Django Unchained Review

Django Unchained
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Released in 2012

Quentin Tarantino has outdone himself once again, but Django Unchained, his longest, bloodiest and angriest film yet, is not necessarily better off for it. This cartoonish Spaghetti Western/Blaxploitation epic tackles the ignominy of American slavery while retaining the wordy humor and gratuitous action typical of the auteur’s work. It makes for an entertaining two hours and 45 minutes that never bores, but Django’s identity crisis precludes it from saying really anything about its sensitive subject matter.

From the opening credits, where Django (Jamie Foxx) and a gang of whip-scarred slaves shamble through the desert, the film insists on depicting slavery in explicit and uncompromising detail. There are grainy 16mm close-ups of Django’s wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), wailing as an overseer relishes in maiming her frail body with a whip. There are at least 100 historically accurate racial epithets, used more often as shorthand than as heated insults. A central plot point involves the fictional gladiator sport of “Mandingo fighting,” where two slaves fight to the death with their bare hands. White owners lock a naked slave inside a steel “hotbox” and feed another to rabid dogs. This is Tarantino’s first film with scenes I found tough to watch.

It is worth noting that the brutality above occurs mostly off-screen, while the abundant shootouts focus on every spurt, mist and trickle of viscous blood, often in slow-motion. Even in the underexposed first scene, when Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) guns down Django’s owners in the dead of the night, Tarantino and cinematographer Robert Richardson (Hugo, JFK) backlight the murders to make the bloodshed startlingly visible yet comically abstract. A shot of an overseer’s blood splattering over cotton buds is even quite pretty, not to mention a shameless metaphor. There’s a clear divide between the violence against slaves and everyone else — as a rule of thumb, the more blood a character loses on screen, the less you should care about him or her.  It’s welcome, if not really brave or original, to elevate slaves above their owners — this is a Blaxploitation pastiche, after all — but by trivializing one current of violence and coarsening the other, Django props up America’s darkest chapter of history as justification for an ultraviolent and by-the-numbers revenge plot.

Tarantino lays the groundwork for a mature meditation on violence, which most would agree he’s about due for. Before saving Broomhilda from “Candyland,” a vast plantation owned by Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), Django and Schultz raise money as morally questionable bounty hunters. Though the bounties always advise “Wanted: Dead or Alive,” the two take no chances and only turn in corpses. The sudden introduction to this practice makes for a bit of classic Tarantino dialogue, as Schultz cites little-known laws to talk a lynch mob into paying him $200. Later, there’s a haunting moment when Django snipes an outlaw from atop a cliff-face and we see and hear a panicked little boy run to his dead father’s side. But as the film jumps to the “rescue” second act and especially the final “revenge” act, this ambiguity disappears and the sides revert to unimaginative stereotypes. For all the sick fun Tarantino is having with us, it is disappointing that the trade-off is of any meaningful insight into the fertile, if problematic, backdrop of slavery.

Harsh as I may sound, Django Unchained is indeed a lot of sick fun. Waltz, DiCaprio and Samuel L. Jackson have jumped to the front of the Oscar race thanks to Tarantino’s juicy lines and monologues. DiCaprio’s speech about phrenology and the “subservience” of the “Negro brain” ranks up there with the Superman suit soliloquy in Kill Bill, and Jackson as Calvin’s parroting, conniving Uncle Tom inspires perhaps the film’s most grounded discussion on race. There are peculiar yet wise casting choices, like Jonah Hill as a bumbling white supremacist, Miami Vice’s Don Johnson as a plantation owner and Dexter’s James Remar, who for some reason plays two different characters. With his thirst for violence and limited psychological insight into his character, Django is the weakest of the bunch, with as much depth and charm as a generic video game anti-hero. His painfully passive wife fares no better; Washington admitted to IndieWire how she “barely survived” shooting the film, a believable toll considering every scene asks her to scream, shudder and surrender all agency. Once the film hits its second or third ending and the far more interesting characters have met their fate, the film reminds you that it’s all a love story, after all. The romance is as enchanting as … again, a video game comes to mind.

