Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

"Thought it was a bunch of mumbo jumbo. A magical power holding together good and evil, the dark side and the light? Crazy thing is, it’s true. The Force, the Jedi, all of it. It’s all true."

Growing up with an older brother who loves all things sci-fi and fantasy with Star Wars at the very top of his list, one might assume my own appreciation for the original trilogy was inevitable. However, it was hardly love at first sight for me. My awesomely nerdy best friend in grade school graciously sat me down one Saturday to binge watch the movies on VHS, but I was an easily distracted 11-year-old brat and the epic space opera barely held my attention. It took about two more years for Star Wars to irrevocably become one of my favorite things ever, when another super cool classmate invited the entire gang to the cinema for the Special Edition rereleases. Shamefully, I must admit the shiny newly inserted special effects blew my adolescent mind, having no respect for (let alone any concept of) cinematic preservation, but I'd like to believe the experience of seeing the films at the cinema is what finally awakened my fandom. My love for the original trilogy has only grown over the years. The first Star Wars Trilogy was a gateway to Akira Kurosawa samurai pictures and an unending fascination with the monomyth by way of Joseph Campbell, profoundly shaping what I perceive to be good storytelling.

STAR WARS
1977 | Dir. George Lucas | 121 Minutes

The original Star Wars is bottled lightning plain and simple. Robots, aliens, mind powers, laser swords, dogfights in space - it's a testament to how well a mish-mash of ideas and genres can come together to form a cohesive rollicking adventure given the right circumstances. Far from a perfect film, even after all of the post-1977 tinkering the dialogue is noticeably flat in places and the pacing at the start with Artoo and Threepio's run-in with the Jawas has always seemed off to me, but there is a true earnestness to Luke's emotional journey that really carries the film thanks to Mark Hamill's natural performance. With each rerelease, the reinserted Jabba the Hutt scene sticks out like a sore thumb no matter how much they retexture and upscale the not-quite-massive-enough digital slug because the scene just doesn't work in the grand scheme of things, and the Han and Greedo scene somehow continues to evolve as a hilarious debacle. McClunky Forever, baby.

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

1980 | Dir. Irvin Kershner | 124 Minutes

The Empire Strikes Back is among only a handful of sequels that are better than their predecessors. It will likely remain the best picture of the nine mainline installments. It was my least favorite installment in my youth but it became one of my favorite movies ever over the years. The music from the Battle of Hoth plays in my head every winter when I'm shoveling the driveway. Han, Leia, Chewie, and Threepio fleeing the Empire is viscerally exciting but what really speaks to me on recent rewatches is the wisdom that Yoda imparts on Luke, the value of having patience and faith in oneself, and to not let one's emotions run amok and take control of one's actions. I'm thankful that Lucas tinkered with this one the least, and the changes he made actually make sense, mostly just patching up flaws in the special effects.

RETURN OF THE JEDI

1983 | Dir. Richard Marquand | 132 Minutes
Return of the Jedi was my favorite entry in the series for the longest time. Vader's redemption arc has always appealed to me in a big way as I've always been a big fan of closure. Real talk, I loved the Ewoks when I was a kid, convinced myself I grew out of them when I was a teen, and now I adore them again - CGI-augmented blinking be damned. My opinion of the film turned when I realized that the saga ends with a ragtag army of teddy bears defeating the Empire's supposedly best troops. Almost overnight, I began to detest all of the Endor scenes and, by extension, the whole movie. Years later, I learned to not take Star Wars as some form of nerd gospel and I've been much happier since. The extra musical number in Jabba's palace that's been in place since the Special Edition rerelease remains a garish assault on the senses, but I remember it was the replacement of the Ewok celebration song with a new musical arrangement that angered my best friend in grade school the most. Little did we know back then that on subsequent reissues, Lucas would have Vader shout "Nooo!" as he chucked the Emperor into oblivion, and a creepy Force Ghost Hayden Christensen would replace Sebastian Shaw and his epic eyebrows. Too funny.

The excitement was off the charts for a Star Wars Prequel Trilogy chronicling the rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker. I fondly remember me and my best friends gathering around the TV for the highly anticipated premiere of the teaser trailer for the first brand new Star Wars movie in fifteen years. The preview alone was a genuine cinematic event as diehard fans drove ticket sales for mediocre 20th Century Fox pictures like the three-hour slog Meet Joe Black just to see two minutes of fresh Star Wars footage on the big screen. Figures in the fog, smooth shiny new spaceships, Mathilda from The Professional in Kabuki makeup shooting an intriguing glance, the guy from Trainspotting as young Obi-Wan Kenobi, Sam "Bad Mother Fucker" Jackson as a Jedi Master, and a Satanic-looking baddie firing up a (holy shit!) double-bladed lightsaber. We were convinced this new set of Star Wars films was going to be the best movies ever. Needless to say, they were not. The major story beats are fine on paper and present some fascinating world-building that goes beyond detailing events that were only alluded to in the original trilogy. However, much of what works is overshadowed by objectively lousy execution and questionable storytelling decisions.

STAR WARS: EPISODE I - THE PHANTOM MENACE
1999 | Dir. George Lucas | 133 Minutes

The Phantom Menace was my first moviegoing experience in which the entire auditorium cheered when the title of the film appeared on screen, but as exhilarating as that was, things swiftly took a sharp turn for the worse. Awful dialogue, Jar Jar Binks, midichlorians, intergalactic C-SPAN - it all just felt... off... For reasons that remain unclear to me, the friend who invited me to the Special Edition screenings only a few years prior whispered a major spoiler in my ear just as Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon were about to face off against Darth Maul on Naboo. On the car ride home from the theater, I found myself questioning whether or not I even liked the movie. I read all of the published professional reviews and think pieces I could get my hands on and nearly all of them suggested George Lucas had lost his way, and that he might just be racist against Asians and black people from the Caribbean as evidenced in the Neimoidians and Gungans that sprung from his imagination. In a perpetual state of denial, my brother and I rewatched the movie in theaters nearly every other week for the next six months. In hindsight, while it isn't a great film, it was never going to live up to all the hype surrounding it and despite it all, its big picture plot points mostly work: a remarkably clever child is separated from his mother to take his first step into a larger world while a dark figure sows political discord from the shadows. The pod race sequence is thoroughly entertaining and, though the outcome was forever spoiled for me, the climatic lightsaber duel is really damn cool.

STAR WARS: EPISODE II - ATTACK OF THE CLONES
2002 | Dir. George Lucas | 142 Minutes
Attack of the Clones is not only the worst installment of the prequel trilogy, it's the worst Star Wars movie out of all nine, but I'm convinced I genuinely loved it after seeing it the first time opening weekend. I distinctly remember telling a high school crush that it was far better than Episode I and her guy friend telling me I was full of shit. I also distinctly remember this one guy in the audience asking out loud "Who eats fruit with a fork and knife?" and getting a huge laugh from the crowd on one of countless screenings my brother and I attended. The biggest problem with the movie is that the love story that's supposed to be its centerpiece simply doesn't work. Hayden Christensen's creepy teenage Anakin and Natalie Portman's blandly conflicted Padme make for a painfully unlikable couple. Thankfully most of the action is pretty great, especially the battle scenes on Geonosis, but I still have misgivings over the decision to have Yoda bound about with a lightsaber, and I outright despise the goofy robot factory sequence that plays like a big budget Nick Arcade challenge. Anakin's steady descent into the Dark Side triggered by the loss of his mother actually works extraordinarily well in the grand scheme of things and the Detective Obi-Wan subplot is captivating.

