YNMS: The Hateful Eight
Thursday, August 13, 2015 at 3:30PM David here digging into the trailer of the moment...
Or as the logo has it, The H8ful Eight. Which seems incongruous given both the Western setting and the classicism of the 70mm promotion at the end of the trailer, but that's Tarantino for you. He lives by his own rules.
Anyway, let's dig in to one of the year's most anticipated trailers, which gives us our first glimpse at the eighth/ninth film from one of cinema's most controversial auteurs.
The trailer, Jennifer Jason Leigh and more after the jump.
YES
- The beautiful scenery. Are there many things more beautiful than mountains covered in snow? Given that the plot description has the octet of the title inside a lodge sheltering from the snow, who knows how much time we'll spent looking at these exteriors, but they sure do make for good trailer.
- "Got room for one more?" Tarantino is so good at introducing characters in memorable ways. Though when you have Samuel L. Jackson underneath a hat, your job is practically done for you, I suppose. Hell, he's so good at introducing himself that he gets to introduce Kurt Russell's 'The Hangman' too.
Click for more JJL gif action
- Jennifer Jason Leigh. Full stop, but especially for her wry physical comedy glimpsed from across the log cabin. It's been what, seven (Synecdoche, New York), eight (Margot at the Wedding) years since JJL had a role worthy of her? Could this be the one that reignites her career? PLEASE.
NO
- I really don't like that logo.
- That's all I got.
MAYBE SO
- Kurt Russell. I don't know if I'm getting much from his presence or line readings here beyond immense gruffness. Is he the main character who pales next to the colourful supporting cast? That's not really a Tarantino tradition, but his last few films have been more focused on the ensemble as opposed to making a character like Jackie Brown or The Bride the centre of the film's orbit.
- Is there too much Samuel L. Jackson? Is that even a question I'm allowed to ask?
- Tim Roth's delectably devilish British voice and the camp sipping of tea. Hopefully a more enjoyable form of scenery-chewing than his turn in Selma, but what can work in a trailer might grate the longer it goes on...
- "One of them is not who he says he is." Question marks hang over this half of the eight, simply because they're barely glimpsed amongst the sea of Jackson. But I'm particularly enjoying Bruce Dern's distrustful hand-wringing.
- One woman in the trailer and she doesn't get a single line. Quite probably a stylistic decision based on her character, but it still highlights the unfortunate inequity in the cast - which isn't one that seems particularly TFE-friendly.
But what do you think, TFE masses? Is it luv or do you H8 what you see?
Reader Comments (38)
Yes, this looks like it will be a ton of fun. I still love Tarantino, I love the cast, love the look, and just going by that one GIF, Jennifer Jason Leigh looks like she stands a pretty chance of stealing the entire movie, which is fine by me too.
I don't entirely worship at the house of QT, but I am still a fan. I'm 100% with you in hoping this brings back Jennifer Jason Leigh to my life on an annual basis.
Q: Could Tarantino do anything to make me less interested in his recent forays into bad historical fiction?
A: Well, he could make a western.
No, unless reviews are miraculous, and even then I'm skeptical.
I'm a Tarantino detractor in general, but this one looks promising. And of course there's three good reasons for this. Bruce Dern, Bruce Dern, Bruce Dern.
Jennifer Jason Leigh is overrated. I wish Tarantino had choose another actress to rescue.
Jackson was masterful in Django Unchained, Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown. No reason to think he will be any less great here - and think about that my friends - THAT is an exciting thing. Roth looks a little too over the top for me (he is playing the "Christoph Waltz" character, no?) but then again he's been wonderful in his past Tarantino films so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. The biggest question mark for me is Kurt - who I am not at all convinced is a good actor but we'll see.
Yes because I see all Tarantino, but I'm not in love with him at the moment, so I'm yes but skeptical.
QT movies are always fun. I'm in.
I am always ambivalent about Tarantino, and always a yes anyway. He knows how to make movies.
YASSSS! Gimme it now.
Takek out Jennifer Jason Leigh and replace her with Elisabeth Shue...
The movie just got instantly better ;-) Yes, I said it!
Hell yes. Jackson looks great, but I'll admit I'm a little apprehensive about Tim Roth. I didn't mind him in Selma though.
Am I the only one who thinks this looks about one-degree away from Seth MacFarlane's recent slapstick western?
I watched Welcome to Me this week and I was appalled that JJL agreed to do that role. It's literally the most thankless thing I've ever watched her do, and that's saying something.
I am overjoyed to see Tim Roth and Tarantino working together again.
"Take out Jennifer Jason Leigh and replace her with Elisabeth Shue..."
What if instead JJL stays but we replace Kurt Russell with Elisabeth Shue, and then replace Sam Jackson with Angela Bassett, and then replace Tim Roth with Amanda Plummer, and then replace Walton Goggins with Megan Fox (yeah I said it), and then replace Michael Madsen with Uma Thurman, and then replace Bruce Dern with Diane Ladd, and then replace Damien Bechir with... well he can stay. He's great.
