Movie Minute: Django Unchained (The Review)

Synopsis: Set in the South two years before the Civil War, DJANGO UNCHAINED stars Academy Award(R)-winner Jamie Foxx as Django, a slave whose brutal history with his former owners lands him face-to-face with German-born bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Academy Award(R)-winner Christoph Waltz). Schultz is on the trail of the murderous Brittle brothers, and only Django can lead him to his bounty. The unorthodox Schultz acquires Django with a promise to free him upon the capture of the Brittles–dead or alive.

I must begin by stating that I am a HUGE Quentin Tarantino fan.  I didn't think it was possible for him to top the sheer brilliance of Inglourious Basterds or the action in Kill Bill but clearly I was wrong because Django Unchained is his best film to date in my opinion!! 

This film is highly entertaining and takes you on a wild ride.  It's a classic Tarantino film with the usual offerings of incredible cinematography, strong graphic violence, viscious fight scenes, language and some nudity.  The film is written and directed by Tarantino (who also makes a cameo) and is very well executed for a story based on a very controversial subject. It is a story about revenge with an underlying love story that is also unintentionally funny. 

The movie has had it's share of critism with the most vocal against it being Spike Lee.  Uhmmm, Mr. Lee, I went to see the movie for the entertainment value and not for factual information on history!

Cristism aside, this film is not for the faint of heart or easily offended but if you're looking for great entertainment this is it for you!!  The casting is terrific with top calibre actors who deliver in a major way! Oscar award winner Jamie Foxx, is great in his role as DJango.  Christoph Waltz, another Oscar Award winner, plays the role of Django's unlikely sidekick and if you are familiar with his work, he never fails to impress and is brilliant & comical as Dr. King Schultz - a dentist turned bounty hunter.  Leonardo DiCaprio proves once again that an Oscar award to him is long overdue!! He plays a villain who nails his perfomance as does Samuel L Jackson. 

Let's talk about the soundtrack!! The music picked superbly matches the story and just adds to the brilliance of Tarantino.

The run time for the movie is quite long at 2.5hours but that's a small price to pay for what you get in return - a wild ride!

There is lots of Oscar buzz surrounding this film that has already garnered 5 Golden Globes nominations. 
Will you be watching? Have you seen it? Please share your thoughts.

TV Minute - The Golden Globes Awards Recap

Last night, the 69th Annual Golden Globes awards were telecast live on NBC.  The Golden Globes are a celebration of the best in film and television and are nominated by the Hollywood Foreign Press.  The HFPA, which is made up of journalists representing international press outlets, remains a canny predictor in the acting categories for the Oscars.  


The unpredictable Ricky Gervais was tapped to host the show for the third time in a row.  Last time he hosted the show, it was riddled with controversy and many doubted he would be asked back as a host! He rubbed many A-listers the wrong way!  His comedic style is rather brash. No celebrity is safe when it comes to Ricky's delivery. He's not known to brown nose celebrities but simply attack the over priviledged bunch - sometimes deservedly so. Last night, he was true to form but seemed rather tame in my opinion.


The stars did come out in droves dressed in their best  duds.  The mood at these award show is usually rather casual and alcohol consumption is allowed.


There were many great films and TV shows nominated this year.  The Help was favored to win in all the categories they received a nod for but only got the Best Supporting Actress in a motion picture that went to Octavia Spencer.  She truly shined in her role on The Help.  Viola Davis who took the Screen Actors Guild Award just last week for Best Actress in a motion picture for the same movie was favored to win - but Merryl Streep took home the Golden Globe for her role as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady.  She seemed very surprised to have won.  She always slays the competition in every category she's nominated in so no surprise there.


A list of winners is below;


Best Actor, Drama: George Clooney, "The Descendants"

Best Actress, Drama: Meryl Streep, "The Iron Lady"

Best Actor, Musical or Comedy: Jean Dujardin, “The Artist”

Best Director: Martin Scorsese, “Hugo.”

Best Actress, Musical or Comedy: Michelle Williams, “My Week With Marilyn.”

Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, “Beginners.”

Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, “The Help.”

Best Foreign Language Film: “A Separation.”

Best Animated Film: “The Adventures of Tintin.”

Best Screenplay: Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris.”

Best Original Score: Ludovic Bource, “The Artist.”

Best Original Song: “Masterpiece” (music and lyrics by Madonna, Julie Frost, Jimmy Harry), “W.E.”

TELEVISION

Best Series, Drama: “Homeland,” Showtime.

Best Series, Musical or Comedy: “Modern Family,” ABC.

Best Actor, Drama: Kelsey Grammer, “Boss.”

Best Actress, Drama: Claire Danes, “Homeland.”

Best Actress, Musical or Comedy: Laura Dern, “Enlightened.”

Best Actor, Musical or Comedy: Matt LeBlanc, “Episodes.”

Best Miniseries or Movie: “Downton Abbey (Masterpiece),” PBS.

Best Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Kate Winslet, “Mildred Pierce.”

Best Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Idris Elba, “Luther.”

Best Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Jessica Lange, “American Horror Story.”

Best Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Peter Dinklage, “Game of Thrones.”

To see who rocked the carpet and who fizzled, 

click here

The Golden Globes Awards lead up to the prestigious Academy Awards that will be held later next month on February 26th at the Kodak Theatre.  The 84th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 24, 2012, at 5:30 a.m.

TV Minute- Golden Globe Awards Red Carpet

Award season kicked off tonight!!! *yaay!!* I live for this!!  As usual the stars came out in their best duds!! Some shoulda really consulted a different stylist!!  For the good, the bad and the ugly on tonight's red carpet fashion click here and be the judge!

I will have the updates on winners tomorrow.  Please check back:)