Django Unchained

Twenty years ago, we were introduced to a little independent film called "Reservoir Dogs," written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, who today is regarded as one of the greatest directors of all time. He's one of those directors that's old school, by being one of those directors that still uses actual film for his movies. And today, we take a look at his newest film, "Django Unchained."

The film tells of a Civil War slave named Django, whose taken under the wing of a bounty hunter named Dr. King Shaultz. In exchange for taken out some heads, Shaultz agrees to help Django get his wife from Calvin Candie, and be granted true freedom. While it's one of the more simpler plots of Tarantino's films, it doesn't mean it can't be great. This film is a true love letter to all those classic spaghetti westerns from back in the 60's. Top it all off with some very gory action scenes, a third act that is the biggest blood bath you'll ever see, and you've got a Tarantino Western.

The characters are very enjoyable in their own little way. Christoph Waltz gives a great performance as the good Dr. Shaultz. His presence gives off a unique fell to it, that makes you wonder if you should fear this guy or be relieved. Those types of wild card characters are one of the many, MANY charms of a Tarantino film. Leonardo DiCaprio really does a magnificent job as Calvin Candie, playing just a sleazeball and a classy businessman all in one. There's one scene where DiCaprio accidentally cuts his hand by accident, but still carries on with the scene. That scene ALONE gathers this as DiCaprio's best performance in a movie. Samuel L. Jackson is also a great character, playing Calvin's trusted worker, and he gives it the traditional Jackson/Tarantino performance. What really caught my attention, was that it was hard to tell who was the true villain of the movie, DiCaprio or Jackson? While DiCaprio is the plantation owner, Jackson seemed to have that presence showing it was HE who was in charge, giving DiCaprio the information needed. Whatever the case, the relationship between the two was stunning.

However, the performance that really stole the show, was Jamie Foxx as Django, and he gave it his all for this movie. He's soft spoken, but can be aggressive if pushed to his limits, as well as being very funny. This definitely set the bar for him, as it is Foxx's best performance yet. I've heard that he would be playing Electro for "Amazing Spiderman 2," and I can definitley see that, and that's something I'll be looking forward to.

Overall, "Django Unchained" is one of Tarantino's best and stands as one of my favorite movies of this year...speaking of which, it's time for the yearly rundown of the best and worst. Stay tuned for that, coming soon.

Rating: 10/10

Rise of the Guardians

Well, Christmas time is here once again. Seeing a whole bunch of lights up, shopping marts being overcrowded for the right gift, trying to pay up on the years final payments, and best of all...Christmas movies. Every year, there are film studios that try to make the next Holiday classic, or just re-release their old ones in theaters, such as "Home Alone" and "A Christmas Story." But for now, we're going to take a look at one I've seen recently in theaters, "Rise of the Guardians."

Now, when I first heard word about the film, I thought it wasn't going to be anything special, even if it had a good cast and the fact that Guillermo del Toro was producing it. But when trailers started showing up and that my friend Zack was talking about it so much when it did, I took a look and got very interested in it. Further trailers also had it look very epic, almost like Dreamworks was trying to make their own little "Avengers-esque" movie. However, I didn't quite see it the day it came out, but I've heard good things from it, so I decided to give it a chance.
So what did I think of it?...Well, I can definitely say that this is, by far, Dreamworks Animation's best movie, and that's saying a lot!

"Rise of the Guardians" tells the story of Jack Frost, the spirit of snow, who apparently not everyone believes in. When he's called upon by Santa, the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, and Sandman, he is told to beto be the new guardian by the man in the moon, to fight Pitch Black, the Boogeyman. During this time, Jack has to learn why he was chosen to be a guardian, as well as find out about his memories in his past life.

What really stands out in this film is how it doesn't pander to its audience, and adds a lot more to the logic and rules of this world. I really thought the idea that believing in these spirits is what gives them their powers is really clever. When it really got down to the tender moments of the story, I really felt their sympathy for it.

The character of Jack Frost was a very well developed character. He's the mischievous underdog with a heart of gold, who only becomes interested in his work until he finds out something that catches his attention very. Yeah, it's cliche, but if done well, then it can work.Not only that, but am I the only one who thought he looked like Danny Phantom? That means, I see a full result for a "Danny Phantom" movie to be made. While it does have Santa and the other guardians, and make them so likable, it still stands as Jack Frost's story. We do see the corruption that can be brought upon him, when he's confronted by Pitch, who is a great villain. He knows how to push at Jack's buttons, but it's done so well, and his ways of world domination are very well done.

The animation in the film was absolutely great, and some of the best CG animation I've seen from Dreamworks. Hell, I'd even say it's better than "Brave," and that's saying a lot. It's fast paced, it's colorful, and the action scenes are very good! This film is often compared as "The Avengers" of CG animated films, but I'd say that this was BETTER than "The Avengers," by a long-shot!

