Contents:

Dusty Diamonds by Ben Peter Freeman

Hell’s Own Ship by David Allen Ross

Main Street’s Murder by Stewart Sterling

The Man Who Rode Dynamite by Wes Fargo

The Daring Pretender by Edward S. Williams

Adventure Cove – Where readers write their own stories.

Related articles

• Notes on the Craft Vol.6 (excursionsintoimagination.wordpress.com)
• Notes of the Craft Vol. 2 (excursionsintoimagination.wordpress.com)
• All Around Magazine Vol. 12, No. 1 (May, 1936) (pulpdust.wordpress.com)
• Indies Rock Review: Touch of Beyond, Twist’s Tales Vol. 3, by Michael Twist (iam-indeed.com)
• Announcing the Regency Romance Reading Challenge 2013: Featuring Candice Hern (austenprose.com)
• Notes on the Craft Part 5 (excursionsintoimagination.wordpress.com)
• EXCLUSIVE: Matt Wagner Unveils “The Shadow: Year One” (comicbookresources.com)
• Pulp Science Fiction in Spain, Before And During Totalitarianism (io9.com)
• Pulp fiction on Mars (gcbooks.wordpress.com)
• Pulp Heroes – the Moon Man: Stories 13-15 (glitternight.com)

By C.J. Bunce

How does a Western get nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award in 2013? As recently as two years ago the remake of True Grit was nominated for Best Picture and nine other nominations—but did not net a single win.  But would it have been nominated if it hadn’t been directed by the quirky directing duo of Joel and Ethan Coen?  Five years earlier Brokeback Mountain, a film with a Western—or at least a cowboy– theme was also nominated for Best Picture, winning three of eight nominations.  It took director Ang Lee and a completely non-Western plot for that to happen.  Then you have to go back to Unforgiven in 1992, which actually won Best Picture and four of nine of its nominations, to find the last major, critically acclaimed Western.

What made Unforgiven win?  Certainly by supplying one of the two most popular Western actors of all time as the film’s lead helped, even if it was one of his more bland performances, with Clint Eastwood also serving as director. (Yes, John Wayne still remains the #1 most popular Western actor ever).  But more importantly, like the few notable Westerns since, it had a very non-standard plot for a Western.  With its gunfighter-turns-farmer-turns-gunfighter-one-last-time story, it was basically a dark sequel to John Wayne’s Angel and the Badman.  You could keep going—back to Dances with Wolves in 1990, an example of the “epic Western” which seemed to reward the director and acting efforts of rising star Kevin Costner more than the movie as a Western genre masterpiece.  Or back to Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid in 1969, probably the last classic era Western to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar, winning five awards, including a key win for the script by William Goldman.  Then go back to the also-quirky Cat Ballou in 1965 starring Jane Fonda—the rare Western notable for featuring a female lead.

Going back even further gets you into the classic era of Westerns, and throws you into the strange era of “epic Westerns” getting recognized by the Academy.  These were movies that in hindsight are really not as well done as many smaller pictures of the period, but their huge all-star casts and expensive sets made the films hard to ignore, such as How the West Was Won, The Alamo, and Giant.  Surprisingly you have to look back to the adaptation of Louis L’Amour’s Hondo starring John Wayne in 1953 to get back to the era of the “hero Western” as recipient of an Academy nod, a film up there with Shane and High Noon as successful and admired Westerns receiving acclaim by the Academy.

But if you put aside the classic Western and look at what has been selected by the Academy since the 1960s it makes a lot of sense that Quentin Tarentino’s Django Unchained is not only a Best Picture nominee this year, but a real contender for the win.  Set in the South two years before the Civil War, the film follows a slave named Django (Jamie Foxx) whose past owners lead him to meet up with German-born, dentist-turned-bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz).  Schultz’s next target is the wanted-dead-or-alive Brittle brothers, and only Django can help him literally recognize his bounty.  Schultz serves as mentor in survival and pursuit skills for Django who is squarely focused on rescuing long-lost wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington).  The search ultimately leads to a more complicated than necessary scheme to buy Broomhilda from infamous plantation owner Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), if only his loyal house slave Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson) will not stand in the way.

So what is the formula for a successful Western in the 21st century and why should Django Unchained make the cut?

A completely unique movie.  First and foremost, Django Unchained does not follow any classic Western formula, a must-have for an Oscar nod.  At the most dismissive review, you could say it is a humorous romp in the Western genre like 1974’s Mel Brooks film Blazing Saddles, which was nominated for three Academy Awards (and was certainly a more trite look at race in the Old West), or even a wild ride done right, like Oscar winner Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.  At the most complimentary, you could rate Django Unchained as a serious examination of social class, race and history in America, a Western facing serious issues head-on like Unforgiven and Brokeback Mountain.  To the extent the Academy wants to reward a serious film this year, recognizing Django Unchained could be like rewarding Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing—another critically acclaimed, non-standard look at social class and race in America, nominated for two Oscars including one for Lee as screenwriter.

An innovative and clever story.  And speaking of writing, Django Unchained must be the lead contender for the screenwriting award for Tarentino.  Take away the humor and theatrics and you will be hard-pressed to find as compelling dialogue in any other drama, especially watching the almost Butch and Sundance relationship develop between Django and Schultz, where you get to see each character grow and change in big ways throughout the picture.

Non-stop surprises.  It is impossible to predict where Tarentino will go in each subsequent scene.  His story is incredibly unique in this way, never flowing according to any plan.  Django is both hero and villain. Schultz is both hero and villain.  Each man’s actions are understandable.  Each man’s drive and determination do not waver. Django’s follows his desire to save his wife. Schultz’s is dealing with his own understanding of right and wrong in an almost Oscar Schindler type of way.  And other surprises emerge–actors show up that you wouldn’t think you’d find in such strange roles:  like The Dukes of Hazzard’s Tom Wopat as a small town sheriff and Miami Vice’s Don Johnson as a feisty and mouthy plantation owner.

Casting is king.  Tarentino started with two Oscar-winning actors—Jamie Foxx for Ray, and Christoph Waltz, who won for playing a different kind of German in Tarentino’s Inglourious Basterds.  Foxx plays Django as pulp hero, a new kind of (and yet still retro) Billy Jack.  Waltz creates a completely new, complex and layered Western hero with his European bounty hunter more repulsed by slavery than even Django seems to be.  Tarentino then looked back to his own previous house of actors.  Samuel L. Jackson has his most incredible performance as a villain of his career.  Of all the bad guys he has portrayed, Jackie Brown’s drug runner Ordell Robbie, Unbreakable’s Elijah Price, or Pulp Fiction’s Jules Winnfield, none of these touch Jackson’s Stephen.  Jackson transforms into someone incomprehensible, scary to watch in so many ways, and viewers are left hoping he will redeem himself by story’s end, simply because–for the sake of humanity–he simply must redeem his misplaced loyalty in Leonardo DiCaprio’s Candie.

Classic Western cinematography.  Django Unchained has the look of The Magnificent Seven, and not jut because of the similarity of the against-type Western leads with Steve McQueen and Yul Brynner.  Sandy towns, saloons, rocky vistas, and sprawling land, coupled with a beautiful cast of horses give the film the actual look and feel of a Western masterpiece.

The sound of a Western.  The film’s turbo-charged musical queues could not have played better, a sprawling musical score mirrored Robert Richardson’s cinematography and a quirky use of old pop songs reminded us of the use of similar popular songs in Westerns–and action movies–of the past.  The use of the Luis Bakalov’s 1966 song “Django” is probably obvious but perfect to Tarentino’s play on the genre, in the same vein as the song “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” was used in the film of the same name.  A humorous surprise: Jim Croce’s “I Got a Name” was oddly suited to its scene.  And the use of Ennio Morricone tunes placed us firmly in the theater of the 1960s.  The only question is whether someone could have successfully crafted new songs that would have given the same effect.  Would they have been able to ahve the same effect?  Probably not.  (If you want to hear the songs you can find them at this link).

What could prevent Django Unchained from Oscar recognition?

First and foremost, Tarentino’s strength is his weakness.  He himself is a Hollywood hero, and like Oliver Stone, maybe his brilliance and popularity are eclipsing.  His direction and writing do so much that is innovative in this film, maybe it will be seen as too much.  The first two-thirds of the film appears to be an honest attempt at recreating a classic spaghetti Western–warts and all– yet Tarentino’s talent at making good movies blows that attempt a bit.  After creating 21 acclaimed movies his work is far better than the B-movie, spaghetti Western, and so we get several scenes that are as good as comparable scenes in the best non-spaghetti Westerns of years past.  So which is this?  A brilliant drama, or a great clone of B-movies, or does it even matter how you slice it?

The other reason the film might get passed over is the blunt-force violence.  The last third of the movie turns into a typical Quentin Tarentino movie, with his signature stamp of unrelenting gunfights and blood splatters.  And pushing aside the gratuitous violence, the violence required for the film’s story about slavery is even more disturbing to watch as it is slowly played out on a giant theater screen.  Like the Holocaust, it’s something audiences likely should be forced to watch from time to time as a reminder of the age-old message from George Santayana.  Even so, watching a man pulled apart by dogs at the behest of a bunch of racist hicks, watching women and men being whipped while others stand by laughing, and seeing the boyish Leonardo DiCaprio’s Candie watching a gory “mandingo” death match in his parlor, all may be too much for some to handle.  But that must be Tarentino’s point.  The film is supposed to be uncomfortable to watch.  So will the Academy members understand the nuance?  We’ll find out on February 24, 2013.

