Fab Five Films of 2012

Yes, I am an unapologetic Quentin Tarantino fan, but even for me, "Django Unchained" exceeded all expectations. Now a seasoned writer and director, Tarantino no longer needs gimmicks such as pop culture references and broken chronology to tell his tales. Still, his gift for dialogue and storytelling is unmatched and that's where "Django Unchained" excels.

Tarantino takes his time to first develop the relationship between the freed slave, Django (Jamie Foxx), and his bounty hunter partner, Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), before getting to the real meat of the story, which happens when they attempt to free Django's wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), from a despicable plantation owner named Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio). It's because Tarantino's development of these characters is so solid that the payoff is so rewarding.

Speaking of the characters and the cast, Waltz is remarkable as Schultz in a role that Tarantino wrote specifically for him after their collaboration on "Inglourious Basterds" led to him winning an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. But it's DiCaprio who's truly memorable in playing the villain Candie. Given solid material, Leo will deliver a solid performance. Given a Tarantino script, he delivers an unforgettable one.

With my long history as a movie fan, I've seen just about everything, so it's rare that I am moved to shed a tear or applaud during a film. But there were at least two or three instances in "Django Unchained" that I wanted to sit up and clap at the brilliance I had just witnessed.