Review: 'The Hateful Eight' (2015)

The Weinstein Company

It is no secret that Quentin Tarantino, within his films, has a strong tendency to paint the screen red, so to speak. If Tarantino is at the helm, blood will be shed and no character or set piece is safe. His latest film, The Hateful Eight is no expectation to this trademark style. Less people may be aware that with this blood drenched violence also comes a wildly entertaining, dialogue heavy script that only a master penman can piece together. The Hateful Eight is also no exception to this Tarantino film characteristic. So considering just these two factors, The Hateful Eight is Tarantino’s most Tarantino film yet. At the same time though, it is important to make very clear, The Hateful Eight is a different animal all of its own.

Taking place for a majority of its 167 minute running time (the non-70mm Roadshow version) in a cabin on a mountain range in Wyoming being effected by a nasty blizzard not long after the civil war, The Hateful Eight actually  opens with a stage coach at the center of things. This stage coach, its driver and two passengers, comes across Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson), a bounty hunter on his way to Red Rock, right smack dab in the middle of their path, setting on a stack of bodies. It just so happens that occupying the stage coach is the infamous John Ruth (Kurt Russell), which has acquired “The Hangman” nickname due to his practice of delivering a prisoner alive so that a hanging can take place. His prisoner, literally chained to his side, at this point in time is Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh) who has a $10,000 price tag on her head.

With the blizzard quickly approaching, Major Warren has no choice but to ask for a ride a after a brief discussion to sort out reluctantly, John Ruth allows him to do so. The discussion reveals that Ruth and Warren have crossed each other’s paths before which prompt’s Ruth, when in the stage coach with Warren, to ask to read a letter Warren has from President Lincoln. As Ruth is reading the letter, were given the first great line of this snowy, no bullets saved western and then assured we are in for one wickedly wild ride.    

Shortly after this, the stage coach comes across former militiaman and, according to him, the new sheriff of Red Rock, Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins). After he is able to persuade John Ruth to allow him to travel with them, the now 4 person stage coach and its driver O.B. (James Parks, who, regardless of not being one of the ‘hateful eight’, goes toe to toe with the rest of cast, making for a memorable performance to say the least) make their way to Minnie’s Haberdashery for shelter.

However, questions of thing not be how they should when Minnie is nowhere to be found when arriving and her Haberdashery is being occupied by Bob (Demian Bichir), Oswaldo Mobray (Tim Roth), Joe Gage (Michael Madsen) and General Sandy Smithers (Bruce Dern). These 4 occupants, along with the four from the stage coach passengers, make up the ‘hateful eight’, and with all of them having a story (some knowing others past, some not), stuck inside the Haberdashery, all that can be done is to question the intentions and grow even more suspicious of one another.

Even though some of them had already been given a chance to bring life to their characters, it is in this cabin together that Tarantino’s cast, nearly an alumni-like gathering from his past efforts, bring their own special touch to the roles they fill. Jennifer Jason Leigh as the raggedy, ruff, thrown around prisoner Daisy Domergue is racking up supporting actress nominations with Oscar voters likely following suit and for good reason as she pours every ounce of bizarre humor and over the top orneriness into every word or action while also telling us a lot with long non-verbal moments. The men though are able to hold their own alongside her as each performance and character is as zany and entertaining but also important as the next.

For anyone that has witness a Tarantino project before, it will come as no surprise that his script tends to outshine the performances (even if superb) that play it out when crammed in this cabin. Tarantino has no trouble building tension through conversation as he uses background, racial and gender differences and also similarities to create what essentially is one big scene that is loaded with intrigue and questions. It is when he finally has the room ready to explode in turmoil, that he goes to a violence, ultra-gory at times, that only he can produce. With Ennio Morricone’s fitting score taking place behind all this and a mystery still unfolding, Tarantino once again blends genre, giving The Hateful Eight a horror of the slasher variety feel while also being a thriller steeped in carefully placed deductive reasoning.

The Hateful Eight has and will likely continue to take a lot of heat for the over-the-top, blood and guts type of violence present at times but Tarantino has always been under the microscope for this. So maybe because he is constantly hearing about how his brand is violently unnecessary, is indeed the reason is The Hateful Eight is at times, some of his most gruesome work. Or, my better guess is that he will and can put whatever he wants to on screen and The Hateful Eight is a reminder of this. He well knows how indulgent he in being and if you want to indulge with him that’s great and if not, he doesn’t really care. The issue is that, in this particular case, he tends to end the tension he has carefully built up in a rather abrupt matter with these more violent moments that feel awkwardly placed. 

Similar to how Tarantino challenges the audience to let loose a bit, he also challenges us to look deeper than violent characteristics. If one is able to do this with The Hateful Eight, like his previous film Django Unchained, one will find moments of rich dialogue that, even if at a small level, can be rather touching. The person that can do this will also find a fascinating and wacky mystery that will have you wondering who just might walk out of that cabin.

Grade: B   

Review: 'Spy' (2015)

Twentieth Century Fox

Power couple? I wouldn’t go that far but the relationship between Paul Fieg and Melissa McCarthy and their comedic collaborations at the cinema in recent years have gained plenty of attention. Fieg has seem to find his go to as his first three directorial efforts now have featured McCarthy in a big way and his Ghostbuster reboot is also set to have her involved. But for now, Spy is the duos latest project. Even though Spy, a spoof on the espionage genre, maybe be Fiegs most outlandish effort yet it still shows a level of reserve and resistant’s to being an all-out mockery of something but instead choosing to focus more on its lead character, allowing McCarthy to take charge as a result.

McCarthy’s Susan Cooper is technically the title character but things do not start out this way. Susan is an agent for the CIA, working under humorless director Elaine Crocker (Allison Janney), but only at a computer, feeding important information into the ear of a field agent. The field agent she assists is Bradley Fine (Jude Law), a sleek, confident and skilled agent. It is not until Agent Fine is killed on a mission and the fear that other agent’s identities, including Jason Stratham as Agent Ford, are blown that Susan becomes a field agent for the first time as she attempts to finish the mission that Fine started.

Susan is no slouch when it comes being a respectable agent but the fact that she is embarking on something that she has little experience at like what comes with being a field agent makes this a fish-out-water type of story. Spy, while an obvious spoof on the genre that it shares its name with, chooses to focus more on aspects of its lead character and her journey within the story rather that making a point to constantly remind you that this is a satire of the genre.

Susan is thrown into a situation that she must be quick on her feet or think outside the box. When this takes place, things are at their most refreshing point. Even though Susan is doing things she has never had to do before as an undercover agent, a strong and smart individual still comes through. At the same time though she is grieving but also redeeming Fine and in the process realizes that she wasn’t as special to him as he was to her. Feig weaves these character aspects through his humorously toned atmosphere seamlessly; never weighing things down with sentimental mush but adding just enough heart and soul to the character and story that helps contain an otherwise outlandish experience.   

McCarthy in role is allowed to take over the picture unlike never before and once again Feig gets a highly entertaining performance. What makes McCarthy such a valuable comedic actor is how she is able to be the self-cautious or confident character and bring the same level of humor either way. With Spy’s Susan she is able to showcase this range as the role requires her to be the ‘fish out of water’ but also the one in charge when she is undercover. Because of this, she has no trouble completing the task of moving the film along in a way that you have no problem seeing what is in store next for Susan scene after scene.

With that said though, it would be unfair to Jason Statham and Miranda Hart to say that McCarthy does it all. Statham as the disgruntled Agent Ford, strongly disagreeing with the decision to put Susan in the field, gives one of his more humorously entertaining performances. Ford makes it clear that his way of doing things is always the extreme and as he often explains his methods and past experiences with great detail and Statham gives each of these explanations the right level of anger and frustration charged energy needed. However, it is Hart that brings the most energy as Nancy. Nancy is to Susan as Susan was to Agent Fine. As Nancy, Hart plays loose to McCarthy’s straight (if you can believe that) and it couldn’t work out better. Whether it is 50 Cent falling for Nancy or her non-work related commentary when guiding Susan, Hart in the role never lets up on the gas with the her bubbly persona, making the funny things she says even better.