Reservoir Dogs launched a whole new generation of filmmakers, hellbent on trying to mimic his unique pop culture rich cool cat dialogue. Pulp Fiction quickly made it on to AFI’s coveted Top 100 films of all-time list. His True Romance script is in a league of its own for a genre not known for originality.

Personally, Jackie Brown is my favorite Tarantino picture. Easily his most human film.

Now he’s given us Django Unchained, a heaping slice of condescension pie slathered in white (guilt) cake frosting and topped with a blood-red maraschino cherry.

Sure, some of Tarantino’s writing is still full of surprises; but would someone please remind him that every film needs editing – even his precious dialogue.

He might also want to consider the virtue of telling a story that does not include a massive body count and robotic mayhem. Films do influence people, Quentin. You know it, Harvey knows it, we all know it.

The story is pretty straightforward. A pre Civil War German dentist who moonlights as a bounty hunter offers a slave, whom he has freed, a job. “You mean I get paid for killing white folk?”

The German dentist, Dr. King Schultz, is played by Christoph Waltz, Oscar-winner for Inglourious Basterds; and the freed slave, Django, is played by Oscar-winner (Ray) Jamie Foxx.

Early on there are some rich visual images, courtesy of Oscar-winning cinematographer Bob Richardson, that reminded me of Sydney Pollack’s great western, Jeremiah Johnson. Coincidence? Hardly.

But, Tarantino being Tarantino, never one to trust the silence in his own pictures, even mucks that up with one of his trademark unorthodox pop music choices. Suddenly, I was no longer thinking of Jeremiah Johnson, but instead thought I was watching a Cialis commercial.

Casting has been a Tarantino calling card from the beginning. He is widely credited for rediscovering John Travolta, casting him against type in Pulp Fiction. Of all the directors working in film today, his phone call gets the fastest response. Every actor in the biz awaits a chance to get down and dirty for him.

This time he snagged Leonardo DiCaprio to play a maniacally sadistic plantation owner. I’m guessing it was a short conversation. “Hey, Leo, it’s Quentin.” Leo: “When do we start?”

Leo gets to cut loose as the dastardly Calvin Candie, inheritor of the infamous Candie Land plantation.

He plays it big and nasty, filthy teeth, greasy pomade, and all; but he is also all over the map with his Mississippi twang, at one point literally doing an impression of Gary Oldman’s bad ass pimp, Drexl, from True Romance.

Waltz gives the film’s best performance, but so what. At this point, it’s almost as if Tarantino uses him like a shiny little wind up toy that he purchased while doing a press junket in Berlin.

Much of the rest of the casting is nothing more than a tedious distraction. Tarantino the perpetual kid in a candy store.

What was Jonah Hill doing riding with the Klan? Did anyone notice not only West Side Story’s Russ Tamblyn standing alongside the town Marshall, but his daughter Amber Tamblyn looking down from the hotel window? Neither spoke a word. Anyone else notice that 48 Hours‘ James Remar not only played the first gunshot to the head victim in the opening Django release scene, but he also played Candie’s plantation henchman? Was that Revenge of the Nerds’ Robert Carradine alongside Jesus Christ Superstar’s Ted Neeley as slave trackers?

And didn’t Quentin himself get the memo that he is not a good actor? Apparently not, because he shows up in a pivotal scene in Django as an Australian bounty hunter. This goes beyond distraction and straight in to clinical narcissism. Bad idea, Q. Even worse accent.

For my money, however, the biggest distraction is yet another appearance by Samuel L. Jackson. Enough already! Having this guy show up in a Tarantino movie now is like walking in to a micro brewery in Amsterdam and ordering a Bud Lite. So stale.

Jackson plays Candie’s devoted butler who foils Django’s scheme to buy back his slave wife (Kerry Washington). I guess he’s convincing enough as an ancient house “nigga” (this word is uttered in Django Unchained probably no less than 500 times!), but once the pot boils over and the final showdown arrives he conveniently becomes Jules, the unforgettable character he made iconic in Pulp Fiction. Yawn.

And how convenient for Tarantino to have an entire picture dedicated to a freed slave slaughtering oodles and oodles of wicked white men only to ultimately face off against another black man. Talk about having your cake and eating it too.

In one scene, DiCaprio’s Calvin Candie advances a theory that black’s have a limited brain capacity. He pulls out a skull from a deceased “nigga,” and proceeds to show his dinner guests a set of dimples in the cavity that show a scientific lack of imagination, intellect, and compassion.

Does the script offer a rebuttal? A counter argument proving the absurdity of the theory? Barely.

Dr. Schultz informs Candie that it was a French black man, Alexandre Dumas, who wrote The Three Musketeers, relevant because one of Candie’s primo slaves was named after the book’s central character, d’Artagnon. Trust me, this moment gets lost in the shuffle of the blood shed. Lots and lots of ridiculously cartoonish blood shed. Kill whitey seems to be the real answer to such racism.

I hated this film. I can see why Spike Lee did too.

As I walked out of the theatre (not sure why I waited until the end, I was tempted to walk out several times earlier), I overheard a pair of guys in their mid 20′s talking about Tarantino’s “brilliant dialogue.” I remembered thinking the same thing – once upon a time.

Like Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained has a few inspired scenes. But just a few.

The last 40 minutes of the film is student film awful. Get this final exchange between Django and his damsel in distress, Hilda: “Hey, little troublemaker,” he says to her after the plantation explodes. To which she responds “Hey, big troublemaker.”

This is not Casablanca, folks.

I’ve decided to trade in guns for poetry.

If I haven’t completely alienated you with my hippie declaration — it’s all very 1967 Sumer of Love, isn’t it? — please read on.

I’ve never shot a gun let alone owned one, so I’m not literally making a swap like they do in those cities where folks can trade in their firearms for gift cards .  I’ve merely concluded that I’m no longer interested in seeing movies that glorify violence.  Simultaneously, and perhaps not coincidentally, I’ve recently rediscovered my love of poetry.  Hence the switcheroo.

This past weekend, for the second time in six months, I walked out of a movie.  The first time was last August when I sat through over two hours of The Dark Knight Rises before deciding it just wasn’t for me.  Perhaps the shootings at the midnight screening of said movie in Aurora, Colorado, last summer were still haunting me.  Perhaps in a post-9/11 world I just don’t like watching the bridges surrounding New York City being blown to pieces, even if I know intellectually that it’s merely a big screen comic book fantasy.  All I know is I wasn’t enjoying the film like I thought I should and I just got up and walked out with only twenty minutes left to go.  I loved Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, so this was definitely a new development.

This past weekend I walked out of Django Unchained after an hour and a half.   I had been a fan of Tarantino’s movies in the past: Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown and Kill Bill Vol 1 & 2. (I never saw Grindhouse nor Inglourious Basterds.)  It felt different this time.  I’m still upset about the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary in December and I no longer have the stomach for Tarantino’s signature blood and guts.

Both Django Unchained and The Dark Knight Rises are critical and commercial successes and I have no problem with those who enjoy these movies.  This blog post is not intended to be an anti-NRA rant nor any kind of political statement.  I’m just coming to the conclusion that as I get older — and as the world becomes more violent — I’m only going to buy tickets to movies that inspire me (The Impossible) or make me laugh (Pitch Perfect) and/or tell a great story (The Perks of Being a Wallflower) without any gun play.  My days of seeing violent movies just because everyone else is or because they’re nominated for awards are over.  But that’s just me.

With my newfound free time, I’ve decided to read more poetry.  Three things have occurred recently that have inspired me to do so:

1.  I attended an event at the 92nd Street Y in New York where several poets read from the works of Adrienne Rich.  The woman who has been called “one of the most widely read and influential poets of the second half of the 20th century” died last March.   Her final volume, Later Poems Selected and New (1971 – 2012), was published in November and it’s breathtaking.

2.  I’m currently reading Jess Walters’ The Financial Lives of the Poets.  While the title is misleading — it’s about a guy who has lost his job and is at risk of losing his wife and his home — this smart, oddly funny story does include a little rhyming couplet, free verse or haiku in most of the chapters.

3.  I was blown away by Richard Blanco’s reading of his original poem “One Today” at Monday’s Presidential Inauguration.  The poem is gorgeous, as is his reading of it.  If you somehow missed it, check out;  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mDrk8AC4G4

So there you have it.  As uncool as it may seem, poetry has brought me great joy over the years and this recent resurgence has encouraged me to skip the violent movies and read more verse.

In 1839, Edward Bulwer-Lytton wrote, “The pen is mightier than the sword.”  I say “the poem is mightier than the gun.”  But, again, that’s just me.

TODAY’S POLL:  Which movie about a poet is your favorite? 

Bright Star

Il Postino

Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle

Shakespeare in Love

There exist two parallel universes. In one, American soldiers assassinated Hitler, God saves the lives of hit men, and psychopaths torture cops whilst dancing to 70’s classics. Within that universe however, lurks another. One where vampires inhabit Mexican strip joints, a vengeful former assassin goes on a bloody rampage, and a one legged Go-go dancer attempts to fend off a zombie apocalypse. Both universes are linked together through a number of seemingly inconspicuous threads. Welcome to Tarantino-verse.

