The Hateful Eight

The Bounty Hunter. The Hangman. The Prisoner. The Sheriff. The Mexican. The Little Man. The Cowpuncher. The Confederate.

All in glorious 70mm.

It takes an excellent storyteller, writer, and director to craft an entertaining 3 hour movie that predominantly takes place in two locations - a one-room haberdashery and the blizzard outside of it.

This movie also introduced me to the word "haberdashery", which definitely scores it some points.

For his 8th film, Quentin Tarantino goes big. This was the first movie I've ever seen with an intermission. It was well executed - the perfectly placed 11 minute break gave me time to stretch my legs, visit the pee pee palace, ponder the thrilling events of the past, and speculate on the infinite possibilities for the future of the movie.

The Hateful Eight feels like an epic - 5 sprawling, yet increasingly intriguing chapters filled with brilliant Tarantino dialogue that can only flow from the mouths of a stellar cast - Kurt Russell's mustache is at it's peak and Sam L. Jackson is, well, a western Sam L. Jackson. No complaint there. 

It's nice to see Tim Roth and Michael Madsen work together again - something we haven't had the pleasure of seeing since Reservoir Dogs. Walton Goggins stole the show and conveyed an impressive character arc - and I'd never even heard his name before.

Jennifer Jason Leigh, who hasn't been in anything huge lately, was perfectly cast. She's creepy, hilarious, and very easy to hate. I would love to see a best supporting actress nom for her performance.

Ennio Morricone, who also composed the score for The Thing, composes another beautiful score for The Thing's western, more human counterpart. The two movies would make for a great double feature.

The death toll is high, the violence is plentiful, some parts are tough to stomach, and it's a movie you'd never want to watch with your mother - everything you need for a great Tarantino flick. It's not as good as Inglorious Basterds or even Django - but it's not losing by much. 

This is an awesome mystery movie about human nature, racism, and manipulation - filled with dramatic tension throughout. I left the theater more than satisfied and once more blown away by Tarantino's ability to write and tell a story. 

If you have the chance to catch one of the 70mm Roadshow showings, take it! The colors are lush, the use of light is noticeable, and Tarantino fills the wider aspect ratio with purpose. With the Roadshow experience, you get an overture, an intermission, and an awesome little collectible booklet filled with great pictures and fun facts about the movie. This was no doubt my second favorite theater experience of the year (behind Star Wars of course).

"Spend the holidays with someone you hate."