So we ended up seeing Django Unchained after all, and then Les Miserables after that. Joe and I both cried at the end of Les Mis. He said it was the best ending of a film that he's seen this year. I agree it was a moving moment, but the film was super long and really dragged in spots. I think in total it only had 3 good songs in there, those songs were really good though, can you say verklempt? At first I was all pissed off at the shaky cam and quick cut edits, but I let that go. Also I wasn't all that impressed with the singing, except for Amanda Seyfried and the guy who played Cosette's love interest, also the daughter of the innkeepers had a nice voice. But especially Russell Crowe was lamo - I think better voices should have been cast. I liked Sascha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter in their buffoonish lowlife roles - they provided the comic relief to an altogether dismal and ernest affair.
Django was lots more fun. I think what I liked best about it was how authentically 70's exploitation spaghetti western it looked and felt. The songs sounded 70's, well they actually used 70's songs so I guess that makes sense. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if Tarantino's inspiration for having Jamie Fox's character be called Django was because he wanted to use the theme song.
I liked the rap stuff too and the editing was sweet. There were a lot of these quick zoom reaction moments that were just great. Like that viral gopher.
Christoph Walz is awesome in it. I kept thinking, Tarantino really scored when he found him for Inglorious Basterds. He's just got this super styley panache. It's the way he talks, the distinctive cadence and precise phrasing, and how he grins and does this big eyed hand twirly oh you kinda shit just before he does something outrageous. He's the best part of the film. I'm pretty sure Tarantino wrote the film around him. Yeah, yeah, it stars Jamie Foxx, and it's a slave revengesploitation, but it's such a white man's film, an apologist view of racism, that glories in racist violence too, and that the German guy is the one who frees the slave? Well what's that if not an attempt at healing some karma and attempting cultural reparations? Dr King!!! Schultz? I bet QT was all giggling on that and I bet lots of black folk hate that it's such a white folk flick, but I'm not bothered by that much. I enjoyed it, and even though I thought it was a tasteless film to make, I think it's great that slavery is the subject, because slavery and racial intolerance and yadayada social justice human rights issues are so important to spark dialogue on. It's got gross bits of ultra violence and the slaves are mostly weak and Jamie Foxx is the superman exceptional black man, but whatever, I don't wanna get all analytical on the flick. It's an adventure time story and I think everyone involved had a good time making it. I had a good time watching it. Thumbs up.
Back to the racist stuff though...I'm reminded of this song
I was trying to figure out who did it yesterday, and I found out it's from Gangsta Rap: The Glockumentary (2007), dir Coke Williams. I haven't seen it, but I want to. It sounds a lot like CB4 (1993), the Chris Rock/Tamra Davis thang, except this faux behind the scenes mockumentary is more recent. I listened to some of the songs and they're pretty funny. Anyhow, I think it's an important distinction that cultural commentary that could be seen as racist and mocking, that it's better if it comes from a cultural insider. At least that cuts down on the knee jerk that's RACIST!! reactions some. I dunno. There's a whole lotta drama attached to the word nigger and nigga, the n word!!! Like you should't use it if you aren't black, or that it's verboten because it's an especially hateful word. I don't really buy that. Kike is a hateful word, so are a lot of words. Slurs are powerful, but making them taboo like that with different levels of acceptability of usage around race, while it makes sense, it also seems silly. I know I'm trying to simplify something complicated, but I would like it if life WERE simpler in terms of words NOT being especially imbued with power to hurt. Let's not get rude about crudeness eh?
I wrote this about a week ago and I thought I might write more on the flicks, but I'm fine with this as it is. I just want to get back in the habit of writing about the movies I see again.
Django was lots more fun. I think what I liked best about it was how authentically 70's exploitation spaghetti western it looked and felt. The songs sounded 70's, well they actually used 70's songs so I guess that makes sense. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if Tarantino's inspiration for having Jamie Fox's character be called Django was because he wanted to use the theme song.
I liked the rap stuff too and the editing was sweet. There were a lot of these quick zoom reaction moments that were just great. Like that viral gopher.
Back to the racist stuff though...I'm reminded of this song
I was trying to figure out who did it yesterday, and I found out it's from Gangsta Rap: The Glockumentary (2007), dir Coke Williams. I haven't seen it, but I want to. It sounds a lot like CB4 (1993), the Chris Rock/Tamra Davis thang, except this faux behind the scenes mockumentary is more recent. I listened to some of the songs and they're pretty funny. Anyhow, I think it's an important distinction that cultural commentary that could be seen as racist and mocking, that it's better if it comes from a cultural insider. At least that cuts down on the knee jerk that's RACIST!! reactions some. I dunno. There's a whole lotta drama attached to the word nigger and nigga, the n word!!! Like you should't use it if you aren't black, or that it's verboten because it's an especially hateful word. I don't really buy that. Kike is a hateful word, so are a lot of words. Slurs are powerful, but making them taboo like that with different levels of acceptability of usage around race, while it makes sense, it also seems silly. I know I'm trying to simplify something complicated, but I would like it if life WERE simpler in terms of words NOT being especially imbued with power to hurt. Let's not get rude about crudeness eh?
I wrote this about a week ago and I thought I might write more on the flicks, but I'm fine with this as it is. I just want to get back in the habit of writing about the movies I see again.
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