Django Unchained: A review

I went and saw Django Unchained the other night. It was a bit of a bold choice for me, I'm not really into violent movies, but I do love Tarantino - Pulp Fiction is one of my all time favourite films, so I wanted to see it, particularly after it's Oscar nod.

I. Loved. It. Straight up, no beating around, I loved it. One of Tarantino's best for sure. I love the levels this guy creates in his film. There are parts that make you squirm uncomfortably at the violence (a dog tearing a poor guy apart? Men fighting to the death? Yeah, that's hard to see). There are parts that make you want to cry (A woman bound and whipped, also hard to see). There are parts that make you cheer at the violence (vengeance is a powerful emotion). And there are parts that make you giggle uncontrollably - the scene with the bag heads had me in hysterics. Just perfect comedy.

Beyond that, the story and the characters themselves are full of depth and personality. Leonardo Di Caprio has had people up in arms at his missing out again on a supporting actor nomination and I can see why - he portrayed Candie brilliantly, he's one of the best actors out there in my opinion. Jamie Foxx as Django was great, but I wasn't blown away. I do however, really hope that Christoph Waltz takes out the Oscar for supporting actor. Without doubt, for me, Dr. King Schultz stole the movie and my heart. How wonderful too, that Tarantino makes the most compassionate character of the movie German. Schultz is a perfect mix of funny, compassionate, and stern. I loved him. Samuel L. Jackson, another of the finest actors out there today, played Stephen brilliantly. Hilariously funny, yet incites anger and frustration in the viewer as well, he definitely played the role without fault.

The cinematography is beautifully crafted, and the interweaving of modern techniques with classic Western is pulled off without a hitch. Tarantino's cameo is fantastic, though his Aussie accent leaves a bit to be desired!

The blend of a brilliant cast, a fantastic story and some pretty amazing cinematography truly makes this one stand out as a brilliant movie. Do yourself a favour - go see it.

Kanye West... Really?

Have you seen the new clip for Kanye West's song, Monster? It's trying very hard to be controversial. Sadly, in some places, that is working. A petition has been started to have the clip banned in Australia, because of the way it denigrates and objectifies women's pain and suffering.

I always have and always will disagree with the idea of censorship. It's a slippery slope, and one I hope that we don't go down in Australia. I think that you can be feminist without banning things left, right, and centre. I watched the clip over at Dailymotion, and it's pretty vile. Dead corpses, hanging models, severed heads... It goes on in that vein. It's not particularly creative, and it's not especially impressive in effects. It's what I'd call "try-hard."

I am not even certain I think this is any worse in it's treatment of women, than the plethora that use sex to sell their product, rather than talent (usually because that talent is severely lacking to be enough on it's own merit). But, the violence is centered on women in the clip, and along with Kanye and Jay-Z's incessant use of the word nigger, it's just off on every level. It's Kanye's hubris at an all time high, and I doubt this will be the last of it. The sooner this guy flakes it and fades from the public eye, the better. Ugh.