Don't Become Too Attached To Anyone..."The Hateful Eight"

The Hateful Eight  (2015)

Rated R

Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern

Written and Directed by Quentin Tarantino

The Story:

Bounty hunter John Ruth (Russell) is bringing Daisy (Leigh) in to collect the reward. However, as they race in their stagecoach to the haberdashery to avoid an impending blizzard, they run into another bounty hunter, Major Marquis Warren (Jackson) stranded in the storm. Then they meet Chris Mannix (Goggins), who claims to be the new Sheriff of Red Rock. Once they all make it to the haberdashery, they meet even more people and things get ready to take a very deadly turn.

Someday, Quentin Tarantino will write a movie without profanity or violence.

Maybe even a kids movie.

That day is not today.

:)

No, instead, Tarantino takes us on a trip back to the wild west and puts us into a nest of ruthless rogues who like to talk.

And talk.

And talk some more.

But, that's what Tarantino is known for: dialogue.

And this movie has a ton of it.

Just a bit under 3 hours worth.

The movie starts off with chapters, and that is all fine and good, but then when the movie comes back from intermission (yes, it's that long...) Tarantino makes a stylistic change that I didn't agree with then, and still don't now.

He introduces a narrator for the last half of the movie.

I don't get the choice, other than to remind his audience of what they may not have remembered since the intermission.

It's jarring, and again, out of place since the first half of the movie did not include a narrator, I still don't see why he felt the need to bring one in to the proceedings.

Otherwise, it's a fine cast, and if you love Tarantino movies, you'll probably love this one just as much as the rest of his catalog.

Final Grade:  B-

Duck Dynasty Meets Quentin Tarantino..."The Baytown Outlaws"

The Baytown Outlaws (2012)
Rated R for Violence and Language

Starring Clayne Crawford, Travis Fimmel and Daniel Cudmore

Directed by Barry Battles

The Story:

The Oodie Boys, Brick (Crawford), McQueen (Fimmel) and Lincoln (Cudmore) are three redneck renegades who make a living keeping a local town clear of low-life criminals by killing them.  This arrangement works great for the sheriff (Andre Braugher) until the boys accidentally go to the wrong house... this draws attention from the Feds.  The boys get hired by Celeste (Eva Longoria) to head to Texas and rescue her godson (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) from her ex-husband Carlos (Billy Bob Thornton).  If they do that, and kill Carlos, they'll make $25,000.

What could possibly go wrong?

Well, considering they are about to be hunted across the country by a group of prostitute assassins, some angry Indian bikers and another gang of bounty hunters, things are going to get pretty hairy for the boys.

First, Billy Bob Thornton and Eva Longoria get top billing and most prominent casting on the poster, but neither is in it very much.

But in reality, that's a good thing.

No, this film belongs to the Oodie Boys, and these three pull of hillbilly redneck like nobody's business!

Here Come the Oodies!

The banter and interaction between them, yes, it's easy to believe that they are brothers who've got each other's backs at all times.

The movie seemingly veers off into the absurd with each new wave of bounty hunters chasing the boys down.

Prostitutes on motorcycles? Check!

They Charge By The Hour...Or The Mile!

A black militia with a vehicle straight out of the Road Warrior movies?  Check!

A tribe of scalping Indians on motorcycles? Check!

Yet in this crazy world that the Oodies inhabit, you buy each layer of crazy with no reservations at all.

It's crazy. It's funny.  It's violent.

And every once in a while, it surprises itself and becomes a little touching.

But they quickly kick that aside and get back to crazy.

:)

Not too bad for a pure-bred B movie!

Final Grade: C+/B-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Nah, one viewing for this is fine.  Though if they boys found themselves in a sequel, I'd certainly give it a try!

What In The Wide Wide World of Sports Is "Django Unchained" Doing Here?

How the South Was Won...

The Story:

Django (Jamie Foxx) is a slave who is rescued by Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), a bounty hunter.  He needs Django's help identifying three bounties, and offers to give him some of the reward.  The two get along quite well, and Schultz takes him under his wing.  Django proves to be rather adept at being a bounty hunter, and asks for Schultz's help to find his wife ( Kerry Washington) who has been sold to a southern plantation owner (Leonardo DiCaprio).  The two pull off an elaborate scheme to get to attempt to buy her freedom, but there's a good chance not everyone will walk away from this plan unscathed.

Dear Quentin Tarantino-

I apologize to you on behalf of all of the things I've ever said about your movies.

I didn't enjoy Pulp Fiction, I'm not even sure I finished it, and was unimpressed with Kill Bill.

So I believe I added him to the short list of directors whose work I do not like, and therefore will avoid.

Then I watched Inglourious Basterds, and rather enjoyed it.

So I'm now in a conundrum, has Tarantino's work shifted over time, perhaps showing me a growth in his work?
Was I simply missing out on the greatness that people profess of his work, or was I just not feeling that great when I watched Pulp Fiction?  I do remember being sick that day...

Or do I only respond well to genre films from him, From Dusk till Dawn (horror), Inglorious Basterds (WWII) and now Django (Western) ?

I'm not sure.

But I really enjoyed this film.

Jamie Foxx did a great job as the slave turned gunslinger, and owned the role.  I read that it was designed for Will Smith, but he turned it down because he thought Django wasn't the main character, or because he doesn't kill the bad guy (DiCaprio) at the end.

First, I'm glad that Will Smith didn't take this role.  It would have been too hard to see the guy who grinned his way through Wild Wild West try and become a hardline bounty hunter.  While he can go dramatic, I think he's seen too much as the fun actor to bring the edge that's needed to this part.

Plus, he's wrong.

The REAL bad guy of this film is not DiCaprio.  It's Samuel L. Jackson's character.  Take him out of the equation, and everyone walks out of this film alive.

Never have I rooted for a character to get killed more in a western, and his death was spectacular, and well deserved.

Jamie Foxx works well as the star of the film by allowing everyone else to overshadow him, something that I don't think Will Smith's ego would allow.

One of those, Christoph Waltz is simply amazing in his role as Dr. Schultz.  This is his second Oscar under Tarantino's hand, and he deserved both, as he was the most mesmerizing character in both of those films.

DiCaprio goes full on Johnny Depp mode as the bad guy, and I think he really plays well as the bad guy.  It's a role very unlike him, and I think Tarantino brought out the best in his actors.  Reading the background of the film, they say he used a real glass and actually cut his hand in one scene so that real blood and anger were on his face.

Method actors, gotta love 'em!

: )

Finally, I would be remiss to say that I would like to thank Mr. Tarantino for balancing out two of the most gruesome scenes ever filmed (The Dog and the Mandingo Fight) by trimming their grossness, but also by putting in two of the funniest scenes not in a Western by Mel Brooks.

1) The first big shootout in Candie Land.  The guy screaming in pain as he was shot repeatedly by accident... sorry, that was just hilarious.  That whole gunfight was epic and well done.
2) The Regulators getting to ride, but first discussing their masks.  Hahahahahaha... that was so politically incorrect, it was awesome.


My hat is off to you sir, thank you for an excellent movie.

I may have to revisit your catalog and see if my initial opinion was wrong, or if we've just both changed over the years.


Final Grade: A-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I could be persuaded to do either.  Be advised, the film is rather lengthly (nearly 3 hours) but sure doesn't drag like it's 3 hours.