I don't like him. Him as a person. I think he's obnoxious as fuck and he reminds me of a 13 year old kid who just recently got access to rated R movies. Like, the kinda guy who misses the point of A Clockwork Orange and just likes it because people get raped and die.
But how do I feel about his movies? Well, they're interesting. I liked his golden age a lot, that is to say Reservoir Dogs through Jackie Brown, Jackie Brown being my favorite. Kill Bill was worth watching once, but wasn't really all that interesting or worth repeated viewings. I get it, she kills Bill, woooooo. The journey there is nothing special.
Then we have Death Proof, which has two good scenes in it, one of them being quite possibly the most fantastic goddamn car chase I've ever seen in a film that I refer to as excellent masturbation to a disappointing as fuck climax, ruined by a matter of personal taste with cartoonish violence. I'd rather see someone get kicked on the ground than punched about like one of those wacky clown punching bags that never stays down.
So, I didn't like that movie. How did I feel about Inglourious Basterds?
I hated it. The first ten minutes were fucking brilliant, had me on the edge of my seat in the theater, and despite my ex girlfriend whispering "I'm bored, let's leave," into my ear, I was really involved in that first scene. Easily the most suspenseful scene he's ever done. And while she managed to eventually talk me into leaving the theater, after seeing that first scene, I really didn't want to. I wanted to know what happened.
Too bad the rest of the movie fucking SUCKED. We watched it on DVD shortly after its release, and oddly enough, I found we had switched seats, with her saying "you know what? This movie is pretty good," and me wishing to god it would fucking end already.
Which brings me to Django Unchained. I saw the trailer, and the trailer actually looked fun and interesting, but I wasn't about to let my guard down. Tarantino has been too much of a disappointment since Jackie Brown for me to do that.
How do I feel about Django Unchained?
I loved it. I want to see it again. It might be my favorite Tarantino film ever.
The movie is a lot of fun, and while some stylistic choices are hard to grasp into at first, namely quick zooms and music choices, I found myself warming up to to them and finding yourself right at home. I'm not a big fan of action films, but the action here is a lot of fun and the violence is fucking beautiful. Thank you Tarantino, for using squibs and not pooping all over your movie with ugly CGI blood splatter.
The acting is good - really good. Christoph Waltz is fantastic and I love every minute his character is on screen. Leonardo DiCaprio does something really different, and plays the villain for once. And he's not just a villain, he's really despicable, self indulgent, racist and ignorant. A grotesque example of what it is to be a human being, and he portrays it quite wonderfully.
Even Jamie Foxx, who doesn't say a whole lot, really shines with his ability to react subtly to the events that unfold. Sam Jackson is Sam Jackson, but it's really amusing to see him play the most unlikeable black man in history, bonus points for that character.
The story is pretty simple, and while the movie is long, it doesn't feel like you're in the theater for almost three hours. I didn't even mind that I had to piss for the last third of the film, because I was so involved.
Complaints? Well, I do have some. Brumhilda, the love interest is completely lacking in character and development. They should have changed her name to Miss McGuffin. Quentin Tarantino is a bad actor and needs to stop showing up in his movies. Things were predictable to some degree because it's Tarantino, and we know Tarantino, but that's forgiven due to good delivery.
Closing thoughts? I told the lady that I liked it a lot, and it was worth the 5.50 to see it during the matinee before it leaves the theater. Her response? "I figured that movie was going to suck. Inglourious Basterds was a pile of shit, except for the first ten minutes."
Ah, yes.
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