About 15 minutes in I decided I wanted some popcorn, and upon looking at my phone, it appeared that an hour and a half had passed. From what I understand, that hasn’t been the standard reaction across the Internet, but for me at least, Django was incredibly easy to watch, and not for a moment did I want it to end.

The structure is right in tune with many Spaghetti Westerns (itself being one more in a long series of unofficial sequels to Sergio Corbucci’s 1966 film Django): the compacted serial with each episode lasting a half hour or so. There’s an overarching plot, but just as much does it like to get sidetracked in subplots.

The main story centers around Django (Jamie Foxx), a runaway slave many times over who only wants to be reunited with his wife. He has the good fortune of meeting up with Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), a German dentist turned bounty hunter, hot on the trail of the notorious Brittle Brothers. Django, a former acquaintance of the Brittles, is the only man alive who knows what they look like, and Schultz, gleefully operating within the laws and well versed in all the loopholes, buys Django to help him hunt down the bounty.

Like any good Tarantino script, a very large number of quality actors wanted to be apart of it. This leads to lots of people expressing public interest in taking roles only to have to bow out  when schedules do not align. As was the case early on in production when Jonah Hill reportedly was cast in the film.

Well things have finally come full circle as Deadline reports that Hill has indeed joined the cast after all:

The Weinstein Company has set Jonah Hill to play a role in Django Unchained, which is in production. I’m trying to find out who he’ll be playing, but am told it won’t be Scotty Harmony, the kid who loses Django’s slave wife Broomhilda to Calvin Candie… Hill was eyed for the role early on, but had to turn it down because his schedule was so busy. He’s back in another role.

Good for Hill and good for the movie to add another seasoned actor in what might be a bot part. Often times you hear people knock a film for ‘wasting’ a skilled actor in a smaller role. I actually take the opposing stance, the better the actor you can get for any role only enhances the movie.

Django Unchained hits cinemas on Christmas Day.

With a few directors working in Hollywood today, you never really know what to expect and that makes their films even more fun to watch. One such director is Quentin Tarantino who’s upcoming Django Unchained promises to be very unexpected indeed.

Previously, we brought you some stills from the upcoming film. And now, there’s more. This time around we get a better look at the actors and a shot of the director in action, which is always fun.

In case you’re not familar with the film, it’s set two years before the Civil War and focuses on a former slave called Django (Jamie Foxx) who must join forces with a ruthless German bounty hunter called Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) to free his captive wife from the clutches of evil plantation owner Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio).   See what I mean, unexpected.

Check out all the new pics after the break. Look for Django Unchained to hit theaters Christmas Day.

Of the 42 massively anticipated films coming out over the next year, only one of them is a new Tarantino film. Django Unchained is one of the most exciting concepts to come down the pike in a long time, and the addition of such an amazing cast only cements the expectations.

Entertainment Weekly has unchained the first official shots from the film showcasing three of its high class stars. The first shot looks incredibly western-y with Christophe Waltz and Jamie Foxx looking fantastic in some period gear.

The second image is far more exciting. Leonardo DiCaprio as evil plantation owner Calvin Candie, who makes his strongest slaves fight each other to the death. This cruel basterd has Foxx’s wife, and the plot of the movie will generally revolve around his attempts to save her.

With a Christmas release date, hopefully we should be seeing some actual footage soon. Inglorius Basterds and Kill Bill were high water marks for Tarantino’s visual style, so there is great excitement to see what he does with a western sandbox. The possibilities are staggering when a filmmaker is on a career high, his concept is solid gold and has the cast to pull it off.

Check out the full pictures after the jump.

Westworld (1973) marks the feature film debut of Sci-fi writer Michael Crichton who had recently met success in Hollywood with the film adaptation of his famed novel The Andromeda Strain. Westworld stars Richard Benjamin (Peter Martin) James Brolin (John Blane) and Yul Brynner (The Gunslinger).

Westworld is set in the near future (now passé) where a resort known as Delos, comprised of three resort communities gives its adult patrons the opportunity for $1000 a day to live out their fantasies as either an old west desperado, a medieval knight, or a hedonist in the pre-Christian Roman Empire. The park is also home to human like androids that are engineered to look, talk, and react just like humans.

Peter Martin (Benjamin) accompanies his best friend John Blane (Brolin) who has visited Westworld before. Peter begins asking John how the theme park operates and most importantly, what can they expect while enjoying their two week stay as wild west outlaws. After their orientation and then being equipped with authentic old west clothing and pistols, Peter and John arrive at the Westworld theme park by stagecoach where Peter is in awe of the park’s authenticity.