Thoughts on ‘Django Unchained’

Posted on January 20, 2013 by Will Templin

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The laws that shape the society of the pre-Civil War set film Django Unchained are shown to be ridiculous and immoral, at least from a 2013 audience perspective, and much of the humor in the film stems from the rather relaxed attitude of the characters towards these arbitrary rules and regulations of the period. In 1858, you can kill a man as long as you have a warrant signed by a federal judge. In 1858, you can own a black man as property. In 1858, a free black man is not to be treated as a slave, but also is not to be treated like a free white man. In 1858, a deal is not done until there is a handshake.

Quentin Tarantino spends much time in the film juxtaposing laws and morality. The scene that highlights this dynamic involves Calvin Candie and the skull of “good ole Ben” after Candie discovers Dr. King Schultz’s ruse to buy Broomhilda, Django’s wife. After a reasonable, and quite logical explanation of the inferiority of the black man because of the placement of three dimples inside their skull, Candie erupts in an emotional outburst that leads the audience to assume that his twisted logic is due to his own bigotry and racism. Thus it could be assumed that reasonable and rationally-thought out laws governing a society are built on nothing more than the prejudices of that society. Therefore, laws are not always moral, nor are they infallible.

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Spring Breakers Trailer

Posted on January 19, 2013 by Zac Petrillo

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It’s strange to say that I’m looking forward to Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers (starring the giddy combination Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez, Ashley Benson, and James Franco) mostly because it seems to have a somewhat coherent plot, but alas, that’s the truth. Sure the women in bikinis and a bizarre turn by James Franco adds to the anticipation as well, but these each seem ham-fisted in the trailer. Korine has always struck me as a director who’s less than the sum of his part and I often find the people that like him really WANT to like him. That said, Mister Lonely was an interesting film dealing with a very real, almost entirely untouched subject matter, though it did leaving me grabbing for air. Likewise, Gummo and Kids are unique and raw in a way unseen by most any American director, though I didn’t take to them as much as others. Spring Breakers certainly has the shock value on which Korine has built a nice indie career. I get the impression Korine, et al. are arrogantly excited by the idea of giving audience something they aren’t expecting from such “clean” stars. However, I think more people are hip to the ruse then the makers might realize. Either way, while I don’t expect much, I’m very excited to see this one.

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Silver Linings Playbook Cast Featurette

Posted on January 19, 2013 by Zac Petrillo

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Sometimes when it comes to film criticism, the worst thing that can happen to a movie is that it opens to immediate acclaim. This year, I went into Silver Linings Playbook expecting an entirely fresh story about mental illness and how family’s cope. Instead the film played as a generic romantic comedy jammed into an admittedly original style. However, time and a read through of the script has changed my feelings about the film. It’s not less light or eager to hit all the right “notes” in mind, but it does feel like a unique approach to a type of film that hardly gets any adrenaline shot into it anymore. As I said in my review of the film, since he emerged with the quirky comedy Spanking the Monkey, David O. Russell has been somewhat unfairly pegged as an original artistic voice who rarely lives up to the expectations of viewers. Even his Academy Award-winning The Fighter disappointed many who saw it as adapting to “Hollywood.” It seems Russell’s audience thinks of him differently than what he actually is. To me, the director is excellent at spinning typical stories (War, Sports, Romance, Comedy) into free jazz experiments in performance. He is adept at forcing actors to wear their hearts on their sleeves and sculpts complex characterizations out of the seemingly familiar.

This 12-minutes video takes a cursory glance at the performances in Silver Linings Playbook. A few months ago somebody mentioned that Cooper’s performance was more textured than Day-Lewis’ in Lincoln. I laughed him off then, though right now I do wonder if it’s true. This is a fun little video. If you liked the film, it’s worth the watch.

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David O. Russell Praises Harvard Beats Yale 29-29

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Zac Petrillo

Say what you will about David O. Russell, but his passion for filmmaking is virtually unparalleled. And, unlike filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino, little of his enthusiasm seems to come from pretensions or put-ons. He just wants to make solid cinema by telling some fun stories. His Silver Linings Playbook puts a jazz/pop spin on the classic romcom just as The Fighter turns the sports movie into a wild, almost cartoonish, romp of sibling rivalry with no shortage of emotion.

