By Kalman Dean-Richards
The Hateful Eight, Quentin Tarantino’s eighth movie, came out on the eighth of January.
Why have we waited almost a month for your review of it, then, Kalman? How are we to know what to go and see, without you first drawing us a fairly interesting, but ultimately reductive image of it? Are you even committed to writing a whole ‘Oscars Season’, or are you just going to get bored and move onto something else before the awards ceremony – leave us like you always do? All good questions.
The movie’s pretty much like everything Tarantino ever does. It looks stylish, it’s obsessed with being cool, and the combination of violence, comedy, and social-politics is at least good fun, and at most intensely gripping.
Jennifer Jason Leigh is stunning, in the role around which the plot pivots. She’s insane, she’s vicious, she’s emotional, and if she doesn’t win the Oscar that I assume she’s nominated for, then I can’t have seen the performance that beats her (that’s quite possible – I haven’t been to the cinema very much in the last year).
The whole cast, in fact, is terrific, which is no surprise, since Quenty seems to have the pick of lists A through Z these days.
None of them, though, can possibly outshine the director himself, whose style has become as much about self-indulgence as it is ‘comic-book western’. His stamp is on every slick piece of dialogue (and it’s all slick), every bloody death, and every skilfully plotted puzzle piece. At one stage, Tarantino’s own voiceover tramples in and tells the whole thing to rewind fifteen minutes and look at things through a different camera. He’s everywhere.
He’s everywhere, and if you don’t like him, then you’ll probably feel the same way about the film.
As you can probably guess, self-indulgence isn’t something that troubles me, and to illustrate that point, I’m giving the film 8/10 Ks. It loses two points because, for me, the explanation doesn’t quite stand up to the brilliance of the murder-mystery, although I’ve little doubt that the stitching between the two will reveal itself to be more intricate than I now realise, when I buy it on DVD.
Featured image: WendyWei.pexels With the most anticipated night of the year right around the corner, the big question is looming: where are you going to celebrate it? Whether you dread it or count down the days, are new to the Manchester nightlife scene or are a regular, we’ve got your New Year’s Eve plans sorted….
By Georgia Robinson Featured image and gallery: Ruby Sharp Get one step ahead of your 2025 aesthetic and plan your outfits for the new year with this guide to all the trends we expect to see next year. Why not jazz up your wardrobe with trending accessories or browse Depop and Vinted for a pre-loved…
Featured image and gallery: Kaitlyn Brockley The rumble of trains passing through Piccadilly station, the hollers of touts (“tickets, buy or sell?”) and security (“have your IDs ready”), and the excitable chatter of gig-goers all audibly backdrop the outskirts of Manchester’s Mayfield Depot this dark, damp evening. Leaving the outside chill and travelling along the…
Featured image and gallery: Leo Woollison Crook Angela Cheveau and Kate Carne were crowned winners of the 2024 QuietManDave Prize on Friday. The short-form writing prize is held biennially to honour the memory of the much-loved and well-known Manchester writer and critic Dave Murray, who passed away in 2019. The writers were each awarded £1000…
Leave a reply