The Hateful Eight Review

The Hateful Eight

"Move a little strange, you're gonna get a bullet. Not a warning, not a question...A bullet!" -Major Marquis Warren

    The new mystery/drama/action/comedy, or in other words a Quentin Tarantino movie, The Hateful Eight, is directed and written by the man himself Quentin Tarantino and stars Samuel L. Jackson as Major Marquis Warren, Kurt Russell as John Ruth, Walton Goggins as Sheriff Chris Mannix, Jennifer Jason Leigh as Daisy Domergue, Tim Roth as Oswaldo Mobray, Michael Madsen as Joe Gage, Demian Bichir as Bob, Bruce Dern as General Sandy Smithers, and James Parks as O.B. Jackson.

 ^Quentin and gang^

    The Hateful Eight is another one of Quentin's films that is  mostly set in one place, this place being Minnie's Haberdashery. John 'The Hangman' Ruth is a bounty hunter and is on set to go to the town of Red Rock, Wyoming to bring his prisoner Daisy Domergue in exchange for 10,000 dollars. Along the way, they run into Major Marquis Warren and later, Sheriff Chris Mannix,who both end up riding along with them in the midst of an intense blizzard. The five characters (including the driver of the horse carriage, O.B. Jackson) seek shelter at a small cabin known as Minnie's Haberdashery where four other people are sheltered from the storm, Oswaldo Mobray, Joe Gage, Bob, and General Sandy Smithers. During the stay, Warren notices people acting strange and comes to the conclusion that one, or all, of the people at the cabin is not who they say they are. The Hateful Eight then turns into a mystery story sort of like the board game/movie Clue. Blood and gore spills and cursing is thrown around like nobody can hear, thus making The Hateful Eight a classic Quentin Tarantino film.

 ^Ahh. Quentin, you've done it again, you crazy amazing bastard.^

     Quentin Tarantino filmed The Hateful Eight in 70mm film which basically means the film has a wide high-resolution film gauge for both still and motion pictures. It has higher resolution than the standard 35 mm film format format. Most films nowadays are using digital filming more and more and it really is hard to tell by the regular viewer which is which. However, 70 mm film is the classic and better film for the experience it gives in theaters. Sorry about that little tangent. Now onto the movie itself.

^Alright, Alright! I'm going!^

     I rarely say this about movies overall, but, like most of Quentin's movies, I had fun with The Hateful Eight. It wasn't just a cool and insane movie, but the experience was very enjoyable. The audience got really engaged by laughing and moaning in disgust to some of the scenes. There was even an intermission at the halfway point of the movie! Rightly so because The Hateful Eight is a little over 3 hours. It was something straight out of a 60's film which, by the way, I would love to go back to that time to just watch a movie.

 ^General Sandy Smithers' reaction to how Marquis Warren killed and violated his son. It's really REALLY messed up.^

     The whole casts' performance in The Hateful Eight was fantastic. Jeniffer Jason Leigh is nominated for a golden globe for best supporting actress in a motion picture and I completely agree with that choice. For me, Samuel L.  Jackson's performance stole the show. His madness is shown on screen and I couldn't be more happier. Sam has a type of role that makes it seem as though you question everyone you know who you know has a good heart. It isn't as tough he is a bad person, but he does what's best for himself even if it means scaring or killing them. Tarantino is the writer and I think he does an incredible job with the dialogue, but Sam, like in previous films, really brings the gold in how he says it. All this praise doesn't exclude the fact that Kurt Russell, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, and the rest of the cast made Oscar worthy performances, but Sam really tops it all.

