courtney89:

The Django Unchained trailer is finally here!!!! This movie looks like it’s going to be a lot of things, mostly awesome, but a lot of things nonetheless. Being a Tarantino movie and added that it’s a slavery film, this trailer has gotten a lot of different responses from fans, critics, and skeptics. But what really gets my goat, I mean really GETS MY GOAT, are these film snobs and black pseudo-intellectuals who’ve already written it off. This 2:36 trailer has really gotten people in their feelings. I have read some of the most ridiculous “criticism” of this film, and most people have only seen less than three minutes of its footage, possibly seven if you were lucky enough to see it previewed at Cannes. I’m having a lot of Kanye recations to these   responses.

A mix of just nope…

AND 

Really?

Here are some of the most ridiculous criticism I’ve seen/heard/read.

1. This looks like another Quentin Tarantino revenge flick.

Well, Nancy Drew, that’s because it is a Quentin Tarantino revenge flick. This is what Quentin Tarantino does, and this what he does, I’d argue, better than any other American filmmaker. This is not a proper point of contention. It is being marketed by its studio, and presumably the filmmaker, as “Life. Liberty. And the Pursuit of Vengeance.” Writing this off as a typical QT revenge movie is like going to 5 Guys Burgers and Fries and saying, “I don’t want to eat here because it seems like a burger joint.” Obviously. 

2. Quentin Tarantino is white and has no buisness writing/directing a movie about slavery.

To this I question, would you prefer it be Tyler Perry? I mean, no disrespect to Tyler Perry, but he’s a stranger to nuance and complexity. My friend, Subtly? I don’t think Tyler Perry has ever meet her. My love/hate for Tyler Perry is for another blog, but the idea that only black filmmakers can deal with issues of race or black history is absolutely ridiculous, especially given that American slavery is not just black history or simply a race a issue. Personally, I applaud any artist who attempts to accurately portray the harsh, brutally disgusting realities of slavery. This is how you educate. This is how you heal. This is how you ask and answer questions about uncomfortable topics that most people don’t want to talk about. 

Don’t get me wrong. I understand why there would be some trepidation. Slavery certainly shouldn’t be exploited, and it should not be taken lightly, especially for the financial gain of a film studio. Maybe I’m giving QT too much credit, but he doesn’t strike me as a writer/director who takes advantage of the plights of marginalized groups for money. He’s clearly not a woman, but he has done a fantastic job of dealing with misogyny and creating super strong heroines of all races (Jackie Brown, Death Proof, Kill Bill). Also, if you think that Quentin effing Tarantino is going to sugarcoat slavery for easy consumption to the masses, then please hang up your thinking cap. It’s of no use to you. 

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