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goldenmaven
Reviews
Django Unchained (2012)
Long, ridiculous, gratuitous violence, not funny in the least
I'm not sure what this movie was going for. The n-word is dropped every other sentence, presumably for the sake of realism. Yet, nothing else in this movie is even close to realistic.
First, Christoph Waltz's character. We've all seen his type in other pretentious Hollywood movies. He's constantly being a smart Alec, which may amuse some people. Even in the face of danger, he's cracking jokes and being a wise guy in front of someone's gun barrel. Is this a bad comedy, or a movie about a slave going up against all odds?
Then you have the actual action. I could swallow some of the Rambo stuff that was happening if the movie didn't start off pretending to be realistic. The movie is so pretentious, and I bet some people somehow consider this above your typical Steven Seagal movie.
And of course, most white people in this movie are demonized, and in many cases killed in a what is supposed to be comedic fashion. Never mind the fact that not all white folks necessarily agree with slavery that is going on and are simply forced to go along with the culture of their time.
I guess my mistake was expecting a more serious and realistic movie. Had I know this would turn into some bad over-the-top revenge movie, I wouldn't have bothered.
There were some positive notes here. The scenery and the music were nice, but that's pretty much it. I won't bother seeing another movie from this director again. Not sure what people see in him.
The Roommate (2011)
Fun thriller, but rather shallow
This is a fun but predictable teenage thriller animated by stereotypical characters (obvious exception being the roommate).
The movie is kept interesting with the roommate's actions and growing obsession with the main character. Leighton Meester did a great job here, as I ended up feeling sympathy for her character and took her seriously. Unfortunately the movie is only after cheap thrills, don't expect much of a back-story.
The biggest flaw of the movie is the pacing. The introductions between the characters are so quick and cheesy that it's hard to care about any of them. It almost felt like the movie just wanted the introduction out of the way so it could get to the main plot as quickly as possible. I think this story would've worked better in a TV show format to allow smoother development. Everything feels so rushed here.
The movie is aiming at teenagers and adults, as if saying "hey come look at these normal college students deal with a crazy bitch". There is nothing deeper about this movie, but it's still a fun ride.