but she is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this unmatched ensemble (one of the greatest collaborations of the year). In 2010, after winning Best Supporting Actor for his role in “Inglorious Basterds,” Oscar said auf wiedersehen (“until next time”) to Christoph Waltz. Well, I think it’s “next time” now. Waltz already picked up a Golden Globe nomination for his supporting role (the Globes also predicted his win in 2010), which might even rival that role in Tarantino’s “Basterds.” Leonardo DiCaprio never fails to impress me. Of course he’s had a long and illustrious career as the boy that never ages (he’s 38!), but he strikes an impressive chord as the coldblooded plantation owner. He’s rough, loud, calloused…in one scene, he slammed his fist so hard on a table that it started to bleed. This seasoned stud played straight through it. Samuel L. Jackson, in his fourth Tarantino film, undergoes dramatic changes to create an elder servant of Candie. He brings a good batch of humor and a fair amount of make-up. Jamie Foxx bears everything for the role that may come to define him. Move over, Ray Charles. Foxx gives an impassioned performance that you can’t help but root for. He’s a suave and stubborn Django that’s not afraid to get angry. Jamie Foxx is Django.

Quentin Tarantino lassos up an ideal cast of stars and puts them in a picturesque post-Civil War scene to make “Django Unchained” an undeniable success.

“Django Unchained” is in theater now.

‘Carnage’: Polanski strikes back

Carnage (2011)

Directed by Roman Polanski

6.5/10  R

Did you hear the joke about Carnage being the most uncomfortable picture Roman Polanski has ever shot in a single room? It probably isn’t very funny until you read back to March of 1977, but then you should get a chuckle. And no, the 1977 isn’t too soon. It’s stuffy, dry, and only peppered with humor, not like a good comedy should be. But Carnage is filled to the brim with the profoundest profundities about bullying, marriage, and life that any dramedy can possibly hold, an interesting, humanized, thoughtful story that was either too stupid or too brave to venture far from its roots on the stage.

A genial visit occurs between two upper-crust couples, the parents of two children that recently got into a playground scuffle that left one missing a tooth. Soon their differences begin to show, at which point it becomes a disgraceful battle of the sexes.

With only four cast members that make an appearance and have any lines, Carnage is nothing…seriously, nothing…without its stars. As the cultured mother of a young boy recovering from a vicious bully attack, Jodie Foster is…well, she was nominated for a Golden Globe, but I found the performance out of place. She can’t seem to pull off even slightly comical lines as well as the others, but when the tensions rise she finds her niche. As her faux-cultured husband, John C. Reilly rides the same boat. He begins awkwardly, without the comic mischief we expect, but when the jokes start to fly he shines.

On the other side of the ring, Christoph Waltz is a knockout punch that leaves you slightly annoyed but smiling anyway. As the workaholic father of the aggressor, Waltz shows a humorous side that we haven’t seen before. His wife, played by Kate Winslet, is less memorable. She has a dramatic presence, but doesn’t seem as versatile as Waltz. It’s like that maddening professor that gives you an exam with only four questions, so one miss lands you a C. I wouldn’t say Winslet is a total loss, but with only four characters it’s important that they are all at the top of their games.

Based on the play “God of Carnage” by Yasmina Reza, Carnage obviously drew heavily from its roots. But with stars like Ralph Fiennes, Marcia Gay Harden, Janet McTeer, Jeff Daniels, and James Gandolfini playing the roles of the parents in well-received London and New York productions, why not pull from their experience? Morgan Freeman in Driving Miss Daisy, Anne Bancroft in The Miracle Worker, and Vivien Leigh in A Streetcar Named Desire are just a few of the stars that took their theater roles with them to the big screen and did exceptionally well.

Right at the height of the tension, Carnage’s 80 minute runtime reaches its sputtering end. While at times Carnage can feel stuffy and contained, its brilliant performances and interesting script help control your own frequent urges to leave the room.