Quentin Tarantino has created many iconic characters over the years. There are the obvious candidates: Reservoir Dogs’ psychotic Mr Blonde; Pulp Fiction’s McDonalds loving hit men Jules and Vincent; Kill Bill’s vengeful Bride; Inglourious Basterds Jew hunting Nazi, Colonel Landa. The first name that springs to mind however, is probably not Texas Ranger Earl McGraw.

Whilst McGraw isn’t the most well-known of Tarantino’s characters, he’s definitely the most well-travelled. After his debut in the Tarantino scripted, Robert Rodriguez directed, From Dusk Till Dawn (where incidentally he was killed off in the opening scene, shot in the head by Tarantino’s character, gangster/future vampire Richie Gecko) McGraw next showed up in Kill Bill, as well as both parts of Grindhouse – Tarantino’s Death Proof and Rodriguez’s Planet Terror.

McGraw is the most prominent example of crossover between the films of Quentin Tarantino. Throughout the director’s films are a number of links to his other work. Besides thematic links – extreme violence, pop culture references, an unhealthy obsession with women’s bare feet, long tracking shots and POV shots from the boots of cars – several characters, brand names and events frequently occur across his work. Tarantino’s explanation for this is simple – all the films are linked together.

Earl McGraw (played by actor Michael Parks) is the most obvious example of this. The character’s son Edgar (played by Parks’ real life son James) is another. First appearing in From Dusk Till Dawn 2, he popped up again in Kill Bill, and then Death Proof. A further filmed scene for Rodriguez’s Machete (a Grindhouse spin off) ended up on the cutting room floor.

Beyond the McGraws, there are connections between many other characters within the films, including:

- Reservoir Dogs Mr Blonde’s (Michael Madsen), real name is Vic Vega, and he’s the brother of John Travolta’s Pulp Fiction character, Vincent. Tarantino at one point even considered a Vega Brothers movie for the pair.

- Eli Roth’s Inglourious Basterds character, Donny Donowitz is the father of movie producer Lee Donowitz, a character in the Tarantino scripted True Romance.

- Alabama, Patricia Arquette’s character in True Romance, is mentioned in Reservoir Dogs as being an associate of Mr White (Harvey Keitel).

- It’s not just characters that cross over. Actors appearing in some of the director’s movies are mentioned by name in others. In Reservoir Dogs, characters have a conversation about future Jackie Brown star Pam Grier. Martial arts legend Sonny Chiba is mentioned in True Romance, and later appears in Kill Bill, as does Daryl Hannah, who is mentioned in Death Proof as working on a film with some of the characters. Hannah’s co-star in the fictional film is Lindsay Lohan, who appears in Machete, which is based on one of the fake trailers that appear in Grindhouse.

- Then there’s the other bizarre connections. The assassins of Kill Bill bear an uncanny resemblance to the secret agents of Pulp Fiction’s TV show, Fox Force Five, right down to Uma Thurman appearing in both. Reservoir Dogs ends with Mr Pink (Steve Buscemi) fleeing a warehouse with a briefcase full of loot, whereas Tarantino’s next film Pulp Fiction begins with Jules and Vincent (Jackson and Travolta) on a mission to retrieve (the same?) one.

- Certain fictional brands cross over the films as well. Red Apples, a brand of cigarette (and its predecessor, Red Apple tobacco, which can be seen in the Django Unchained trailer), fast food chains Big Kahuna burgers and Teriyaki Donut also cross multiple films. These brands have even made appearances in films that take place outside of Tarantino’s universe, such as the Rodriguez directed Sin City (of which Tarantino directed one scene), and even, bizarrely, Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion (although the fact that Tarantino was dating star Mira Sorvino may have had some influence here).

Besides the crossovers between films, Tarantino has revealed that some of his films take place in a fictional universe, contained within his main one.

In a 2003 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Tarantino explained the two universe concept: “What I always tell people is that I have two universes, okay? ‘There’s the Quentin universe, the ‘movie’ universe that ‘Reservoir Dogs,’ ‘True Romance,’ and ‘Pulp Fiction’ take place in. That universe is realer than real life. Then I have what I call a ‘movie movie’ universe. Basically, okay, when the characters in ‘Dogs’ or ‘Pulp Fiction’ go to the movies, these are the movies they see. So that’s ‘From Dusk Till Dawn’ and ‘Natural Born Killers.’ “

In summary, some films occur within a ‘Real’ universe, and others exist as films within that universe, the ‘Movie’ universe. So if True Romance’s Clarence and Alabama were to watch a movie, they could choose from the likes of From Dusk Till Dawn or Kill Bill.

Tarantino has talked on several occasions regarding the distinct rules governing how these universes work. In an interview with Harry Knowles of Ain’t It Cool News, he said that characters from within one universe can appear in other films set within that universe, but, for the most part can’t cross over to the other universe. However, Earl McGraw, and a few other characters are exceptions to this and they can jump between the two universes. Furthermore, within the fictional universe, characters from other films can appear, for example, Kill Bill’s Pai Mai and Hattori Hanzo had previously appeared in a number of Asian movies and TV series. The movie universe is also, it seems, not bound by continuity, meaning the world can be overrun by zombies in Planet Terror, and not affect future films set within this universe.

One of the most interesting things to note about these universes is that Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and True Romance all take place in the same ‘Real’ universe as Inglourious Basterds. This means that these films effectively occur in an alternate timeline where the Second World War reached a premature conclusion following the successful assassination of Hitler and the leaders of the Third Reich.

An interesting theory relating to this has appeared online: as the war ended in a cinema, characters in that universe give heightened importance to pop culture. It also means that, as America’s crowning achievement of the 20th Century was a bloody massacre, characters in this universe are more accepting of violence, hence their extremely violent lives and forms of entertainment. Whilst this theory is entertaining, Tarantino has yet to comment on it, so it remains just that, a theory.

The idea of a fictional universe within a universe goes back to the very beginning of the director’s filmmaking career. Prior to Reservoir Dogs, when Tarantino was an aspiring filmmaker, he had plans for what his friend and former collaborator Roger Avery called “the Canterbury Tales of crime movies”. The idea was that a writer would be on the run from Mickey and Mallory Knox, the spree killers of Natural Born Killers. The writer would have written a piece which they’d taken offence to, and the couple had pledged to kill him. Whilst on the run, the writer would write a series of three crime stories, which the film would then diverge from its main plot to tell.

Obviously the film never came to pass, Natural Born Killers morphed into its own movie, and two of the films within a film became Reservoir Dogs and True Romance, but it is proof that Tarantino was toying with the idea of films within films, and a fictional universe contained within other films since the start of his career.

Tarantino hasn’t yet gone on record to state which of his universes the upcoming Django Unchained takes place in, although hints he’s dropped would suggest it fits into the movie universe. The original Django, Franco Nero arrears in an unknown role, Tarantino’s stated that Django and his wife are ancestors of Blaxploitation era cop Shaft. He’s also confirmed that one unspecified character in the film will be an ancestor of an established character in his universe, which is interesting as Michael Parks plays another as yet unnamed character in the movie. Although Earl McGraw can, according to Tarantino, transcend the universes, he is essentially a Movie universe character, and it would be unsurprising to find one of his ancestors working as a lawman in the Deep South, where Django Unchained is set.

There are however, a few exceptions to the two universe rule. Tarantino has stated that Jackie Brown (an Elmore Leonard adaptation and Tarantino’s only non-original screenplay) doesn’t take place within either of his universes, as it takes place in the ‘Elmore Leonard universe’. There are however, a few of Tarantino’s trademarks in there. Bizarre Japanese food and donut company Teriyaki Donuts make an appearance, as do many of his directorial trademarks – Bridget Fonda’s bare feet practically earn their own credit. Interestingly, despite not taking place in Tarantino’s movie universe, it obeys one of its rules, as Michael Keaton’s ATF agent, Ray Nicolette went on to appear in another Leonard adaptation, Out of Sight.

Which universe does Death Proof fit into? At first glance it would seem to be a part of the movie universe. The plot, about a psychotic stuntmen hunting women, would seem to fit into the B movie-ish nature of other films in this universe. The Mcgraws appear, along with Earl’s daughter, Doctor Dakota Block, who also appears in Planet Terror. One scene is set in the same hospital where a lot of Planet Terror takes place, and Planet Terror even mentions the murder of one of the characters in Death Proof.  So Death Proof would seem to take place in the same universe as its Grindhouse counterpart, and if any movie in Tarantino’s oeuvre takes place in a fictional movie universe, it’s that one. But then there’s references to Kill Bill. As mentioned earlier, Daryl Hannah is referred to by name here, but plays a fictional character in Kill Bill. One character has one of the songs (Twisted Nerve) from the film as her ringtone. Another has a “Lil’ Pussy Wagon” bumper sticker. Although not used in the final film, one of the billboards featuring the character Jungle Julia, a local radio DJ, had her dressed as The Bride. The film even features Uma Thurman’s Kill Bill stunt double, Zoe Bell, playing herself. These references would imply that this film occurs in the real universe, as Kill Bill is set in the fictional one, whereas the Planet Terror connections would seem to imply otherwise.

Another exception is Natural Born Killers. The finished film was changed extensively by director Oliver Stone from Tarantino’s original script. As originally conceived, it was to take place within the ‘Movie Universe’. However, the finished film bears only a passing resemblance to the original script so it’s questionable whether it could be deemed to fit in. There is interestingly one discrepancy, both in the original script and finished film. Tom Sizemore’s cop in the film is called Jack Scagnetti. In Reservoir Dogs, which takes place in the ‘Real’ universe, Mr Blonde’s parole officer is called Seymour Scagnetti. The name’s unusual enough that it’s fair to assume that Tarantino meant for there to be a connection between the two.

