Movies I’ve Seen in 2013

[shadowfireflame]

I watch a lot of movies and TV series, so this year (as of January 1, 2013) I’m going to write down the ones I watch so that I can remember come December! If you’re interested in seeing any of them, I can certainly share my thoughts. :)

Comments

[shadowfireflame]

Django--Okay, well, I really quite like Quentin Tarrantino's movies. My favorite is Inglorious Basterds, which I loved so much, but I also like the Kill Bill series. Most of his movies have a particular/peculiar style with lots of violence, surprising character development that isn't afraid to venture into darker sides (even of female characters), interesting use of music, and a labeling of the film into different sections. The way his films portray female characters in particular always strikes me as progressive and impressive.

In Django, though, his particular style wasn't on display as much, and the story was a very male-centric one (save the damsel in distress and get revenge using violence). The morality spectrum was also much less complex that I'm used to with his movies (each character seemed to be on one extreme or another), and the tone seemed off for a film depicting one of the most brutal and horrific institutions in U.S. history. So I left feeling like it was a good movie telling a story I had seen before, and there wasn't much that was special about it, so I was rather disappointed on that front. But definitely worth watching and deserves its Best Picture nomination!

Was there controversy? I suppose because of the language used? It rang historically accurate to me. I would rather films be honest about how racism was (and continues to be) so embedded in daily society it comes out in language than to, well, white-wash the past.

Les Mis--I basically agree with your review except that I didn't mind Hugh Jackman and I didn't think Anne Hathaway was that amazing. :) Very visually pretty, but the music was not done well, and what's the point then? In my opinion, viewers could do better to watch the 1998 version with Liam Neeson and Geoffrey Rush, which was much superior, and then to listen to the original Broadway recording.

:)