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?