The Hateful Eight

Not to be mistaken with Adam Sandler's The Ridiculous Six, Quentin Tarantino's eighth film was mired in controversy long before principal shooting began. Allegedly there was a script leak, and he was furious and threatened not to make the film at all. That might have been a good thing had he moved on to something a little different. The Hateful Eight is an homage to the Western genre that he holds so dear. 2012's Django Unchained was our last taste of Tarantino, and his style is quirky and inimitable, but perhaps he's become complacent behind his reputation.

The story follows a group of semi-strangers who find themselves snowed in at Minnie's Haberdashery in the post-Civil War era in the mountains of Wyoming. Nearly every character has a secret or a secret identity, which convolutes the fidelity of the story in the first place. Everyone seems to know each other by reputation, and they spend more time introducing themselves and selling their back stories than they do having the trademark rhetorical banter that makes Tarantino unique in the first place. Anyhow, every single character is sinister and seedy. There's the bounty hunter, the criminal, the hangman, the sheriff, the major from the Union army, the general from the Confederate army, the mysterious "Bob", and the cow-puncher. A few other characters make an entrance (or exit) in extravagant fashion, but it all lacks any drama or chemistry. Each character fails to deliver anything more than some flamboyance and snappy dialogue (that no self-respecting post-Civil War bad ass would use). After the tenuous first act devoid of any action, we begin seeing the violence in the men (and woman) come out, and Tarantino gets his gratuitous blood-fest started. As their number dwindle, we are left guessing who is who? And who will survive? But ultimately, who really cares? Tarantino tries to out-clever himself, and the script is really just amateur given the intriguing premise.

The ensemble cast is a who's who of past Tarantino films. Samuel Jackson, Kurt Russell, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, James Parks, Walton Goggins, and Zoe Bell have worked with the director at least once prior. The new additions are Channing Tatum, Bruce Dern, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Damian Bichir, and none capitalize on the opportunity. Although the tone is one that is starkly Quentin Tarantino, there is a staleness about much of the interaction and story arc. He inserts nods to previous films through product placement, pieces of dialogue, or even recycled actions, and they show his personality as a writer and director, but he needs to move into new material.

The Golden Globe nominations are entirely unfounded. Jennifer Jason Leigh does a decent job as the murderer, Daisy Domergue, but there is nothing exceptional to her work. Tarantino is like David O. Russell in that regard; actors get awards nominations under his watch, and often it is without merit. The writing is undeserving as well, as there are a dozen scripts that should have been credited for the quality and hard work before Tarantino. This is an example of a film being given credit before it is objectively viewed. I was fortunate enough to catch an advanced screening, but once the reviews come out, they will not be kind. I guarantee it. I will say this though, the score was a fun classic Western tune by frequent collaborator and industry stalwart, Ennio Morricone.

I would have loved to seen deeper characters. With alter egos and hidden identities, it is impossible, even in a nearly three hour film, to get to know who a person really is. The Hateful Eight was missing any sense of emotional connection to the audience. I began falling for Kurt Russell's character, but it fell apart when he arrived at the Haberdashery. Quentin makes his living on creating inspired characters, and a Western without a protagonist, or an interesting character is just plain boring. Every character has baggage, but none of them get you in their corner. Even if the story had transpired in the exact same way, I might have felt differently if there was at least one character that threw some intrigue my way. It was greatly disappointing.

The film once again pushes the conventions of the industry. Nearly three hours long, ultra-violent, and gratuitous at that. Full-frontal male nudity, which is a rarity in film, but becoming common in Tarantino's body of work. Much of what comes through on the screen numbs the viewer because it is just a bunch of garbage. Quentin Tarantino has lost his edge, and although he is returning to the Kill Bill franchise next, I am hopeful that he will create something new. Forget the homages to his favorite genres. Westerns and samurai films had their day. Get with the times and add your flavor to the twenty-first Century, Quentin. Until then, I will continue to follow his work because I admire his vision, but in this case, the product just comes across as lazy. 5/10.

The Revenant

The Revenant is beautiful, and epic, and glorious unlike anything else you will see this year. It will be a criminal shame if the Academy doesn't call its name for Best Picture, Director, and Actor.

