Recently I watched two films, both of which curiously enough involve dentists.
Inherent Vice
I'm not sure what to make of it. I think I liked it...
This is definitely one of those films I'll have to re-watch it (possibly several times) to fully appreciate it. The plot, if it can be described as such, is extraordinarily complicated, with several scenes that may or may not be the drug-induced hallucinations of the protagonist. It's frustratingly elliptical and slow-moving, yet oddly hypnotic and weirdly charming at the same time. The acting is one of the strongest aspects, there are some really great performances--Sportello, "Bigfoot", and Dr Threeply in particular (the scene in the asylum in particular is really funny). I'm not sure what to make of the cinematography, as it feels rather basic and the shots are very long-drawn out (oftentimes there will be single shots of characters just talking... for 20 or so minutes), though this style is clearly intentional. I feel like this film is the cinematic equivalent of a food with a strange flavour that you don't know what to make of when you eat it, but with a really nice aftertaste. Still, it's just worth watching to see all of these weird characters interact with each other. Plus, there's a lot of funny dialogue:
"Is that a swastika on that man's face?"
"No, it isn't. That is an ancient Hindu symbol meaning 'all is well'."
"Being insane is not groovy."
"He suffered a 'trampoline accident'."
There are a few scenes that personally felt kind of awkward to me, but otherwise it's an extremely weird film, yet strangely appealing nonetheless.
Django Unchained
Who knew a film about slavery could be so much fun?
It's the second Tarantino film I've seen. There's a lot of language, especially the use of the "n-word", but I didn't mind it so much as it felt pretty justified, given the setting and subject matter this film deals with. There's also a lot of violence, but, again, that's hardly surprising. At the same, there's enough material for some serious thought. I quite like the theme of Schultz and Django playing the parts of "characters" in order to get close to their targets, and even though they're "heroic" both end up doing morally questionable things, or are forced to stand by and watch as innocent people suffer.
The acting is great to watch, with the characters perfectly cast. Despite the fact that many of the actors play "against type" (if such a thing exists) they all do excellent jobs. I do think I preferred Christoph Waltz in Inglorious B4$t3rds (for which he also won an Oscar), but he's always fun to watch and I really liked his role here, and he has some of the best lines in the film. Leo DiCaprio puts in a great performance as the odious Calvin Candie, (especially when he goes all-out crazy during the "phrenology" scene). The character of Stephen is particularly interesting, not least since it's highly unusual to see Samuel L. Jackson portray a character that is physically crippled and submissive yet wily. He is perhaps one of the most intriguing characters in the film. He's sycophantic yet cunning, and in the end smarter and more dangerous than Candie.
Spoiler (click to read)
Although he's a slave, he's more than willing to betray Schultz's and Django's plan to Candie, even if it doesn't bring him any profit. And even after Candie's death, he's still supporting him and antagonizing Django.
Despite its almost 3-hour length, though, some of the characters feel underdeveloped. We barely get to see Broomhilda do anything, and Django himself seems to be pushed to the sidelines a lot until the end of the film.
Spoiler (click to read)
Also, the death of Schultz and Candie seems rather sudden and lacking in impact. It especially makes Candie's part feel more like an extended cameo instead a proper supporting role.
The plotting is weak at times, too. While the beginning is great, the pacing lags a fair bit towards the middle, though it picks up again towards the end. There's quite a slow build-up, but the ending more than makes up for it. The cinematography is great, and from the opening credits onwards it's clear it's meant to pay homage to classic Westerns, even to somebody like me, who hasn't seen many such films. I particularly love the use of over-dramatic zooms:
On the whole, I feel that it manages to balance the serious cruelty of slavery with the lighter tone of some of the other parts quite well, and despite (or perhaps because of) the violence the ending is so gloriously over-the-top one cannot help but love it. And then you feel a bit guilty for loving it.
Last edited by Mr Vertigo (February 4, 2015 (06:51pm))
Retribution (3rd place in BRAWL 2015)&Smeagol make the most of being surrounded by single, educated women your own age on a regular basis in college
AquaMorph I dunno women are expensive