Yes, No, Maybe So: "Django Unchained"
Saturday, June 9, 2012 at 4:00PM If Quentin Tarantino can make us wait an average of 2 years and ten months between each movie (I'm counting Kill Bill as one and assuming Django Unchained will arrive on schedule. But will it?) than you can all forgive me for not jumping on every piece of Tarantino news-- even the excitement of a trailer -- the minute it arrives.
What's your name?"
His name is Django. The D is silent. Let's stay silent no more about the trailer ... or the teaser the teasler... the traiser? Aren't teasers support to be 1 minute long? We'll break this traiser into three pieces as we do.
YES
- Things that are off the chain: the shot of the blood sprayed cotton, the self-aware zoom-in on Leonardo DiCaprio casts gleefully against type, Django throwing off his coat, the shot reverse shot of Jamie Foxx and Kerry Washington in the water (dream sequence?). More after the jump...
- The consistent style and aesthetic -- notice the deep red visuals of DiCaprio's long straw, long cigarette and long outstretched arms juxatposed with his presumed long shadow over the bloody plot.
- In short the art direction and costuming look interestingly stylized and richly conceived in this short glimpse.
- It's a Quentin Tarantino movie and, excluding Death Proof (sorry), they've all been pretty great.
NO
- "amongst your inventory is a specimen I'm keen to acquire" . Errrr... is it just me or is Christoph Waltz a little affected here. I mean more than usual. Like the Inglorious triumph is very much on his Tarantino-enabled brain
- Excluding Death Proof, since its plot utterly escapes me several years on (was there a plot beyond talking then driving?), this is Tarantino's third straight Revenge Fantasy. Time to shake things up again like he did with Jackie Brown?
- I shutter to think of QT's overripe love of the 'N' word in the actual context of slavery
MAYBE SO
- Jamie Foxx hasn't been all that compelling since Collateral (2004). Can he muster new screen mojo?
- Despite its length this isn't really giving us much. Where's Samuel L Jackson who people keep trying to convince me has a better part than anyone?
- Sitting Christoph Waltz at a table in a drinking two shot with another character for what we assume is a lengthy conversation / mission statement / charismatic manipulation is a bit been-there risky after his A+ introduction in Inglorious Basterds.
- A narrative that is about picking off a short list of people one by one is a bit been-there risky after the glorious pop simplicity of Kill Bill.
- Finally the thing I'm most curious about (though not in an optimistic way necessarily) is how a Tarantino flick will play without the brilliant contributions of his longtime editor Sally Menke (RIP). He trusted her aesthetic and input and she obviously had a profound impact on the uniquely tense rhythms and thrilling cadences of his filmography. This will be the first Tarantino feature without her. Best wishes to Fred Raskin, who assisted Menke on Kill Bill (his only previous Tarantino film) and also did assistant work on some brilliant P.T. Anderson movies but Menke's shoes will be very tough to fill.
The 'Off the Chain' teasler in case you haven't seen it is embedded right here for your consideration / for your convenience.
Are you a Yes, No or Maybe So? Or maybe you're a fullblown DiCaprio-esque "Yesss Woooooh!" Do tell.
Reader Comments (34)
Tarantino always raises me from unsure to somewhere between "That was pretty good" and "That was AMAZING!" Here's hoping this is another great chapter for him. It also has great possibilities for Foxx (and you are right about nothing great since Collateral), DiCaprio (who desperately needs to shake up his image - maybe this is his Oscar?) and Washington (who could use the exposure). Waltz doesn't look good though. Fingers crossed.
Yesss Woooooh!
Yes!!!!!
Leo's woo-hoo-hoo-hoo always brings me back to Titanic. Never pictured Jack Dawson as a slave owner ;)
Glad someone else agrees with me. Waltz's accent really isn't doing it for me here.
The yes came far, far before the trailer did. Tarantino is one of those directors who gets a "free-pass" yes like PTA, Spielberg, Woody, Marty, Malick, and Pixar.
And I'd move the "despite its length..." piece to a "Yes." I am always more interested in a film that doesn't give away too much in a trailer. It got us excited and wanting to see the movie, that's all a trailer needs from me.