The idea of two coherent universes is fascinating, despite the inconsistencies. Whether you embrace the concept or not doesn’t really matter, each film stands on its own, and Tarantino has said he doesn’t mind if people don’t read the same things into his films, he wants all of his audience to be able to interpret things differently, to all experience a slightly different film.

It is likely that, for all the references, thematic similarities and crossovers, it’s just one of the games he likes to play with the audience. He likes to give us things to think about and theorise over, to engage us with the film, which is ultimately what he’s aiming for.

Perhaps the best indication as how Tarantino views all the cross referencing in his films may lie perhaps the most famous riddle associated with Tarantino’s films: that of who shot Nice Guy Eddie.

The Mexican stand off (another recurring theme) that concludes Reservoir Dogs ends with several characters shooting each other, with the exception of Nice Guy Eddie, who falls down dead without anyone apparently killing him. Various theories have been spouted over the years, with the most likely explanation given by the actor who played him, the late Christopher Penn.

Penn claimed that he was originally meant to be one of two characters shot by Mr White (Harvey Kietel), but when they shot the scene, the squib in his costume exploded before Kietel’s gun went off, so it looked like he’d been shot prior to Mr White shooting him. There wasn’t time to re-shoot the scene, and when asked what he wanted to do, Tarantino responded “don’t worry about it, they’ll be asking about this forever”

10. Django’s Revenge (Django Unchained)

It’s a solemn image that begins the scene. Silhouettes of a group of people walk away from a funeral, they finally make it to Candyland where they find Django. He offers them their comeuppance. The scene offers a perfect end to a perfect movie. After all the blood and carnage, it’s a happy ending, an ending where bad people are triumphed over and love prevails. It’s fun, it’s cool and it is glorious.

9. Stuntman Mike Meets His Match (Death Proof)

When you watch Death Proof, what you’re watching is a slasher movie. The killer at it’s heart doesn’t use a knife, a chainsaw or an axe however, he uses his car. The film just builds and builds to its explosive ending, arguably the greatest car chase in film. Quentin Tarantino has a way with villains and Stuntman Mike is one hell of a villain. He gets quite the unexpected surprise when he chooses his latest victims.

8. Sicilians (True Romance)

True Romance wasn’t directed by Quentin Tarantino, but he did write it. The movie as a whole, and especially this particular scene, have Quentin’s brilliant dialogue written all over it. Tarantino has a way of creating these almost one-act dramas with some of his scenes. In this scene, the tension rises at perfect pace as it always does and the characters take hold. Both Christopher Walken and Dennis Hopper perform off of each other flawlessly.

7. Showdown at House of Blue Leaves (Kill Bill)

Kill Bill is one movie and story told in two volumes. Volume 1 has quite the satisfying conclusion in House of Blue Leaves. This is where she’ll find the first name on her Death List, Oren Ishii. The samurai sword fight between the two of them is epic but it’s the lead up to their fight that makes this scene amazing. Alone and vicious, The Bride cuts her way through Oren’s personal army, The Crazy 88s. The scene is one of Tarantino’s most incredible undertakings and one you can’t take your eyes off.

6. Dinner in Candyland (Django Unchained)

Prior to this scene, Django Unchained is about the loving plight of Django and his friend Dr. King Schultz. This scene is Calvin J. Candie’s show and what a show he puts on. Like all psychotic and sadistic villains, Candie can switch on a dime and that’s just what he does here along with the scene. Everything seems to be going swimmingly for Django until Calvin pulls out a skull and begins to muse about his dead slave, “Old Ben”. We then begin to understand just how despicable this man truly is.

5. La Louisiane (Inglourious Basterds)

The classic  drama that plays out in the tavern, La Louisiane, is a miracle of a scene. The first three chapters of Inglourious Basterds introduce its the characters that will play their parts in the cataclysmic fifth chapter. The fourth chapter introduces another character, Lt. Archie Hicox. There are a few scenes in this fourth chapter involving Hicox but it’s the scene in La Louisiane that takes the cake. Quentin Tarantino knows tension and as a result, scenes like this are relentless in their excellence.

4. Killing Bill (Kill Bill)

With a title like Kill Bill, it stands to reason there’s going to be quite the scene involving someone killing Bill. In entirety of Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, that just so happens to be the greatest scene in the blood-soaked revenge masterpiece. The relationship between Beatrix Kiddo and Bill is one of love and bloodlust. It’s got the music, it’s got the dialogue and it’s got the emotional baggage. This is the scene with the greatest death in film. The movie builds to this single moment and it’s one of the most satisfying moments in film.

3. Candyland Massacre (Django Unchained)

As Dr. King Schultz and Calvin J. Candie verbally square off, Django quietly sits on the side lines waiting to burst. This is just another one of Tarantino’s classic tension oozing scenes. It’s a scene dedicated to the three best characters in the movie. Calvin Candie once again proves what scum he is, while Schultz once again proves himself to be a good man, a hero. The scene then escalates into the phenomenal gun fight this masterpiece deserved. It’s the greatest scene in Django Unchained and one of the greatest scenes in film.

2. Diner (Pulp Fiction)

In Pulp Fiction, Quentin Tarantino literally defines pulp before your eyes and then gives you the fiction and it’s fiction of the literary variety. The final scene in the movie takes place in a diner and it’s easily one of the greatest scenes in film. Jules Winnfield is the best character in the film and the final diner scene utilizes him to exemplify the very idea of a bad man turning good. There’s never a dull moment in this masterpiece, but this is far and away the greatest scene in the film. This final diner scene is what makes Pulp Fiction the movie it is. It may be a cliché, but this is one of the most perfect examples of a story being brought full circle.

1. Once Upon a Time in Nazi-Occupied France (Inglourious Basterds)

Watch Inglourious Basterds and witness Quentin Tarantino’s greatest feat, Inglourious Basterds. The first chapter is a single scene and it’s simple enough, a one-act drama if you will, that consists of a Colonel in Hitler’s Third Reich and his conversation with a cow farmer who may or may not be hiding enemies of the state in his house. This scene unveils one of the greatest characters and villains in cinema, Col. Hans Landa.

The first chapter of Inglourious Basterds is just an example of perfect writing. A central character to the real drama that’s unfolding is introduced and developed as the scene tells a story in and of itself. Denis Ménochet is able to play off a masterful actor in magnificent ways. Christoph Waltz gives a flawless portrayal of a flawlessly written character, Tarantino’s best. The scene exemplifies Tarantino movies as a whole. A beautiful piece of art and always a good time at the movies.

Reservoir Dogs (1992)

Η υπόθεση του “Reservoir Dogs” είναι η πιο απλή που μπορεί να υπάρξει και σχετίζεται με έξι εγκληματίες, άγνωστους μεταξύ τους, που προσλαμβάνονται από ένα μεγαλοεγκληματία για να ληστέψουν διαμάντια από μια τράπεζα χρησιμοποιώντας ψευδώυμα από ονόματα χρωμάτων. Όμως τα πράγματα δε θα μπορούσαν να εξελιχθούν χειρότερα για αυτούς αφού η επιχείρηση στέφεται από απόλυτη αποτυχία και καταλήγουν καταδιωκόμενοι από την αστυνομία αναζητώντας τί πήγε στραβά.

Το σκηνοθετικό ντεμπούτο του Tarantino έχει τόσες προφανείς κινηματογραφικές αναφορές, αλλά στο τέλος είναι ένα μοναδικά αυθεντικό έργο. Το καταλαβαίνεις αυτό από την πρώτη σκηνή με την παρέα των εγκληματιών να συζητά για το νόημα του “Like a Virgin” της Madonna πως εδώ δεν έχεις να κάνεις με κάτι συνηθισμένο. Υπάρχει μια σκηνή που ο Mr. Blonde του Michael Madsen φτάνει στα άκρα κόβοντας το αυτί ενός αστυνομικού υπό τους ήχους του “Stuck in the Middle with You”, και αυτή η ωμή αλλά και ιδιαίτερη βια είναι ίσως το πιο χαρακτηριστικό στιγμιότυπο για το στυλ του Quentin Tarantino. Στην ταινία πρωταγωνιστεί και ο ίδιος, με τις υποκριτικές του ικανότητες ωστόσο να είναι το μόνο πράγμα που δεν έχει εξελιχθεί καθόλου μέχρι και σήμερα.

Το θέμα με τις ταινίες με ααντροπές είναι ότι αφού μάθεις τί έγινε, η δεύτερη προβολή δε θα είναι εξίσου διασκεδαστική. Το “Reservori Dogs” από την άλλη όχι μόνο μεγαλώνει μέσα σου κάθε φορά που το βλέπεις, αλλά και ανακαλύπτεις κάποια νέα λεπτομέρεια από το σύμπαν της ταινίας. Αδιαπραγμάτευτα πέντε αστεράκια.

-Γιάννης Μόσχος

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Δυο πληρωμένοι εκτελεστές (John Travolta και Samuel Jackson) , ένας μαφιόζος (Ving Rhames) , η γυναίκα του (Uma Thurman), ένας τελειωμένος παλαιστής ( Bruce Willis),  και δυο μικροαπατεώνες ( Τim Roth και Amanda Plummer)  μπλέκονται μεταξύ τους σε διάφορες ιστορίες της ταινίας, η οποία είναι χωρισμένη σε κεφάλαια.

