Django Unchained

Most of this is going to be some random thoughts, but let me just say up front that this delivered on all its promise.  Its one of the most entertaining experiences I've had at a theater all year.

1.  This is very much a close cousin to Inglorious Basterds.  Except rather than killing tons of Nazis, this time its slavers.  I'm fine with both.  The first big difference between the two is the approach to violence.  Where the fight scenes in Inglorious at least had a modicum of reality (at least within the logic of the film), in Django Tarantino fully embraces the hyper-stylized, over the top, nature of the spaghetti westerns that influence it.  As a result Django is more overtly comic with plenty of laugh out loud moments, whereas the humor in Inglorious was more subtle.  This mainly comes from the fact that the Basterds was predominately driven by  dialougue, and Django is more visceral.  I give the edge to Basterds (mainly because Django doesn't have a scene approaching the opening to Inglorious), but they make a great double feature.

2. Christoph Waltz is still amazing.  Yes he's just playing a variation of his Hans Landa character from the former film but that doesn't make him any less enjoyable.  I also need to figure a way to grow his facial hair.

3. There's been a lot of criticism that the film is too humorous, given its subject matter. I'm not sure that's a fair charge (bear in mind this is coming from a solidly middle class white guy).   Yes Tarantino treats the slavers like buffoons, but doesn't that lack of any respect for them work as a form of criticism as well? They want to be seen as hardcore competent killers, not clowns.  Anyway, the scenes that are meant to horrifying, come off as such.  He doesn't whitewash the atrocities against slaves, he just treats the responsible parties with the disdain they deserve.  And you better believe everybody gets what's coming to them.

4. This is by far the best role by Sam Jackson in years.  He actually seems engaged, and his interplay with Jaime Foxx and Dicaprio is a joy to watch.

5.  Yes its too long, but whatever.  Its a ton of fun, and I was never bored.  I don't know if it will be as re-watchable as some of his other work, but I'm going to find out.