The Green Hornet (2011)

The Green Hornet (2011)

7/10  PG-13

            First impression: Why isn’t James Franco in this movie longer?—(more on that later). The Green Hornet, a 2011 version of the popular 1930’s and 40’s radio and comic book character, stars Seth Rogen as heir to a media empire Britt Reid, Jay Chou as his butt-kicking sidekick Kato, and Christoph Waltz as the cocky villain Benjamin Chudnofsky.

Britt Reid unexpectedly becomes the owner of a popular Los Angeles newspaper when his father dies. Along with Kato, his father’s former coffee maker/car repairman, Reid plans to de-head a statue honoring his rude, insensitive dad. That night, however, Reid and Kato happen to notice a couple getting mugged. Not knowing what to do, Reid clumsily tries to intervene. When the attackers turn on him, Kato comes to the rescue, and of course, defeats them all. Realizing their true potential, the pair decides to try to clean the streets and bring justice to the city, but corruption is their real villain.

Chou and Rogen in The Green Hornet

            Filled with cheesy montages and lengthy action scenes, The Green Hornet does a nice job of keeping with the motifs of the conventional comic book movie. However, while Waltz plays “Bloodnofsky” to perfection, (he always plays a great bad guy) the others don’t hold up their end of the bargain. Seth Rogen plays his part like most of his other parts—with an arrogant humor that sometimes turns to immature outbursts and name-calling for laughs—and he and Chou are often seen bickering like teenage girls.

Christoph Waltz as Bloodnofsky

I do admit, the car looks intimidating, and the weaponry looks impressive. Another bright spot is the five minutes in which James Franco plays a Los Angeles club owner. His accent is flawless, his jokes are right on target, and his sparring with Waltz is perfect. Waltz’s quest for intimidation is hysterical, and you should watch for the scene when he discusses his plans for a re-birth as a super-villain. Tom Wilkinson has a small part as Mr. Reid, and he plays the part of the business-savvy, workaholic father well. The animated hornet and comic-style music during the end credits are a nice nod to the Green Hornet’s classic television and comic book history. Watch out for the shocker near the end of the film, it will likely leave you re-thinking the entire movie trying to piece it together.  If butt-kicking superhero movies are your thing, The Green Hornet is right for you. If you prefer detailed plots and terrific acting, I would suggest a different movie.

The Green Hornet is out on DVD and Blu-Ray.

Water for Elephants (2011)

Water for Elephants

7.5/10 PG-13

            First impression: it’s good to see Robert Pattinson with some color in his skin. Water for Elephants, starring Reese Witherspoon, Christoph Waltz, and the aforementioned Pattinson, is the story of one young man’s quest for a new life. When Jacob Jankowski (Pattinson) learns of bad news during his last day at Cornell University veterinary school, he runs from his life and finds himself aboard a train belonging to the “Most Spectacular Show on Earth,” the Benzini Brothers circus. When the circus acquires a new act, a grand female elephant, (played wonderfully, I will discuss later) Jacob is hired to care for her. The plot thickens when Marlena, (Witherspoon) the star of the show, begins to fall in love with Jacob, and her husband (Waltz) is none too pleased. The rest is not exactly what you would expect, unless you read the Sara Gruen novel the movie is based on. But readers, do not be discouraged! Being a reader myself, I knew what to expect. To my satisfaction, the beautiful scenes I imagined in my head when I read the book pale in comparison to the beautiful sets in the film.

Waltz, Pattinson, Witherspoon, and Tai the elephant in Water for Elephants 

While Pattinson plays a dull—though “livelier” (think Twilight)—role, his co-workers make up for it. Reese Witherspoon plays a beautiful Marlena, and Waltz is fantastic as August, Marlena’s husband. This role will remind you why Waltz won an Academy Award just two years before for his role in Inglorious Basterds. Last, but certainly not least, the real star of the show is Tai, the beautiful elephant that plays Daisy. While most movies would take the easy route and use special effects and animatronics to splice Daisy in, Water for Elephants uses the majestic Tai. This chemistry between Pattinson and Tai is perfect. For readers and non-readers of the novel alike, Water for Elephants has something for everyone. The dad will like Waltz’s violent antics, the moms will adore Pattinson, and the kids (Roger Ebert calls it “a safe PG-13”) will surely fall in love with Daisy the first time they lay eyes on her.