Για πολλούς το  Pulp Fiction είναι η καλύτερη ταινία του Tarantino.  Συνδυάζειστοιχεία θρίλερ, νουάρ, βίας και  μαύρου χιούμορ. Τα ρούχα και το στυλ της ταινίας επηρέασαν τη μόδα, το soundtrack με πιο διάσημη τη διασκευή της «Misirlou» από τον Dick Dale άφησε εποχή.

Η Uma Thurman και ο John Travolta κάνουν ένα υπέροχο κινηματογραφικό ζευγάρι και έχουν μια απίστευτη χημεία, η οποία φαίνεται ιδιαίτερα στη σκηνή που χορεύουν.

Ο Samuel Jackson γράφει ως εκτελεστής που απαγγέλει ένα δήθεν κομμάτι από την Αγία Γραφή πριν σκοτώσει κάποιον  και είναι απόλυτα παρανοϊκός.  Ο Tarantino είναι στα καλυτερα του σε αυτή την ταινία. Ανατρεπτικός, εναλάσσεται μεταξύ της βίας και του χιούμορ σε μια ιστορία, η οποία μπορεί να μην έχει γραμμική αφήγηση (άλλωστε ο Tarantino έχει δηλώσει ότι βαριέται τις κλασικές αφηγήσεις), αλλά είναι πανέξυπνη.

- Χρυσή Παπαδάκη

Jackie Brown (1997)

Η Jackie Brown (Pam Grier) είναι μια σέξι αεροσυνοδός που συμπληρώνει το μισθό της με μετρητά από λαθρεμπόριο. Ο Ordell Robbie (Samuel Jackson) είναι ένας έμπορος όπλων με κρυμμένα μισό εκατομμύριο δολάρια στο Μεξικό. Ο Ray Nicolet (Michael Keaton) είναι ένας αστυνομικός που θέλει τη βοήθεια της Jackie για να συλλάβει τον Ordell. Ο Louis Gara (Robert De Niro) μόλις βγήκε από τη φυλακή, η Melanie (Bridget Fonda) είναι μια όμορφη (βασικά ΚΑΥΤΗ) κοπέλα εθισμένη στην κοκαΐνη που ανήκει στο “χαρέμι” του Ordell και ο Max Cherry (Robert Forster) πληρώνει την εγγύηση της Jackie όταν μπαίνει στη φυλακή. Και όλη η ιστορία σχετίζεται με τις σχέσεις που αναπτύσσονται μεταξύ αυτών των έξι ατόμων.

Το “Jackie Brown” βρίσκεται ανάμεσα σε δύο από τις πιο κλασικές ταινίες του Tarantino και για αυτό αδικείται, γιατί κατά τα άλλα είναι μια χαρά ταινιάρα. Εδώ υπάρχουν όλα τα στοιχεία που χαρακτηρίζουν τον Ταραντινο ως σκηνοθέτη, αλλά δεν πρέπει να θεωρηθεί κάτι σαν sequel του “Pulp Fiction”. Έχει το δικό του ξεχωριστό σύμπαν και το ρετρό 70s στυλ είναι άψογα στημένο.

Σίγουρα δεν πρόκειται για την κορυφή στην καριέρα του Tarantino αφού υπάρχουν πιο εμβληματικές ταινίες στη φιλμογραφία του, και επίσης η διάρκειά του είναι μεγαλύτερη απ’ όσο θα έπρεπε χωρίς πάντως να κουράζει. Από την άλλη όμως μιλάμε για ένα σκηνοθέτη που παίζει σε μια ακτηγορία μόνος του και που δεν έχει αδύναμες στιγμές παρά λιγότερο καλές. Το “Jackie Brown” είναι μια τέτοια, μόνο όμως σε σύγκριση με τον ίδιο. Διαφορετικά είναι από τις καλύτερες ταινίες των late 90s.

- Γιάννης Μόσχος

Kill Bill  Vol I & II (2003-2004)

Μια Νύφη (Uma Thurman) δέχεται επίθεση τη μέρα του γάμου της, ενώ βρίσκεται σε προχωρημένη εγκυμοσύνη και πέφτει σε κώμα. Όταν ξυπνάει 4 χρόνια αργότερα, αποφασίζει να εκδικηθεί την ομάδα δολοφόνων που της επιτέθηκε ( στην οποία και η ίδια υπήρξε μέλος) και κυρίως τον αρχηγό της ομάδας και πατέρα του παιδιού της, τον Bill.

Έτσι ξεκινάει μια ιστορία αίματος και εκδίκησης, με υπέροχη μουσική, πολλές σκηνές μάχης, οι οποίες όμως παραπέμπουν περισσότερο στον ασιατικό κιμηματογράφο, παρά στον ευρωπαϊκό και αμερικάνικο. Άλλωστε, ο Tarantino δεν έχει κρύψει την αγάπη για το ασιατικό σινεμά και σε αυτή τη ταινία σχεδίασε ο ίδιος όλες τις σκηνές μάχης μέχρι την τελευταία λεπτομέρεια.

Παρά το γεγονός ότι η ταινία έχει αρκετή βία, δεν σε απωθει,  αφενός γιατί δεν μπαίνεις στη διαδικασία να αμφισβητήσεις το δίκιο της Νύφης και αφετέρου γιατί όλες οι σκηνές μάχης έχουν μια ποιητική χροιά μέσα τους. Κανένας τρόπος δολοφονίας δεν μοιάζει με τον προηγούμενο και αυτό προκαλεί το ενδιαφέρον του θεατή.

- Χρυσή Παπαδάκη

Death Proof (2007)

Τρεις φίλες δολοφούνται στο Austin από τον ψυχοπαθή κασκαντέρ του Χόλιγουντ Mike και παρά τις υποψίες της αστυνομίας δεν υπάρχουν επαρκείς αποδείξεις για τη σύλληψή του. Δεκατέσσερις μήνες αργότερα,  τέσσερις άλλες νεαρές γυναίκες η Abernathy (Rosario Dawson), η  Kim Mathis (Tracie Thoms), η Lee Montgomery (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) και η κασκαντέρ Zoe Bell συναντούν τον Mike στο Tennessee. Τις πείθει να δοκιμάσουν να ανταγωνιστούν σε αγώνες ταχύτητας με αγωνιστικά αυτοκίνητα.  Ο Mike τους επιτίθεται όμως αυτές γλιτώνουν και αποφασίζουν να τον εκδικηθούν.

Η ταινία είναι από τις πιο αδύναμες του Τarantino. Το σενάριο είναι ουσιαστικά ανύπαρκτο, η ιστορία ανούσια. Το συναίσθημα απουσιάζει και αυτό που ξεκινάει ως χαριτωμένο τραβάει σε μάκρος και χάνει το όποιο ενδιαφέρον. Υπάρχουν κάποιες έξυπνες ατάκες, αλλά δεν αρκούν για να καλύψουν το κενό της υπόθεσης.

Το μόνο ενδιαφέρον στην ταινία είναι ο ρετρό τρόπος γυρίσματος του Tarantino (κακός φωτισμός, φωτογραφία με κόκκο, ανεπιτήδευτο μοντάζ), ο οποίος σε κάνει να νιώθεις ότι βλέπεις πραγματικά ταινία γυρισμένη τη δεκαετία του ’70 ή του ’80.

- Χρυσή Παπαδάκη

Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Η ιστορία κάνει κύκλους, αλλά το σινεμά είναι μια εντελώς διαφορετική υπόθεση. Εκεί γράφεις εσύ την ιστορία σου, όπως ακριβώς έκανε ο Tarantino στο “Inglourious Basterds” βάζοντας μια διμοιρία Εβραίων Αμερικανών στρατιωτών στη Γαλλία του Δευτέρου Παγκοσμίου Πολέμου να δολοφονούν τους ηγέτες των Ναζί. Επικεφαλής αυτής της αποστολής είναι ο Υπολοχαγός Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) και μια κλασική ιστορία εκδίκησης του Tarantino μετατρέπεται σε ένα αιματηρό αριστούργημα.

Είναι η επιστροφή του Tarantino σε φόρμα την ίδια ώρα που δοκιμάζει καινούρια πράγματα. Είναι επίσης προφανές ότι επιχείρησε να δημιουργήσει το magnum opus του, και τέσσερα χρόνια μετά μπορεί να μην μπορούμε να πούμε κάτι τέτοιο με βεβαιότητα, εύκολα μπορεί να μπει δίπλα στα αριστουργήματά του.

Το “Inglourious Basterds” είναι η μεγαλύτερη απόδειξη της δύναμης που διαθέτει το σινεμά, αλλά ένας βασικός λόγος που μνημονεύεται τόσο πολύ είναι η σαδιστικά χιουμοριστική ερμηνεία του Christoph Waltz ως o ναζιστής Συνταγματάρχης Hans Landa που δίκαια του χάρισε το Όσκαρ. Είναι ένας δύσκολος και απαιτητικός ρόλος τόσο σε σύλληψη όσο και εκτέλεση, και ο Αυστριακός τα πήγε περίφημα μπαίνοντας για τα καλά στις ζωές μας. Είναι ένας από τους λόγους που θα ευγνωμονούμε αιώνια τον Tarantino αυτός.

