Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained ::: Christmas 2012

Apologist Puncher wrote:Never been a fan of Jamie Fox, and Tarantino hasn't put out anything I have enjoyed since 'Kill Bill Vol. 1'.

Rental for me.

thecolorsblend wrote:

Apologist Puncher wrote:Never been a fan of Jamie Fox, and Tarantino hasn't put out anything I have enjoyed since 'Kill Bill Vol. 1'.

Rental for me.

I'll be the first to admit it's probably not fair or intellectually honest but I'm willing to let Tarantino slide on a lot of shit just because Pulp Fiction was so awesome.

non_amos wrote:One thing I don't get though is why duh media always acts like that this film reestablished Travolta as a serious actor. It was actually in 1989 when Travolta started coming back big in the film LOOK WHO'S TALKING. Sure, it was a comedy but I even saw it at the theater & it was also a hit. But whatever.

non_amos wrote:As for Tarentino though, here's a thought. The dude is obviously a comics fan, right?

non_amos wrote:So why not have him tackle a major comics character on the big screen? Not 'made-up' characters or references to existing franchises but a real franchise? What are anyone's thoughts on him taking on some major character? Could he do it without getting too 'weirded out' on it?

Stockslivevan wrote:The LOOK WHO'S TALKING films was the nadir of Travolta's career, especially that one with the dogs that immediately preceded PULP FICTION. PF was probably the best thing he did since BLOW OUT in 1981 (seeing an actor go from a movie like that to a franchise about talking babies and dogs is pretty sad), so it was quite a big deal at the time for his career, especially getting that Oscar nom.

I thought INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS was near perfect and ranked with A SERIOUS MAN as my favorite films of 2009.

As for SIN CITY, it did nothing for me. I remember when it was predicted as the next PULP FICTION, which now seems laughable.

Stockslivevan wrote:I didn't have much of a problem with the supporting players, the two you point out were pretty small (all I remember of Eli Roth was his "fuck a duck"). Pitt, Laurent, Fassbender and Waltz were pretty great, even some of the supporting ones like that guy who played the SS officer in the bar (can't remember his name). Most of Tarantino's films are ironic imitations of films he loved, for better or worse. Basterds still had that, but for the first time I thought Tarantino started to become more of a cinematic director (something Smith hasn't rose above, and probably never will) and I'd cite the ending with Laurent's face projected onto the smoke laughing at the demise of Nazis as proof. KILL BILL had shades of it. I'm interested in how Tarantino grows as a director at this point.

'Django Unchained' Production Designer J. Michael Riva Dies at 63

He died Thursday surrounded by family, nearly a week after suffering a stroke.

J. Michael Riva, an Oscar-nominated production designer who recently worked on Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained, has died at the age of 63.

Riva, whose film resume also includes A Few Good Men and The Amazing Spider-Man, suffered a stroke in New Orleans last Friday while preparing to head to the set of Django. Nearly a week later, the married father of four sons died surrounded by family.

Riva, who notably was the grandson of Marlene Deitrich, earned an Academy Award nomination for his work on 1985's The Color Purple.

His other production design credits include: Iron Man and its sequel; the Lethal Weapon franchise; Charlie's Angels and Charlies Angel's: Full Throttle; Goonies; Dave; Ordinary People; Brubaker; The Pursuit of Happyness; 7 Pounds; and the cult film Buckaroo Banzai.

His TV credits included the film Tuesdays With Morrie and the the 74th Annual Academy Awards, for which he received an Emmy nomination. He later won an Emmy for designing the the 79th installment of the Oscar telecast.

Riva was a writer, too, earning a nomination from the Writers Guild of America for his original screenplay, Lily in Winter, a 1994 made-for-TV movie produced by Showtime.

"Michael Riva was a great friend and a tremendous talent, able to tailor the look and mood of a story to the emotion in the script. We are stunned and saddened by his passing," said Sony Entertainment President Amy Pascal in a statement.

Other industry heavweights echoed that sentiment.

"Michael Riva was a wonderful collaborator, brilliant designer, an emphatic perfectionist - but most of all he was a great friend," remembered Marc Webb, director of The Amazing Spider-Man. "He was a gift from the universe and I will miss him like crazy."

Said Django director Tarantino: "Michael became a dear friend on this picture, as well as a magnificent, talented colleague. Every member of our DJANGO crew family is devastated by this tragic loss as we persevere on his wonderful sets."

Harvey Weinstein, producer of the Leonardo DiCaprio-and-Jamie Foxx-starrer, called Riva "an amazing talent and we were lucky to have him work on Django Unchained. His creativity enhanced every frame of the film. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family."

In lieu of flowers, Riva's family requests donations to the charities H.O.P.E. Haiti and A Place Called Home.