Brief Words of Mouth - The Hateful Eight

Going to try something new: Before writing longer, more formal reviews, I'm going to post my brief, immediate responses to films I watch. Full review to follow, some day!

What we've got here is an absolute great film that's unbelievably unpleasant to watch. Gorgeous cinematography, very well directed actors, bombastic, discordant music that perfectly sets the tone. Every aspect of the film-making is top notch, while every character is detestable outside of James Parks' O.B., a mostly background character.

It's functionally a remake of Reservoir Dogs: The film is centered entirely around a group of men in a single room scheming and murdering and we've got to figure out who's on whose side and what's going on. Ultimately it doesn't matter, because they're all demons stuck in a frozen purgatory waiting for hell. There's no morally gray lead here to sympathize with; no Django, no Schultz (though Tim Roth plays a bizarro version of him, taking on his look and mannerisms), no Shoshanna, no Beatrix Kiddo. There isn't even a weaselly but endearing Mr. Pink.

What we've got here is basically a rebuttal to Reservoir Dogs while following the same basic structure, complete with using flashbacks to establish who a few of the men stuck in the room are. It strips the film of its "cool factor," taking away the fancy suits and suave demeanor, leaving us with gross, dirty bandits. It takes the romanticized bounty hunter element of Django and shows it as a disgusting abomination with no winners on any side. It's a hopeless, utterly nihilistic film that I won't be able to watch again for a good long while, but it's a work of an expert craftsman. That doesn't mean it's enjoyable.

In spite of that: It's got a lot of good, dumb jokes.

Tarantino narrates a couple of scenes. I don't know why.

Review - Django Unchained (2012)

I wasn't really sure what to expect going into Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained. His previous film, 2009's Inglourious Basterds, left me pretty conflicted. It had some absolutely brilliant scenes, but there was such a massive disconnect between the stories of Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent) and the titular Basterds (led by Brad Pitt as Lt. Aldo Raine) that I had trouble reconciling the film. I was fascinated by Shosanna's story, but outside of one or two great moments, I didn't enjoy the adventures of the Basterds and part of me wished it had been split into two films. I found its statements on the power of film and the question of what it means to enjoy violence in films fascinating, but it was blunt and gross to the point that it wasn't pleasant to watch. That's probably the point, but regardless, it left me with an unpleasant feeling, and I certainly wasn't cheering on the Basterds in their campaign.

2012's Django Unchained similarly sells itself as a revenge story about the power of violence, but does so in a far more graceful manner than Basterds managed. There is a split in tone halfway through the movie, but both halves complement each other in a way I feel the two narratives of Basterds failed to do. While the film isn't without issues, Django is incredibly dense and subtle while at the same time embracing over the top lunacy in a way that works perfectly, and is Tarantino's best film of his post-1990's career.