Review - Django Unchained

In Quentin Tarantino's latest revenge fantasy Django Unchained, Jamie Foxx plays the titular slave who is freed from bondage by the eccentric Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) to become his partner in bounty hunting. As much as Django likes his new job of “killing white folks for money”, his bigger yen is to rescue his wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) from the plantation where she serves the childlike but intangibly dangerous Calvin Candi (Leonardo DiCaprio).

While a great deal of Django Unchained is very enjoyable, it is self-indulgent to a fault. I understand that criticizing a Tarantino film for being indulgent is like criticizing the sky for being blue, but the excesses of this movie really makes you feel the length of it. At 165 minutes, it's a picture as badly in need of a trim as our unshackled, unshaven ex-slave is at the beginning of it.

Sunday Top Ten: Westerns

I've always found the Western a particularly fascinating genre. From its romanticized origins to its later experimental departures, the Western has inspired countless interpretations and styles, making it a rich cornucopia of Americana. Picking ten favourites is not easy, and depending on what mood I'm in, they're quite susceptible to change. Today, I'm feeling like my ten favourite Westerns of all time are: