re: Hateful 8 >>>> Django

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Django will be the new Shawshank on TBS the next 20 years

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will be the new Shawshank on TBS the next 20 years

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Django is a fun B-movie with a fantastic scene thrown in the middle of it (the dinner scene and Samuel L Jackson's turn). I enjoyed it, and I do like how the movie mined comedy from murdering slaveholders, but it's ultimately a tonally uneven film that doesn't know if it's an art film masquerading as grindhouse or vice versa. I like it, and it fits Tarantino's resume, but it's not in his top tier. At least it has something to say, unlike the completely empty Kill Bill, which is by far his worst film (yeah, I said it).

But, man... I loved Hateful 8. I put it right next to Inglorious Basterds as the "adult" Tarantino films. I could not disagree more with the poster who claimed Hateful 8 is juvenile (that's Kill Bill... totally fair criticism there). This was an interesting re-examination of Reservoir Dogs, which is still my favorite Tarantino. But it's the same setup and similarly structured. The difference here is that Tarantino has more to say than just making a simple heist film (not to knock heist films... I LOVE heist films, I think Spike Lee's 2nd best movie is a heist film for example)

But I like Hateful 8 because it is meant to be provocative, on several different levels. First off, Tarantino gets widely criticized for violence and profanity. He's certainly got liberal politics (see Django), but he's got no patience for the PC Left, and there's a generation that cannot abide his use of epithets and language. So what does he do? He fricking doubles down. He makes the violence even more over the top, the epithets more frequent, sexualizes the violence for good measure, and then spends half of the movie having his own female character getting punched in the face, mainly for comedic purposes. Take that, you pearl clutching ninnies.

And if he was just needling the uptight, then yeah, it's pretty juvenile. But he's not. Like all westerns, he's telling the story of the American myth. And his argument is that we are all trapped by the sins of our fathers. And this means not just the original American sin of slavery, but western civilization's sin of misogyny. The only way that Mannix can overcome his family history of racism and unit with Warren is to put his racism aside and focus on his lynching a woman. (The frontier justice speech applies here)

Even our classic heroic figure of Ruth is a violent bigot. He's the John Wayne character, but he dishes out some unnecessary violence in the name of righteousness. And his reaction to the Lincoln letter is visceral. It forces Warren to cross the room into "Southern territory", even if it is just to murder the general. Warren, even the ostensible protagonist of the film, is a psychopathic liar. He's not interested in justice, he's interested in killing white people.

None of the eight are innocents (except poor OB, who is the 9th character). This speaks to the American mythos: we are all corrupted. And we will tear each other apart over the sins of our fathers. At least Daisy is getting punished for her own sins, so that's a nice change.

And on a personal level, the parallels between this movie and The Thing, one of my all-time favorite films, just gave me a giant nerdgasm. Even the very final scene is a play off of the final scene in The Thing, sitting there waiting for the monster show up, as thy both freeze to death. Tarantino expects us to have that film knowledge (and of westerns and grindhouse). He expects us to be on his level of reference, but unlike Family Guy he doesn't just reference something, he does something with the parallel. He's making a point.

The movie is f'n brilliant. I could write about it for hours.

I saw Hateful 8 last night and felt the same at the end. I can't pinpoint why but I just felt it was meh. I caught myself at the end waiting for it to be over. One of the parts that I did find funny and which probably most people might not pick up on is when oswaldo/English Pete is separating the room and says the fireplace can be Georgia. I took it as a funny dig at Sherman's March to the sea but maybe I'm reading into it too much.

Either way, I just thought the movie was so so. Glad I saw it but don't need to see it again.

Give me a break.

Either add to the discussion or refrain from posting.

I don't get why others like to shout down opinions with insults. People are different. Your opinion is not the truth.

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This.

Great, great acting.

Very meh movie.

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Agreed on Waltz, DiCaprio and Jackson absolutely killing it, but the movie is fantastic. For as long as it is the pacing is done really well. I don't get bored with it, and it has a high replay value.

Foxx was the weakest link of the cast, but I have no idea who else could've played that role.



Pulp Fiction and Inglorious Basterds are my favorite QT films, but Django is up there.

Blasphemy

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I wouldn't watch H8 again if you paid me.

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This is either a complete lie or you are an irrational moron.

You wouldnt get paid to watch a movie you dont like???? You dont even know what the going rate is!!! What if its enough to replace your current shitty job? All you have to do is get up and watch H8 once a day, theyll pay you 385 bucks a viewing...thats 100K a year!!! You wouldnt do it??? Irresponsible if you ask me.

Django was awesome. I haven't seen Hateful 8 but I'm sure I'll like it because I'm not a stuck up movie prick. Can't we like both?