The Revenant refers to a return after death. An apparition, or a haunting. A fitting title for a story so hinged on the idea of nothing left to lose. Based on the novel by Michael Punke, its roots are non-fiction, but historical accuracy is speculative. Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a frontiersman in the 1820's. Braving the elements and savage landscape, he leads a US Military group collecting fur, and the stakes are high for such a minimal return. Lives are lost daily through conflict with First People, or the treachery of Mother Nature. In a shockingly realistic scene, Hugh is mauled by a bear and left to either heal or die, with Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy) and Bridger (Will Poulter) left to tend to his fate. Strong personalities clash, and Hugh is abandoned, and what transpires is one of the more visceral tales of survival and revenge that I have witnessed on film.

Director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu is in a class his own. Having won last year's coveted Best Director statue for Birdman, he has done something unconventional and truly remarkable. Filming using only natural light, the setting of The Revenant is pure. Filmed in Canada and Alaska, there is a beauty and a chilliness that permeates through the screen, and with minimal visual effects, the actors take on the brunt of the harsh elements. This is where it transcends film and becomes an epic tale. The actors are in bone-chilling water, trekking through snow, foraging through the forest for food in a primal, almost Neanderthal display of survival. Tom Hardy is great, but Leonardo DiCaprio is flawless in his method acting.

DiCaprio's performance puts him on the threshold of the greatest iconic thespians of our time. He is simply the best contemporary actor around today, at the level of Daniel Day-Lewis and no other. There aren't words to describe his range and commitment on this project, and the end result, when coupled with a compelling story and a visionary director, is nothing short of breathtaking. Whether he is swimming in an icy river, eating raw fish or buffalo liver, climbing into an animal carcass to stay warm (Empire Strikes Back comes to mind), or just staring with his cold, blue eyes, it is amazing.

From the opening scene, delivered sans cuts, it is a ballet of movement and sounds. The camera weaves through men just as an attack stirs them from their comfort. The nonchalance of violence gives the audience a taste of just how cold and callous the times were. This is Inarritu's gift. He conveys the emotions of the men, the time, and the place through the lens of his camera in a way that few can.

Not to marginalize the other actors, but this film will stand on Leo's performance. I can't possibly find anything flawed about the film other than there are some sequences that take a bit too much screen time. Terrence Malik would be proud of the effort, but otherwise, it is absolutely brilliant, all around. Tom Hardy is deserving of some praise as well, as the cynical and heartless fur trader who earns an enemy or two by the end of the story. I would put him in the Supporting Actor race, but it holds stiff competition this year.

After reading the novel, I was excited for this adaptation, but there were quite a few deviations that may or may not have enhanced the strength of the story. We will never know, but it truly doesn't matter. The Revenant is the best film of the year. 10/10.

Star Wars - Episode VII: The Force Awakens

The cinematic event of the year has finally arrived, and with it, the decimation of the global box office, and the return of balance to the Universe.

It’s been thirty-eight years since George Lucas introduced us to a galaxy far, far away, and thirty-two years since Return of the Jedi. With the seventh cinematic installment, following a multi-billion dollar franchise with television, fan fiction writing, merchandising, and a buy-out by the Disney Corporation, they finally straightened the course and got it back on its feet. Is Episode VII as good as anticipated? Yes. And it is much, much better.

The battle between good and evil continues. Thirty years have gone by, and the evil Empire has been replaced by the First Order; an intergalactic group of troublemakers. The legend of the Jedi is a distant memory and the resistance is searching for Luke Skywalker, who disappeared long ago and just may be the missing piece in the battle of good versus evil.

We are introduced to a new lot of characters, and there is immediately a familiar chemistry that develops between them. Daisy Ridley is the orphan scavenger, Rey. She is courageous and feisty, and carries with her a secret that even she doesn’t understand. Her attitude is innocent but tough, and she has a purity to her that is affable and mysterious. John Boyega is the new reluctant hero, Finn, a former Stormtrooper who has a crisis of conscience and finds himself embroiled in a conflict greater than he ever imagined. Oscar Isaac is Dameron Poe, the Resistance’s best fighter pilot who is just hard to dislike. He’s a nice guy who has the charm of Han Solo, and the swagger of another cocky, young X-Wing fighter pilot.

Adam Driver plays Kylo Ren, a bad guy with a secret of his own, and a Knight of Ren. We never learn the full extent of his back story, but that actually helps with his enigmatic masked persona. His character balances the line of human and monster incredibly well, with a great voice and a lanky walk, and he just may be the best bad guy of the franchise to date (sorry Vader and Maul).

