after much internal conflict, went to the theater last night to see it. two friends texted me and said that they enjoyed it.
I watched Red Hook Summer a few days ago to be caught up on SPIKE, too.
Walked out on Django before finishing the movie.
To put this into perspective, EVERY sign was telling me NOT to see this movie, and I never vacillate this much on any thing film-related.
I'm in Torrance, CA, and there was a stabbing at the movie theater across the street where I'd already purchased tickets. Torrance is a nice area, so this was a surprise.
Raced to 4 other SOLD OUT theaters with my boy, Los, before finally catching an 11pm show at The Rave...which was packed.
Cleared my mind, and settled in. I'm a Big Tarantino fan, and prepped myself with Inglorious Bastereds the day before. Again, I have a LOVE / HATE relationship with Quentin. As a filmmaker myself, I think that his work is incredible. That said, I know in my gut that he hates black men. He doesn't realize it, but he hates black men. We have an abusive relationship. One day, I'm going to make a video essay about Quentin's movies, but for the time being, I was expecting to love elements about the movie, and despise the undercurrent of disgust that this dude has towards me as a black man.
I walked out hating this movie COMPLETELY.
Removing the black man part of me and watching this movie objectively, it was a meandering and aimless experience that was poorly paced, cut, and lacked ANY of the elements that I love about Tarantino films. Honestly, it felt so UN-Tarantino, that had you removed his name and put any other director on it (minus the various Leone zoom-ins), I'd have believed it was done by someone else.
The Black Man in me was revolted. This was basically porn. I've never seen wholesale graphic imagery like this used SOLEY for entertainment.
I won't condemn another man for digging this. I don't get into other people's preferences. That said, my boy and I left this joint at the point when they dumped the water on Kerry Washington. I wanted to leave earlier - much earlier- but I was missing cues from the homie, mistakenly thinking that he was engaged. He too, was appalled. From the Black Mandingo fight to the abhorrent slave chicks on Don Johnson's farm, this shit was insulting on nearly every conceivable level.
To me.
Maybe I should loose cred, but if i want to see a 'black superhero' movie posed in a controversial time period, I'll watch Devil in a Blue Dress or Rosewood. Both exceptionally underrated movies.
If Quentin is right in his various interviews, and he believes that young black youth will look to this movie as their movie of CHOICE in a generation....no fucking way while I have any say so.
This movie made me sad beyond belief.
My buddy said it best. After walking out, it's almost like (and he's not even a big QT fan), this fool made a movie that he didn't even put any real effort into. It's like he made what he thinks THAT audience wants to see. Some shit for the lowest common denominator. It was crude, exploitative, and cinematically immature.
Fuck this movie. Spike was dead on.
I NEVER said QT produce flops. I said he and Spike Lee....man fuck it. Bro have a good night. 
. People also gasped at the whip marks on Jamie's back and the scene when Hildie was being beat.
