General

Re: Django Unchained.

wakefield4011 — Wed, 08 May 2013 17:52:44 GMT

I loved Braveheart and hated The Patriot. In much the same way, I loved Inglorious Basterds and hated Django Unchained. It's an uncreative milking of the same template, except in both cases, everything about the latter film was lamer imo.

It is violence/revenge pornography. At least with Basterds, there was real fear felt. There were real losses sustained. In the first scene, the Jew Hunter has you pissing yourself. You're worried and nervous that they'll be discovered in the bar. Etc. There was no tension for me watching Django (not even with Leo yelling). It was like watching a superhero movie.

I'm not surprised that lots of people like it. Let's paint something that scores the highest level on American culture evilometer (slaveowner) even crueler than is reasonable or rational. Oh, and we'll make him stupid too (Alexandre Dumas was black, zomg). And we'll give him a black traitor sidekick (surprised they didn't name him Uncle Tom). And they'll get killed by the heroic black untrained crackshot who rides off into the sunset. [I have heard it was styled after spaghetti Westerns and something else, and if that's the case, then it makes them just as banal.]

And it wasn't funny despite its attempts. The bit with Jonah Hill and the bag heads wasn't that funny to begin with, but they just dragged it out to the point of being awkward.

I seriously think that he just tried making the film as non-threatening to the psyche of the person pulling for the protagonist as possible. "You know how everyone was terrified of Christoph in Basterds? Let's make him the good guy so they don't have anything to be afraid of. We'll just milk that persona for all it's worth."

I genuinely think that if they had made this movie about the Civil War and painted Lincoln in an accurate, I mean, harsh light and had the South win, it would have been panned almost categorically. It could have been identical in every other respect, but since most people'd be offended at the thought of the North being aggressive or whatever, it would have been spat upon.

This film could have been made by Michael Bay is what I'm trying to say. The ratio of blood:explosions would have probably flipped and there would have been more upclose, hard to follow fight scenes and such, but that aside, same thing.

Re: Django Unchained.

Malachi — Wed, 08 May 2013 00:02:01 GMT

thats awesome

Re: Django Unchained.

Marko — Fri, 03 May 2013 10:30:35 GMT

I think the German guy was unintentionally a good allegory for liberals. He nearly ruins everything for Django and Brunhilda when he won't shake hands. Demonstrating once more that with liberals it isn't really about helping out the disadvantaged but about soothing their own emotions. To keep his pride the German is quite willing to screw up everything for his black friend and to put him in a very difficult position.

Re: Django Unchained.

Aristophanes — Wed, 01 May 2013 00:43:44 GMT

I will not be watching those YT videos though.

That is a shame. They are making fun of colonialization (and are hilarious), they are not pro racism...

Re: Django Unchained.

Vanitas Nomen — Wed, 01 May 2013 00:41:21 GMT

dunno. seemed odd.

My question was a direct reference from the film, when Django questions the curiousity of the curious- anyway thats about as important as any one of our opinions of the film.
I've seen Last Dragon - does that count? To me it was not at all ironic that they used the N word as much as they did, it was ironic that Tarrantino's character didn't. I concede that if Aussies in general are softer racists(are we here measuring the inches of evil?), sure that makes sense then. Wonder why Tarrantino chose that role.. - but who really cares? I will not be watching those YT videos though.

Re: Django Unchained.

Aristophanes — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:40:52 GMT

I am curious why you're curious, boy?

dunno. seemed odd.

It was a modern AAA budget blacksploitation film. What do you think those were like?

Aussies are more jovial with their racism? Really?

yup. "Ahh, you mean black fellas?!"

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Haha

Re: Django Unchained.

Malachi — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:27:55 GMT

tarantino = most overrated director in the history of film

Re: Django Unchained.

Vanitas Nomen — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:17:27 GMT

Why do you people care so much about this anyway?

I am curious why you're curious, boy?

Ive seen maybe 3 Tarrentino movies. Aussies are more jovial with their racism? Really?

Re: Django Unchained.

Aristophanes — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 22:20:47 GMT

I found it ironic that Tarrentino's character never uttered the "N" word once, but subsituted it for "blackie", whereas I believe every other southern/ white character in the film used it copiously.

But, you have seen his other movies right? Like Pulp Fiction where he has a very real exchange with sam jackson about "who looks like a nigger." His character in Django was Australian; the Aussies are more jovial about their racism.

Why do you people care so much about this anyway? It was a movie. Do you get all bent out of shape when Harrison Ford plays a CIA agent that saves the day against some fictional terrorist? Or when Spielberg portrays Lincoln as NOT racist?

Re: Django Unchained.

HabbaBabba — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 22:08:20 GMT

I was watching Magnum PI where they used nigger, jungle bunny, and cookie, as obvious racial slurs, more than once in the same episode and in rapid succession, against one of the main characters. It was done so without much fanfare or emphasis.

So for Tarantino to make a whole movie sensationalizing basically "the n word" it's pretty pathetic. The contemporary jumping the shark, letting everyone know he's washed up. Reflecting, of course, the trivial, shallow public to which he caters. But I get it. Between that and Machete I'm satan for being white.

Re: Django Unchained.

Vanitas Nomen — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 21:13:49 GMT

I feel that such a portrayal is not just highly unrealistic, but tendentious.

I kind of felt this way as well, especially when Django made reference to Americans specifically being more brutal than say.. Germans(hah!) I found it ironic that Tarrentino's character never uttered the "N" word once, but subsituted it for "blackie", whereas I believe every other southern/ white character in the film used it copiously.

Also I didn't like some of the musical placements, some felt contrived.

Re: Django Unchained.

Marko — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:27:41 GMT

I have not seen it, but I will see it just so I can make a comment on it here. That's what I call forum dedication.

Re: Django Unchained.

Merlin — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 07:09:42 GMT

I myself greatly enjoyed it as a movie.

Alas, beyond its entertainment content, I think it is sorely lacking. I feel the whole portrayal of the South was cartoonish, with not a single white local being close to decent, and with every single slave being grievously maltreated at every turn. Be it even because you do not treat your own property like that, I feel that such a portrayal is not just highly unrealistic, but tendentious.

This is, of course, not to detract anything from the moral character (or rather, absence thereof) of slavery. But one does not emphasize that aspect by giving us a mostly fictional pina colada society to loath and beat.

Re: Django Unchained.

vive la insurrection — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 04:33:17 GMT

lol, no it's pornographic pulp action: as Tarantino would admit. It's meant to appeal to the most superficial atavism to allow the action and comedy to acceptable, this is what Tarrantino does best - this is why people like him.

It's kind of a reverse "Gone With the Wind" - except even more outrageous. For our generation (at least in America) the two biggies symbol wise that can be used for carte blanche havoc action are Nazis and Slavery - this works even better than dark side / light side, (people will still even deconstruct this and talk about "grey side) for us because they actual hit on actual cultural taboos. Tarantino used both of these.

Overall though, I haven't been too much of a fan of his since Pulp Fiction - everything else has been good not great for me

Re: Django Unchained.

Aristophanes — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 00:40:15 GMT

Well, the nutrition is probably better than the white owners. so, duh.

I didn't see Saving Private Ryan because I heard that the plot was fictional. IMO, the war was not as bad as we portray it, so why would I waste money on a movie that will only deepen the historical myth?

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