#1 The Hateful Eight

Quentin Tarantino's latest movie is the perfect way to start off the year.  This film was an amazing experience. That I can say with no hesitation. I'm still not sure if I love it or not.

The Hateful Eight is completely and totally Tarantino. On Steroids.  He give you lots more of what you love. And lots more of what you don't.

Early reviews use the adjectives long, talky, gory, violent. All true. But not necessarily bad. Could the filmmaker have made different choices and still succeeded? Absolutely. But he made THESE choices, and that's his movie.

It looks stunning. Shot in "Ultra-Panavision 70", a 65mm Eastman Kodak negative with a 2.76:1 aspect ratio, it's a wonderful feast for the eyes. The frame is full of information all the time. And despite gripes about using this format for so much interior shooting, it works great. Add to that the split focus techniques thrown in from time to time. (I still wonder if this technique is noticed by joe-q-public, or if it goes by without a thought - I always see it, and although it takes me out of the moment, it tells me instantly that the filmmaker made a deliberate choice to show me two planes of focus at once, and I feel like I have been served a special treat. As a digression... Apparently also called a split diopter shot, it's used frequently by Tarantino. I still remember the first time I noticed it: in 1979's Star Trek the Motion Picture, directed by Robert Wise. His cinematographer was Richard Kline, and boy does HE have a diverse body of work.)

I still found the image to be darker than I'd have liked, except for the exterior shots that were in full daylight. I blame the digital projection process, although I don't have any proof for that as of now. At least it wasn't in 3D.

The Eight mentioned in the title represent most (but not all) of the characters we spend the better part of three hours with. I'll leave it up to the viewer to determine exactly who those Hateful Eight are. But they're all pretty hateful. The performances are riveting. The characters are given much to say, and each gets a chance to speak his/her mind at one point or another, which allows for each to shine in their time.

Samuel L Jackson is wonderful as always, and I think Tarantino directs him better than anyone. Kurt Russel, as John "the Hangman" Ruth, plays the juiciest version of the paragons he's played in the past. I could go on, but I will say that of all the parts, I was least impressed with Michael Madsen, who struck me as still playing his character from the Kill Bill films, in demeanor, delivery, attitude, and engagement. Which is neither praise nor pan, just an observation.

The movie is violent as all hell, the blood runs freely. It certainly harbors adult themes. But it's pure QT.  I have thought on this one hard: if you could honestly say that you'd be happily willing to sit through, and enjoy, a double feature of Reservoir Dogs, and then Django Unchained, then I'd say you're plenty ready for this one. If you've got problems with them movies, then perhaps you should spend those three hours elsewhere. But I hope you see this, so we can talk about it.