April 17, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 25 ‘Django Unchained’ is tale of slavery and revenge by Dennis Seuling In “Django Unchained” (Anchor Bay), director Quentin Tarantino combines an assortment of film genres into one neat package. A drama about the pre-Civil War institution of slavery and an indictment of its inherent inhumanity, “Django Unchained” is also an old-fashioned Western complete with gunfighter, a dark comedy, a splatter flick, and an action/adventure film. Former dentist and current bounty Jamie Foxx and Leonardo DiCaprio star in Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Django Unchained.’ hunter Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) buys the freedom of a slave named Django (Jamie Foxx) because he can identify the men Schultz is hunting. A genuine bond forms between Schultz and Django as the bounty hunter trains his deputy. Django learns quickly and helps Schultz kill several wanted men. Tarantino lets scenes go on long after their point has registered. He appears so infatuated with his own dialogue that he fails to trim the excess for artful pacing, and the movie sags far too often. The best thing about “Django Unchained” is Waltz, who knows how to get the most out of his dialogue. His is the best-developed character in the picture. Intelligent, compassionate, and ruthless, his Schultz is an interesting mix. Foxx gets viewers to root for Django, but there is tentativeness in his performance. He is far more convincing in the later scenes, when Django has transformed from cowering slave to self-assured gunfighter. Leonardo DiCaprio has a meaty role as Calvin Candie, a plantation owner whose favored sport is pitting two strong slaves against each other in a fight to the death. Samuel L. Jackson plays Candie’s elderly slave and partner in slave mistreatment. Bruce Dern, Jonah Hill, Dennis Christopher, Russ Tamblyn, Tom Wopat, Franco Nero, James Russo, and Tom Savini all show up in small roles, and Don Johnson has a sizable part as plantation owner Big Daddy. Special features on the two-disc Bluray/DVD combo pack include featurettes on the spaghetti Western tradition, production designer Michael Riva, the picture’s costume designs, and the soundtrack. “The Little Fugitive” (Kino Lorber) is both a landmark of independent American cinema and a document of 1950s Brooklyn. When Joey (Richie Andrusco) is tricked into believing he killed his older brother, he gathers his meager possessions and flees to Coney Island. As he wanders the boardwalk, beach, and amusement area and its fascinating attractions, Joey experiences a day and night filled with adventures and mysteries. This is an absolutely delightful film. Shot entirely from the point of view of a seven-year-old, it captures his fascination with the fabulous honky-tonk world of the parachute jump, carousels, and pony rides in a bustling Coney Island at the height of its popularity. The hundreds of “extras” in (continued on Crossword page)