Django Unchained

Tonight, The Globes are handed out, so I squeezed in Django Unchained this afternoon. Not a big Tarantino fan, I have a least moved out of the "hate him" category. Inglorious Basterds help and this movie slid me further toward the middle.  I also made me think the Globes put it in the wrong category. Though certainly making a dramatic statement, I think that Tarantino is closer to Mel Brooks with gratuitous violence than it is to any drama.  If you think the exploding blood bags are meant to be taken seriously then you miss the point.  It's South Park in live action on the big screen.

The difficult hurdle for me in Tarantino and South Park is the target 17 to 24 audience that misses the irony.

Putting that aside it's a great story, masterfully directed and filmed and has a couple of wonderful performances. Without reading the credits I would have said, "Samuel L. Jackson was in the movie? Really?" His Uncle Tom Character was quite an amazing shift.  I also agree with my friend, Rich, that DeCaprio should have been given the supporting actor nod from the Academy as well. (I find nothing heart-throbby about the guy, but since Gilbert Grape I have become a huge fan.) Robert Waltz was fine, but no award worthy performance for me.

Other than being overly long and the gratuitous violence, it's worth seeing.