 ^If you see this man walking towards you on a long and narrow street, you're pretty much out of luck. Sorry.^

     The Hateful Eight isn't without its cracks. The biggest noticeable flaw that it has is the repetitive Quentin Tarantino trademark (i.e. long monologues by characters, heavy and over the top gore, 'Chapters' to tell the story, etc.). None of this is bad in any way whatsoever. I love watching his movies, but there is a theme in the storytelling that does get a little repetitive. However, Tarantino has a great batting average when it comes to directing and writing. I would say The Hateful Eight is a triple that could have almost been a home run if it weren't for Tarantino relying on the dialogue for the first half of the movie and then the over the top violence for the second half. In any case, Tarantino does well for The Hateful Eight and I'd love to see many more films if he doesn't retire early.

 ^The biggest film buff in Hollywood: Quentin Tarantino!^

    Whether it was the bloody scenes in which people get their heads blown off or the smart and incredible dialogue given by the actors and Tarantino, there is always an art in which The Hateful Eight delivers. There haven't been many experiences this year like Quentin's movie and for that I have to urge everyone to go watch it. I had a blast listening to Samuel L. Jackson give speeches that come from straight lunacy while watching those flashbacks of utter revulsion. It was hilarious nontheless.

Pro

• Quentin Tarantino's writing and directing
• Samuel L. Jackson's performance, along with the rest of the cast
• Comical violence to the max
• Unique experience

Con

• Repetitive Tarantino trademark

 

4.8/5

 

The Hateful Eight is rated R for strong bloody violence, a scene of violent sexual content, language and some graphic nudity

 

Watch the trailer here

 

The Hateful Eight is in select theaters now and everywhere on January 1, 2016

 

Thanks for reading my review! Follow me on Facebook here and Twitter here to get updates on new reviews. Please share my blog with whomever you'd like. If you've seen The Hateful Eight comment and tell me what you think of it. Thanks again!

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (SPOILER FREE) Review

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

SPOILER FREE!

"Chewie, we're home."  -Han Solo

    Star Wars: The Force Awakens is now the seventh installment of the cultural phenomenon and is directed by J.J. Abrams. It stars Daisy Ridley as Rey, John Boyega as Finn, Harrison Ford as Han Solo, Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron, Carrie Fischer as Princess Leia Organa, Domhnall Gleeson as General Hux, Andy Serkis as Supreme Leader Snoke, Lupita Nyong'o as Maz Kanata, Gwendoline Christie as Captain Phasma, Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca, and Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker.

^I hope they didn't get into any fights on set, or else we would have real Star Wars...  :D^

    Star Wars: The Force Awakens takes place 30 years after the original trilogy ended. A new cast takes the helm of this magnificent universe that George Lucas has created, but alongside the old cast as well. A new evil known as the First Order, led by Kylo Ren and others, has risen in the fall of the Galactic Empire and the new guys (Finn, Rey, and Poe) have to stop them with help from the Resistance.

     That's pretty much where I'll stop regarding the plot because Lucasfilms and Disney have really been good about keeping this film under wraps. I'm sorry about this, but I feel like there really shouldn't be any spoilers for a little while. I may post a spoiler version of my review in a week or two, but for now I am going to keep my mouth shut.

 ^Harrison Ford would literally come to my house, stare me down from my front door and say, "did you say ANYTHING to ANYONE?"^

    Fanboys rejoice! The Force Awakens is everything I wanted it to be and more. From the amazing practical effects and the action scenes to the old cast and even the humor, the seventh installment is a great piece of cinema. You also have to remember that this movie isn't out to sweep the Oscars and other award shows (although maybe nominations are in order for visual effects, sound design, make up, and other technical categories), but rather to be a fantastic experience that anyone can enjoy. I was glued to the screen for the entire 2 hours and 15 minutes. I was never bored once.

^J.J. Abrams (director) should be given most of the credit for carrying the heavy weight of such a beloved franchise and succeeding in his endeavor of keeping fans happy^

     As I mentioned, the action sequences played out in The Force Awakens are remarkable. When the quintessential lightsaber sound vibrated throughout the auditorium, I felt chills. The sound design has been upgraded from the previous films for sure. It sounds magnificent when not in action and when hitting against each other. Also, the choreography is not too dramatic and not too lazy, making the fights all too real.