- Γιάννης Μόσχος

But when it comes to Quentin Tarantino, what I take away the most is the amazing characters. They are so unique and memorable, built from scraps of pop culture that Quentin Tarantino blends together, like a DJ of film. Throw in an actor who is completely in synch with Quentin Tarantino (I’m looking at regular actors, Samuel L Jackson and Harvey Keitel), and you have some fantastic figures to play around with. So, in celebration of his latest release, Django Unchained, I thought I would throw in some of his best creations.

It took me a while to whittle the list down to five gems, so I imagine that some of the readers will have a personal favourite that didn’t quite make the list. I am fairly upset that Kill Bill hasn’t got an entry to defend its honour. Also, Django Unchained is not included in the list, before people start asking where Leonardo Di Caprio is.

5 – MR. WHITE

Mr. White from ‘Reservoir Dogs’ is a good character to start with. He embodies everything about the stereotypical Quentin Tarantino character: cool, collected and awesome. I almost included Mr. Wolf from ‘Pulp Fiction’, also portrayed by Harvey Keitel, but I like to think of Mr. Wolf as an exaggerated version of Mr. White. Mr. White is the real deal, the one gangster in the whole film that you would actually want in your crew.

Background story: Mr. White turned to crime after getting kicked out of the Men In Black

The best gangster movies involve some sort of downward spiral and with Mr. White, it is no different, only the descent takes place over two hours, rather than several years condensed into a film. Ironically, Mr. White’s crippling factor is the one feature that makes his character so likeable: sympathy. For fear of giving away the twist ending, his belief that Mr. Orange is not the snitch in the group, is wrong and what leads to his death. It is heartbreaking to see Mr. White so distraught the moment he learns that he was in the wrong the whole time… just for doing the right thing. It is an unusual moral to close the film on, but a fantastic piece of character development.

4 – LOUIS GARA

I am unsure if my love of Louis Gara is for the actual character out of ‘Jackie Brown’, or Robert De Niro. Louis Gara, on paper, is a tiny role in the film. Out of the six leads, Louis Gara is the least interesting: the crook who just got released from jail and acts as a henchman for Samuel L. Jackson’s Ordell. Out of all of the characters, he has little ulterior motive and barely affects the plot intentionally. Yet, the moment the role was handed to De Niro, he took the small part and stole the show with it.

It’s the small things that make it such a good performance. Robert De Niro is just so in tune with his character that it is just so awesome to watch him do his thing. The way he acts around new technology (obviously fresh out of jail, he isn’t used to certain things), the way he avoids eye contact with nearly every character, until he snaps. It is another piece of evidence to suggest that De Niro is one of the greatest actors of all time.

3 – SHOSANNA DREYFUS – INGLORIOUS BASTERDS

If this was Les Miserables, the french woman would have a cockney accent as well as a chimney sweeper’s hat.

There is just something about Shosanna Dreyfus that I like. She is the main symbol of a Jew completely destroyed by the German occupation of France. Yet, she spends the entire film waiting for the time to strike, like a coiled snake. It kind of reminds me of the lead character in ‘Shawshank Redemption’: remaining quiet throughout the film, almost suggesting submission (she is also the only unknown face on the cast list. A clever choice: a big name would distract from the idea that she hides in the background). Only here, we know that Dreyfus is only waiting for the opportune moment, so the audience is at the edge of their seats, ready for her attack.

Oh, and it comes. Her final act of vengeance not only claims her revenge, but spirals out of control, bringing a climax to every other storyline in the film (as always, Tarantino likes his films to be episodic). It is a great ending for the film and a great conclusion for this fantastic character.

2 – JULES WINNFIELD AND VINCENT VEGA – PULP FICTION

We all knew that these two would be on the list. The thing is I couldn’t choose between them: so I cheated and made them a joint second. Truthfully, these two characters work best, when sharing the screen together anyway. Their conversations, in my opinion, are one of the main reasons that make Pulp Fiction a great film, rather than a good film. The way they quietly discuss the nature of a foot massage, before brutally killing a bunch of people. That scene is one of the most memorable moments of cinema.

It is also an example of Quentin Tarantino getting the most out of two great actors. John Travolta hadn’t really be given any serious roles before, shooting himself in he foot with the success of Grease. Quentin Tarantino saw something in him and let the world share that insight into a talented actor. And now Travolta is up there with some of the most reliable actors in Hollywood right now. And as I have said before, Samuel L Jackson and Tarantino are pretty much partners in crime. My problem with Samuel L Jackson is that in a lot of films, I just see ‘Samuel L. Jackson’. It’s not his fault: most writers cannot resist writing for ‘Samuel L Jackson’, as if he is both the actor and the character (see Iron Man 2). However, Tarantino just gets Sam Jackson, can find the dialogue that he can master on-screen and makes characters as amazing as Jules Winnfield.

1 – HANS LANDA – INGLORIOUS BASTERDS

But the number one spot goes to the cold-hearted, yet fantastic Hans Landa. If Quentin Tarantino was going to write a World War II film, it was clear that he needed to create a monstrous, yet brilliant villain: someone we can hate, but love at the same time. That’s why Christopher Waltz was a wise casting choice.

Finally… a hero out there the Nazis can root for.

Every sentence is delivered to perfection. When one of the characters has a secret and is faced with Landa, the audience never knows if Landa is onto them or not. The tension is raised to its highest and we are holding our breath, genuinely scared for the characters. Landa is my favourite thing about the entire film: a perfect villain, who is just fun to watch, which in essence is what Quentin Tarantino’s films are about.

Now, if this article is anything like the top 7 Buffy Villains list, people are going to disagree with me, especially as several great characters did not make the cut. In the comments below, feel free to write up your own top five. I love reading them.

CONTRIBUTED BY JAKE THOMPSON

Best Actress, like, Best Actor, can be difficult to predict at times.  There’s also been some controversy regarding supporting performances being submitted for a lead performance award.  One example being Anne Baxter, who should’ve gotten a Supporting Actress nod but pushed for and got a Best Actress nod for 1950’s All About Eve.  Another example being Kate Winslet, who was submitted for Best Actress rather than Best Supporting Actress by the Weinsteins for 2008’s The Reader in order to boost box office numbers; what’s ironic is that Winslet would’ve won anyway for the film she should’ve been nominated for, 2008’s Revolutionary Road.  The Academy hasn’t always gotten the nominees right (they nominated Meryl Streep and Glenn Close last year; both appeared in terrible movies for which they were nominated)  Let’s take a look at some surprising major snubs.

One major snub is Rosalind Russell for 1940’s His Girl Friday.  Russell turns in a terrific performance as Hildy Johnson, a former star reporter who’s about to marry a bland insurance man and settle down in upstate NY.  Her ex-husband and current editor of “The Morning Post” convinces her to cover one last story involving the upcoming execution of a convicted murderer.  Russell stands toe-to-toe with co-star Cary Grant, keeping up with him during their rapid-fire dialogue sequences and showing everyone why she’s the strong woman that she is.  It’s such a shame that she wasn’t nominated for her work here.  Russell is a four-time nominee (4 Actress nods for 1942’s My Sister Eileen, 1946’s Sister Kenny, 1947’s Mourning Becomes Electra, and 1958’s Auntie Mame).

The actual nominees at the 13^th Academy Awards were:
Kitty Foyle – Ginger Rogers (*Winner)
The Letter – Bette Davis
Rebecca – Joan Fontaine
The Philadelphia Story – Katharine Hepburn
Our Town – Martha Scott

Another major snub is Gloria Grahame for 1950’s In A Lonely Place.  Grahame delivers an excellent performance as Laurel Gray, a new neighbor of the explosive Dixon Steele who eventually becomes involved in a complicated romance with him some time after he’s accused of murdering a young woman.  Grahame pulls off this difficult role, one of a woman who has reason to fear the man she loves but finds the courage to stand by him until things get to the point where she must stand up to him.  It’s too bad she wasn’t nominated for this film.  Grahame is a two-time nominee (1 Supporting Actress nod for 1947’s Crossfire , 1 Supporting Actress win for 1952’s The Bad and the Beautiful).

The actual nominees at the 23^rd Academy Awards were:
Judy Holliday – Born Yesterday (*Winner)
All About Eve – Bette Davis
All About Eve – Anne Baxter
Sunset Boulevard – Gloria Swanson
Eleanor Parker – Caged

One major snub that definitely comes to mind is Mia Farrow for 1968’s Rosemary’s Baby.  Farrow delivers a star-making performance as Rosemary Woodhouse, a young wife who’s moved into a new apartment with her husband.  After having a nightmare (or was it?) that she was raped by a demon, she starts to suspect that the baby that soon grows in her belly isn’t her husband’s.  Farrow was magnificent in this role, essaying a woman who could either be slowly going insane or whose child really has been fathered by a demon.  It’s too bad that the Academy didn’t nominate her for her work here, for she has yet to receive a single Oscar nomination.

The actual nominees at the 41^st Academy Awards were:
Funny Girl – Barbara Streisand (*Winner-tie)
The Lion In Winter – Katharine Hepburn (*Winner-tie)
The Subject Was Roses – Patricia Neal
Isadora – Vanessa Redgrave
Rachel, Rachel – Joanne Woodward

Another major snub would be Isabelle Adjani for 1981’s Possession.  Adjani turns in an incredibly shocking performance as Anna, a mother and wife who disappears for long periods of time and acts bizarrely when she’s at home.  Adjani also plays Helen, the teacher of Anna’s son and a woman who is kindly and nurturing, helping Anna’s husband take care of his son.  Adjani’s most memorable (and shocking) scene is a flashback where Anna is in a walkway and she suddenly has a seizure and a miscarriage (all sorts of liquids start gushing out of her).  This weirdness is matched only by the creature she visits and makes love to.  It’s a shame she wasn’t nominated for her work here.  Adjani is a two-time nominee (2 Actress nods for 1975’s The Story of Adele H and 1988’s Camille Claudel).

