THE HATEFUL EIGHT
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Screenplay by Quentin Tarantino
Starring Samuel L Jackson; Kurt Russell; Jennifer Jason Leigh; Walton Coggins; Demian Bicher; Tim Roth; Michael Madsen; and Bruce Dern
In the dead of a Wyoming winter, a bounty hunter and his prisoner find shelter in a cabin currently inhabited by a collection of interesting characters.
Welcome to Minnie's Haberdashery.
2 hours 45 minutes of tension.
Is it Tarantino's best? No. But I really liked it.
First it is beautiful to just look at. Every scene is gorgeous. Even little details inside the cabin...like you notice in the back of the cabin snow is falling inside, with a little bit of light it almost seems oddly peaceful within the tension of the room.
The screenplay may be one of his best. It could easily be put on stage in NY, 3/4 of the film takes place inside one room. It is an old school/western showdown (no spoilers here).
As for the acting. Again no spoilers. Leigh, recieved a lot of well deserved love for her part here as Daisy. She is Dirty/vulgar/funny all rolled up into one ball of fire. So, yes she is getting the well deserved love but I want to note a couple more standouts. Sometimes I think Jackson is such a good actor he makes it seem so easy that he can be overlooked. Jackson is fantastic here, he is the center here, he commands your attention. Also, Tim Roth as Oswaldo, gives a great performance, sometimes scary also a bit hilarious by almost giving play by play in the room.
Negatives? Well almost 3 hours is long, so yes it could have been edited a bit. Also, it has to be addressed, the N word. It is used so often here it becomes cringe worthy at times. Yes, I understand it was a different time and place, however the word being used every 5 minutes it seems like Tarantino is just using it as shock value.
So, many critics are saying Tarantino's ego got in the way here and the film is him being over indulgent. But what do you expect when going to see a Tarantino film?
A good script. He delivers (still a bit long)
Violence. Oh yes, you get over the top bloody violence.
Humor. Yes you get humor. "Close the door!!!"
So I disagree with most of the critics.
4 stars out of 5 for The Hateful Eight. He delivered a good film that looks wonderful. Try and see it in digital Blu Ray.
CONCUSSION
Director Peter Landesman
Screenplay by Peter Landesman
Based on a GQ article by Jeanne Marie Laskas
Starring Will Smith; Albert Brooks; Alec Baldwin; Davis Morse and Gugu Mbatha Raw
In Pittsburgh, accomplished pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu (Smith) uncovers the truth about brain damage in football players who suffer repeated concussions in the course of normal play.
Well. It is well acted. Let me start there.
Will Smith as Dr Omalu. His accent throws you off in the beginning, but after the film gets rolling you find you adapt to it. He is brilliant here. Passionate.
Albert Brooks. Also very good as Dr Wecht. Mentor of Dr Omalu. He does a wonderful job at showing Dr Omalu the ways of the country...and how to get your point across without doors shutting in your face. He is so on top of his game here.
David Morse. As Mike Webster. He is on the screen maybe for 10 minutes and may have given his best performance of his career.
Alec Baldwin as Mike Webster's Dr.. He is driven by guilt. For not detecting the brain issues of Webster. Sometimes I think Hollywood and the public have trouble separating Baldwin's wacky life and his acting career. He is one of the finest actors working today....see this and Still Alice, and Rogue Nation.
Gugu Mbatha Raw as Prema, Dr Omalu's wife. She really does not have much to do here which is a shame, she is a very good actress, see Belle.
Now we come to the screenplay and this is where problems start.
There is a disconnect here. It pretty much is a film about trying to get a big organization to admit there is a problem with the health and welfare of many of their employees. There really is not much of a story. So Dr Omalu discovers the cause and the NFL does not want to listen.
Problem here is we never see the other side, we never see their strategy of denial. The movie would work better if they took us into the NFL offices and watch how they try to get out of this. The film constantly speculates what the NFL is doing. We just see the results, that now in the NFL they have constant concussion tests. It would be more interesting watching behind the scenes.
While watching I thought a couple of things:
-This would have been better as a documentary with interviews with the real Dr Omalu and maybe an inside source on the NFL. Also with a look into ESPN..who are as guilty as the NFL here by showing their hard helmet to helmet hits and laughing live.
-Spread this out a little more. How about Hockey. In Philadelphia one of the biggest stars in hockey Eric Lindros was taken from the game. See he was huge on skates and other teams realized the only way to stop him was taking him out of the game. Hits to the head. After many concussions he had to stop. Then, the fans being uneducated at the time about head injuries (Like in this movie), pummeled Eric with boos and rants, stating he was no longer tough. He was big baby. This story falls right in line with the Concussion story.
I am not dissing Dr Omalu. He is a hero. He also may have saved many a life. It is an important topic for books and documentaries. However here as a movie....there seems to be missing elements. 3 out of 5 stars for Concussion. It may end up better on the small screen.
As always from the shadows thanks for your time
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