Django Unchained

Django Unchained

Christoph Waltz took home an Oscar for his fantastic performance in Quentin Tarantino's hit Western. Waltz plays Dr. King Schultz, a bounty hunter who takes on a new protégé, freed slave Django (Jamie Foxx). When Django proves to be a natural at the bounty-hunting business, Schultz agrees to assist him in finding his wife (Kerry Washington), who's been sold to the evil Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio). The film is definitely in keeping with Tarantino's bloody style, but it's massively entertaining. The DVD comes with a couple of featurettes and a soundtrack spot.

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Save the Date

In this lightweight indie, commitment-phobe Sarah (Lizzy Caplan) breaks up with her boyfriend (Geoffrey Arend) after a very public proposal. She turns to her sister Beth (Alison Brie) for some moral support, but Beth is too busy planning her own wedding to listen. Once Sarah meets Jonathan (Mark Webber), she starts to confront her issues with relationships and vulnerability. Like its characters, Save the Date is flawed, but enjoyable to watch.

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Award season isn't over yet! This year the MTV Movie Awards will be held in April, instead of the customary June, so we're getting nominations early. Leading the pack are Django Unchained and Ted, each with seven nominations. Jennifer Lawrence — whose turn in The Hunger Games last year earned her best female performance — received a total of five nods, most of which were for Silver Linings Playbook, but she's also squaring off against her Oscar competitor Jessica Chastain for Best Scared-as-Sh*t Performance for House at the End of the Street. Noticeably down on nominations? Breaking Dawn Part 2, which only earned one for Taylor Lautner's shirtless scenes.

One of our favorite films of the year, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, garnered four nominations, including nods for Emma Watson and Ezra Miller. Pitch Perfect also earned four, with one for Rebel Wilson, who will be hosting this year's ceremony on April 14.

To see the nominees, just read more

There's only a little while left to plan your Oscars viewing party, but we can help organize your at-home soiree with inspiration from one of this year's best picture nominees. Channel Quentin Tarantino's Spaghetti Western and make your Oscar party Django Unchained-themed. Of course, you'll want to focus on the fun things about the Western (more drinks, fewer Mandingo fights). And once you've got all your party plans in order, be sure to fill out our Oscar ballot for a chance to win on the big night too.

• How to decorate: Go Western with your decor and use cactus and boot motifs, and to really commit to the theme, make a giant papier-mâché tooth and affix it to a piece of furniture. Play the soundtrack or your own mix of R&B and soul music.
• How to dress: Cowboy up! Rock an outfit like the badass Django, complete with green jacket, boots, and hat, plus some sunglasses. You can also look like pretentious Francophile Calvin Candie and wear a dandy-ish velvet suit.
• What to serve: Present guests with drinks served in coconuts, just like Calvin Candie likes, and of course, have plenty of candy on hand to reference Candyland.

This year, Django Unchained star Christoph Waltz is up for his second Oscar nomination — for the second Quentin Tarantino film he's appeared in. When the actor talked to the press at the Oscars Luncheon this afternoon, he copped to feeling indebted to the director, and also admitted just how nervous he is about Oscar night.

On how he has celebrated his Oscar nomination: "Nervous anticipation. So I don't really consider nervous anticipation a reason to celebrate. We don't talk much about it at home, and we all know it. That's fine for now."

On whether he had any idea he would be so rewarded for his roles when he met Tarantino: "If I start to think about nominations and awards before I even start the work, [that's] literally putting the cart before the horse."

On whether he feels like he owes Tarantino for his success: "I owe Quentin more than I would like to admit."

Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty took No. 1 at the box office with $24 million this weekend, its first in wide release. New releases A Haunted House and Gangster Squad earned $18.8 and $16.7 million, respectively. Django Unchained finished fourth with $11.1 million, and Les Misérables rounded out the top five with $10 million.

With the New Year comes a new box-office champ: Texas Chainsaw 3D opened to number one this weekend, taking in $23 million. The horror film just beat out Django Unchained, which followed with $20 million. Former winner The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey slid to third with $17.5 million, while Les Misérables took fourth with $16.1 million. Parental Guidance rounded out the top five with $10.1 million.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey took in $32.9 million this weekend, for its third time at the top of the box office. Three Christmas Day releases followed the fantasy film: Quentin Tarantino's Western Django Unchained earned $30.7 million, the musical Les Misérables won $28 million, and Billy Crystal's Parental Guidance made $14.8 million. Tom Cruise's action flick Jack Reacher rounded out the top five with $14 million.