Yes, Tarantino, Yes, Westerns, Yes, the cast, esp Walton Goggins, and Yes, Westerns set in snow, with lots of furry hats, coats, and crazy scarves.
I think it's a mistake for Tarantino to make two westerns in a row, especially when the last one wasn't very good. Too much of the same, for me, but I'm sure I'll end up seeing it anyway.
Based on faith and this interview below, I'm a YES because of the possibility of JJL creating something original and unforgettable.
DEADLINE: You worked with actors you’ve done repeat business with in Jackson, Russell, Tim Roth and Michael Madsen, but you’ve added new actors in Goggins, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Demian Bichir. Who most surprised you?
TARANTINO: No contest. It would have to be Jennifer who wins most surprising. Though the way Demian played Bob the Mexican, is so different from how I conceived it. That is the “who the f*ck is this guy” performance. In the case of Sam, Walt, Kurt, Tim and Michael Madsen, I was writing for those guys, and they fit the characters and the rhythms of the dialogue, like a glove. They took it to higher heights than it was on the page, but that was more or less what I expected. Part of the thing about Daisy Domergue is, that character had to be discovered and fleshed out by the actress. Maybe 15 actresses could have played what I wrote on the page. And you would have 15 characterizations. You couldn’t show it in the audition, somebody had to commit to being that character and see where that leads you. She’s such a weird hot potato of a character. I needed Daisy to be revealed to me, and that would never happen beforehand. So I had to choose right and see what kind of flower bloomed. And she bloomed into this truly amazing character, one of my favorite female characters I’ve ever written. She is a force to be reckoned with, but I don’t think she would have been able to conceive it, and I wouldn’t either, it was one of those things where you had to commit and see where it went.
I just hope Tarantino gets a little serious about his handling of the characters. Just a little....all the buffoonery and anachronistic behavior should be toned down.
I am a little sick of people harping on the gender thing. Sometimes Tarantino is male focused (Resevoir Dogs, Django Unchained), female focused (kill bill, Jackie brown) and mixed (pulp fiction, inglorious basterds) so people should just calm down about it already.
And Death Proof is a feminist masterpiece
Jennifer Jason Leigh is overrated.
How? She has zero Oscar nominations and was never a commercial draw,
I find QT movies fun. I am happy that JJL is back in the saddle again. She is not overrated.
I'm a yes for this. Tarantino can make mistakes but when he gets it right it's like magic.
...And TIM ROTH as CHRISTOPH WALTZ...
It's Tarantino, so I'm a yes but the trailer was underwhelming. It's only the first, though, so nothing to get too worried about.
I always find QT trailers a little cliche, but he always manages to turn those cliches into engaging and fun stories, so I definitely want to see this. I'm surprised at how well 21st Century QT has aged, esp. Kill Bill and the Basterds. In a few decades he'll seem like Fellini -- someone who always had his own vision and style.
Please, let there be a 70mm screening for this film in Atlanta. I want to be there to experience 70mm cinema.
Is JJL mouthing the f... word in the first GIF?
Lol, @BD
But no actual Waltz, so I'm optimistic.
(God, I never thought I would write that sentence back when Basterds came out.)
(...I really don't like Django.)
Don't get the JJL hate up in this bitch. I mean, I'm not normally a fan of the actress, but she looks like the single biggest presence in this trailer, even without a line (I haven't read the script but her actions kind of make me speculate that the character may be mute. Somebody who has read the script, tell me if I'm wrong). Plus, it may help that I recently saw Georgia and thought she killed it there too, but seriously, what's up, doc?
Other than that, the trailer looks gorgeous, but it's also all over the place and I'm not anymore excited than I already was.
(P.S. if we're gonna replace any actor with anything, replace Demian Bichir with Denis Menochet. Anybody remember when he was at the script reading for the part? What happened?!)
I'm optimistic. Of his recent outings, I loved Ingrorious Basterds, hated Django Unchained. So I'm happy to see him take another try at a Western.
I know goofily violent climaxes are his thing, but I really hope QT goes for something a bit more nuanced here. And if he's going to do the hardcore violence (at least this film seems like it would make sense), then I would hope he does it in a way that isn't just quick-cut, all-out shooting and blood splatter everywhere. Some of the earlier violent scenes in IB show he's capable of more than that.
^ What Jason said.
Somehow I missed/forgot that Walton Goggins is in it. This is all I need for a big YES.
Pam, LOL...ITA!
I am all for Jennifer getting greater recognition. Who are these 15 actresses only who QT thinks could play the role? I know grandiose and he has it too.
Yes - a movie master like Tarantino is always worth a look and in glorious 70 mm!
I'll love the Quentin Tarantino movies. He won two Oscars awards too. Just waiting for the movie to release.