The original cast all make an appearance, and with each one, there are cheers of approval by the packed audience. It’s a rare instance of a film giving you chills; not necessarily because of what’s on the screen, but because of the richness of the universe and the emotions that are stirred by nearly forty years of really knowing these characters. That’s the first thing that ignites the magic of the film. There is just so much history with these characters; it’s like a family reunion.

The second thing that makes “The Force Awakens” such a magical experience is that writer/director JJ Abrams manages to capture the essence of the first trilogy, perhaps even better than George Lucas himself managed to do in the second trilogy. Coupled with longtime Lucas collaborator Lawrence Kasdan, they managed to create a simple, yet satisfying beginning to a new era.

The Disney Corporation is going to own Christmas for the next six years, with projections of the opening weekend destroying the record books (estimates exceed $265 million, breaking the record by over $55 million). 2016 will bring us Rogue One, directed by Gareth Edwards (“Godzilla”, “Monsters”), 2017 will be the follow up to Episode VII, written and directed by Rian Johnson (“Looper”, “Brick”, some of the better “Breaking Bad” episodes), and 2018 is the first origin story focusing on Han Solo’s youth. 2019 brings us Episode IX, written by Rian Johnson and directed by Colin Trevorrow (“Jurassic World”), and finally, 2020 will be the Boba Fett origin story.

Whew, they have their hands full, not unlike another company that is successfully shattering records with suits of iron, green maniacs, Norse Gods, and patriotic super soldiers. My point is, the franchise is in good hands, and the next five years will be exciting to say the least.

It isn’t unrealistic or even speculative at this point to claim that Avatar’s $750 million domestic and $2.8 billion international box office records will fall. “Star Wars” appeals to literally every possible audience, and has a following like no other, even in the pantheon of sci-fi cults.

“The Force Awakens” stirs childhood emotions in anyone who has grown up to that powerful John Williams opening orchestral movement. It’s a must-see for the holiday season. Go for the characters, enjoy the effects and story, and leave satisfied. That’s what movies are supposed to be about. 10/10.

In the Heart of the Sea

The life of a sailor has been romanticized countless times in novel and cinema, and I just don't get it. "In the Heart of the Sea" is painfully cliche at times, and although the film captures the mystery, beauty, and peril of the sea, it remains a mostly hollow and glorified epic seafaring journey.

Captain Pollard (Benjamin Walker) and First Mate Owen Chase (Chris Hemsworth) are whalers in Nantucket in the early 1800's. The setting is delivered beautifully, and the town's excitement over the lucrative oil found in whales has inspired a dangerous industry that has consumed every facet of their lives. Then they go off to sea. Pollard and Chase have their disagreements, but it's no Mutiny on the Bounty. The rub is that there isn't a compelling dramatic moment or issue that would create this tension in the first place, and it just doesn't go anywhere useful. Enter Moby. A massive homicidal whale makes the predators the prey and hunts them halfway around the world, leaving carnage in its wake. The effects given to the whale scenes are fantastic, don't get me wrong, but Moby certainly isn't Jaws. The film deserved more tension, more suspense, and more action.

Director Ron Howard is overrated. There, I've said it. It's difficult to fight this fact, as much as you may want to. If you look at his filmography, there are just four high quality films over his thirty-eight film, forty-six year directorial career. Email me and I'll fill you in on the goods. There are some other ones that are fun and all, but he has made his name on just a couple of strong efforts. If I spent nearly sixty years working in Hollywood, I could direct award-winning films without a doubt. "In the Heart of the Sea" has some nice special effects, and we all know that filming on water has its challenges, but the film could have used something a bit more, I don't know, magical from Opie.

Chris Hemsworth just seemed to be the wrong choice for lead. There are attempts to mask his British accent, and even some discernible moments of a New England accent. It comes off as entirely insincere. Ben Whishaw and Brendan Gleeson as Herman Melville and Thomas Nickerson, respectively, are the bright spots of the film as a pair of raconteurs telling fish stories over whiskey in a room filled with ships in bottles. And when that's the bright spot, you're sort of in trouble.

Moby Dick is a timeless tale, but this variation is just unnecessary. It makes me cringe to see previews for these great (and some not-so-great) stories being retold over and over as if that's more important or spectacular than original ideas. Thinking about the upcoming "Point Break", "The BFG", "The Jungle Book", "Ben Hur", "The Magnificent Seven", "Jumanji", and "Tarzan" is just too much new old movies. Okay, I won't lie, "The Magnificent Seven" will be pretty cool.

