Tarantino does cludeo and calls it 'The Hateful Eight'

 Actual Photo.


So where to start with this then? I have been a fan of Tarantino for ages, ever since I first saw Pulp Fiction many years ago, so you would think that every time he releases a new movie that I would be super excited to see it. That wasn't really the case with the Hateful Eight. Its not that I saw trailers and thought oh well that looks terrible, it was more that Tarantino's standards have somewhat dropped since his early days. He is a fine filmmaker and they are still enjoyable, but his most memorable films for me came in the 90s, though admittedly I enjoy the hell out of Inglorious Basterds.

But thats neither here nor there, so anyway, the Hateful Eight!

So the plot like any Tarantino film is quite episodic and told in non linear stages. But in short it concerns the fate of a murderer and gang member by the name of Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh) who is being escorted to the town of Red Rock by bounty hunter John Ruth (Kurt Russell). However due to a fierce storm, Ruth is forced to stay inside a wood cabin with 6 others including Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L Jackson - because obviously) and Chris Mannix (Walter Goggins) - the soon to be sheriff of Red Rock. The obstacle being that none of the men can trust each other as Ruth is sure that somewhere someone will try to free Daisy.I wont go through the twists and character interactions, because if you want that, then watch the film, but the majority of the action takes place in this one setting.

So what do I think?

Well... I wont say I was overwhelmed by this film, but I enjoyed it to a degree. Like I said, Tarantino remains a skilled man and this film is no exception. Its visually very creative, shot well and the soundtrack from Morricone is encapsulating as always. In many ways this film represents something of a throwback for Tarantino as like Reservoir Dogs the film largely takes place in one room and the interaction of the characters are the driving force behind the plot. This is what Tarantino does best - dialogue. If you are  a fan of Tarantino then this will satisfy you in that regard. Its punchy, its funny and clever.

However, I cant help but feel there was something missing and having waited a week before reviewing it, I think I know what it is, the cast. Though its an ensemble cast and that usually means you can get away with not having 'great' actors, I really felt that nobody in this movie stood out. Jennifer Jason Leigh has been nominated for an Oscar for her performance and I cant really see why. She isn't bad, but Oscar worthy? I don't think so. Kurt Russell is another who really does nothing for me, he plays the character well, but again its nothing more than OK. As for Samuel L Jackson, he has always been a bit hit and miss for me, he was great in Pulp Fiction and pretty good in Django Unchained, and to be fair is probably the stand out performer in this, however I just feel that the casting stalled the film slightly. Tim Roth and Michael Madsen are somewhat wasted and in the end I felt a tad let down by them all.

This isn't helped by the fact that the film is three hours long and so there is a lot of waiting around and even I as a complete idiot could see scenes that didn't need to be there. At least with the run time of Reservoir Dogs (99 minutes) you got a much better paced film that gave you what you wanted quickly and more easily. This film could probably have been 2 hours and who knows, maybe that would have made a big difference.

I just cant help but feel that Tarantino was stifled by the fact that he had to do certain re-writes when the script was leaked. I could sense that maybe some of the writing was rushed or compromised because it had to be changed.

I hate giving number ratings when talking about a film, but for arguments sake, I would put this in the 6/10 category. Its never terrible, but its never groundbreaking either. I have heard that this could be Tarantino's last film, and I really really hope that its not true because this would certainly be something of an anti climax.

God this review sounds bad doesn't it? It sounds like I just flat out hated it. I didn't but I suppose having watched all Tarantino's films I just know he can do better and I do expect him to stay on and do better, I think maybe he needs to get back to gangster films, because that's where he seems most comfortable. He should also use De Niro again so that the man can be saved from making Dirty f**king Grandpa.

Anyway, there's my advice Quentin, see what you think and email me if you have any questions.

Brooklyn - I get a bit excited here, just prior warning.

Brooklyn!


Ok so again I am a little late to the party as Brooklyn has been out for a few months now, but I thought I might as well offer you my thoughts and my thoughts are that this really is a fantastic film. Its just... so beautiful, its not what you would call innovative in terms of its plot, but its still a love story that you can completely connect to and immerse yourself in.

So yeah, as you can see, I quite like this movie, but what's it actually about I don't hear you say because we aren't having an actual conversation and the we in this context is a metaphorical person in my head. Sorry, I got off track there.

Aaaaanyway, Brooklyn is about a young Irish girl called Ellis Lacy (Saoirse Ronan) who senses that her life in Ireland isn't leading anywhere and with the help of her sister and a priest moves to Brooklyn in the United States. Despite initial homesickness Ellis soon begins to love her life in the States and meets a young Italian man called Anthony (Emory Cohen). However tragically for Ellis her sister Rose (Fiona Glasscott) dies and Ellis returns home and struggles to come to terms with whether or not to stay at home with her mother and her admirer Jim (Domhnall Gleeson) or return to Anthony.

And that's that really, its the sort of love story that has been told again and again, and yet this is not at any point a detriment to the film overall. This is down almost and I mean almost entirely to the performance of Ronan who is nothing short of mesmerising in the lead role. She is ably assisted by other cast members including Julie Walters who provides some of the more comedic aspects of the film, but it is Ronan who comes out of this film as the main attraction - for me anyway.

What really surprises me about her is her age, Ronan is only 21 years old - 20 freaking 1!! What's so special about that? Well honestly you wouldn't believe that someone so young could put in such a wonderfully crafted and understated performance. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that she looks older,just that she has a presence on screen that really defies her youth. I seriously cannot praise her performance enough, she makes want to find out what happens to her character, she pushes the film forward at a pace that never stalls and she makes you believe that love really does exist (OK I know that's mushy but honestly its true). I haven't yet seen the films which contain the other actresses nominated for the best performance Oscar, but based on what she did in Brooklyn it would be thoroughly deserved if Ronan was to pick up the award.*

I must also gush about the soundtrack a little bit because its fantastic. The score is subtle and just perfect for the images that appear in front of you and there was even one song that was sung in the Irish language that made me homesick. Please bare in mind that I watched this at home in England and I have no familial attachment to Ireland whatsoever and this song made me homesick. How on earth does that happen seriously?

I just cannot offer enough praise to this film, some readers (I know you exist somewhere) might think I am being over the top, but I am not often over the top when it comes to films and Brooklyn has elicited a response that is quite uncommon for me.

Watch it please!!





*Also, if you want another award, you can marry me Saoirse, not as good as an Oscar obviously, but I promise I will be like suuuuuuper good to you.