With Spy, Feig makes it clear, if he hadn’t already, that the projects he takes on are going to feature a central theme. Leading the way in a Feig picture is a funny but also a strong and smart woman or women and while I do not need to tell you how great this is, it is noteworthy considering this is happening within the comedy genre. In a genre dominated by men and their buddy cop premises (a subject Feig has already took on), to see women given these chances to not just prove how funny they can be but absolutely crush it at times is as meaningful as the jokes they are landing which says a lot.                          

Grade: B

Review: 'Mad Max: Fury Road' (2015)

Warner Bros.

           Walking out of the theater after watching Mad Max: Fury Road, my brother, commenting on what he had just witnessed, says “that was probably the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen”. While I can’t say it’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen, it certainly one of the more bizarrely manic, action packed blockbusters I have seen. With Fury Road, George Miller returns the to the Mad Max world he created decades ago. This time around though, Tom Hardy steps in as the title character with Charlize Thereon by his side but it is Miller that garnishes most of the attention as he destroys any ‘out-of-touch’ thoughts or comments with this latest installment. Mad Max: Fury Road is as bizarre and loony as it is billed and equally matched with careful construction and engaging ideas.

            

            Using basically the same back story as the Mel Gibson filled role from the past, Fury Road’s Max (Tom Hardy) was once an officer of the law in Australia but now struggles to stay sane in an apocalyptic civilization that has gone completely mad. As a result of this type of atmosphere, as heard in voice over or seen in frequent flashbacks, Max is haunted by the death of his daughter. In the film’s opening scene, Max fails to escape the madness as he is captured by what are referred to as War Boys, extremely pale skinned, unhealthy soldiers for cult leader Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne).

            

             Meanwhile, as the war boys are returning to the Immortan Joe ruled compound-like fortress with Max, Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) is departing in War Rig, a large extremely durable vehicle used to transport gasoline. When Furiosa takes a left, straying off the usual path, the war boys along with neighboring communities must stop her from going any further. Used as a blood donor or ‘blood bag’ for ill War Boy Nux (Nicholas Hoult), Max, strapped on to the front of a fast moving vehicle, must also go along.

            

             While Max is forced to get into the madness for the majority of the film when violently confronted, he is otherwise rather reserved, saying few words as he attempts to battle the madding thoughts with in. When this type of Max is on screen, the audience is reminded that the right guy is filling the role. Sure, Tom Hardy can deliver a line in the most charismatic of ways (Inception or Bronson) but here he proves, if he hadn’t already, that he is just as entertaining when taking a non-verbal route.

            

             The insanity that takes over the screen, comes in the form of the War Boys and everything else that share the same motives. The War Boys, more creature-like than human, solidly represent the product of a desolate and mentally taxing world that pushes you to be in the most madding and mantic of states in order to survive as every word they utter, though hard to understand at times, is nobly stated and always seems aimed at the task at hand.  

In a film like Fury Road though, when the spectacle and strangeness are blended together to create something entirely off the wall bonkers, the bizarreness of the War Boys takes a back seat at times. Of course Immortan Joe is a sight to be seen but thoughts of ‘what exactly am I watching?’ will flood the mind when a man chained to a large vehicle plays a fire-spitting guitar along with contraptions that give stunt a new meaning quickly grab your attention.

            

            But even through all this, Miller is still able to add depth and real weight to it all. Miller’s chaotic approach represents a lot more than just a well done, action packed summer flick. The constant motion, explosion heavy, urgent and desperate atmosphere present in Fury Road’s action sequences may be fascinating to watch but it is their collective meanings and themes that make them all the better. Survival and how these sequences matches the fight that comes with it is clear but Millers story digs a bit deeper to reach a more personal level.

            

             This comes in the form of the five wives and Furiosa. With Immortan Joe’s cult, there are classification groups that individuals are put in. Max is a part of the blood donor group but there is also a breeding group that consist of the five wives of Immortan Joe, headlined by a pregnant Angharad (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley).  These five women along with Furiosa represent the pursuit for a better life for not just them but their children as Furiosa attempts to take them to a better place, her childhood home. What they must go through to get there, fighting off the forces of Immortan Joes’s, symbolizes how brutally intense and difficult this pursuit can be with imagery accompanying it that is absolutely phenomenal at times.