The actual nominees at the 54^th Academy Awards were:
On Golden Pond – Katharine Hepburn (*Winner)
Reds – Diane Keaton
Only When I Laugh – Marsha Mason
Atlantic City – Susan Sarandon
The French Lieutenant’s Woman – Meryl Streep

One final major snub would be Pam Grier for 1997’s Jackie Brown.  Grier gives a career-reviving performance as Jackie Brown, a flight attendant who also smuggles money for a gun runner.  When she’s caught by the police, she makes a deal with the ATF to double-cross the gun runner, but she also comes up with a plan with a bail bondsman to double-cross the ATF so that she winds up with the money.  Grier was excellent throughout, capturing both of Jackie’s tough and vulnerable sides.  It’s too bad the Academy didn’t nominate this terrific work, for Grier has yet to receive a single Oscar nod.

The actual nominees at the 70^th Academy Awards were:
As Good As It Gets – Helen Hunt (*Winner)
Titanic – Kate Winslet
The Wings of the Dove – Helena Bonham Carter
Afterglow – Julie Christie
Mrs. Brown – Judi Dench

Other actresses that were considered include Linda Hamilton for 1991’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Michelle Pfeiffer for 1992’s Batman Returns, and Zoe Saldana for 2009’s Avatar.

Noel: You can say what you like because i’m going to delete it and go back to previous Save…..  go on……. say something Blogy, as filthy and political as you like , go for it!

BLOGGY; BLOG BLOG BLOGGY BLOG : BLOGGY BLOG, BLOGGY BLOG BLOG BLOGGY BLOGGY BLOG BLOG! B B B BLOGGY BLOG; … BLOGGY BLOG, BLOGGY BLOGGY , BLOG-BLOG-BLOGGY, BLOGGY. BLOBBYGUG KFKFUUTOP BLOGYB LOGYFKG BLKOGUDFUB LBGGYFUCK BLGOKGUCKG BLGIHB OLFLVYD BMLDFBFGLKBJ OB GOVGLGYYG BLFGYLGL BOGYGBLBG BODO UYB BLOGUBYGIB BLOGGY BLOGGY BLGOGYB GLBOGYLB GLBYGBOGB GOB GLB B LOGGYB LGOBY BLBOGYGY BLGOBYG BLOGBYGB BLOGGGY BLOGGY BLOGGY BLOGGY BLOGGY BLOGGY BLOGGY BLOGGY BLOGGY BLOGGY BLOGGY BLOGGY BLOGGY BLOGGY BLOGGY BLOGGY BLOGGY BLGGOBY BLOGYBLGYULBOG BLOGYB LGOBYOGLBGOYB

Noel: Well! that doesn’t matter because I, Noel, can then go back and re-write it all, with the click of a Mouse!

the n-word

NoeL: Congratulation, Bloggy! You have put everything i wanted to say into one image!

Contents:

Two Feature Novelettes Complete in this Issue:

Whirling Wheels for Wallaby by Giff Cheshire – Two ex-pards wanted that Wells Fargo contract, and each resolved that neither fists nor tricks nor guns could stop him.  But one thing was sure- they couldn’t both win!

Trail of the Slain by M. Howard Lane – Steve had suffered most from the thieves.  And now he was to know the lash of scorn and bullets for having been honorable!

Shorter Stories

Desperado Dip by Laurence Donovan – He wanted to forget his gun-swift rep… but couldn’t.

False-Front by Joseph Chadwick – The frontier hotel was a trap for gorillas.

Revenge for the Outcast by Stephen Decatur – For revenge, he figured out a better way than shooting.

Parson Sam’s Hot-Lead Sermon by Thomas Thompson – He was both the town’s preacher and its lawman – which made for some plumb ticklish situations.

Related articles

• Ranch Romances Vol. 218, No.2 (May 1966) (pulpdust.wordpress.com)
• Triple-X Western Vol.17, No. 103 (1936) (pulpdust.wordpress.com)
• Western Short Stories Vol.6, No. 9 (Nov. 1949) (pulpdust.wordpress.com)
• ‘Fake But Accurate Grit’: Conservatives imagine hilarious #LiberalWesterns (twitchy.com)
• Platt & Truant’s Fiction Experiment Proves a Hit With Readers (prweb.com)
• Challenge the Writer 2nd Try! (judyteel.com)
• Pulp Scifi Under Japanese Totalitarianism (io9.com)
• Science Fiction Under Totalitarian Regimes, Part 2: Tsarist and Soviet Russia (io9.com)
• Guest Post: Where No Writer Has Gone Before (littleredreviewer.wordpress.com)
• Ten Links in the Chain: Publisher News (28-DEC-2012) (gameknightreviews.com)

The tale of Django Unchained takes place 2 years before the Civil War. Christoph Waltz plays Dr. King Schultz, a dentist turned bounty hunter. He comes across a young slave, Django, who, seeing something in the man, he decides to free and have him assist him in collecting a bounty. Dr. King Schultz personally trains Django and passes on all of his knowledge, building up a trust, respect and friendship between the two. Django is asked what he wants to do with his life. His answer is to find and free his wife, Broomhilda. It turns out that his wife is a slave at the grounds of a cantankerous, twisted plantation owner by the name of Calvin Candie (DiCaprio). Once Dr. King Schultz manages to claim his bounty, he and Django set out to free Broomhilda. All is not as easy as it seems though.

As ever, Tarantino’s script is sharp, quick and with effortlessly cool dialogue. Another Tarantino trademark, the interaction between the key characters is fluent and excellently delivered, with the back and forths between Foxx’s Django and Samuel L. Jackson’s Stephen being a particular highlight. Whilst fast and flowing, the dialogue is easy to follow, although there have been some complaints about the language used in the film, particularly the racial slurs used. I can understand people’s sensitivity to some of the language but, given the subject matter and setting, the language is to be expected. Maybe it’s a bit excessive for some, although Tarantino’s no stranger to having the dialogue and language of his films questioned.

The violence, when it comes, is visceral, raw and over the top, as you’d expect from Tarantino. Whilst not quite as grand in scale, there is one particular scene that is reminiscent of the House of Blue Leaves massacre from Kill Bill: Vol 1 where The Bride slices her way through the Crazy 88 gang. When it arrives, the gore is plentiful yet playful. Bodies contort in pain, blood spurts from wounds, yet it is never too much due to the way that it is delivered. Don’t get me wrong, there are some moments that will have you wincing. A particular scene involving Christoph Waltz’s Dr. King Schultz having flashbacks to an earlier incident is unforgiving and uncomfortable, with Tarantino cutting the shots at just the right moments to manipulate the audience.

Aesthetically, Django Unchained is glorious to look at. The colouring and texture of the film is radiant. Each of the locations and outfits have a richness to them that enhance the story and the feel of the film. Tarantino doesn’t miss a trick here, with everything that happens in the film having relevance and meaning; every character, no matter how small, acts as a plot device. There’s a depth and meaning to everything you see, even if sometimes it’s the more brutal scenes. Tarantino pulls no punches when it comes to highlighting the times that the film is set in. The brutality, immorality and racism of the slave trade is shown in full. There’s slaves having to fight each other for the amusement of others, there’s slaves being tortured for seeking freedom, there’s female slaves offered as a gift from their owners, there’s slaves literally torn apart by dogs and more. Tarantino doesn’t make this cool, comic or clever, as is often the case with some of the more heinous acts in his other films. He makes it very real, very disturbing and has the audience wincing and questioning how people could do this to other human beings.

As mentioned, the relationships between the main characters are beautifully crafted. The almost father and son relationship between Jamie Foxx and Christoph Waltz’s characters develops throughout the film, with Waltz showing great faith in his would-be apprentice. Acting almost as an Obi-Wan Kenobi to Foxx’s Luke Skywalker, Waltz’s performance is fantastic in its delivery and mannerisms. It’s easy to see how Waltz recently won the Best Supporting Actor award at this year’s Golden Globes for his performance as Dr. King Schultz. Whereas Dr. King Schultz has Django, DiCaprio’s Calvin Candie has his followers, none more prominent than Samuel L. Jackson’s Stephen. Jackson does his best to steal every inch of every scene that he is in. His Stephen is a bumbling, aggressive, slightly-senile-yet-sharp-as-a-fox old timer that is only out for himself and for Candie. The dialogue between the racist, angry old Stephen and Foxx’s cool, witty, take no shit Django is some of the film’s best moments.

Django himself is played pitch perfect by Jamie Foxx. Previously, Foxx’s best roles have been in the likes of Ray, a straightforward, straight laced performance where he gets to showcase his acting chops. Here, Foxx gets to let loose a bit. He gets to play a little rough around the edges. The ascension from shy, introvert slave to confident, clinical bounty hunter is enthralling and delivered brilliantly by Foxx. His body language and demeanor change throughout the film, not to mention his language and confidence. He comes to realise that he is no longer a slave, that he is seen as equal by Dr. King Schutlz, and he responds in kind. Foxx displays so many different emotions, but none more better delivered than those shown when other slaves are being disrespected or beaten, particularly when this involves his wife Broomhilda. Foxx delivers the perfect mix of anger and restraint. We all know that he wants to step in and stop what he sees, but we also know that he can’t for fear of exposing his mission to reclaim his wife. Also, whilst being the lead of the film, Foxx’s Django seems to slide into the background whenever he’s in the company of others. It’s brilliant work by Foxx.

