Django Unchained (2012)

Quentin Tarantino, never fails me. Since his third directing debut, Reservoir Dogs (1992) until Django Unchained (2013), he never quits trying to amuse people. His visionary directing style, his ability to cast only the best actors, and the most apparent reason which makes him rules will be.. his piece of writings, his way of making a conversation sounds smart, sarcastic and dreadfully meant something. Heavy but fairly light in the same time. That's a kind of talent not every director slash writer has.

Django Unchained (2012)
IMDb Rating: 8.6/10
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Writer: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Jamie Foxx,
Christoph Waltz,
Leonardo DiCaprio,
Samuel L. Jackson.
Won 2 of 5 Oscars nominations including
Best Supporting Actor by Christoph Waltz and  
Best Original Screenplay by Quentin Tarantino.


Unlike any of his previous films set in modern era of 21st century, this time he brings us back to 18th century antebellum era of the Deep South and Old West, where slavery were still quite an issue.

Django and Schultz bounty hunting.

Django (Jamie Foxx), a slave freed by Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), a German dentist and also a bounty hunter, both are on the journey across the United States to rescue Django's wife, Broomhilda, from a cruel plantation owner, Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio). The pair goes in a smooth way at first, as Schultz well acclaimed as a professional bounty hunter. He can predict what will happen ridiculously in a very precise way. He always knows a way out of trouble with his plan Bs running around his head. But unexpected things happen when they head towards Candie's mansion. Something even Schultz can't expect.

Le Review
Splendiferous as always. I'm glad Tarantino still entrusted Christoph Waltz as a smartass Schultz and yet he won the best supporting actor for it. Incredible. While Leonardo DiCaprio--in my greatest attempt to make it sound as humble as possible--had failed taking over the spotlight. I honestly expect more coming from DiCaprio's acting, unfortunately he's kind of in static mode right now. Though he played a bad guy here, still seemed uncanny to me just like his roles in Blood Diamond, Gangs of New York, The Aviator. He better try a completely challenging, different roles than any of his previous films. Move on to Jamie Foxx, I think he did an okay job, just right. At first I thought he played it stiffy nervous Django, and at the end of the movie, deus ex machina as always, he turned into fierce Django and saved the day.

The plot is brilliant indeed. It's like riding a hysteria. It'll goof around your mood, lift you until a certain point and then drop you fast and hard. It slowly lift up afterwards and start all over again.  Also the dialogue is smart and light, it's not gonna bore you. This is a kind of treatment everytime I see Tarantino's pieces. I get my mind blown all the time.

Happy watching!

Final verdict: 9/10

Argo (2012)

Sebenernya film terakhir yang saya tonton itu American Reunion (2012),  franchise main series keempatnya American Pie (1999), bukan spin-offnya lho ya, kaya band camp, naked mile dan beta house. It's a bit inappropriate kalo review pertama filmfavore b-movie yang begituan (yakali -_-), jadi judul film pertama yang kepikiran di benak saya adalah Argo (2012) which was an a-movie, award winning oscar film and duhhhh yes it was dang a joy to watch.

Argo's official poster.

Argo (2012)
IMDB Rating: 7.9/10
Director: Ben Affleck
Screenplay: Chris Terrio
Based on the book: The Master of Disguise by Antonio J. Mendez; The Great Escape by Joshuah Bearman
Starring: Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, John Goodman  
Won 3 of 7 Oscar nominations including Best Picture

Jadi, sekedar tambahan info aja nih, latar belakang cerita ini dimulai tahun 1979 dimana terjadi revolusi Iran yang mengubah sistem pemerintahannya yang sebelumnya monarki menjadi republik Islam. Tokoh dibalik revolusi ini adalah Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, seorang pemimpin Islam yang berhasil menggulingkan rezim Mohammad Shah Reza Pahlavi, raja Iran terakhir. Shah Reza Pahlavi menjalankan pemerintahan yang brutal, korup, boros, dan menganut paham westernisasi, serta bekerja sama dengan Amerika Serikat yang bertentangan dengan identitas Muslim Syi'ah Iran. Ketika revolusi ini berlangsung, beliau dilindungi dan diasingkan oleh AS. Nah, dari sinilah asal muasal kemunculan rasa nasionalisme rakyat Iran yang anti banget sama Amerika Serikat, keliatan kan sampe sekarang. Apalagi dengan dipimpin oleh Mahmoud Ahmadinejad yang notabene tokoh konservatif, sangat loyal sama nilai-nilai revolusi Islam Iran ini.

