The Hateful Eight (2015)

 The Hateful Eight (2015)

PLOT- In the dead of a Wyoming winter, a bounty hunter and his prisoner find shelter in a cabin currently inhabited by a collection of nefarious characters.

LOWDOWN - The way I can explain it. I was raised right. My late mother was a massive fan of movies, and introduced me to the wonderful world of Quentin Tarantino when I was in grade school. Some might say that's a little twisted, but my mother slowly ushered me into movies, slowly showing me the films she believed I could handle and so on and so forth. I enjoyed films the same way she did for pure enjoyment, and I'll never forget the night she rented Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, and From Dusk Till Dawn. In the years following, I was truly never the same. I honestly think I was the only girl my age who adored these movies so much that my bedroom was plastered with Reservoir Dogs posters, didn't have a crush on any boy band member, but Mr. Blond, and owned one of those sassy looking black hats as seen in Jackie Brown. I loved Tarantino movies. They were uber violent, well written, colorful, thrill rides that paid tribute to cinema when my mother was younger. With likable cool characters, edge of your seat moments, and amazing soundtracks I couldn't get enough. In fact, I have some of my best memories thinking about watching these movies, and listening to the soundtracks with my mom. One of the best presents I ever received had to be my set of Reservoir Dogs from my mother one Christmas. All of which I still have, and hold very near and dear to my heart. In the years following I saw Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2 more times than I can count at the movies. I fell hopelessly in love with Michael Madsen again, and was there during the midnight showing when Grindhouse was released. Sadly in 2009, my mother passed away suddenly and wasn't able to witness Quentin's masterpiece with Inglorious Bastards. I loved this film so much, just like the Kill Bill and Grindhouse movies, I saw it several times when it was up, and was smiling from ear to ear when it ended. I truly believe when Brad Pitt told BJ Novak that he believed this may be his masterpiece, it was actually Quentin talking to the audience. That Halloween I went as a female Bear Jew, and instantly loved the fact when I went away to school that I met so many other Tarantino fans. In fact for my roommate Jeanette's birthday, we had a Tarantino themed party which in my eyes was one of the most eventful and laughable parties while I was living up there. 

Time passed and Django Unchained was released. While this isn't my favorite movie of his (I hate Jamie Foxx) it still grew on me with it's impressive cast and great soundtrack. In fact I've re-watched it several times on Netflix and it it's slowly growing on me, even if Waltz does indeed play the same character in very single movie he's in. I don't think he'll never be able to capture how terrifying and awesome he was in Bastards. There are several reasons why I didn't care much for Unchained, and I think a big one is how it was the follow up to Bastards. I mean if you look back on that film, it was complete and utter perfection. In my eyes the basement scene with Michael Fassbender will forever go down as one of the most tense scenes I've ever witnessed. 

When I heard about The Hateful Eight and it's impressive cast, I decided to go into this movie knowing very little about it. Sadly over the years I've spoiled many awesome films due to spoilers so for once I decided to stay far away from any talk about this movie. All I knew was what I saw from the trailer, and how it was being toured in 70MM. Excited, it took me for what seemed like forever to finally getting around to watching it. Safe to say, in my eyes at least this is in Tarantino's third greatest film. Now I know this movie didn't have the biggest following, but so far I've seen it three times at the movies and haven't had enough. As a massive fan of old Westerns, this movie was several movies in all, being gritty, dirty, and cruel. The film plays out very much like a stage play, and to be completely honest, I couldn't believe my own eyes in some scenes. Each character/actor stepped up to plate bring their own talent to the table. Of course I'm a sucker for Michael Madsen, but seeing him and Tim Roth again brought warmth to my heart. It's great to see these great actors from the earlier movies return. Plus Madsen as a cowboy? Feel the fantasy…What? Only me…? 

My favorite characters had to be Samuel L Jackson and Walton Goggings. The chemistry these two brought as two bickering men had me laughing the entire time. The ending scene after all the build up touched me, and is one of Quentin's greatest endings of all time. The film was full of tense moments. The coffee scene by far stole the entire show, as did Jennifer Jason Leigh's gritty performance as Daisy. It seems just like yesterday she played Nash in The Hitcher and was torn apart by two trucks while C. Thomas Howell watched. With tons of great actors, laughable moments, a beautiful scene (loved the samples from The Exorcist II and The Thing), as well as the reveal of chapter 4, all I have to say is if Quentin is indeed making two more films, I can only hope he continues in this style. I know one thing for sure, my mother would have loved this movie.

I hope someday to get a tattoo based off this movie, and yes I have all ready started collecting the dolls. For any fan of film, this is old school cinema, that's beautifully filmed on such a grand scale. I urge anyone to check this amazing film out, mostly in 70mm. Believe it, you won't regret it!

5 stars!