I don't think it's the accent that annoys me with Waltz, just the odd emphasis he puts on the first syllable of acquire: ACKKKKQUWire!!! Actually on the whole he seems to be toning it back an playing this character much more sincerely than I thought he would based on the script. There is the danger that he does hero-Landa with this part but I hope he plays the idiosyncrasies down a bit
That shit with the blood splattering on the cotton is just brilliant. I noticed that the first time I saw the teasler too.
Looks like Kerry Washington's part is as small as everyone said tho...
Wow. Every single word you wrote here is a feeling that I had without being sure that I wanted to feel it. Particularly in regards to the Waltz character as well as the revenge plot.
But... you can't sit there waiting for your partner to cheat on you. You have to trust them wholeheartedly until they pull the carpet from under you and ruin your life.
Ahem... anyhow. A Tarantino film will always go in the yes pile for me until he completely screws me over. Death Proof was just an overlong hug with a butt grab.
No. The plot of the slasher homage 'Death Proof' escapes you does it? You think yourself a film critic and yet you are another 'plot bore'. What has plot got to do with cinema? Please tell what was the plot of 'Halloween' or 'Friday the 13th'? For that matter what was the plot of 'Vanishing Point' or 'Dirty Mary Crazy Larry'?
Mr MacGuffin --if you think plot is a poor excuse for cinematic conversation than you will enjoy the Film Experience if you stick around since I wholeheartedly concur that it's often the least interesting part of movies. But honestly, I don't remember more than three things about Death Proof I was so comatose bored by the 40 minutes mark (and I only saw it once)
Cory -- lol.
Philip -- i'm still choosing to believe that Kerry's part is big enough to give her SOMETHING interesting to do even if everyone has read the script and I haven't and says otherwise. ;) I need to believe in good things for Kerry.
I L O V E Death Proof? How could you be bored? It's two hours of women talking! It's almost an Almodóvar experience!
DiCaprio + Tarantino = FOR THE WIN!
Django wasn't black.
I'm hoping that her part is bigger too. I desperately want her to get an Oscar nomination and I figured she had a good shot with this, but... I mean it doesn't seem likely with what we've seen.
Yes. Tarantino. Western. Yes.
Tarantino loves MOVIES- every shot of that trailer makes it a must see.
Also, a big LOVE at the end of the trailer with Franco Nero, the original Django showing up to hear how his name is pronounced-no one does plucking cult film actors from supporting star retirement and giving a giant wink at the audience like Quentin Tarantino.
I can't get over the fact that Will Smith turned this down because I would've loved to have seen him doing this. Like DiCaprio, it would've been nice to see him get out of his usual box.
I LOVE Death Proof and have probably watched it ten times. It's actually one of my favorite Tarantino films. I know so many people who HATE it though. Hmm....
Anywho, I'm a YES (with minor reservations). Something about Jamie Foxx has always turned me off and find him very hard to watch on screen. Although, I do agree that he was quite compelling in Collateral...
Christoph Waltz seems...out of place in this trailer. I can't put my finger on it, but something feels strange about his presence. Maybe too affected, like you stated.
Oh, but Kerry Washington has me very excited (like every time I watch her). I've heard her part is small, but I hope she has has the chance to do some major screen domination; she deserves a great part.
That shot of the cotton being splattered with blood was my favorite of the whole trailer, I'm glad you mentioned it. Of course I'm a yes, I even loved "Death Proof"!
I also agree that Jamie Foxx hasn't done anything worthwhile in a long time, and Kerry Washington definitely deserves something great to work with.
Foxx has been the only maybe for me all along, and the trailer has gone a long way toward shifting that toward yes. Otherwise, I expect to love more or less every second of this movie.
Also, I'm definitely with the Death Proof fans here. The first half of that movie is some of the best, most sustained work of Tarantino's career. Like if Eugene O'Neill wrote a trashy southern fried slasher movie. The talk is not quite so effective in the second half, but even so - even if you want to discount those scenes entirely, Death Proof still features two great action/suspense sequences - Stuntman Bob's massacre of the four girls in the car in the first half, and the climactic car chase.
I've always thought it coming on the second half of the Grindhouse double feature hurt it - I remember when I saw it in theater, you could feel the energy drain out of the room once Tarantino settled into his laid back night in Austin vibe - especially coming after the nonstop kicks of Planet Terror and the fake trailers that immediately preceded it. Tarantino was working on a completely different wavelength - though I loved it in context, and have loved it when viewed by itself subsequently.