Django Unchained is a hell of a movie, for better or worse. As a long-time admirer of Tarantino’s oeuvre, I am content that this film merely exists and further pleased that it’s a seething and energetic marathon of cinema. But Tarantino’s maximalist approach here reveals his weaknesses, as his dedication to being a bloody, composite filmmaker flattens the nuances required for great filmmaking. Sure, there are nuances and flourishes here and there — nothing screams “final cut privilege” like multiple extreme close-ups of Schultz pouring Django his first beer. Yet somewhere a broader artistic statement is lost, which is almost fatal for a film with a subject that requires some tact. Whereas Inglourious Basterds wisely shied away from the heavier horrors of the Holocaust and instead stuck to full-out satire, Django Unchained accosts slavery in all its squalor and offers no better endgame than a “kill them all” revenge fantasy. It is awkward to come away from a film about slavery and think how the director needs to grow up.

Final Verdict:

3 Stars Out of 5

This article was originally written for The Cornell Daily Sun and can be viewed at its original location via this link.

Skyfall Review

Skyfall
Directed by Sam Mendes
Released in 2012

The first image we see in Skyfall is an out-of-focus silhouette at the end of a narrow hallway. We know this is James Bond, for obvious reasons — who else could it be? — yet we cannot be sure. The scale of the shot matches the trademark “gun barrel” sequence that has opened almost all other Bond films. Instead of obscuring Bond in shadow, as in the early films, or bathing him in bright light, as in the more recent ones, Skyfall does both. Backlit by the sunny window and masked by the dark hallway, Bond just stands there in a distorted haze. This teasing shot captures Skyfall in micro: an immaculately photographed film that places Bond between past and future, paying tribute to his history while forming a distinctly new identity.

Movies today obsess over being the next big thing so much that they overlook the pleasures of fusing multiple, smaller things. Skyfall is not a “high concept” film, in that it cannot be summed up in a one-sentence pitch. Casino Royale, the first in the so-called franchise reboot with Daniel Craig, aggressively distanced itself from its legacy — “Vodka martini.” “Shaken or stirred?” “Do I look like I give a damn?” — while the last film, Quantum of Solace, posited Bond as an action hero when, as Roger Ebert puts it, “he is an attitude.” That attitude returns, with Bond once again bedding beautiful women (Bérénice Lim Marlohe) and taking time to adjust the sleeve of his suit after jumping onto a collapsing train. But director Sam Mendes and screenwriters John Logan, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade shroud Bond in a layer of doubt and mystery that the recent films have flirted with yet never fully developed.

In action films, there are few ways to trigger an existential crisis both profound and palatable, but killing off the main character 15 minutes in must be one. After a reliably thrilling pursuit through the linen shops and fruit markets of Istanbul, M (Judi Dench), the head of British intelligence agency MI6, orders field agent Eve (Naomie Harris) to “take the bloody shot,” with both Bond and a bad guy in the crosshairs. The bullet hits Bond, who falls off a moving train and plummets into a raging waterfall a good 100 feet below. This scene transitions into Adele’s title song, with visuals dominated less by the usual naked lady outlines and more by Gothic, visceral and M.C. Escher fractal imagery. There is one animation where Bond shoots mirrors surrounding him, suggesting a split in identity or some Freudian metaphor primed for over-analyzing. It all sets the tone for the “resurrection” motif that runs through the film; both Bond and M must confront their age and failings in order to reconcile them with their duties.