This video, from SundanceNOW, shows Russell expounding his excitement for a little gem of a documentary called Harvard Beats Yale 29-29. Starring then guard for Harvard, Tommy Lee Jones, alongside other former players, the film tells the story of a stranger than fiction football game, known now as the greatest game in Ivy League history. The film is available on Netflix and Hulu as well as SundanceNOW’s Doc Club (a $20 yearly investment well worth the money).

Perhaps the most important thing Russell says here (in reference to why talking head-style documentaries are as good as any) is that he tells young filmmakers “not to worry about the rules and just make a movie like telling a story in an engaging way.” For me, this one line makes this video extremely inspirational. It’s a lesson I’d imagine many of us could learn from. Russell is one of the founders of the Ghetto Film School in the Bronx and the only Film High School in America.

Click below to watch Harvard Beats Yale 29-29:

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Jeff Nichols’ Mud Trailer

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Zac Petrillo

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Quickly becoming the most interesting American director that nobody has heard of, Jeff Nichols emerged with a stunning debut, Shotgun Stories, before making a small dent in the multiplexes with his second feature, Take Shelter. Both of these films are unique character studies tucked inside larger picture plots. It’s becoming increasingly rare for directors to prioritize strong, multidimensional characters over complex plot dynamics. However, Nichols seems to have carved out a style that’s based more on the fundamentals of storytelling than a specific genre or type. Now pairing with America’s new, intriguing actor, ahem, Matthew McConaughey, Nichols’ newest feature, Mud, looks to continue the filmmaker’s trend of crafting real, human dramas.

Mud tells the story of two boys who run into a fugitive and agree to help him evade the law and reunite with his true love. In addition to McConaughey, Mud stars Reese Witherspoon in her first dramatic turn in a while. Sam Shepard and Nichols veteran Michael Shannon also appear. At first glance, the film has a Stand By Me style of teenagers coming of age by way of a tragic encounter far more complex than their young minds can entirely comprehend. The plot also reminds me of Michael Cuesta’s (now of Homeland success) wonderful indie drama, Twelve and Holding. Mud hits theaters in 2013.

Check out the trailer and two short clips:

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Best Director & the Zeitgeist

Posted on January 15, 2013 by Zac Petrillo

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This blog has become unexpectedly Oscar obsessed over the past month. Something I intend to rectify very soon. But, alas, here’s some more thoughts on this Oscar season.

Part of the fun of the Academy Awards is complaining about the Academy Awards, because we – the movie buffs – virtually never get the ear of the general population, but in regards to the Oscars, people will listen, at least with vague bored stares. We’ve all heard the tedious gripes about how the Oscars do not closely reflect the best film of the year nor do they ever reflect the favorite films of individuals or the general population. Yet, when anybody looks back on American cinema the Academy Awards are always the starting point. Most all of us, way before film school or college art courses, had a handy Oscar history book that absorbed our teenage imaginations (I doubt I’m the only one who has tried to memorize every Best Picture winner, am I?).

What the Oscars reflect is the zeitgeist of our cinema and, to a lesser degree, of our culture in this time right now. In 50 years, will people look back at Oscar nominees with disdain? Some. Surprise? Probably. Excitement? Of course. (Like finding out that 8 1/2 has an Oscar.) However, mostly, people will think the Oscars got it wrong. Like they always do. Not because the films aren’t good but because they will read as underwhelming and conservative to a culture that will have inevitably grown in terms of acceptance and liberalism. Two films that will probably play far more insipidly in those proverbial 50 years are Zero Dark Thirty and Argo, even though both seem so necessary right now. Therefore, when it comes to Best Director… the Oscars got it right.

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Those Oscar Missed: Best Supporting Actor

Posted on January 15, 2013 by filmscorehunter

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CONTRIBUTED BY JAKE THOMPSON

Best Supporting Actor can be a very fun category.  It’s always made up of actors whose roles were small but significant.  Once in a while the nominating process can be a bit controversial (Anthony Hopkins and Forest Whitaker gave supporting performances in 1991’s The Silence of the Lambs and 2006’s The Last King of Scotland, respectively, but yet they both were nominated and won for Best Actor simply because they were submitted for leading role rather than supporting).  There have been times where the Academy dropped the ball and snubbed some incredible supporting performances.  Here are some major snubs that have my support.