 ^You can tell a lot about somebody based on what color lightsaber they use.^

     Now going to the opposite of lightsabers, the practical effects used in The Force Awakens was used in abundance. Of course, the special effects were balanced out as well too, but going back to original Star Wars roots, the make up and the animations felt authentic and not tossed around just to please fans. The Force Awakens team used special effects when they needed to and practical effects when needed to.

^Apparently SNL alumnus Bill Hader was a voice consultant for the cute little droid BB-8.^

     Bringing back the old cast which include Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, and Mark Hamill, had a profound impact on making us want to go see The Force Awakens. It definitely succeeded in that, but they were all really only secondary characters, Harrison Ford maybe being the exclusion. This being the case, the story and the focus of the movie was not retracted form me. I knew coming in it wasn't about the old characters. Finn and Rey were the newcomers that are taking the mantle, but having the original characters in here, boosted up the nostalgic factor and the overall awesomeness of The Force Awakens.

 ^Star Wars OGs, right there.^

    As much I'm praising The Force Awakens for being a tour de force (no pun intended) in the hearts of nerds everywhere, it is not without its flaws. There are story elements of A New Hope sprinkled all over the place in The Force Awakens. I'm repeating that I will not get into details about the plot, but there were definitely repetitive beats that I saw and thought to myself, 'Oh. I've seen that before.' Still, I will say again that I came in to the film thinking that this film is not set out to win or nominated for every category in the Oscars. It was supposed to bring back the admired saga that we all grew up with and feed us nostalgia. It did just that.

 ^To be a fly on the wall in this room...^

     Being a fanboy may give me some sort of bias when it comes to giving Star Wars: The Force Awakens a rating, but us fanboys have been burned in the past *cough, prequels, cough*. Also, expectations may either end as a full intact object or be shattered completely. I talked to a good amount of people who saw the movie so far, and they have all said the same thing, "awesome". The direction that J.J. Abrams is taking the Star Wars saga is a great decision and I believe that other fans will agree.

Pro

• Great amount of nostalgia with original cast, but not relying on it
• Well done choreography and action scenes
• Perfect blend of special and practical effects
• Tremendous new cast leading the Star Wars series

Con

• Repetitive beats regarding story from A New Hope

4.7/5

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence

Watch the trailer here  

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is in theaters everywhere now

Thanks for reading my review! Follow me on Facebook here and Twitter here to get updates on new reviews. Please share my blog with whomever you'd like. If you've seen it, comment and tell me what you thought of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Thanks again!

In the Heart of the Sea Review

In the Heart of the Sea

"The tragedy of the Essex is the story of men. And a Demon."  -Old Thomas Nickerson

    The nautical action/adventure biopic In the Heart of the Sea is directed by the great Ron Howard (Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, The Da Vinci Code) and stars Chris Hemsworth as Owen Chase, Benjamin Walker as George Pollard, Cillian Murphy as Matthew Joy, Brendan Gleeson as old Tom Nickerson, Ben Whishaw as Herman Melville, and Tom Holland as young Tom Nickerson.

^Great looking cast...just wait until you see what they turn into...^

    In the Heart of the Sea takes place in 1820 and is the true story behind the book Moby Dick and how it came. Through an interview, the story is told by whaler and former cabin boy and now elderly Thomas Nickerson to soon to be author of Moby Dick Herman Melville.  The whaling ship known as the Essex is crewed by the Captain George Pollard, first officer Chase Owen, second officer Matthew Joy, and other fellow crew members including Thomas Nickerson. The men are tasked to bring back 2,000 barrels of whale oil (which is pretty much like the oil we use today) to the port of Nantucket. A disruption occurs during their 1 year voyage when the ship is slammed then sinks by a gigantic and enraged sperm whale (inspiration for the name Moby Dick). Hereafter, the crew has to survive in the middle of the sea with no ships in sight and more than a thousand miles from land. The crew makes the decision to sail for South America to where the closest humans are. Through the harsh conditions of the weather, the angry whale, and most of all, lack of food and water, the crew has to resort to making extremely difficult decisions and even cannibalism.