Overall, "Rise of the Guardians" is a fantastic movie that's fun for the whole family. With great voice acting, fantastic animation, and a strong story, it's easily one of the best this year, and one of my favorites.

Rating: 10/10

007 Skyfall

Probably everyone in the world knows about the most famous, fictional, British spy himself, James Bond. Ian Flemming's character has shown to be a strong immortal icon, and after about fifty years of this fame on the silver screen, every generation has their own version of Bond. From Sean Connery, to Roger Moore, to Pierce Brosnan, to the one who holds the current place, Daniel Craig. Because there are about twenty three Bond films as of now, we're only going to focus on talking about the Daniel Craig movies, just to keep things short.

The start of the "Craig Bond Trilogy," is with "Casino Royale," which was actually a remake of another movie based on Ian Flemming's character, but was actually a critical failure. This film started off Craig's work of Bond, just after Pierce Brosnan had finally bowed out and passed the torch on. It told of Bond retrieving his Double 0 status, and is assigned to go after a billionaire terrorist named Le Chiffre, by first bringing his bank account down and bring him to justice. Martin Campbell, who had directed "Goldeneye," a film that was the start of Brosnan's Bond, had delivered a very solid movie. It wasn't the typical Bond with all the gadgets and so-forth, but a fresh new Bond, one that actually had much more to it in a way. While it wasn't my favorite at the time, it was still a damn good movie and well worth the price of admission.

The second film, "Quantum of Solace" however, wasn't quite given the same recognition as "Casino" got. The one thing people complained about was that it was a sequel to "Casino" and that there were just so many things that didn't make it like a Bond film. Personally, I had no problem with that. I enjoyed the path that this film took, being different than most other Bond films, AND being a sequel to it, continuing its story. Sure, I'll admit it's the weakest of the trilogy, but that doesn't make it terrible. For Bond fans, yeah I can see the hatred, but for casual viewers who enjoyed the last film, it's well worth it.

Now we get to the new film, "Skyfall," just in time for the 50th anniversary of the first Bond film, "Dr. No," with Sean Connery. So, how was it exactly? I found it to be my new favorite Bond film.

"Skyfall" tells of 007 on another mission, but fails after being shot by his colleague in the process. After a while, MI6 starts being hacked, and the item Bond was supposed to retrieve was a list of the Double-0 agents identities. When Bond returns after a period of time, he tries to get himself back on top and finds the culprit behind the attacks before all agents are killed. Now that's only a little bit of the plot, because if any more gets revealed, then it's in spoiler territory, but it still showcases a strong story.

Now, I've heard this film from many people to be the "Dark Knight Rises" of the "Craig's Bond Trilogy," even to be called "James Bond Rises," and I can see that resemblance very well. Bond's been broken down, and now he has to face an enemy he's not quite ready for, due to his absence softening him. However, unlike "The Dark Knight Rises," we actually see how Bond gets injured and just how he's gotten down to this low. I was really fascinated by this, and I only can guess it was just a coincidence  since both films were released the same year. That and two other things did spark it. #1: "The Dark Knight" did receive criticism for feeling more like a Bond film than it did a Batman film, so I can see how it works. #2: Chris Nolan DID say, he had interest into directing a James Bond film, so I highly look forward to see that day come. Plus, unlike "DKR," this film actually has an important character die, which is something I felt would have made "Dark Knight Rises" a much stronger film.

Judi Dench does reprise her role as M, and she does a fantastic job once more, playing the bossy and cautious character that she is, which would be the reason she's called "Mom" by other agents. Javier Bardem as Silva was a very interesting villain for me, but I will admit, his first appearance did seem a bit...how to put this...awkward. If you see the movie, you'll know what I mean. But none the less, he was still a very calculative mastermind, especially being a former MI6 agent at a higher level, meaning he knows more about M than Bond thinks. RaIph Fiennes and Naomie Harris were both equally great in the film, as Mallory and Eve. Just they way they had their performances executed and how you couldn't keep your eyes off either of them shows how good their work can be. Ben Whishaw was also great as the new Q of MI6, and deliveres a very strong performance. It may be nothing new of the character, but it still works with how strongly it was done.

The most fun about the film was seeing the little nods and tributes to previous James Bond films. A prime example of it was Berenice Lim Marlohe as Severine, and how her performance had the presence and inspiration of Famke Janssen's character from "Goldeneye," Xenia Onatopp. That was what stood out for me, especially since Brosnan in "Goldeneye" was the Bond film and Bond I grew up with...that, and it had a really damn good N64 game, but I watched the movie too. There are others like that, but I feel like it would be fun for you to catch them for yourselves.

Overall, "Skyfall" stands as not only my new favorite Bond film, but also one of my favorite movies of the year. If you want to see a strong, fresh, and great Bond film, check it out before it goes out of theaters. Trust me, it's worth it for the big screen.

Rating: 10/10