STAR WARS: EPISODE III - REVENGE OF THE SITH

2005 | Dir. George Lucas | 140 Minutes

Revenge of the Sith is easily best movie of the prequel trilogy. I'm not a big fan of Yoda and Obi-Wan's respective final Clone Wars missions but everything happening with Anakin and Palpatine on Coruscant is genuinely engaging despite a few odd and occasionally distracting acting choices. From the moment Palpatine issues Order 66, the film becomes the Star Wars prequel I always wanted, culminating the tragedy of Anakin Skywalker in the most spectacular ways. The emotionally repressed Jedi Order fails him, and believing he has no other option that will enable him to save his wife from certain doom, Palpatine convinces him that the Dark Side will grant him the power to cheat death. It's compelling stuff. It's also total nonsense that Padme apparently dies from a broken heart, so in my head canon she was done in by internal injuries from when Vader choked her. A grim interpretation for sure, but the film had already gone to some profoundly dark places by this point. The inevitable lightsaber fight between Vader and Obi-Wan on Mustafar is my favorite action sequence of the prequels and, hot take, I like "Battle of the Heroes" more than "Duel of the Fates".

Did fans need a Star Wars Sequel Trilogy that takes place after the fall of the Empire? Probably not. Did fans want these movies? That depends entirely on who you ask. If anything, the Star Wars sequels released by corporate behemoth Disney have further fractured an already divided fanbase by completely replacing decades of expanded universe lore with a new imperfect canon. Overblown internet backlash against the sequel trilogy even managed to somehow galvanize the obnoxiously loud toxic internet troll contingent. While these pictures are not groundbreaking cinema in any way, I am very fond of them. The visual aesthetic skews much closer than the prequel trilogy to my preferred vision of Star Wars, the action is consistently fantastic and, despite its overall inconsistency, the overarching story does a fine job expanding on the major themes of the original trilogy: finding faith, defying destiny, and resistance against tyranny.

STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS

2015 | Dir. J. J. Abrams | 136 Minutes

The Force Awakens may be derivative but it totally works as the start of a new monomyth cycle. I liken this first sequel to a decent cover album consisting of greatest hits with one or two original tracks that are surprisingly good. Rey and Finn are excellent new protagonists as Daisy Ridley and John Boyega are instantly likable, and I immediately bought into their respective journeys: a capable young woman in search of her identity and a remorseful young man on the run from trouble at every turn. I think it's fiendishly clever that the central villain is a toxic fanboy who worships a dead fascist. All in all, the picture does a fine job of setting the stage for potentially more interesting stories to come. Unfortunately, I went to see this one alone on opening night as none of my friends and family were able to join me. However, I was overcome with a real sense of community while chatting with fellow Star Wars fans as we gradually entered the theater and took our seats. I believe we all felt our collective enthusiasm was duly rewarded based on the conversations we had as the credits rolled.

STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI
2017 | Dir. Rian Johnson | 152 Minutes
The Last Jedi is something of a raw nerve for Star Wars fans but I am one of the nuts who unequivocally love it. The thematically rich adventure is centered on accepting failure. While I understand why certain diehard fans aren't thrilled with Luke's character arc, I find it to be a fascinating turn of events that falls in line with the reality that many heroes don't live up to their respective legends. Like his father, Luke is not an infallible paragon. His disenchantment with the Jedi contextualizes the overarching narrative of the prequel trilogy in a way that makes a lot of sense to me, stating outright the idea that the Jedi Order, steeped in arrogance, perhaps did more harm than good. When all is said and done, Luke still performs a mind-blowing heroic feat at the end of his journey to give the Resistance some much needed hope, and that’s what matters. Finn and Rose’s controversial extended side quest failed to directly assist their friends and allies but they managed to inspire a new generation to rebel. While Rey failed to complete her training, and further failed to bring Ben Solo back from the Dark Side, in the end she remains the hero the galaxy needs. Perhaps the one idea presented in this film that appeals to me the most is that Force does not belong to the Jedi or the Sith, that the Force can be strong with anyone.

STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER

2019 | Dir. J. J. Abrams | 142 Minutes
The Rise of Skywalker is objectively the weakest film of the third Star Wars cycle, sidelining or outright dismissing the original ideas introduced in The Last Jedi and taking even fewer creative risks than The Force Awakens. It is far from a perfect conclusion to the nine-picture Skywalker Saga, paced haphazardly and plagued with structural problems, but there is much fun to be had on this adventure if you are willing to go along with its nonsense - in essence, it roughly resembles a microcosm of the Star Wars franchise as a whole, warts and all. It is packed with fan service moments of varying effectiveness, the convoluted exposition at the top of the film is laid on thick, and plot developments range from surprisingly flat to logically questionable, but the non-stop action keeps things moving, the visuals are gorgeous, and the principal cast continues to do a fantastic job keeping the grand space opera engaging. For all the story beats the film glosses over or breezes through, the last episode directly explores Palpatine's quest to cheat death introduced in Revenge of the Sith, it definitively concludes the remaining Skywalkers' respective character arcs in an emotionally resonant way, and it effectively reiterates the central theme of redemption that runs through the entire saga.

007 CONNECTIONS

- Benicio del Toro (Dario in Licence to Kill)

- Daniel Craig (James Bond in Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre, and No Time To Die)

MCU CONNECTIONS

- Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury in Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War, Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and The Marvels)

- Natalie Portman (Jane Foster in Thor, Thor: The Dark World, Avengers: Endgame, and Thor: Love and Thunder)

- Andy Serkis (Ulysses Klaue in Avengers: Age of Ultron and Black Panther)

- Lupita Nyong'o (Nakia in Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)

- Michaela Coel (Aneka in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)

- Benicio del Toro (Taneleer Tivan in Thor: The Dark World, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Avengers: Infinity War)

- Ralph Ineson (Ravager Pilot in Guardians of the Galaxy)

- Hannah John-Kamen (Ava Starr in Ant-Man and the Wasp)

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw

FAST & FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS & SHAW
2019 | Dir. David Leitch | 136 Minutes

"The fate of the world is in your hands and you still can't get along."

A shadowy organization attempts to steal a technologically advanced virus but is thwarted by an MI6 agent after she injects herself with the bio-weapon and evades capture. Recruited by the CIA for their unmatched skills, DSS Agent Luke Hobbs and the rogue assassin Deckard Shaw must set aside their differences and face their personal demons in order to retrieve the virus and save the world.

Pairing up erstwhile Fast & Furious antagonists Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw for their very own feature film should be an exciting proposition, but it turns out the two absurdly macho tough guys, who were the very best thing about The Fate of the Furious, struggle to carry a movie on their own when separated from the muscle-headed earnestness of the core franchise. The opening sequence that walks through their opposing action hero styles and the put-downs they exchange early on are entertaining enough, but the writing wears thinner and the humor lands flatter with every passing minute despite dedicated performances from the leads and the too-good-for-this-movie supporting cast. This spin-off only seems interested in strictly following the bullet points of what made its titular heroes appealing in past installments, which is most logical from a business standpoint, but the brain trust behind this often off-beat action series could have colored outside the lines even just a little for this side story and it would still be a profitable product given the star power at its disposal. Even the series' running theme of family feels like a clumsy obligation as featured in this picture.