Bond — who doesn’t really die, in case you’re worrying — and M face a conflict that is, in more ways than one, the fault of their own actions, particularly M’s. A hard drive containing the files of cover MI6 agents falls into the hands of the baddie (Ola Rapace) Bond fights in the opening sequence. Since he gets away, his boss, Silva (Javier Bardem), now has the power to slander the image of MI6 and enact vengeance on M, who he believes betrayed him in the past. The compelling part is that M did, indeed, fail him, which places her cold-blooded determination to get the job done — “Take the bloody shot!” — on shaky moral ground. Dench has been the series steady since 1995’sGoldeneye and Skyfall affords the Dame her meatiest role yet. Only Bond surpasses M in screen time, and she rivals in lines spoken. M treats Bond like a son, with all the impatience a mother would have for such cheek, and the script has fun with their relationship, inverting romantic staples like “Why didn’t you call?” to mix arch authority with maternal concern.

Even Silva has some strange “mommy” thing with M, though his obsession with killing her belongs more in the house of Atreus than any working relationship. Javier Bardem balances the camp of the Blofelds and Goldfingers before him with the composed anarchy of Heath Ledger’s Joker. Silva takes more than a few cues from The Dark Knight: Always one step ahead, he compares himself to a “rat” (remember The Joker’s dog analogy?) and fascinates us with a mix of humor, sadism and disfigurement (and I’m not referring to the wig). Of course, Bardem owns the part. What starts as a superficial display of strength — pay attention to how he rolls his eyes and forces a laugh — stiffens to homoerotic queasiness before unraveling to full-out animalism. This is the best Bond villain in decades and the best movie antagonist since Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds.

Skyfall may be the first “auteur” Bond film, and I’m not referring to the work of director Sam Mendes. The soul of this film is indebted to cinematographer Roger Deakins, Hollywood’s greatest living cameraman, known for his collaborations with Mendes and the Coen Brothers (Barton Fink through True Grit). Deakins enhances the globetrotting adventure typical of a Bond film by imbuing each locale with a distinct color and lens technique. The Chinese port city of Macau glows yellow against inky black skies, balancing fantasy with sharp acutance. Harsh sunlight saturates the ransacked island colony where Bond first meets Silva. The fog of the Scottish Highlands extends into oblivion through careful manipulation of natural light reminiscent of Days of Heaven (a nod to The Third Man in a sewer chase and Apocalypse Now during a helicopter attack). Skyfall’s most stunning set piece is in Shanghai, which apparently radiates blue everywhere — tunnels, road signs, computer screens, escalators, you name it. The metropolis looks like the futuristic nightclubs in the Mass Effect video games. It serves well for a noir-esque action scene in a skyscraper, where shadows cloak Bond as he sneaks through glass doors to take out an assassin. The hand-to-hand brawl is pitch-black, save for a few muzzle flashes from the assassin’s rifle. Even with such theatrical presentation, the sparse use of light and exacting audio pack a punch. Deakins heightens the exoticism intrinsic to the series by transporting Bond not only to different cities but singular worlds.

Skyfall reminds us how old Bond is — surely a meta-commentary during the franchise’s 50-year anniversary. James Bond’s redemption in this film doubles as a resurrection of the character’s vitality for our age. Skyfall takes on new with old (Albert Finney plays a figure from Bond’s childhood), old with new (youthful Ben Whishaw brings the MI6 Quartermaster “Q” to the 21st century) and composite with middle-aged (Ralph Fiennes as the male complement to Dench’s M). But as Q reminds Bond at their first meeting inside the National Gallery, “Age is no guarantee of efficiency.” For those unfamiliar with names like “Bernard Lee” and “Desmond Llewelyn,” Skyfall remains a uniquely modern film, approaching a story that began in the Cold War with relativist sensibility and production values both visionary and state-of-the-art. And for those of us who consider the Bond canon one with our own, let us collectively weep at the sight of 007 driving his Aston Martin DB5 across the Scottish countryside as the soundtrack strums “duh dadada duh da da da duh dadada duh da da da …”

Final Verdict:

4.5 Stars Out of 5

This article was originally written for The Cornell Daily Sun and can be viewed at its original location via this link.

