MOVIE REVIEW: THE HATEFUL EIGHT

The passengers, bounty hunter John Ruth and his fugitive Daisy Domergue, race towards the town of Red Rock where Ruth, known in these parts as “The Hangman,” will bring Domergue to justice. Along the road, they encounter two strangers: Major Marquis Warren, a black former union soldier turned infamous bounty hunter, and Chris Mannix, a southern renegade who claims to be the town’s new Sheriff. Losing their lead on the blizzard, Ruth, Domergue, Warren and Mannix seek refuge at Minnie's Haberdashery, a stagecoach stopover on a mountain pass. When they arrive at Minnie’s, they are greeted not by the proprietor but by four unfamiliar faces. Bob, who’s taking care of Minnie’s while she’s visiting her mother, is holed up with Oswaldo Mobray, the hangman of Red Rock, cow-puncher Joe Gage, and Confederate General Sanford Smithers . As the storm overtakes the mountainside stopover, our eight travelers come to learn they may not make it to Red Rock after all…

Director: Quentin Tarantino    

Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demián Bichir.

Release Date: Dec 25, 2015    

Rated R for Strong Bloody Violence, Some Graphic Nudity, Language and Violent Sexual Content.    

Runtime: 2 hr. 47 min.    

Genres: Action/Adventure, Suspense/Thriller    

Review:

The Hateful Eight will probably end up being one of Quentin Tarantino’s most divisive films of his careers.  Personally I found plenty to love here as he pulls from Sergio Leone with a healthy dose of Agatha Christie but it’s a slow burn sort of film.  It’s easy to see why many people could be turned off.  The film plays out like a cinematic stage play with a heavy focus on dialogue and characters.  As always Tarantino brings out the best in his actors, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Walton Goggins benefit the most here, even while they’re playing some fairly despicable characters.  Each character is a fascinating twisted sort that populates most of Tarantino’s films but with an old west slant.  Watching him sets them up in a twist version of Twelve Angry Men with a healthier dose of blood and carnage especially in the final act.  The final act does sort take a different tone as things get more extreme and violent which might turn off some people but it’s just Tarantino  being Tarantino, grindhouse will always be in his blood.

B+

Cindy Prascik's Review of The Hateful Eight

 

 

Dearest Blog: If the truth of Awards Season is sacrifice, the truth of the holiday season seems to be haste. Hurry here, hurry there, never enough time to fit everything in. Thus, at the ungodly (movie) hour of 9:30 this morning, I found myself at "not my" cinema for a screening of Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight. 

 

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers. 

 

Dear Reader(s), every December, I visit New York City. Every December, without fail, someone in my group gets 9:00 a.m. Rockettes tickets, so we have to set out at stupid o'clock to see they get to Radio City bright and early for all those peppermint-stick costumes and high kicks. 

 

A person can reasonably be expected to handle just so much of certain things at that hour of the day; the enforced chipperness of the Rockettes is one of those things, and Quentin Tarantino is most certainly another. I have never, ever understood 9:00 a.m. Rockettes tickets. 

 

I am neither a fan nor not-a-fan of Quentin Tarantino. I know what I'm always getting in a Tarantino flick: gratuitous violence and scenarios that shock for the sake of it. 

 

Sometimes that's just stray garbage scattered about a great picture, sometimes the entire movie belongs in the dumpster. 

 

Unfortunately for The Hateful Eight, it appears to be trash day. This muddled mess does nothing to earn or justify its over-three-hour runtime. 

 

Uniformly despicable characters prattle on endlessly, only a fraction of their willfully repulsive dialogue necessary to provide backstory or propel the film forward. The graphic, incessant brutality is no less abhorrent for being expected. 

 

The Hateful Eight has a handful of terrific moments, mostly courtesy of Walton Goggins, as well as a wonderful score and top-notch sound editing, but, generally speaking, this one's a dud. The Hateful Eight runs 167 minutes and is rated R for "strong, bloody violence, a scene of violent sexual content, language, and some graphic nudity." 

 

A bloated exercise in ego, The Hateful Eight neither enlightens nor entertains; it only bores and disgusts. 

 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, The Hateful Eight gets two. 

 

Until next time, I wish a happy New Year to anyone and everyone who ever takes a moment to read my ramblings. 

 

May 2016 be peaceful, healthy, and prosperous for you all. See you at the pictures! 

 

 

MOVIE REVIEW: DJANGO UNCHAINED

DJANGO UNCHAINED



A former slave and a German bounty hunter become unlikely allies in the battle against a tyrannical plantation owner in this western from visionary director Quentin Tarantino. Two years before the Civil War pits brother-against-brother, German-born fugitive hunter Dr. King Schultz (Academy Award-winner Christoph Waltz) arrives in America determined to capture the outlaw Brittle brothers dead or alive. In the midst of his search, Dr. Schultz crosses paths with Django (Academy Award-winner Jamie Foxx), a freed slave and skilled tracker who seeks to rescue his beloved wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) from ruthless plantation owner Calvin Candie (Academy Award-nominee Leonardo DiCaprio). Django and Dr. Schultz will have to come out with pistols blazing if they ever hope to free Broomhilda from Candyland and the clutches of its vile proprietor. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Cast: Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio, Christoph Waltz, Kerry Washington, Samuel L. Jackson, Walton Goggins

Release Date: Dec 25, 2012

Rated R for strong graphic violence throughout, a vicious fight, language and some nudity.