            

             What Miller’s approach does more than anything is make it clear that escaping madness is one dangerous ride. Whether it be through Max or others, redemption and starting anew in a completely hopeless world is no easy task. Miller just happens to make this statement while also creating a visually striking experience at the cinemas. Even though it may run just a bit long, dragging in the middle at times, Mad Max: Fury Road is one of the few action films in recent memory that matches, at an extreme level I might add, it’s genre with its message, only aiding each other in the process.          

Grade: B

Review: 'Furious 7' (2015)

Universal Pictures

It quickly becomes clear that Furious 7 is going to play more like a highlight reel rather than another story in the franchise. It doesn’t waste any time with a plot or even a whole lot of talk, almost as if director James Wan and screenwriter Chris Morgan realized that none of this is the reason that the franchise has only became stronger with each entry.  So where does its success come from. What the Fast and Furious franchise does best is explosive, large-scale action sequences. Furious 7 highlights this strength by amping the action up way beyond any level it has reached before, to the point that it completely takes over.

Furious 7 picks up where the Fast and Furious 6 credits scene left off with Owen Shaw’s brother Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) going after Dom, Brian and the rest of the crew that was responsible for the death of his brother. It is made very clear early and often that Deckard is even more ruthless than his brother. He successfully kills Han (Sung Kang) in Tokyo (the credit scene in Fast & Furious 6 but depicted here as well) but fails to kill Brian and his family after blowing up their house and only manages to put Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) in the hospital after he somehow survives a massive jump from a building exploding at the hands of Deckard.

This prompts the crew to go into all out protection mode while attempting to get to Deckard before he gets to them. This catches the attention of Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell), an off the record type of government agent that is after a dangerous computer program called ‘Gods Eye’ before it gets into the hands of a terrorist by the name of Jakande (Djimon Hounsou). Seeing an opportunity to help each other get what they want, Mr. Nobody offers to help get Shaw for Dom if Dom and the others will get him ‘Gods Eye’. After agreeing, the crew, keeping up with the world traveling theme the previous films have done, find themselves in Dubai but end up back in Los Angeles for a massive showdown with Deckard.        

And what a showdown it is. You have the Rock, after surviving a ridicules fall, flexing out of a cast to break out of the hospital in order to help the crew by firing off countless rounds from a gun even bigger than him. While this is happening, Dom rolls his car a thousand times and just when you may think this is the one that did him in he pulls through like there is nothing to it. This all seems ordinary though given what takes place leading up to this Expendables-esque finale.

The action sequences have become more and more elaborate and over the top with every minute this series continues. But as these moments take over something has to take a back seat. So, going along with the fact that the backseats in the vehicles featured in these films are pointless, that thing doesn’t get put in the back seat, it gets moved to the trunk. That thing is a script. When it comes to Furious 7, saying that the script gets put in the trunk is rather generous. It is clear that one of the few things Furious 7 wants to accomplish is being the best mindless, outlandish action piece it can be. And that’s exactly what Furious 7 does, never allowing any details to get in the way, only breaking for brief phrases that are always dumber than the last but never take away from the several entertaining moments of the film. These moments include Dom and Brian driving through three sky scrapers, Brian barely grabbing on to a the spoiler of a car as he jumps from another vehicle as it is quickly going off a cliff and, in a moment that some this experience up nicely, Mr. Nobody winking at Dom right after he is shot. Immediately after this, my first thought was I hope he survives this because I want him in the next one. My second thought was that it is clear that everyone involved in making this movie understands how outlandish it is so I guess I’ll fully get on board with it. 

Of course though there is some kind of theme here, and as you are probably already well aware, that theme is family. I have been calling this group a crew but Dom makes it clear early and often that it is a family. It uses this theme nicely, not weighing the film down but managing to give a proper farewell to Paul Walker. Furious 7 is able to honor the life of Walker in a thoughtful way that also blends well into this notion of family.

            

            With the action first approach that Furious 7 takes it becomes clear that the Fast and Furious franchise is one that is able to adapt. You’re not watching The Fast and the Furious for the seventh time, which is rare when it comes to these long lasting franchises. This franchise though has been able to successfully change the formula slightly from entry to entry all while remembering that the most important aspect is its sequences of big time action. Furious 7 is no exception, making clear that this is a franchise, even after fourteen years, is still on the rise as it shows no signs of slowing down.     