One major snub is Orson Welles for 1958’s Touch of Evil.  He turns in a terrific performance as Quinlan, a corrupt police captain who plants false evidence to convict criminals who he feels were guilty nevertheless.  He does whatever it takes to convict criminals, and will eliminate anyone who gets in his way, even going so far as to frame an innocent woman for murder so that her husband, a drug enforcement official in the Mexican government, will stop investigating Quinlan.  It’s such a shame that Welles wasn’t nominated for his work here.  Welles is a three-time nominee (2 Actor & Director nods for 1941’s Citizen Kane, 1 Original Screenplay win for 1941’s Citizen Kane).

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Tracking Through Paul Thomas Anderson’s Career

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Zac Petrillo

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Somewhere between blatant homage and honest character introspection exists Paul Thomas Anderson’s visual style. Seemingly from the moment he appeared on the major Hollywood scene with Boogie Nights, he’s been called something of a “rip-off” of other filmmakers, namely Kurbrick, Scorsese, and Altman. Perhaps more challenging is that Anderson does little to deny the influence of great American filmmakers on his own work and, while some may write him off as pastiche, he’s managed to carve out a style all his own. To my mind, what makes Anderson as interesting as those filmmakers is the depth of the subject matter he takes on. While story might be a vessel for getting at greater cinematic ideas, there’s also a commitment to classic, human drama that I don’t find as prevalent in some of Anderson influences.

This wonderful 9-minute video breaks down some of Anderson’s most impressive unbroken tracking shots. The voiceover gives you a nice overview of what Anderson was attempting with the movement while the diagram shows the actual path of the camera moving with the actors. This is comprehensive look at this oft-revered but rarely analyzed contemporary director. Kudos to the creator. Enjoy.

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Oscar Nominated Short: “Fresh Guacamole”

Posted on January 12, 2013 by Zac Petrillo

Amazingly well-done stop motion of normal objects being transformed into guacamole make for an unusual short and sweet story. Fresh Guacamole is nominated for Best Animated Short Film at this coming Academy Awards. Directed by American animator PES.

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Oscar Noms Aftermath

Posted on January 11, 2013 by Zac Petrillo

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Well, all told I didn’t do all that badly, nailing  73% of all categories not icluding shorts (those were a crapshoot) and 80% if you include my alternates. I whiffed on Emmanuelle Riva, and Amour in general. I thought the film was too pessimistic, stoic, and taciturn for Hollywood voters to go for it. But I guess the subject matter and presentation united rather than divided the group. I now think Amour might be a threat considering the divisive nature of this Best Picture stack. I’m inclined to think Riva is actually the frontrunner for Best Actress.

I was sadly right about the Skyfall buzz being overblown and The Master being too difficult for many to bother with. Though each were thankfully recognized in key categories (bringing in 8 noms altogether). While the snubs of Bigelow and Affleck were surprising, I’m very happy to see Benh Zeitlin and Michael Haneke included. They made visionary pieces that deserve the award as much as anyone. I’m most happy (for some reason) about Prometheus getting in for Best Visual Effects. That film has had such an unfair trajectory. I think audiences have missed out on the fun, B-Movie charm and complex observations on the inherent concept of human nature vs. creation that it has to offer. At least it received one small crumb from the Academy, something that can’t be said for The Dark Knight Rises or Cloud Atlas.

The two biggest snubs that hardly anyone is talking about is that of The Intouchables and Moonrise Kingdom. The Intouchables, a favorite for Best Foreign Film (and even considered a contender in other races) was shutout while Moonrise Kingdom limped away with only a Best Original Screenplay nod. I had my money on Wes Anderson for a win in that category, but that will likely go to Haneke for the ever-danderous Amour.

It’s been a versatile, volatile, difficult, and exciting years for movies. The Oscars did their part to reflect that trend.

This lady might just be on the stage come February (looking a little older but just as beautiful):

Emmanuelle Riva

Best Picture:
Amour
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Misérables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

PREDICTED: 8/9
Zero Dark Thirty
Lincoln
Argo
Silver Linings Playbook
Les Misérables
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Moonrise Kingdom
Life of Pi
Django Unchained
Alt: Amour or Skyfall

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