Whilst Jamie Foxx is the title character, the lead of the film, it’s Leonardo DiCaprio that is the star of the film. DiCaprio’s Calvin Candie doesn’t even really come into the picture until about half way through, but he is fantastic. This isn’t the DiCaprio that you know from Titanic, The Beach or Romeo & Juliet. This isn’t even the DiCaprio you know from The Departed or Inception. This is an excessive, amped up DiCaprio that delivers a truly great performance of a truly horrible man. Rich, selfish, imposing, bearded and with bad teeth, DiCaprio’s Candie is one of the most vile characters that Tarantino has ever created. He seeks his amusement in the torturing of others and he has an almost God-like complex due to his outlook and how he’s been raised. Whilst DiCaprio is without doubt one of finest actors of his generation, this performance really adds something different to his resume. As I said, it’s DiCaprio as you’ve never seen him before.

Although there is no doubt who the four stars of Django Unchained are, the rest of the supporting cast are, as ever with QT, perfectly embroidered into the story. Whilst the likes of Walton Goggins, David Steen and Michael Parks make up a very strong cast, it’s Kerry Washington’s Broomhilda that stands out from the bunch. Washington really coveys the torment, suffering and punishment that her character has gone through at the hands of Calvin Candie. All of this makes Django’s actions even more impactful, as you fully understand why he seeks vengeance so badly.

Another staple of Tarantino’s work, the films possesses a fierce soundtrack. Being a period piece of sorts, the film pulls in old, fitting music whilst encompassing some more modern but impactful beats. It’s almost like Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette in that it doesn’t let it’s setting dictate it’s score. Add this to the frantically paced story, the emotions on display, the cool, sharp dialogue, the stunning imagery and the brilliant performances, and you have yourself another Tarantino masterpiece. My one negative? a truly awful Tarantino accent during a small cameo. I’m going to hazard a guess that it’s supposed to be Australian. That’s a very rough guess though. I’m just glad that QT’s screen time was minimised to only a few minutes.

Everyone has their own favourite Tarantino film. Is it the best of the bunch? That’s a personal preference. Is it what you’ve come to expect from a Quentin Tarantino film? Most Definitely. Personally, I find it hard to choose between Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown and Kill Bill: Vol 1 as my personal favourite, although his other films are all in the mix too. I’d definitely rank Django Unchained up there with the better of his films and I’d easily give it a deserved 4 1/2 out of 5. This is not a film to be missed. What are you waiting for?!?! Get yourself to the cinema! Now!

       I love Tarantino’s movies, I really do. There are varying degrees of entertainment and stimuli I get out of them but there hasn’t one so far that caused me to say that I didn’t love it. I’m talking here only about the movies he’s directed, not the few additional ones he’s written (like True Romance which I love).

        Just to be clear and to set the stage for what’s to come, I feel it necessary to go shortly through his movies, in the order in which I love them, from top to bottom. As anyone that is familiar with me will know, my favorite Tarantino film is, was and always will be Jackie Brown mainly because of the free reign the characters are given and how splendid the acting is and because of Pam Grier’s charisma. Next up is, of course, Death Proof – such a criminally underrated rollercoaster ride that only Kurt Russell could helm. Third, Kill Bill Volume 1, largely due to the music, the winks and nods (some more obvious than the others) to the Asian school of cinema. Fourth, Inglorious Basterds – one of those rare occasions when over-the-top sort-of-nazisplotation really worked. Fifth, Kill Bill Volume 2, another great example of character development although sometimes it loses steam. And tied for sixth place: Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs. Sure, Reservoir Dogs is his first feature film and his hand isn’t as steady as it was in the next movies but it does give a taste of things to come. As for Pulp Fiction, it truly is a wonderful movie but I feel I’ve been too over-exposed to it and that probably took some of its charm away.

         Well, then, where does Django Unchained fit in? Obviously, I had such high expectations for it. After all, Tarantino couldn’t go wrong, right? Even though it came as a shock when I initially found out that it wouldn’t be the kind of Django movie I was thinking and/or hoping about – a balls-to-the wall western – and even though the trailer(s) for it where maddeningly underwhelming, I still had my hopes high.

          When I got a hold of the soundtrack, my nervousness was somewhat tamed, if only slightly. A Tarantino film with Bacalov, Morricone and Riz Ortolani music? Sure, he did it before but, this is Django, right? The perfect place to use spaghetti western music, even though I would have preferred the Italian theme to Django to the English one but maybe I’m just nitpicking. To top it all off, we were supposed to get a new Morricone song which is always welcome, right? Well, unfortunately, Morricone’s new composition (Ancora Qui sung by a woman called Elisa) is downright awful: the vocals are all over the place, the singer sounding more like a braying mule and it’s a rather dull affair. Disappointing to say the least.

            Still, I had my hopes up. Now, I won’t go into much detail about the movie’s plot but I’ll go into the minimum needed to have an idea of it: Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) frees Django (Jamie Foxx) from a life of slavery. As Dr. King is actually a bounty hunter, the two team up and start killing white outlaws, collecting money for each kill. Eventually, the two set out to free Django’s wife from Calvin Candie’s (Leonardo Di Caprio) plantation where we also meet Candie’s house slave, Stephen, played by Samuel L. Jackson.

             So, that’s the barebones plot which should generally make for a blood-pumping revenge movie. Given that it’s also called Django Unchained, one would expect a western. Unfortunately, it’s not much of that. Sure, it has cowboys, shooting, spaghetti western music and horse riding but I did not perceive it as a western, strangely enough. It’s pretty much an out-and-out blaxploitation (a genre I find very entertaining, to say the least). Must be that my expectations were, once again, different as I was expecting something along the lines of the wonderful Boss Nigger or The Legend of Nigger Charlie, after seeing the trailers.

              You might be wondering as to how much of Tarantino’s classic tropes and quirks are present here. Well, unfortunately, not many. There’s no moment that smacks you with its brilliance like Inglorious Basterd’s prologue or like Kill Bill Volume 2’s ending. There’s nothing that really stands out. Not even the violence (which is as cartoonish as expected) helps to save this tedious mess. Add to that the boring dialogues that try to be amusing and that try to be smart but they catastrophically fail.

                The acting is a very mixed bag – I did appreciate Franco Nero’s cameo but for the others, Jamie Foxx usually just frowns a lot, Cristoph Waltz is repeating his Inglorious Basterds role somewhat but this time around he’s very tiresome. Leonardo Di Caprio is somewhat of a highlight as he is allowed to be a bit more unstrained, while Samuel L. Jackson is just doing his Samuel L. Jackson routine with mixed results.

                Sadly, it’s all rather flaccid, flat and restrained. It’s not provocative and it’s not ballsy, it’s much too long for its own good and it doesn’t have the edge nor the dark humor Tarantino’s other movies have. It would seem that he has lost most of his touch which is a sad place to be in, not only for him but for his viewers who write psychotic reviews in the middle of the night that are never proof-read (that being me, of course) and that are still hoping that this is a one-off and that Kill Bill Volume 3 will not be the disappointment Django Unchained was.

Score: 2/5

Though he can’t act his way out of a paper bag – perhaps one that previously held some of those delicious Big Kahuna Burgers – Quentin Tarantino keeps on appearing in his own movies. You’ll spot him in Django Unchained as an Australian slave-owner, and no, the accent does not mask his absence of acting talent. Derided as the worst part of Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, and now Django, why does QT keep subjecting himself to the scorn? Is he possessed by Thespis himself, unable to quell his drive to perform for the masses? Probably not. We figure he just wants to hang out with the wonderful creations that populate his pictures. Here are our picks for the top 10 Quentin Tarantino characters (that aren’t, you know, played by the writer-director himself).

Follow the link to read the Top 10.

Top 10s are featured exclusively on the Quickflix News & Gossip page, where you can also find reviews, interviews, Television Revisions, and Play It Agains!

Do you think “Django” was his best effort?

Lukas Eggen can be reached at eggen.lukas@gmail.com.

Jackie Brown

Wednesday 16th January

Film4: 9.00pm – 12.10am

Yes, your eyes doth not deceive, the best guide to the week’s film offerings is back after a Christmas and New Year’s that’s left my liver as destroyed as my bank balance.

This week we’re treated to a double feature of Tarantino-ness on Film4. Following an interview with the inimitable man himself (although I can’t imagine it’ll be half as interesting as his brilliant shut-down of Krishnan Guru-Murphy), it’s the exquisite Jackie Brown.

If you’re a fan of Tarantino’s, you’ve probably seen it before, but the tale of Pam Grier as an air hostess arrested for smuggling drugs and money into the US is only better after repeated viewings. Skillfully playing off both criminals and police, the movie twists and turns more than spaghetti junction.

Swiftly following Jackie Brown is the incredibly gory romp, From Dusk Till Dawn. Coming from a time before vampires had more glitter make up than Ke$ha and waxed lyrical about teenage love, it’s a genuine treat to see the villains portrayed as the blood thirsty monsters they once were.

by Robert James Taylor.