Director David Leitch's experience in staging over-the-top action set pieces serves this film well, particularly in sequences featuring the cybernetically enhanced Brixton and his high-tech motorbike. However, while the set-ups are great, the CGI-heavy vehicular mayhem only offers cheap weightless thrills as per the unfortunate standard of latter-day Fast & Furious movies. There are a smattering of amusing moments during the London chase scene, the escape from the Ukrainian lab, and the climatic multiple tow truck versus chopper battle in Samoa, but they are hardly awe-inspiring. At best these bits are good for a chuckle, at worst they are empty spectacle that completely withdraws any suspension of disbelief.

Substandard script be damned, Dwayne Johnson's natural charisma goes a long way and Jason Statham is afforded plenty of opportunities to show off his martial arts skills. Their quippy chemistry is generally pretty good but it's rather monotonous in long stretches. As self-proclaimed bad guy Brixton Lore, Idris Elba appears to be having the time of his life, making the most of the woefully underdeveloped antagonist. Vanessa Kirby is very convincing in the role of courageous ass-kicking MI6 operative Hattie Shaw. Hobbs & Shaw also features Helen Mirren reprising the part of Queenie Shaw, Eddie Marsan as Professor Andreiko, Eiza Gonzalez as master thief Madam M, Cliff Curtis and wrestling superstar Roman Reigns as Hobbs' brothers, Eliana Sua as Hobbs' daughter Sam, and Lori Pelenise Tuisano as Hobbs' mother.

Megastar leads and a fantastic supporting cast don't quite elevate this Fast & Furious spin-off above the typical flaws of an average summer blockbuster. Given the talent involved, Hobbs & Shaw is a disappointingly disposable action romp that perhaps could have much more satisfying had the filmmakers taken more risks instead of settling on simply playing the hits.


MID-CREDITS STINGERS
- The Shaws visit their mother.

- Hobbs takes his daughter to see her grandmother.

- Hobbs receives a phone call from his old partner Locke.

- Shaw receives payback from Hobbs for prior humiliation.


POST-CREDITS STINGER
- Locke discovers it is surprisingly easy to stab a man with a brick.


FRAGMENTS
- The series' tradition of unconventional titles carries on for this spin-off; while often referred to as simply Hobbs & Shaw, the full official title of the film is the humorously clunky Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw

- In Japan, the title for this film is Wild Speed: Super Combo

- Ryan Reynolds, Rob Delaney, and Kevin Hart make uncredited cameo appearances as CIA Agents Locke and Loeb, and Air Marshal Dinkley respectively

- Ryan Reynolds, Rob Delaney, and Eddie Marsan previously appeared together in director David Leitch's Deadpool 2

- This is the third film featuring Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart following Central Intelligence and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle


SUPPLEMENTAL STUFF
- Podcast: How Did This Get Made? Episode #220: Hobbs & Shaw: LIVE! (w/ Adam Scott, Nicole Byer)


MCU CONNECTIONS
- Idris Elba (Heimdall in Thor, Thor: The Dark World, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, and Thor: Love and Thunder)

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD
2019 | Dir. Quentin Tarantino | 161 Minutes

"Hey, you're Rick fucking Dalton. Don’t you forget it."

A fading star and his unemployable stunt double struggle to find their place in Hollywood as palatable opportunities run out. Meanwhile, misfortune creeps toward the doorstep of an enthusiastic up-and-coming talent.

Deeply immersive, if slightly meandering, Quentin Tarantino's Tinseltown fairy tale transports its viewers back an idealized time and place, and basks in nostalgia for a bygone era, recreating the look and feel of Hollywood in 1969 with painstaking attention to detail. Tarantino's trademark style is more focused and refined than ever as he deliberately holds back on his penchant for graphic violence until the last possible moment in favor of his love for spending time with his idiosyncratic characters. Though the leisurely-paced picture gradually establishes a tangible threat that fully emerges in an inevitable climatic confrontation, most of film is primarily centered on the mundane moments and personal day-to-day struggles that make up the lives of its protagonists.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood specifically explores three fateful days in the lives of its captivating lead characters as they reflect on the state of their respective careers, potentially facing the end of their livelihood whether they know it or not. Hungry for a break that would lift him out of his rut, Rick is an insecure mess, flubbing his lines and breaking down in tears at the thought of giving up his career as he knows it. An offer to make cheap movies in Rome is the last thing he wants, perceiving the option to be an admission of defeat, but he reluctantly takes the trip after staging one, potentially final, genuinely uplifting comeback on the set of a television pilot, turning a nightmare shooting day into a great one. Out-of-work stunt performer Cliff Booth is generally carefree but clearly lacks a proper outlet for his thrill-seeking tendencies, speeding down the streets of Hollywood and welcoming physical altercation with reckless abandon. A discouraging visit to a decrepit movie ranch, now overrun by shifty hippies, to see an old friend offers Cliff and the audience no hope for the future whatsoever. Emerging movie star Sharon Tate takes every opportunity to bask in her nascent stardom. Sitting in a general screening of The Wrecking Crew, she takes in the audience's gratifying favorable reaction to her breakout performance with such joy that it's easy to relish the feeling vicariously through her. All three are unaware of the true danger that lurks just around the corner, but on one fateful summer evening, their narratives reach a conclusion that plays against expectations, and real world history, in the most wonderful way imaginable. Exhilaratingly, the picture finally offers Cliff an appropriate release for his violent tendencies, and grants Rick an unlikely opportunity to make a potentially career-saving connection.

Leonardo DiCaprio is hilarious but also extremely affecting as the vulnerable Rick. His sadness and his triumphs become engaging visceral experiences due to DiCaprio's admirable commitment to the role. Brad Pitt exudes a calm affably self-assured quality that presents Cliff as a heroic figure despite the character's violent character flaws and probable criminal history. The camaraderie between DiCaprio and Pitt feels absolutely genuine and provides some of the film's most touching moments as Pitt is convincingly sweet when Cliff consistently offers Rick unconditional emotional support. Margot Robbie's role as Sharon Tate is disappointingly underwritten, as Tate serves mostly as an ethereal presence to be observed and appreciated from a distance, but Robbie makes the very most of it, affectingly emanating the unadulterated joy Tate feels as a freshly-minted movie star. The magnificent ensemble cast also features screen legend Al Pacino as an enthusiastic movie producer, Emile Hirsch as celebrity hairdresser and kung fu enthusiast Jay Sebring, Kurt Russell as a veteran stunt coordinator and narrator of a few key scenes, Margaret Qualley as enticing Manson acolyte Pussycat, Mike Moh pulling off an uncanny impression of Bruce Lee in both voice and physical prowess, Timothy Olyphant as TV western star James Stacy, Dakota Fanning as the formidable Squeaky Fromme, Austin Butler as homicidal fuck-up Tex Watson, Bruce Dern as the hapless George Spahn, Damon Herriman briefly appearing Charles Manson, and many others.

Funny, reflective, and remarkably personal, Quentin Tarantino's ninth film is a lavish love letter to the auteur's favorite era in the history of his favorite town. The sentimentality on display in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is lulling and infectious, juxtaposing against the growing sense of trepidation that builds through the course of the story. Luckily for its lead characters, and its audience, the world of this fable in one in which everyone who deserves a second chance receives one, and dreams never have to end.

MID-CREDITS STINGER
An advertisement for a particular cigarette brand featuring Rick Dalton.