Grade: B 

Review: 'Project Almanac' (2015)

Paramount Pictures 

One thing that a film concerning time travel can do without basically even trying is bring up lots of questions, questions regarding several different aspects. Questions about the story, the plot points that are affected by the time travel subject matter and even the ethical and moral implications of the act. The more complex and in depth the time travel story line is, the more questions. Project Almanac is no exception to this occurrence. On top of entertaining, Project Almanac brings up plenty of questions.

            

              In a way of revealing the ‘found footage’ type of approach that the film takes, Project Almanac quickly introduces the audience to David (Jonny Weston) and his two friends, Quinn (Sam Lerner) and Adam (Allen Evangelista), as David is creating a college admissions video for MIT. Soon after this, David receives the desired acceptance letter from the school. The problem is though, that in order to pay the high tuition, his mother Kathy (Amy Landecker) decides to sell the house. Unwilling to let his her do this, David, along with his sister Christina (Virginia Gardner), try’s to find any unfinished work of his later Father’s (Gary Weeks), an inventor, to complete and hopefully get a scholarship to cover the tuition. In doing so, they find an old video camera that has footage of David’s 7^th birthday party. One oddity though, present day David can be seen in a mirror on the tape. This suggest that time travel exists, leading to David, his sister and his friends finding the work his father started and creating some sort of time machine.

            

              Like almost any ‘found footage’ style of film, Project Almanac could do what it does without it. It is easy to ask yourself as you are watching it, “How did the camera catch that?” and think a handful of times that there is no way a camera would be placed there. It also is a little annoying to hear characters recite lines that pertain to filming everything, as if they keep justifying the ‘found footage’ cinematography. With this said though you really have to be in a bad mood or feel like picking every detail apart to really care that it doesn’t always work because for the most part, it really doesn’t hurt the film. At times it can be rather enjoyable.

            

               Maybe it’s just me, maybe not but there is something about a camera recording an empty room that puts me on the edge of my seat. The fact that I don’t really know what exactly is going to happen on the screen or when and where it is going to happen produces a trilling feeling within. It’s what made Paranormal Activity so good, and while Project Almanac doesn’t use this device on the same level and is miles away from the horror genre, there are still a couple of moments in the film where it is used and works.

            

              The ‘found footage’ aspect also works in regards to the romantic side of the story. In the process of creating a time machine, David becomes acquainted with a girl from his school, Jessie (Sofia Black-D’Elia), whom he happens to have a crush on. As they get to know each other more, the two develop strong feelings for one another. The filming style gives this a even more natural feel that really enhances an already entertaining aspect of the film. Also aiding in this is both Weston and Black-D’Elia as they are solid in the roles, giving the emotions that come with attraction which allows the audience to be interested in what is going on between these characters.

            

             While being delightfully amusing, this relationship, as it is affected by time travel, also brings up question about responsibility and ethics. Of course were talking about the fantastical act of physically going back in time with a machine but being able to do this means power and power isn’t science fiction. In the film, the teenage characters, stumble into enormous power when they create the ability to travel back in time. The question is, are they of the age to handle this kind of responsibility? The film suggests no but what would a reasonable age be? Would anyone be responsible enough?

            

              If so, if maturity matters when concerning time travel or power, what is worth going back for, what is worth using power for? Would you change anything? David goes back to change an encounter with Jessie that hindered their relationship. This ultimately negatively affects several people, allowing the film to suggest that second chances can’t happen through recreation but through earning them.

             

              When David attempts to fix everything that went wrong when he changed something about the past, is when the film gets a little messy. This could just be me being too dumb to understand the time travel rules that film creates but I also believe that some of this has to do with an ending that is rushed as it is too concerned with wrapping things up rather than presenting a clearly planned out finale that can tie everything together nicely.

            

              As a result, it all feels a bit anticlimactic and makes one wonder if any of the characters learned anything or accomplished anything really significant. Nerveless, a slightly disappointing ending isn’t enough to take down Project Almanac. Though it is most likely a film for a younger audience, Project Almanac is an exhilarating and entertaining entry in to the always interesting time travel genre.         

Grade: B