Runtime: 2 hr. 21 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama

Review:

Django Unchained is an uneven if effective entry into the Quentin Tarantino catalogue. Tarantino’s trademark mix of stark violence, even more potent here, and humor is on full display. The violence here seems much more grounded than usual, it’s brutal and harsher than some of the more cartoonish violence we’ve seen from him before. Like all of his films, you can tell Tarantino loves the genre he’s selected, Django is no different. He adjusts his shooting style to mimic many of the classic Western films something he did in Kill Bill Volume 2. Needless to say Django is a visually impressive film full of genre vibrancy throughout. Story-wise Tarantino delivers another revenge story with a, dare I say, more romantic slant. It’s straightforward for the most part and while the film didn’t lag at any point, there is plenty that could have been cut to make it a more efficient story. Regardless, Tarantino makes it all work pulling out some impressive performances from a strong cast. Jamie Foxx is stoic yet fiery and determined as the titular Django. It’s easy to forget how impressive of an actor Foxx is when he’s as focused as he is here. In full cowboy get up he’s quite the sight as well, filling out his character’s hero status with ease. Christoph Waltz returns to work with Tarantino with strong results, playing a mentorship role similar to his Basterd character but less sinister and more humane. Their chemistry together works well, creating a believable bond between the two men. Leonardo DiCaprio fills the villain’s role with a gleeful energy that’s palpable. DiCaprio brings the necessary threatening energy needed for the role. Sam Jackson also turns in his finest work in years. Like Foxx, you tend to forget how much talent these actors have because they don’t use it in all their roles. Jackson’s role feels like a caricature at first but as the film moves on he reveals more layers to the character. Both pairs of character work as a fascinating dichotomy to each other with actors on both sides putting in awards worthy performances. The situation and tension builds leading to a dizzyingly violent gunfight, close to the scale of Kill Bill Vol. 1 finale, leaves you with a firm impression of what a human shield is. After that point the film does feel a tad bit aimless, needing to close the final story threads which it does in less operatic fashion robbing it a bit of it’s power. Regardless, if you are a Tarantino fan, you’ll find so much to love here.

B

[Trailer] Django Unchained

Oh such a delicious first look at Quentin Tarantino’s latest film. This blacksploitation / western entry looks like it’ll deliver the usual QT trademarks along with Leonardo DiCaprio just having an absolute ball…..

Movie Reviews: INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

Saturday, August 22, 2009
Movie Reviews: INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
IN THEATERS

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

“Inglourious Basterds” begins in German-occupied France where Shosanna Dreyfus(Mélanie Laurent) witnesses the execution of her family at the hand of Nazi Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz). Shosanna narrowly escapes and flees to Paris, where she forges a new identity as the owner and operator of a cinema. Elsewhere in Europe, Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) organizes a group of Jewish soldiers to engage in targeted acts of retribution. Known to their enemy as “The Basterds,” Raine’s squad joins German actress and undercover agent Bridget Von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) on a mission to take down the leaders of The Third Reich.

Cast: Brad Pitt, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, B.J. Novak, Melanie Laurent, Samm Levine

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Opened August 21, 2009

Rated R for strong graphic violence, brief sexuality and language

Genres: War Adventure, War



Review:




If you go into Quentin Tarantino’s last film expecting a serious WW2 film filled with historical accuracy then you are guaranteed to walk out disappointed. “Once upon a time in Nazi Occupied France” begins Tarantino’s latest revenge fantasy borrowing from Sergio Leone in his opening and other war films throughout, only loosely on the 70’s film of the same name, he once again shows his talent of borrowing elements from cinema history and blending them into something incredibly fascinating and utterly watchable. Paced like a slow moving train going up hill, those expecting a spatterfest in the vein of Kill Bill Vol. 1 with a WW2 will be let down by the lack of action. That’s not to say there isn’t bloody and gore, there is but not in the mass quantities of the aforementioned films. Instead Tarantino relies more on this dialogue and strong episodic pacing to create some wonderfully tension filled sequences. The opening episode and a scene in a bar, with a climax that makes the Reservoir Dogs finale look like a Disney film, are the strongest of the lot. While Tarantino’s talent as a writer is on full display and so is his knack for casting his large ensemble pieces with pitch perfect precision. Sold as a Brad Pitt film by the advertising, he’s hardly the central character. Pitt does seem to be having a ball with Aldo’s Popeye brow and chin and his southern drawl, he’s great fun throughout. Mélanie Laurent gives a well rounded performance as Shosanna as she displays a natural ability to display both toughness and vulnerability in her character. Diane Kruger also delivers a noteworthy performance in limited screen time as Bridget Von Hammersmark. The real standout here though is Christoph Waltz who sizzles with an inquisitively villainous intensity that permeates the screen from the moment he hits the screen. He crafts the performance so well that by the middle of the film any and every mundane movement comes off as sinister. The rest of the ensemble all do well in their roles and fill the caricatures adequately even if they lack any semblance of depth. Some may see this as a major drawback but considering this film is more a tall tale than anything else, it’s easily forgivable. There are a few more glaring issues which depending on which side of the Tarantino divide you’re on maybe nothing or something. His inability to quell his overindulgences do prop up from time to time with some scenes going on for a seemingly endless amount of time. The pacing isn’t going to be for everyone just like his decision to use multiple languages throughout, something I consider a stroke of genius, and relying on subtitles for extended amounts of time. Personally I’ve always enjoyed his excesses and appreciated them that doesn’t change with Inglourious Basterds.



A-