RED APPLE CIGARETTES
- Cliff Booth's brand of choice

- Decidedly not Rick Dalton's brand of choice despite his professional endorsement


FOOT STUFF
- Multiple lingering shots of Sharon Tate's bare feet as she lies in bed, and as she puts them up in a movie theater

- Prominent shots of Pussycat's bare feet on Cliff's dashboard


NOTABLE NEEDLE-DROPS
- Sharon Tate's exuberance can be felt through the Paul Revere and the Raiders records that regularly play in her home

- José Feliciano's mournful take on "California Dreamin'" is a beautiful fit to mark an ending of sorts, capping off the second act of the film

- Vanilla Fudge's groovy psychedelic cover of "You Keep Me Hangin' On" perfectly complements the events that unfold during the pivotal home invasion climax


FRAGMENTS
- The Columbia Pictures studio logo that opens the film is a take on the design that was used from 1968 to 1976

- Aspects of Rick Dalton's career are based in part on Burt Reynolds' trajectory; Nebraska Jim is a tongue-in-check reference to the 1966 Spaghetti Western Navajo Joe starring, and famously derided by, Burt Reynolds

- Burt Reynolds was set to play George Spahn but passed away before he was scheduled to shoot his scenes

- Pussycat is loosely based on Manson Family member Kathryn Lutesinger who was nicknamed "Kitty"

- Damon Herriman also plays Charles Manson on the Netfilx series Mindhunter

- Madisen Beaty who appears as Patricia "Katie" Krenwinkel previously played Krenwinkel on the NBC television series Aquarius

- As television star Wayne Maunder, the film features Luke Perry in his final performance before he passed away in February 2019


007 CONNECTIONS
- Michael Madsen (Damian Falco in Die Another Day)


MCU CONNECTIONS
- Kurt Russell (Ego in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2)

The Hateful Eight

THE HATEFUL EIGHT
2015 | Dir. Quentin Tarantino | 168 Minutes

"You only need to hang mean bastards, but mean bastards, you need to hang!"

In the winter of 1877, a black Union veteran, a wary bounty hunter, his resentful prisoner, and a former southern militiaman stop at a remote general store on their way to town in the midst of a severe storm. The already distrustful travelers hole up with a Mexican, an Englishman, a bitter Confederate general, and a taciturn cowboy who had arrived previously. Tempers flare, suspicions are confirmed, lies unravel, and death is dealt indiscriminately.

A locked room mystery imbued with writer/director Quentin Tarantino's proclivities, The Hateful Eight takes its time to unfold, meticulously establishing its lead characters in its first half through extended conversations filled to the brim with Tarantino's trademark fanciful dialogue, giving ample room for its brilliant cast to play. As engaging as the opening chapters are, the pacing picks up substantially after the first lie is exposed followed by the first killing that marks the halfway point of the narrative. There is high entertainment value in the bloodbath that ensues, breaking all of the previously established tension as characters projectile vomit blood, genitals are destroyed, innocent lives are systematically extinguished, and a wanton criminal is hanged, but feelings of catharsis are uncomfortable at best due to the morally bankrupt nature of the story's lead characters.

Thematically, The Hateful Eight is a story about deception on all levels. Besides the antagonists taking on false identities to stage their ambush-and-rescue plot, the primarily protagonist perpetuates a distressing lie of his own in order to survive as a black man in America. Major Marquis Warren carries a phony private letter from Abraham Lincoln on his person at all times as a defensive prop to win over northern whites who would mistreat him otherwise. Warren's anger and distrust for the white man is completely justified, considering that he witnessed first-hand the horrors of slavery and the American Civil War, but his methods are depraved and deplorable, fully illustrated in graphic stomach-churning detail when he converses with the Confederate General Smithers. Warren is no better than the paranoid bounty hunter John Ruth, a man with no qualms about beating an incapacitated woman, obsessed with capturing criminals alive in order to watch them hang. In addition, southern dandy Chris Mannix's dubious claim that he was elected Sheriff of Red Rock is never confirmed, nor the last ditch threat of Domergue's gang suggesting that they will be avenged by an army of outlaws lying in wait. Cynically, the lie of Warren's letter may be interpreted as a symbol of the hopeless American dream of equality. As Warren and staunch racist Mannix bleed out together after teaming up to dispatch Domergue and her gang, Mannix earnestly requests the letter from Warren and reads it aloud with a certain reverence despite being the one to accurately expose it as a fake just hours before.

Tarantino went to great lengths to shoot The Hateful Eight on 65mm film and transfer it to 70mm. While scenes set in snowy and mountainous exterior locations are absolutely gorgeous, the luxurious cinematic format does not present any obvious benefit for the feature's primary one-room set. The sentiment is respectable, but the active decision to avoid digital production for the picture is the least essential of Tarantino's artistic flourishes in that it doesn't add any substantive enjoyment to the overall experience. The story is captivating, the dialogue is excellent, but at points the film might as well be a stage play.

Samuel L. Jackson plays Marquis Warren with his meanest dialed all the way up, his performance particularly disturbing in a flashback sequence detailing his fateful encounter with General Smithers' son. A reliably petulant Kurt Russell plays John Ruth, once again convincingly paranoid as a desperate man of questionable moral character trapped with deceptive people in a confined space during a snow storm, essentially another take on his role as R.J. MacReady in John Carpenter's The Thing. Barely recognizable with numerous facial wounds and a southern drawl, Jennifer Jason Leigh fully disappears into the role of Daisy Domergue, a defiant woman who should elicit unconditional sympathy from the audience for the constant beating she endures from her captor if not for the venomous bigotry that spews from her mouth. Walton Goggins at his slimiest is the perfect fit for Chris Mannix, eloquent, dopey, and despicable all at once. As General Sandford Smithers, Bruce Dern makes the character easy to despise but he also effectively sells the despair of a grieving father. Tim Roth is fun to watch as the smooth-talking Oswaldo Mobray, as is Demian Bichir as the suspicious Bob, but Michael Madsen's understated performance as Joe Gage is unfortunately overshadowed by the rest of the cast. James Parks is amusing as the unlucky stagecoach driver O.B., and in his brief appearance as Domergue's brother, Channing Tatum is a real showstealer.

The Hateful Eight may be the most challenging and least accessible of Quentin Tarantino's films due to the picture's deliberate pacing and the way each of its lead characters toy with the audience's sympathy only to betray it in spectacular fashion. However, its brilliant ensemble cast is consistently engaging and markedly elevates this tension-filled tale about the lies people tell in order to survive.


OTHER VERSIONS
- During its initial theatrical run, The Hateful Eight was released in select cinemas presented in 70mm Cinerama Roadshow format, with actual analog film projected onto movie screens, featuring a slightly longer cut of the picture with alternate takes, a musical overture, and an intermission

- The film was recut into a four-episode miniseries and released on Netflix in 2019 as The Hateful Eight: Extended Version, featuring alternate takes and additional moments that are not in the standard theatrical or Cinerama Roadshow versions


THE STORY BEHIND THE TITLE
The Hateful Eight is, fittingly, Quentin Tarantino's eighth feature length film.


