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Dinner and a Movie Teri Bayus

‘The Hateful Eight’ Another Tarantino Triumph

hateful-eight-banner-whatBy Teri Bayus

The stark snow covered landscapes, steam and icicles on the horses, and the Hitchcock-style of a one shot location drew me in, but writer and director, Quentin Tarantino made “The Hateful Eight” one of my favorite films.

Now granted, there is the requisite “exploding head” and gratuitous violence to prove a point, but I have come to expect this and close my eyes accordingly. From the genius that gave us “Inglorious Bastards,” “Django Unchained” and “Pulp Fiction” among others, we now have “ Hateful Eight,” which was more like Tarantino’s first, “Reservoir Dogs.”

I was tickled pink to have Tim Roth back (as Oswaldo Mobray) spewing Tarantino’s brilliant prose, as well as Kurt Russell (as John Ruth) and Samuel L. Jackson (as Major Marquis Warren). But the performance of every member of this cast was astounding.
Dialog heavy, this “who is going to do it” was a covered wagon ride of bumps and laughter. The cast was unbelievable; Bruce Dern, Walton Goggins, Tatum Channing, Michael Madsen but the stand out came from Jennifer Jason Leigh, as Daisy Domergue.

From her first line until her body part smattered departure, she was captivating, frightening and brilliant, doing it all in handcuffs. Each of the characters hides personal stories and through the interactions we understand the hatreds and passions. It is a brilliant mind roller coaster.

The plot: Some time after the Civil War, a stagecoach hurtles through the wintry Wyoming landscape. Bounty hunter John Ruth and his fugitive captive, Daisy Domergue, race towards the town of Red Rock, where Ruth will bring Daisy to justice to be hanged.

Along the road, they encounter Maj. Marquis Warren (an infamous bounty hunter) and Chris Mannix (a man who claims to be Red Rock’s new Sheriff). Lost in a blizzard, the bunch seeks refuge at Minnie’s Haberdashery.

When they arrive they are greeted by unfamiliar faces — Bob, who claims to be taking care of the place while Minnie is gone; Oswaldo Mobray, the hangman of Red Rock; Joe Gage, a cow puncher; and Confederate General Sanford Smithers. As the storm overtakes the mountainside, the eight travelers come to learn that they might not make it to Red Rock after all.

Tarantino uses old tricks like sudden voice over to explain a point, abruptly going back in time when we have succinctly been progressing and blowing off a head to make a brain spattered point.

Any other director would be lambasted for these old tricks, but in his hands, it works. He is like the jazz composer of films. He knows the rules so well, knows the medium so solidly, that his rule breaking becomes intriguing and acceptable.

The film was shot on location at Telluride, Colo., where the snow would not fall.

The director and some of the crew participated in a local “ski burn,” making an offering to the “snow gods” to try to get it to snow. Coincidentally (or not…) a couple of days later, a large storm came in and dropped a large amount of snow so filming could continue.

Shot in Panavision 70, this is only the 11th film to be shot in the Ultra Panavision 70 process (65mm film shot with 1.25X, squeeze anamorphic lenses, for an aspect ratio of 2.76:1). Even transferred to digital, you could feel the difference. The coldness permeated this film and you felt icy. The cast and crew worked in a 30-degree refrigerated set to drive even the indoor frostiness theme.

Throughout his career the revered Quentin Tarantino has developed more than just a genre of himself, but a collection of work that has proved that he is a national treasure transcending being merely a modern cinematic icon but ultimately a classic and timeless figure in cinema. Yeah, I love this guy and every second of this film.

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