DVD/Bluray Roundup - Short & Quick Reviews

So, I have not gotten around to seeing a film in the theaters for sometime, though that will change this Sunday when I see the much-anticipated Avatar. A review will naturally follow and then you all can see whether or not it lived up to the hype. In the meanwhile, I have seen a few films through Netflix that are not heavyweights but worth mentioning. I am going informal with these reviews but, no worries, the trademark Zahos analysis style will return for the Avatar review.

The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard

Directed by Neal Brennan

Released in 2009

Sometimes a cheap, raunchy comedy is needed in a time of serious releases and The Goods fits the bill well. With a talented cast including Jeremy Piven, Ving Rhames, Rob Riggle, Kathryn Hahn, David Koechner, Ed Helms and the always lovable Ken Jeong, the actors alone guarantee this movie to be a fun, disposable comedy, regardless of a shoddy storyline. The story centers around a failing automobile dealership needing to make sales on Independence Day weekend and the help they enlist. This is, of course, Jeremy Piven and his crew who live and breathe car sales. There is a lot of fun to be had here as they tame the wild workers at the dealership including Charles Napier as a homophobic, deranged war vet. Kathryn Hahn, known from Stepbrothers, is entertaining in her attempts to seduce Rob Riggle's character who has a mental disability in that his mind is as advanced as an elementary school kid. It is sad, but hilarious. The Goods suffers from the typical, weak middle section flaw that is common in comedies of this sort but is a hoot in the end.

Final Verdict:

2.5 Stars Out of 5

Angels & Demons

Directed by Ron Howard

Released in 2009

Following in the footsteps of the simply terrible Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons has no where to go but up. It does in that regard but the amount is minimal. Tom Hanks returns as Robert Langdon, the Harvard professor who seems to be the only source for solving the cases that Vatican City and the Roman Catholic Church can find. He is introduced by an extended scene of him swimming in the Harvard lap pool, approached by a Vatican official. Because everyone wants to see topless, 53-year old Tom Hanks, right? Nonetheless, a group of a bishops has been kidnapped after the pope's death, messing up the selection process and panicking the clergy. Langdon must find the bishops before it is too late and is joined by Ayelet Zurer, the pair of which displays absolutely no romantic chemistry whatsoever. Ewan McGregor is also here as the clergyman with close ties to the late Pope, seeking to avenge his death. All of this is combined in overly expensive shots, flat dialogue, bland exposition, nonsensical action, melodramatic chase scenes and a plot twist that makes so little impact because the connection with the characters is nonexistent. Some praised Angels & Demons as a great improvement over its predecessor. It is a success in that I did not walk out of the movie, though I am sure I feel asleep. I probably dreamed of a better movie during that time so my opinion is certainly slanted. If you want to properly watch Angels & Demons then do so on comfortable couch/bed and consider your snooze time as the best part.

Final Verdict:

1.5 Stars Out of 5

The Brothers Bloom

Directed by Rian Johnson

Released in 2008

A small, overlooked film, The Brothers Bloom is a carefree, enjoyable, if flawed little movie. Starring Adrien Brody, Mark Ruffalo and Rachel Weisz, there is some great talent in the leading characters and they all play well off each other. The story is basically about a pair of brothers who are also professional con-artists and pull off big jobs with ease. They are joined by "Bang Bang," their Japanese sidekick played by Rinko Kikuchi of Babel fame. The whole style is very interesting but it fails to pull of a Wes Anderson balance between quirkiness and hilarity. There simply is not a lot that makes you laugh, though you might be mildly entertained. Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid from Harry Potter) is one of the brightest spots of the film as the drunken "Curator," though his screen time is sadly very short. The film holds up however, and is a fun time for those looking for something different.

Final Verdict:

3 Stars Out of 5

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Directed by 

Released in 2009

As a fan of Wolverine and the X-Men comics and movies, I thought X-Men Origins: Wolverine would be a fun, if fleeting, experience. It turns out, both of those expectations were way off as this was a terrible "blockbuster" that stayed long in my head in the form of a headache. On paper it works: take Wolverine, flesh out his origins story, throw action scenes in and end with where he is today. In execution, it fails miserably.