QUENTIN TARANTINO AS...
- The narrator who explains in great detail why the fourth chapter is entitled Domergue's Got a Secret, and summarizes the steps Jody's gang had taken in preparation for Daisy and John Ruth's arrival


RED APPLE CIGARETTES
- Minnie's Haberdashery sells Red Apple Tobacco and pre-rolled Red Apple Cigarettes

- Bob smokes a "Manzana Roja" at the start of the fourth chapter


CASTRATION WITH A BANG
- A hidden gunman in the basement shoots Warren's johnson and cajones


NOTABLE NEEDLE DROPS
- The White Stripes' "Apple Blossom" sounds only slightly anachronistic over shots of the stagecoach traversing in the wilderness during the film's opening act

- David Hess' "There You're Alone" from Wes Craven's infamous 1972 horror film The Last House on the Left is effectively chilling in the scene depicting Gage track and murder poor haberdashery worker Charly, a direct reference to a similar sequence in that movie

- Roy Orbison's "There Won't Be Many Coming Home" from his 1967 star vehicle The Fastest Guitar Alive, closes the film on a somber note, reiterating the theme of irreparable damage the American Civil War left behind


FRAGMENTS
- Originally conceived as a novel sequel to Django Unchained entitled Django in White Hell, Tarantino decided that Django's character did not fit the story

- Tarantino briefly canceled production on The Hateful Eight in early 2014 after an early draft of the screenplay was leaked online, but positive reception for a live-read of the script at an event in Los Angeles with a full cast convinced him to restart production with a new ending for the film

- The narrative is heavily inspired by John Carpenter's 1982 sci-fi horror classic The Thing about a group of distrustful men stranded in a freezing hostile environment with a deadly enemy hidden in their ranks, a film that also stars Kurt Russell as a gruff no-nonsense loner; The Hateful Eight even features previously unused music by legendary composer Ennio Morricone from the score for The Thing

- Morricone composed the original score for this film, his first score for a western in over three decades, earning him his first Oscar

- Jennifer Jason Leigh's rendition of "Jim Jones at Botany Bay" is rather lovely; the song is an Australian folk ballad about a criminal who makes his escape while being transported to a penal colony, a clue on Domergue's plan already in progress hidden in plain sight

- Unbeknownst to Kurt Russell when the scene was shot, the guitar he smashes was a priceless antique on loan from the Martin Guitar Museum that was intended to be swapped out for a replica; the genuine article was destroyed due to miscommunication on set and the take capturing Jennifer Jason Leigh's actual reaction was used in the final cut of the film

007 CONNECTIONS

- Michael Madsen (Damian Falco in Die Another Day)


MCU CONNECTIONS
- Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury in Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War, Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and The Marvels)

- Kurt Russell (Ego in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2)

- Walton Goggins (Sonny Burch in Ant-Man and the Wasp)

- Tim Roth (Emil Blonsky in The Incredible Hulk)

Django Unchained

DJANGO UNCHAINED
2012 | Dir. Quentin Tarantino | 165 Minutes

"Do you know what they're going to call you? The 'Fastest Gun in the South.'"

In 1858, a slave named Django is liberated by Dr. King Schultz, a German dentist-turned-bounty-hunter, in exchange for his cooperation in tracking down a trio of wanted plantation overseers. The implicit mythological nature of Django's story moves Schultz, and he decides to assist Django on his journey through the nightmarish heart of the American Slave Trade to free Django's wife Broomhilda.

Writer/director Quentin Tarantino's Deep South odyssey is an honest-to-goodness masterpiece. Repurposing Spaghetti Western tropes with just the right amount of anachronistic flair, Django Unchained is an expertly-paced, exhilarating ride that completely abandons the notion of moral grey areas in favor of heroes that are easy to root for and villains that deserve their violent ends without exception. After all, there is no moral grey area when it comes to the crimes of racist white supremacists, and those complicit in the atrocities committed are at least just as guilty.

The narrative is slightly more focused than a standard Tarantino film, unfolding in a strictly chronological manner save for a handful of brief flashbacks from Django's point of view providing immediate context, and meandering tangential side stories are at a bare minimum. The film is also aesthetically stunning, numerous exterior sequences set in the wilderness are simply beautiful, and action scenes make startlingly effective use of slow motion. One of the most striking shots of the film occurs when Shultz cuts down a fugitive with his rifle, the camera fixed on cotton plants as the outlaw's blood splatters onto white fluff.

Jamie Foxx convincingly portrays the titular dashing figure of bravery, conveying a broad range of emotion from fear to outright defiance. Delightfully eloquent as Schultz, Christoph Waltz shows off his versatility as well, his final moments contemplating the brutality he witnessed in Mississippi and confronting the deranged plantation owner Calvin Candie really stand out. Kerry Washington's presence as Broomhilda is felt throughout the first half of the film in the form of brief haunting visions, and when the character finally appears in the flesh, Washington exudes intelligence, vulnerability, and a real air of dignity.

As the sociopathic Candie, Leonardo DiCaprio delivers one of the best performances of his career, exhibiting an admirable measure of control playing a truly despicable antagonist. However, the most hateful villain of the film is Candyland house slave Stephen played by Samuel L. Jackson, a slave who is absolutely loyal to his master and complacent in his position of relative power and comfort. Jackson alternates between Uncle Tom caricature and menacing tyrant with a frightening level of dedication. The supporting cast of baddies notably features Walton Goggins as an irritating Candyland enforcer Billy Crash, James Remar playing both a slave driver in the opening scene and Candie's stoic bodyguard, and Don Johnson and Jonah Hill as dimwitted proto-Klansmen.

Epic in scope, visually splendid, and massively entertaining, Django Unchained distills Quentin Tarantino's talent for cinematic wish-fulfillment fantasy to its purest, most crowd-pleasing form. With engaging characters and bloody satisfying action, the picture is a worthy addition to the Spaghetti Western canon though with a distinct Antebellum Period twist.


POST-CREDITS STINGER
The trio of slaves who witnessed Django dispatch the LeQuint Dickey Mining Company slavers wonder aloud about the identity of the gunslinger.


THE STORY BEHIND THE TITLE
Django Unchained follows a long line of unofficial spin-offs and sequels to Sergio Corbucci's original Django released in 1966. A multitude of Spaghetti Westerns with "Django" in their titles are completely unrelated to Corbucci's film, and some don't even feature a character named Django.


QUENTIN TARANTINO AS...
- A Bag Head

- Exploding LeQuint Dickey Mining Company slaver with a terrible Australian accent


RED APPLE CIGARETTES
- Django rolls cigarettes with Red Apple Tobacco


CASTRATION WITH A BANG
- In the finale, Django shoots Billy Crash in the groin for threatening to castrate him earlier


NOTABLE NEEDLE DROPS
- The theme song from the original Django composed by Luis Bacalov with vocals by Rocky Roberts is a one of the all-time great Spaghetti Western tunes and truthfully the only way to open this film

- The theme song from Lo Chiamavano King (His Name Was King) also composed by Luis Bacalov with vocals by Edda Dell'Orso serves as a cute refrain for Dr. King Schultz

- Jim Croce's "I Got A Name" is a natural montage song for the sequence breezing through Django and Schultz's travels

- The theme song from Lo Chiamavano Trinità (They Call Me Trinity) composed by Franco Micalizzi with vocals by David King is the perfect laid back tension-dispersing tune to close out the film


FRAGMENTS
- Incidentally, Tarantino plays a brief but memorable character in Takashi Miike's 2008 film Sukiyaki Western Django, another acclaimed contemporary spin on the Django

- The Columbia Pictures studio logo that opens the film is a take on the design that was used from 1968 to 1976

- The film features original songs by Rick Ross, John Legend, Anthony Hamilton and Elayna Boynton, RZA, and legendary film composer Ennio Morricone whose tracks from various Spaghetti Western films are prominently featured in Kill Bill, Death Proof, and Inglourious Basterds; Morricone went on to compose the original score for The Hateful Eight

- Franco Nero, star of the original Django, makes a cameo appearance as Mandingo slave owner Amerigo Vessepi


007 CONNECTIONS
- Michael Madsen (Damian Falco in Die Another Day)

- Christoph Waltz (Ernst Stavro Blofeld in Spectre and No Time to Die)


MCU CONNECTIONS

- Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury in Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War, Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and The Marvels)

- Christopher Berry (Randy Vale in Spider-Man: Homecoming)

- Walton Goggins (Sonny Burch in Ant-Man and the Wasp)

- Jamie Foxx (Max Dillon in Spider-Man: No Way Home)

Inglourious Basterds

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
2009 | Dir. Quentin Tarantino | 153 Minutes

"In the pages of history, every once in a while fate reaches out and extends its hand. What shall the history books read?"

Lieutenant Aldo Raine assembles a guerrilla squad of Jewish-American soldiers to conduct a campaign of terror and humiliation against Hitler's Nazis. Meanwhile, a celebrated German sniper is chosen by Goebbels to be the subject of a propaganda film set to premiere in occupied Paris with the Nazi High Command in attendance. Simultaneous plots targeting the premiere are hatched by a vengeful Jewish refugee, and a German defector collaborating with the British and Raine's men.

Inglourious Basterds is a war film unlike any other, utilizing all of writer/director Quentin Tarantino's creative tendencies and quirks in unexpected ways. Told in five distinct chapters that alternate between dark humor and engrossing drama, the vignettes featuring the Basterds let loose with the stylized violence and high-tension stand-offs one would expect from a Tarantino picture, while the ones that center on the heroine Shosanna Dreyfus fully utilize the less recognized aspects of the auteur's skill set as he masterfully and patiently builds dramatic suspense with substantial stakes. An air of grim levity permeates the sequence that introduces the Basterds, while the opening chapter that introduces primary antagonist Hans Landa and Shosanna is a suffocating edge-of-your-seat affair.

The central conceit of Inglourious Basterds is the notion that cinema carries the power to change the course of history. As the Nazis hope to rally their forces with a sensationalized cinematic account of their star soldier, Shosanna makes history with her own film. The picture brilliantly subverts exceptions, as Hitler attends the screening in Paris, and the plan to slaughter Nazi leadership along with the dictator actually succeeds spectacularly, literally changing history as we know it. The surprise alternate reality of the film presents a fantastic statement in that the event decisively ending the war occurs at the cinema, chiefly perpetrated by an artist, her face projected on a burning movie screen and subsequently on the smoke billowing from her weaponized highly flammable nitrate film collection. The brutal brand of justice doled out by the Basterds is just icing on the proverbial cake.

French actress Mélanie Laurent is magnetic as Shosanna, projecting both trepidation and wrath with palpable conviction. Equal parts charming and terrifying, Christoph Waltz's performance as Hans Landa indisputably places the villain alongside the most memorable antagonists ever committed to film. Similarly, Daniel Brühl's Fredrick Zoller is so deceptively pleasant that it can be easy to dismiss him until he until he proves to be a real threat during the closing act. As Lieutenant Raine, Brad Pitt is a real hoot, really chewing on that hillbilly accent. The cast also features Michael Fassbender doing some his best work as British Royal Marine Lieutenant Archie Hicox, Diane Kruger as German movie star prone to misfortune Bridget von Hammersmark, Til Schweiger as rage monster Hugo Stiglitz, horror director Eli Roth as rambunctious "Bear Jew" Donny Donowitz, and a barely-recognizable Mike Myers as Hicox's superior officer Ed Fenech.

Playing against expectations in the very best way, Inglourious Basterds weaves several captivating narratives together to form a unique war film with an unbelievable finale that's both shocking and exhilarating. Beyond the outrageous exploits of the picture's titular heroes, the film is about weaponizing art to defeat fascism and perhaps change history. It is a powerful statement, if fanciful and somewhat on-the-nose, and it is undeniably thrilling.


THE STORY BEHIND THE TITLE
The title was inspired by Enzo G. Castellari's 1978 World War II action film Quel Maledetto Treno Blindato (That Damned Armored Train), re-titled The Inglorious Bastards for US distribution which in turn is a direct translation of the original working title for the movie: Bastardi Senza Gloria. According to Tarantino, the odd spelling of this film's title is attributed to "Quentin Tarantino spelling."


QUENTIN TARANTINO AS...
- A scalped Nazi

- An American soldier in Nation's Pride


RED APPLE CIGARETTES
- Private First Class Hirschberg's brand of choice


FOOT STUFF
- Landa recovers von Hammersmark's designer shoe from the basement tavern and itimidates her into placing her foot on his lap, slowly slipping the shoe onto her foot to reveal his discovery of her defection


CASTRATION WITH A BANG
- During the Mexican standoff in the basement tavern, Gestapo Major Dieter Hellstrom aims his pistol at Hicox's crotch, Hicox and Sigletz aim their guns at Hellstrom's, and all three open fire and parish in the ensuing shootout


NOTABLE NEEDLE DROP
- David Bowie's theme song written by Giorgio Moroder from Paul Schrader's 1982 erotic thriller Cat People is a wonderfully anachronistic choice for the opening moments of the film's final chapter as Shosanna prepares for war, its refrain of "putting out the fire with gasoline" amusing blunt considering what she's about to do


FRAGMENTS
- Tarantino spent a decade writing the screenplay for the film

- The Universal Pictures studio logo that opens the film is a throwback to the design that was used from 1963 to 1990

- Frequent Tarantino collaborator Samuel L. Jackson narrates Hugo Stiglitz's character introduction and the expository montage about nitrate film

- Lieutenant Raine's phony alias Enzo Gorlomi is a mangled pronunciation of The Inglorious Bastards director Enzo G. Castellari's birth name, while Donowitz's alias is Antonio Margheriti after a prolific Italian exploitation film director

- Eli Roth directed the film within the film Nation's Pride

- Bo Svenson, the star of Castellari's The Inglorious Bastards, makes a cameo appearance in this film as an American Colonel in Nation's Pride, while Castellari himself cameos as a Nazi General in the burning theater


007 CONNECTIONS
- Christoph Waltz (Ernst Stavro Blofeld in Spectre and No Time To Die)

- Léa Seydoux (Madeleine Swan in Spectre and No Time To Die)


MCU CONNECTIONS
- Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury in Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War, Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and The Marvels)

- Daniel Brühl (Helmut Zemo in Captain America: Civil War)

Death Proof

DEATH PROOF
2007 | Dir. Quentin Tarantino | 113 Minutes

"I'm afraid you're gonna have to start getting scared... immediately."

A homicidal stuntman driving a reinforced car targets young women. He soon finds that his latest targets are more than he bargained for as the pair stuntwomen and their friend chase him down in a specific white 1970 Dodge Challenger.

Death Proof is more of a genre mash-up experiment than a fully-realized feature. Its first half is an homage to grindhouse slasher flicks complete with sloppy editing and deliberate scratches on the picture. Naturally, the leads during the opening stretch are modeled after the disposable horror movie characters, sexually active drug-friendly young women unsuspecting of the stalker in their midst. Though they are perhaps afforded more internal lives than the average slasher victim archetype, their subplots revolving around radio DJ Jungle Julia's secret heartbreak and Arlene's lame relationship with whiny dud Nate only serve as elaborate window dressing as they are swiftly discarded, dashed away when the deranged Stuntman Mike comes out to play.

The aesthetic style of the movie completely changes when Death Proof enters its back half, and the intentional film damage completely disappears. The film quickly establishes a fun new set of heroines, savvy film industry workers with a strong appreciation for practical stunt work and a knack for humorous banter. The remainder of the feature ramps up to a technically impressive showdown on the road. While the rest of the movie is entertaining on visceral level, it becomes clear that Death Proof pulled an odd bait-and-switch, abandoning horror in favor of over-the-top action spectacle. The shift comes off as clumsy, and unfortunately does little to serve the horror or the muscle car genres.

Kurt Russell is the very best thing about the picture, clearly having the time of his life as the evil and perverted stuntman, really selling his smugness and the sniveling cowardice just under the surface. Sydney Tamiia Poitier, Vanessa Ferlito, Jordan Ladd, and Rose McGowan are fine as Stuntman Mike's victims, though their performances are only as good as the incomplete arcs of their characters. Tarantino's favorite stuntwoman Zoë Bell plays a heightened version of herself, naturally hilarious and impressively performing the most dangerous acts of the movie with. Tracie Thoms stands out as opinionated stunt driver Kim, delivering a fun performance that really pops. Always a welcome sight, Rosario Dawson serves as the perfect audience surrogate playing make-up artist Abernathy. The cast also features Mary Elizabeth Winstead, horror director Eli Roth, Omar Doom, and Michael Bacall in bit parts.

Trashy entertainment devoid of narrative depth, Death Proof is an uneven roller coaster ride that switches from conceptually off-beat slasher film to extended muscle car stunt show. A good time is in store for those willing to appropriately temper their expectations and relish in the simple pleasure of watching a psychopath get his comeuppance.

ANOTHER VERSION

During its initial US theatrical run, a significantly pared down cut of Death Proof and a slightly shorter version Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror was released in theaters as a double feature entitled Grindhouse, complete with a set of parody movie trailers directed by Rob Zombie, Edgar Wright, and Eli Roth running between the two films. The Grindhouse version of Death Proof is missing several minor character moments with the Stuntman Mike's victims, the lap dance scene is absent with a humorous "Reel Missing" notice in its place, the hospital scene cuts straight to Zoë's friends picking her up at the airport completely excising the convenience store sequence, and it features alternate takes throughout.

THE STORY BEHIND THE TITLE

The title Quentin Tarantino's Thunder Bolt appears during the opening sequence before it is quickly replaced by a drab white text on black Death Proof title card. This is in reference to the common practice for exploitation movie distributors to re-title their films for any number of unscrupulous reasons.

QUENTIN TARANTINO AS...

- Warren the bartender

RED APPLE CIGARETTES

- Abernathy asked Kim to buy her a pack of Red Apple Tans

FOOT STUFF

- The first shots of the opening title sequence are of a woman's bare feet on the passenger side dashboard of a car

- The camera constantly lingers on Jungle Julia's bare legs and feet

- Stuntman Mike creepily touches Abernathy's feet while she is asleep in the backseat of a parked car

NOTABLE NEEDLE DROPS

- American rock band Smith's cover of "Baby It's You" is a damn good jukebox tune and Mary Elizabeth Winstead's acapella rendition in the parking lot isn't too shabby either

- The grimly ironic use of Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich's "Hold Tight!" during Stuntman Mike's vehicular murder of Jungle Julia and her friends is masterful in how well it complements the tension in that sequence

- Playing over the end credits, April March's cover of "Laisse Tomber Les Filles" mixed with her English version of the song "Chick Habit", is both grating but so infectiously catchy

FRAGMENTS

- The film opens with a vintage movie theater feature presentation clip, an animated restricted rating notice from the 1970s, and the logo of long-defunct exploitation film studio Dimension Pictures 

- The poem to be recited to Arlene in exchange for a lap dance is an excerpt from Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost

- The Crazy Babysitter Twins played by Electra and Elise Avellan and Dakota Block played by Marley Shelton from Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror appear briefly

- Michael Parks' Earl McGraw first appeared in Robert Rodriguez's From Dusk Till Dawn, and also appears in Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror and in Kill Bill alongside James Parks' Edgar McGraw


MCU CONNECTIONS
- Kurt Russell (Ego in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2)

Kill Bill

KILL BILL
2003-2004 | Dir. Quentin Tarantino | 111 Minutes (Volume 1) & 136 Minutes (Volume 2)

"That woman deserves her revenge, and we deserve to die."

Ambushed by her former comrades and left for dead, a deadly assassin is forced out of retirement to embark on an epic quest for vengeance.

Based on a quirky idea conceived by audacious auteur Quentin Tarantino and versatile leading lady Uma Thurman while filming Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill emulates, deconstructs, and reconstitutes the most sensational elements from a myriad of exploitation film genres to create a singular wildly entertaining cinematic experience. From chapter to chapter, the epic tale of one fierce woman hunting down the stone-cold killers who destroyed her life blends the best aspects of Giallo, Chambara, Spaghetti Western, and Kung Fu films to create a deliberately campy but entirely earnest mixture of varying styles and tones that works remarkably well.

Tarantino imitates the grindhouse movies that inspired Kill Bill with an unmistakable air of reverence, never devolving into hollow parody. The graphic violence is humorously exaggerated but aesthetically exquisite, the dialogue is undeniably corny but spoken with real conviction. Italian horror was a clear inspiration for the hospital sequence lit in sickly hues early in the narrative, and for the claustrophobic terror of the live burial scene. The anime chapter depicting O-Ren Ishii's origin story is a gorgeous and engrossing vignette thanks in no small part to animation studio Production IG's consistently excellent artistry. The snowy sword duel between The Bride and O-Ren perfectly falls in line with those featured in 1970s samurai films, juxtaposing sharply against the gritty knock-down drag-out brawl between The Bride and Elle Driver in Budd's trailer. The fight choreography from industry legend Yuen Wo Ping and his stunt team is uniformly spectacular, particularly impressive during The Bride's battle against the Crazy 88, and their expertise brings invaluable authenticity to Pai Mei's old school kung fu scenes. The soundtrack prominently features curated selections from Spaghetti Western film scores, perfectly complementing the fantastical cinematic world of The Bride's story.

At its core, the saga of The Blood-Spattered Bride is about broken hearts. The Bride's unyielding rampage is motivated by the devastating loss of her new friends, her fiance, and most of all her chance to leave behind a life of violence to start over with her baby, all at the hands of a man she once loved. Similarly, the massacre that sets the story in motion is driven by Bill's grief and jealously over The Bride's decision to leave him. It becomes clear throughout The Bride's journey that sheathing the sword is difficult for killers but revenge does not mend heartbreak. It's telling that veteran figures like legendary sword maker Hattori Hanzo, foul-tempered Taoist Priest Pai Mei, and ruthless geriatric pimp Esteban Vihaio never really retire despite sworn oaths and self-imposed seclusion, and men like Budd become regretful and lethargic. O-Ren's personal quest for vengeance only intensified her bloodlust, a concerning notion if O-Ren were viewed as a foil to The Bride if it were not for the unexpected opportunity to start over that is presented to The Bride at the end of her journey.

