I think after a long time I watched a Sholayisque 2.5 hour western melodrama that was more than mildly humorous as well as a classic Tarantino. With its depiction of slavery circa civil war period, the western touch was evident in the music and the horse riding gangsta with the fastest draw but the story meandered in the plantations of the deep south.
Christoph Waltz picked up his second Oscar for his supporting role, which in my opinion is a travesty since he seemed to have a more prominent role without having to mess with a lady love and therefore become the protagonist. As Dr. Schultz he pretends to be a German dentist traveling through the south when in fact he is looking to score by killing his next target as a bounty hunter.
Some of the funny touches include a spring loaded molar (with a cavity which we see later on in the film to store cash) that bobs on his horse drawn carriage. A fascination with the use of the proper English language which many of the thugs (he encounters) in the south treat as some foreign goobledegook, Waltz's character picks out Django from a slave train. Played by Jamie Foxx, Django (where the D is silent) joins forces with Waltz as he knows what his next bounty looks like.
Waltz and Foxx's partnership is better than other H'wood duos like the Mel Gibson - Danny Glover ones and delivers enough punch to keep you in your seat for the climax.
Our first foray into Central America. That elongated isthmus that forms the geographic boundary between two vast continents of North and South America. Specifically landing for NYE 2026 in San Jose, Costa Rica. Capital city for this region that does not have its own army, instead relying on its big bro the Estados Unidos to the north is a metropolis of approx. 500K people. Largely wilderness and with both a Pacific and Carribean/Atlantic coast the country is rich in bio diversity. In Spanish it means the rich coast so named by Columbus landing in early 16th century and being mesmerized by the local tribes sporting gold jewelry. Our stay included visiting the foothills of a large strato volcano called Arenal and enjoying the naturally heated thermal baths for a while. Lunching amidst lush forest and watching indigenous species of avian noise makers fly overhead. Toucans, some sort of pea hens, multiple song bird species completed the spectacle. Iguanas and a lonel...
Apparently Franco Nero who appears in a bit role was in the original curry Western called Django.
ReplyDelete