 ^Damn, Moby. You're making things so frustrating for the people who only want to kill your family for your oil.^

    

    Whenever Ron Howard directs a film, I get immensely excited because it's Ron Howard. He's made great movies. Then he's made alright movies that can be forgettable. Unfortunately, I would have to say the In the Heart of the Sea is an alright movie, however not forgettable. This had some really interesting and amazing scenes, most of which involve the whale itself. I was so invested in the fear of being alone at sea with a giant angry sperm whale circling me waiting to attack. The thing is that the whale was a background character that didn't have enough scenes. I'm guessing that he was in the film for 30 minutes, at the most, out of the 2 hours and 2 minutes of running time. However the scenes that I did get to see of him were magnificent and terrifying. It was almost like Jaws in the way that you wouldn't want to be in the middle of the ocean trying to deal with harsh environments, barely any water, barely any food, no land for miles and miles, and on top of that a damn 60 ton whale watching your every move. Also, the whale, along with the other whales, were beautiful to watch while they were underwater. It's truly another world below sea level.

 ^Quick! A 40+ foot/12+ meter long Sperm Whale is coming at you at 25 mph/40 kph. What do you do?^

    While I enjoyed the little amount of scenes with the whale, the rest of the movie was really quite boring. There were times were I was entertained with watching Captain George Pollard and first officer Owen Chase have their spats with Chase wanting to be the captain (Chase, having the experience of a whaler, and Pollard, having just a legacy name and no experience), but there was no clear character development leaving me kind of helpless to sympathize with the characters. I didn't even absolutely sorry for the characters who were eaten by the other crew members when they were stranded out in the ocean. However, I was grossed out. I only really cared a little for Owen Chase, Thomas Nickerson, and Matthew Joy because I'm very familiar with the actors playing them and love their work. I cared for Chase a little more due to seeing him with his pregnant wife, knowing that he has a family. I'm sure that if anybody else portrayed them the same, I wouldn't care at all.

 <Chris Hemsworth as Owen Chase

 Tom Holland as a young Thomas Nickerson>

 <Cillian Murphy as Matthew Joy

    Along with the whales, a big reason why I enjoyed and appreciate In the Heart of the Sea was the dedication given by the actors and the crew. I learned a little about this before and after watching the film. All of the actors who portrayed members of the ship lost a substantial amount of weight. with supposedly only 500 calories a day to eat during filming, Chris Hemsworth and fellow actors really fell below the limit of their original weight. During the scenes of the characters being stranded at sea, it looked as if they were dying of starvation, which apparently was somewhat real. My appreciation for these people really blew up. The makeup department definitely deserves a head nod too. They made the actors look like they haven't bathed in months and haven't eaten in more than a year.

 ^2014's sexiest man alive? OK then.^

    While I was disappointed in Ron Howard's retelling of how the book Moby Dick came to be, I can't say it's bad at all. I was amused with the giant sperm whale and the world around them. However, the majority of the film was bland and I didn't care for any of the characters as much as I wanted to, no matter how hard I tried. Overall, I do think it's an interesting film to watch to know more about the history of Moby Dick and the story of the Essex, it's just not as good as I wanted it to be.

Pro

• The sperm whale scenes
• The underwater world is amazing and beautiful
• Dedication from the actors and crew

Con

• It's boring
• No character development

 

3.3/5

 

In the Heart of the Sea is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action and peril, brief startling violence, and thematic material

 

Watch the trailer here 

 

In the Heart of the Sea is in theaters everywhere now

 

Thank you for reading everybody! Follow me on Facebook here and Twitter here to get updates on new reviews! If you can, please share my blog to any other movie lovers or anybody who would enjoy my reviews. Thank you again!