Before focusing on the man himself, it is worth noting the low grade of the characters surrounding the protagonist. The cult favorite Deadpool is played by none other than Ryan Reynolds, a presence with such little comic or acting quality that every line uttered was a disgrace to his character and the film that it was printed on. Will.i.am (yes, that one) thought he could act and plays "John Wraith," an original name that perfectly symbolizes the actor's innovation. In this case, nothing. There are other characters but they are all dreadful as the next and the group sections are a real trial to get through. Unfortunately, Wolverine himself is not much better. Hugh Jackman, buff in a rigorous exercise routine, shines physically but actually decreases in quality as Wolverine, with cheesy acting and a poor script to draw his actions from. Wolverine's brother, Sabretooth, is played by Liev Schreiber, an excellent actor in his own right, but unfortunately he is handed a script that makes him come across as stubborn and pestering. The batshit ending where the producers put all the money they had left, bought fancy special effects and set pieces, and threw it at a wall expecting it to stick is an offense to your mind and intelligence too. X-Men Origins: Wolverine is not very much a disappointment in my mind for I had no expectations but it is a complete and utter failure.

Final Verdict:

1 Star Out of 5

Thankfully, I rewatched some good films, those that are not an assault to the integrity of cinema but a grace to it. They are the following, and all on Bluray:

• Public Enemies - This gangster film about John Dillinger is a technical marvel as well as truly drawing piece of cinema. Johnny Depp excels as does Christian Bale, even if his part is very emotionless. The ever beautiful Marion Cotillard, one of my favorite actresses, shows her Oscar-worth and is wonderful as Johnny's damsel-in-distress. Keep an eye out for Stephen Lang too, the hard-pressed detective who steals every scene he is in. He has a great year with this, Men Who Stare At Goats and a big role in Avatar. A collection of fine actors and the directing finesse of Michael Mann combine to make a very good film. 4 Stars Out of 5
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - Rewatching this movie was an interesting activity for me. I found it to still be one of the finest Potter films yet but I could not help but agree with some complaints that it was slow and rather plot-less. The book is similar but, as a film, that qualm really sticks out. No real action appears until the end and there are some sections that drag. However, character development is the focus of all these scenes, something I love. For those that love the Potter world and fiction, my original rating of 4.5/5 should still stand well. But for those who come to Half-Blood Prince and can't tell Ravenclaw from Hufflepuff then any other viewpoint rests well. 
• Star Trek - Besides looking positively fantastic on Bluray, Star Trek is bound to be a sci-fi classic and is one of the best summer action movies of the decade. No other film in recent memory combined great action and special effects, a compelling, deep story and likable, hilarious characters as well as this. It really is a marvel in every way and a film that everyone, no matter if he or she likes the franchise or not, should see. 4.5 Stars Out of 5
• Inglourious Basterds - Quentin Tarantino's mad masterpiece is a polarizing film in that some love it and others hate it. Some find the scenes to be dragged out too long and pointless while others have seen the light and know that it all contributes to the greater picture. I am part of the latter group and believe this film to be one of the finest of the decade. It is hilarious, insane, suspenseful, and, overall, brilliant as a fictional World War II saga. Christoph Waltz as SS Colonel Hans Landa is the star of the show and will surely grab an Oscar nomination and hopefully a win for a performance that I would describe as a tour de force in acting. He speaks in 4 different languages with distinct motions and a fully realized character that was given great thought. He is shockingly good, as he is unknown by most American audiences, and the real soul of this film. With him, the rest of the cast and crew and Tarantino at the helm directing it all, a megalomaniac project that derived from Tarantino's dreams was realized into a work of genius. It will be remembered for years to come. 5 Stars out of 5.