Loving Leo in this trailer. It's definitely too early to call, but from the look of it, this could be a career high for him. I've missed Catch Me If You Can Leo. I'm tired of Shutter Island Leo.
On a completely off topic note though, are you planning to put up any of the old Film Bitch Awards? I just went on a 2005 movie binge, and was sad to see that the old awards aren't functioning anymore (I wanted to see your '05 Best Actress list). I love all year end commentaries, but there are few I respect as much as yours.
Umm, HELL YES!!! Looks to be in the same realm as Inglourious Basterds, which is one movie that I love, love, love (best of the year for me, and 09 was a really great year for movies)! Just one question, though not a all a concern; Tarantino always gives you a good time, but will the performances and some of the thematic elements that were there for Basterds lift this one up to a higher plane too? Regardless, I'm there opening day.
I'm a No. Seems like same ol same ol revenge Tarantino movie. Yawn.
Finally! Great trailer/teaser, whatever. "The D is silent." Hotness. Can't wait to see this in December. Big YES from me.
Though I must say, it looks like all Christoph Waltz is doing is going from the Jew Hunter to the Bounty Hunter. Get out of that typecasting hole before it's too late!
You know post Jackie Brown every single Tarantino film has been a revenge movie— Kill Bill (action martial arts), Death Proof (slasher movie), Inglourious Basterds (historical fantasy) and Django Unchained (historical fantasy).
I say let's wait until the movie comes out before we pass judgment on it.
DiCaprio being campy? This is a YES despite the fact that every time I see Jamie Fox, I just see Wanda from In Living Color.
I'm unsure about the casting of Christoph Waltz as a "German bounty hunter." It seems like Tarantino is stretching here in trying to fit him into this film; I doubt there were German bounty hunters running around in this time period. Even a British actor would have been more believable.
I'm surprised no one mentioned the music featured in the trailer: "Ain't No Grave" by Johnny Cash works really well in the initial scene and the transition into James Brown's "The Payback" is terrific. That isn't a surprise though, as Tarantino has always had a good ear for music in his filmography.
This is a definite 'Yes' for me; Tarantino's movies are always interesting and I love the homages he pays to older/indie/foreign films. Really looking forward to it.
PS. I love the look on DiCaprio's face on the close-up zoom at 1:22 of the video. It looks like he had a lot of fun making this movie.
Based on the content of the trailer alone I am a maybe, although I will most likely see it in the theater as I typically do Tarantino films. Perhaps it's my being black, but I find sitting through movies set against the backdrop of slavery or segregation a little difficult. Still, considering how I tend to only love every other QT offering, he owes me one, and I'm eager to see what he does with the cast (An artistic spark for Jamie? A change of pace for Leo? A break for Kerry?).
BTDubs, I loved "Death Proof."
Call yourselves film fans? Is nobody even aware of the original Django? If so, it's mighty strange that nobody sees fit to even mention the blatant (and in character) Franco Nero cameo at the end of this trailer.
I'm a big fan of Death Proof myself. It's basically Buffy the Vampire Slayer stripped down to its most basic inspiration, and with cars instead of vampires. It reminds me of something Jeannine Basinger (one of Joss Whedon's professors who was a big influence on him) said somewhere - it's been awhile, and I don't remember where I read this, and I'm probably not going to explain it well - about how horror and action are basically opposite genres. In horror, the protagonist is at the mercy of a force that he or she doesn't understand and that seems unconfrontable. In action, the bad guys are beatable and the protoganist feels in control. Death Proof has two mirror halves, with the first half being horror and the second being action. The moment when Rosario Dawson's character turns and says 'Let's kill this bastard' is similar to dozens of similar moments in both the movie and TV versions of Buffy - monster chases girl thinking she's helpless prey, she turns back and kicks its ass.
I find the movie very satisfying. :)
Oh, and I see every Tarantino movie. So 'Yes'
Yes for Tarantino, yes for DiCaprio, YES for Kerry Washington, yes for the cinematography on display here. Maybe for Christoph Waltz (what is UP with that accent?). NO for Jamie Foxx. He really worries me in this trailer. I was far more interested in Will Smith in this role.