Alan's Thoughts on 'Django Unchained'

Starring

• Jamie Foxx
• Christoph Waltz
• Samuel L. Jackson
• Leonardo DiCaprio
• Kerry Washington

Original Theatrical Release Date: 12/25/2012

Running Time: 180 mins

Synopsis: Set in the South two years before the Civil War, Django Unchained stars 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 (Christoph Waltz). Schultz is on the trail of the murderous Brittle brothers, and only Django can lead him to his bounty. Honing vital hunting skills, Django remains focused on one goal: finding and rescuing Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), the wife he lost to the slave trade. --From Rotten Tomatoes

Review: 

Quentin Tarantino is definitely one of those directors to split the masses. In most cases, he's either a director you love or a director you loathe. I fall in the former of the two. With the eight movies he has directed, I have loved all of them. 'Django' is his longest film, but it certainly does not disappoint.

The gist of the film falls into familiar Tarantino territory. He's definitely a director that has a knack for revenge stories. What's refreshing is that, though there is the common theme of people getting what's coming to them, all of the films are not reminiscent of the others. An angry, left-for-dead mother. A Jewish girl avenging her family. A slave reclaiming his lost love. So without giving away details, I really enjoyed the story.

Tarantino has an eye for one other thing. A flawless cast. Jamie Foxx is the titular Django, a slave purchased by bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz, played by Christoph Waltz. Schultz has purchased Django's freedom because he needs his help identifying his next target. Foxx nails it, but admittedly, I was even a bigger fan of Waltz's performance. It could be the biggest blood-bath, but his little quips and non-chalant actions were impossible not to laugh at. 

If you're squeamish or are turned off by offensive language (the n-word is used more than a Lil' Wayne album), then it may be a movie you would want to stay away from. There are tons of blood and gore throughout. But if you're someone who doesn't mind those things in order to see the bigger picture, then 'Django Unchained' is a movie you won't want to miss. 

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Alan Reviews 'Evil Dead'

Starring

• Jane Levy
• Shiloh Fernandez
• Lou Taylor Pucci
• Elizabeth Blackmore

Original Theatrical Release Date: 04/05/2013

Running Time: 91 mins

Synopsis: In the much anticipated remake of the 1981 cult-hit horror film, five twenty-something friends become holed up in a remote cabin. When they discover a Book of the Dead, they unwittingly summon up dormant demons living in the nearby woods, which possess the youngsters in succession until only one is left intact to fight for survival. --From Rotten Tomatoes

Review: 

Horror movies are always harder to critique, because in the grand scheme of film-making, they are generally considered the red-headed stepchild. With few exceptions, like 'The Exorcist' or 'Let Me In', horror is usually a genre that is picked apart by the critics for the clichés that compose them. 

And that's why I don't put too much faith into critics. I love movies. All kinds. But I have a soft spot for horror. 'The Evil Dead', as campy as it was, is a classic and a favorite amongst most horror enthusiasts. It isn't really scary, but especially considering it's time, it had it's moments where it was creepy. 

The new 'Evil Dead' remake/sequel/re-imagining definitely lives up to it's predecessor's name. While it trades in most of the humor elements of the original for more disturbing imagery, it works, because believe it or not, it is actually disturbing. 

First off, the cast is headlined by Jane Levy, known for her fairly innocent role on ABC's sitcom 'Suburgatory'. And if you love her on the show, which I do, prepare yourself for the complete opposite of her comedic character. In 'Evil Dead', she is vile, demented, disgusting and was perfect at it. The other characters in the movie are more general run-of-the-mill horror flick death-bait, and all easily in the shadow of Levy, but despite that, none were annoying or felt out of place either. 

The story is similar to the original, with a few minuscule changes. Jane Levy's character, Mia, is at the cabin with her friends who are there to support her in her attempt to stop using drugs. That part is different. Once the infamous Necronomicon is brought into the picture, the story line treads more on familiar ground, while still displaying it differently enough to not be a boring rehash. 

If you hate the horror genre, 'Evil Dead' will do nothing to change your opinion. If you've been waiting for a horror movie to come along that actually keeps you tense, then you will not be disappointed. The movie is rated R, and it rides that rating hard. Yes, there are lots of "gross" shock value moments, not unlike the original back when it was released. But it isn't done in the same vain as, say, 'Saw', where the movie RELIES on the shock factor to entertain you. Despite the gallons of bloods, pounds of body limbs, and puddles of vomit, this movie would have still been entertaining had all of that been reduced by half. That's not saying that it was too excessive. 'Evil Dead' just happened to have enough plot and creep factor to carry itself anyway. 

Score: 

Alan Doesn't Think 'Oz' is as Great & Powerful as it Claims

Starring

• James Franco
• Mila Kunis
• Rachel Weisz
• Michelle Williams
• Zach Braff

Original Theatrical Release Date: 03/08/2013

Running Time: 127 mins

Synopsis: Disney's fantastical adventure "Oz The Great and Powerful," directed by Sam Raimi, imagines the origins of L. Frank Baum's beloved wizard character. When Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he's hit the jackpot-fame and fortune are his for the taking-that is until he meets three witches, Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz) and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who are not convinced. --From Rotten Tomatoes

Review: 

Let me first start by saying that I was really looking forward to this movie. Sam Raimi is one of my very favorite directors with films like 'The Evil Dead' franchise and the amazing 'Spider-Man' trilogy (not to be confused with the newer, yet uninspired, 'Amazing Spider-Man' franchise) under his belt. And I was on board even more when I saw who had been cast. With the exception of Rachel Weisz (who I don't DISLIKE per se, just do not know her from many films I've seen) I was excited at the choices that had been made. 

Well, needless to say this movie was everything and more of what I was not at ALL expecting from it. First and foremost, let's start with the protagonist, Oz. From the very get-go, he is not a likable, respectable character. He's a womanizer, a user, and just flat out arrogant. And honestly, he doesn't really change much of that during the course of the movie. 

The plot was very long and drawn out. And once it all came together at the end, it seemed like I had just heard a story that wasn't really worth the time of telling or hearing. You're not really rooting for either side because one side is headed by a guy who has this odd sense of entitlement, and the other side is headed by two evil witches, one of which had just recently converted to the proverbial Dark Side. 

The special effects were none too impressive either. Remember the monkey like henchman in the original 'Wizard of Oz'? They're still here, in CGI form of course, and they look pretty stupid. And I swear it seemed like every time we went to another area, there were more CGI blossoming flowers. One of the highlights of the movie was some of the cinematography, which was also one of the lowlights. Some times it looked amazing, and others it looked like it came straight from a video game. 

I will say, the last 15 minutes of the movie or so were by far the most entertaining, and they were actually legitimately good scenes. Was it worth sitting through the other hour and 45 minutes? Not at all. This new 'Oz' set out to show us the magical land before Dorothy ever encountered it. It actually ended up stealing some of that magic away. 

Score: