Django Unchained

Starring: Jamie Foxx, Christopher Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio

Directed by: Quentin Tarantino

Rating: I Loved It

As I'm sure I've mentioned in the past, I'm not a big Tarantino fan.  After having a discussion about his movies with a friend, though, I'm convinced it's actually him I'm not a fan of, not his work.  I enjoyed Inglorious Bastards and Pulp Fiction, and I haven't really seen much of his other work.  I plan to watch more, but the only other movie he was the director on that I've seen was Reservoir Dogs, and I didn't, much to the chagrin of most of my movie friends, really care for it.  He was the writer on From Dusk Till Dawn, and I enjoyed it immensely.  

I think it's just his attitude in general that's off-putting.  Most of his supporters will even admit to that.  He just seems like he knows he's this great director and writer and wants to make sure everyone else knows it, too.  I mean, at the end of Bastards,  ::SPOILER ALERT:: Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) looks right into the camera and claims that this was his "masterpiece".  Yes, he was referring to the carving he had just done on Col. Hans Landa's forehead, but then the camera cuts directly to the credits, which begin with "Written and Directed by Quentin Tarantino".  I digress...

With the aforementioned conversation and realization that I haven't really seen much of his work in mind, I decided I'll have to give his stuff more of a chance in the future.  I've been told on multiple occasions to watch the Kill Bill series.  I'm reluctant for the added reason that I'm not a big kung fu fan either.  I guess I might as well, though.  

The Good: 

• The entire cast was excellent.  All the side characters, many of which we've seen in other Tarantino films, fit right into the roles they were playing.  The stars of the movie were obviously great.  All you have to do is read the names.  
• I actually liked seeing Tarantino on film in this one, particularly because of his last moment or so on screen.  
• The story itself was excellent, and I liked getting to see the German character, Dr. King Schultz (Waltz), being portrayed as the one that was sympathetic to the slave's, Django (Foxx), predicament.  It's not often we see a German character portrayed this way. 
• The movie was pretty long, but it moved at a great pace.  I didn't feel like it was as long as it was like I have with other movies... Return of the King.  
• The fight that we get to see when we first meet Calvin Candie is pretty intense.  
• Just as intense was the first bounty that Schultz collects after "buying" Django. The entire scenario plays out so ridiculously that you have to love it.  
• If nothing else the internet meme below was worth having the movie made.  I totally think DiCaprio deserves an Oscar, but it's still funny.  

The Bad: 

• The one thing about Tarantino's actual film making that gets to me is the gore factor.  Every time someone got shot in this movie, the bullet had to have hit a vital organ.  I enjoy a good gorefest, but this was even a little much for me. 
• Sam Jackson did a great job, but could we maybe put him in a different kind of role every now and then.  This isn't exclusively Tarantino's fault, BTW.  
• The very end scene where Django has his horse do a little prance/jig thing was a little out of nowhere and unnecessary.  It's a minor complaint, though. 

The Ugly:

• The movie was nominated for best picture.  There wasn't really anything ugly about it.  I think if there had been, we wouldn't have seen that nomination.