“Les Miserables”
3.5/5 stars
The musical-turned-movie “Les Miserables” hyped up moviegoers across the country. With top-notch actors and actresses like Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe and Helena Bonham Carter, the movie was bound for great things. The movie is a constant chase between Jean Valjean (Jackman) and Javert (Crowe). The two cross paths more than a hooker and her corner.
Jean Valjean transforms himself from a slave into someone who is noble. He takes care of a child that is not his and protects her with all he can, only to leave at a moment’s notice.
Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen – a married couple in the movie – bring the comic relief. Never had I heard so many old ladies laugh at such raunchiness. The time elasped in the movie spans roughly two decades, ending up at the restoration of the French Revolution.
The ending is the best part because a war is going on, along with fighting and tragic death. The music goes so well with the scenes.
According to the Internet Movie Database, all the songs were recorded live on set, which is odd for a movie. Usually movies record the music for the soundtrack and the actors lip sync.
Musicals are fine and dandy, but the majority of the ones I’ve seen usually have “normal” moments without constant songs. This movie is nothing but singing, though, which makes it awkward for me in some scenes, because whispering and singing feels painful to me.
“Django Unchained”
Rating: 4.5/5
Fans of movies like “Pulp Fiction,” “Reservoir Dogs” or “Inglorious Basterds” knew a bit of what to expect from Quentin Tarantino’s new movie, “Django Unchained.’’
However, I was much more anxious and anticipatory of the highly-praised and long-awaited film, given that I didn’t know exactly where to set my expectations.The ultra-violent revenge fantasy (spoofing a western) might not be everybody’s cup of tea, but it was most certainly mine.
Regrettably, I’ll admit I’ve never really given Tarantino that much of a chance.
So for me, this movie was a great entry into his work. The movie follows a slave named Django (Jamie Foxx) and a bounty hunter (Christolph Waltz) on their quest to retrieve Django’s long-lost wife from a malicious plantation owner and tyrant (Leonardo DiCaprio).
Great performances from Foxx, Waltz, DiCaprio and Samuel L. Jackson really enhance the movie’s intrigue. Waltz went on to win an award at the Golden Globes for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Dr. Schultz.
Something that I was pleasantly surprised about was the amount of humor in the movie. I didn’t think that the movie necessarily needed the humor to be good or maintain interest, but it was a nice touch.
The humor gave the movie a very lighthearted feel, which felt refreshingly out of place in a movie primarily about revenge and murder. I think everyone should give this movie a try and take it for what it is – skilfully-crafted, high-quality entertainment.