The film seems starkly out of place. It was originally intended for a spring release, but that was encroaching on the impending blockbusters, and In the Heart of the Sea is too serious and wistful for that movie-going audience. Perhaps there was an awards-savvy audience in mind when it was pushed to October, targeting those hungry for yet another retelling of a time-honored legend. With biopics all the rage, isn't it a more meta-cognitive approach to make a movie about the story that was told by the man who sailed on the ship that inspired the book for the author. I got lost in my own sentence. Suffice to say, it is not clever. The studio chose to push it yet again to early December. The doldrums between the Thanksgiving feast and the Christmas frenzy. My point is, the film just doesn't fit anywhere. With a more compelling story arc, and perhaps stronger characters, it might have been stronger with any particular audience, but it was simply bland. It's a whale of a tale, but stick with the Melville classic. 5/10.

Spotlight

Rarely does a film come along that can jerk a tear from my eye without using cinematic drama or emotional manipulation in the form of character empathy or foreshadowing. Spotlight manages to achieve the type of emotional response typically reserved for well-crafted documentaries by simply telling the story in an authentic and just way. Plainly put, the story speaks for itself. The best films in the non-fiction genre are the ones that don't try too hard to be something exceptional. They allow the audience to fall into the rhythm of the characters and dialogue without any subversive plot twists or gimmicks, and they allow the story to just be.

Everyone has heard about the Catholic church child sexual abuse scandal that popped up in Boston in the late 1990's, but there hasn't been a story told on film that has given the story the justice that it deserves; from either side. On the one hand, the church has endured ridicule, and the title of Catholic Priest has almost become synonymous with the punchline of a pedophile joke. On the other, the untold story of thousands of legitimate child sex abuse victims and hundreds, if not thousands of Priests has remained hidden in the shadows for fear of shame, persecution, or God knows what other reasons.

Spotlight refers to the special investigations team of journalists at the Boston Globe. They run high profile exposes and often spend months working a case before it is published. The foursome are portrayed remarkably by Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, and Brian d'Arcy James. Working under the newly appointed Globe editor, played with a veteran calm by Liev Schreiber, they are tasked with following up on an abuse allegation at a Boston Diocese. Rounding out the supporting cast are John Slattery (Mad Men), Stanley Tucci, and Billy Crudup. I can honestly say that this is a case of flawless performances all around, in what is a sizzling and taboo discussion piece. From the outset, there is a growing sense that something isn't right, and the deeper the team digs, the larger the spiderweb of involvement by various people and organizations within the city and in the Diocese. This particular investigation sparked an international outcry for action and blew the lid off one of the worst kept secrets in Boston.

Handling a story of this nature demands a delicate balance. After all, in today's day of religious intolerance, child sex abuse in the Catholic church is akin to ISIS' relationship to Islam. What I mean is that it is easy to pigeon-hole the religion and defame it based on the actions of the few. Admittedly, the numbers are skewed, and there are more abusers than there are apostates, but the crimes are no less horrendous or cowardly than suicide bombing, are they? The film treads lightly on the details, but still places the blame squarely where it lies; the conspiracy to cover up the crimes. The heart-wrenching piece is the shattered lives of the hundreds of victims that never had an avenue to find justice until the court of public opinion was opened up to them.

I would expect nothing less than numerous Academy Award nominations for Spotlight. You could nominate numerous supporting actors with a straight face, but Mark Ruffalo will likely get the lions share of recognition. I would also expect it to end up on Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay ballots. It is a must-see, and will be hard to beat in terms of sheer quality.

Writer/Director Tom McCarthy (writer of Pixar's Up) has certainly made strides since last year's potential Razzie, The Cobbler. Spotlight lands squarely atop my current list of Best Pictures of the year (that I've seen so far). It is beautiful in its execution, acted to near-perfection, and directed with a veteran's patience and eye. What sets this apart from other works of non-fiction is that this story wasn't told to shock audiences, it was told to honor the story, it's a story that needs to be told, and was done tastefully and fearlessly, and that is why it gets such high marks for me. It's hard to beat a film like this in any genre. Of course, it's hard to beat a story like this as well. 9/10.