Gara-gara revolusi ini, militan pengikut Khomeini yang anti banget sama AS, berbondong-bondong menyerbu kedutaan besar AS di Teheran. Mereka niatnya mau menyandera diplomat-diplomat AS, atau warga negara AS yang kepergok lagi di dubes apapun profesinya karena mereka dicurigai sebagai agen mata-mata AS. Sialnya, beberapa dari mereka bukannya disandera tapi malah kena public execution. Sadis, ngeri, kalo liat mayat mereka yang dieksekusi dan digantung pake crane kaya gini.

Creepy public execution.

Dari penyerbuan militan Iran di dubes AS, 6 diplomat AS berhasil melarikan diri dan sembunyi di dubes Kanada di Iran. Mereka jadi buronan paling dicari oleh militan Iran. Dengan keadaan kaya gini, Departemen Luar Negeri AS berusaha menemukan cara gimana keenam diplomat ini bisa keluar dari Iran dengan selamat. Nah, dikirimlah si Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) seorang agen CIA untuk membantu mereka. Kemudian Mendez mendapatkan ide setelah nonton film science fiction sama anaknya. Ia berencana mengembangkan skenario dimana ia sebagai produser film asal Kanada hendak membuat film science fiction palsu berjudul Argo dengan 6 diplomat AS tadi sebagai kru film yang lagi survey lapangan di Iran. Setibanya di Iran, Mendez mulai melatih 6 diplomat tadi untuk menyamar jadi kru produksi. Semua informasi diberikan mulai dari paspor, nama, dob, jabatan, sampe latar belakang palsu mereka, semata-mata untuk meyakinkan revolutionary guards yang jaga-jaga di bandara Iran kalo mereka bukan buronan yang dicari. Salah satu diplomat sempet ragu dan menolak skenario gila Mendez, tapi setelah diyakinkan oleh Mendez, ia bersedia menjalankan skenario ini.

Mendez's best line.

Sialnya nih di hari H keberangkatan, eh Mendez malah disuruh ngebatalin rencananya karena Presiden AS waktu itu, Jimmy Carter memerintahkan diadakannya operasi militer Amerika untuk menyelamatkan para sandera AS di Iran (padahal gagal lho operasinya). Mendez seketika panik, tapi beliau mencoba kalem dan keukeuh untuk menjalankan misinya ini. Apakah Mendez berhasil ato malah gagal, ketauan kedoknya dan malah kena public execution? Makanya pada nonton yak.

Le Review 
 Dari segi aktingnya Ben Affleck, kalo menurut saya sih biasa aja dan agak kaku. Mungkin karena faktor jambangnya ato emang sengaja dibikin gitu kali ya. Entah kenapa malah lebih oke aktingnya Scott McNairy as Joe Stafford--salah satu diplomat--mimik nervous sekaligus berusaha convincing juga dapet ketika ia berusaha meyakinkan tentara revolusioner dengan menceritakan cerita Argo lewat storyboards-nya.

Dari segi plot, pada awalnya agak ngebosenin, jujur saya sampe 2 atau 3 kali ngulang awal film karena kurang paham ceritanya ( dan sempet googling juga soal Ayatollah Khomeini :p). Di tengah film mulai kerasa tense-nya ketika mereka mengunjungi central market di Iran. Lama kelamaan makin tense dan mencapai klimaks ketika Mendez dan 6 diplomat ini diinterogasi oleh tentara revolusioner yang mencegah mereka boarding.

Overall, this is literally a great movie, totally worth-watching, not in an inspiring way, but in a quite thrilling way plus it has based-on-true-story, historical-ish yang ngebuka wawasan saya soal revolusi Islam Iran. Ben Affleck juga pinter merancang plotnya sedemikian rupa sampe bikin gregetan di scene terakhirnya. It doesn't take a lot of famous actors like Les Mis to make this film look great, it only takes a great plot and an interesting background story. 


Final verdict for Argo: 8/10.