Uma Thurman completely commits to the role of The Bride, delivering a physical and deeply emotional tour de force, easily placing the character among the pantheon of all-time greatest action movie heroes. Considerably charming yet appropriately intimidating, Kung Fu television star David Carradine gives a fun and memorable performance as Bill. Lucy Liu is most impressive as supreme crime lord O-Ren Ishii, switching between unbridled fury and poised elegance with frightening ease. In one of her best roles, Daryl Hannah proves to be a delightfully amusing adversary playing with panache the wickedly cruel one-eyed assassin Elle Driver. As the dispirited loser Budd, Michael Madsen brings nuance to the character, even eliciting a certain level of sympathy. Though she only appears briefly, Vivica A. Fox effectively demonstrates a mixture of toughness and vulnerability as killer-turned-suburban-housewife Vernita Green.

The supporting cast features Michael Parks Texas Ranger Earl McGraw and Mexican pimp Esteban Vihaio, his son James Parks as Texas Ranger Edgar McGraw, Michael Bowen as despicable rapist Buck, erstwhile Japanese action star Sonny Chiba as swordsmith-turned-sushi-chef Hattori Hanzo, Julie Dreyfus as smug interpreter Sofie Fatale, Battle Royale star Chiaki Kuriyama as psychotic school girl Gogo Yubari, veteran Hong Kong kung fu star Gordon Liu as Crazy 88 Head General Johnny Mo and as Pai Mei, and Helen Kim as "surgeon with a shotgun" Karen. Samuel L. Jackson makes a cameo appearance as organ player Rufus, and Sid Haig cameos as strip club bartender Jay.

Kill Bill is an everything-and-the-kitchen-sink action extravaganza that proudly flaunts its diverse exploitation cinema roots. Exceptionally ambitious in both length and scope, Quentin Tarantino's smorgasbord of genre chills and thrills is ultimately much more than the sum of its disparate parts, it exemplifies the filmmaker at his most stylistically uninhibited. It is an exhilarating revenge masterpiece and a visceral artistic expression conveying the devastation of the broken-hearted.


POST-CREDITS STINGER
An alternate take of The Bride ripping out a Crazy 88's eye.


OTHER VERSIONS
- The Japanese cut of Kill Bill: Volume 1 opens with a dedication to filmmaker Kinji Fukasaku instead of the "Old Klingon Proverb," features more gore in the anime sequence, the Crazy 88 battle remains in full color throughout with additional shots of violence, and the scene depicting The Bride's interrogation of Sofie Fatale does not cut away when she cuts off the interpreter's other arm

- A one-film version combining the Japanese cut of Volume 1 with Volume 2, excising their respective epilogue and prologue, entitled Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair was screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2006 and received a limited theatrical run at Tarantino's New Beverly movie theater in 2011


QUENTIN TARANTINO AS...
- A wounded Crazy 88


RED APPLE CIGARETTES
- The Bride walks past an advertisement for the brand in the Tokyo airport


FOOT STUFF
- Multiple close-ups of The Bride's toes as she wills her feet out of entropy


NOTABLE NEEDLE DROPS
- Nancy Sinatra's cover of "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" makes for a chilling if ridiculously on-the-nose tune to start things off

- The Gheorghe Zamfir pan flute instrumental "The Lonely Shepherd" is both cheesy and perfect as a samurai theme

- Pairing the instrumental section of Santa Esmerelda's disco version of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" with The Bride and O-Ren's sword fight in the snow is simply sublime

- Johnny Cash's "Satisfied Mind" sure is depressing listening for the regretful and impoverished Budd as The Bride attempts to ambush him in his trailer

- The two Meiko Kaji theme songs featured are natural fits for the narrative: playing at the end of the fifth chapter "修羅の花 (Shura no Hana; The Flower of Carnage)" from the 1973 samurai film Lady Snowblood, and playing over the end credits "怨み節 (Urami Bushi; Grudge Song)" from the Female Convict Scorpion film series


FRAGMENTS
- The Shaw Brothers studio logo and a vintage movie theater feature presentation clip play after the standard Miramax studio logo

- Kill Bill features original music by The RZA, the first musician to produce original music for a Tarantino film

- Vernita hiding a gun in a box of Kaboom cereal is one of my favorite sight gags ever

- The Bride killing Vernita just moments after making plans to meet her later for a dramatic showdown foreshadows her sudden final battle with Bill

- Michael Parks' Earl McGraw first appeared in Robert Rodriguez's From Dusk Till Dawn, and also appears in Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror and in Death Proof alongside James Parks' Edgar McGraw

- The Deadly Viper Assassination Squad bears a striking resemblance to the team in failed television pilot Fox Force Five as described by Mia Wallace in Pulp Fiction

- There were four real life historical figures named Hattori Hanzo, the most famous was a ninja who was a loyal subordinate to Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu

- The Bride's yellow track suit with black stripes on the sides worn in the fifth chapter is a homage to Bruce Lee's attire from Game of Death

- While scouting shooting locations in Japan, Tarantino heard The 5.6.7.8.'s playing over the speakers at a Tokyo urban clothing store, bought the CD from the store, and decided to cast the rock trio as the house band for the House of Blue Leaves

- The switch to black and white during the Bride's battle against the Crazy 88 was primarily to appease the MPAA's demands to tone down the violence, but it is also an homage to how violent scenes were handled in U.S. televised versions of kung fu movies in the 1970s and 1980s

- In a bit of ironic casting, Gordon Liu was famous for playing Shaolin Monks, Pai Mei's sworn enemies, in Shaw Brothers kung fu films

- A few of the Cantonese lines spoken by Pai Mei differ from what the English subtitles display

- The movie that Bride and B.B. watch is Shogun Assassin, the 1980 English-dubbed grindhouse circuit recut of the samurai revenge film Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx with footage from Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance, both originally released in 1972, the first two films of a five-picture series adapted from Kazuo Koike's renowned manga epic centered on a stoic ronin's quest for revenge with his toddler in tow -- hardly an appropriate bedtime movie for a four-year-old


007 CONNECTIONS
- Michael Madsen (Damian Falco in Die Another Day)


MCU CONNECTIONS
- Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury in Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War, Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and The Marvels)

Jackie Brown

JACKIE BROWN
1997 | Dir. Quentin Tarantino | 154 Minutes

"Well, that's what you do to go through with the shit you start, you rationalize."

A middle-aged flight attendant who smuggles money for a gun runner on the side is caught between the homicidal crook and a pair of persistent lawmen. More wary of having to start over than fearing for her life, she teams up with a smitten bail bondsman in a dangerous gambit to play both sides of the law and make it out on top.

Based on Elmore Leonard novel Rum Punch, writer/director Quentin Tarantino's follow-up to Pulp Fiction is a less fantastical crime drama that's just as thematically rich and aesthetically pleasing. Unlike most Tarantino films, Jackie Brown is made up of more meditative character moments than shocking acts violence, and the bloodshed portrayed in the picture is far less gratuitous than in the filmmaker's other works. While the heist at the heart of the story is suspenseful and brilliantly realized, presented from three different points of view in Tarantino's distinct style, the narrative as a whole rolls along at a decidedly relaxed pace. Between the elaborate setup of Jackie's plot to make off with Ordell's retirement fund, the film contemplates what it means to age and the inherent difficulty of moving on.

Jackie Brown is populated with characters who refuse or fail to restart their lives for one reason or another. The titular heroine rejects the lawful path as it would set her back too far in her lifelong struggle against poverty, opting to control her own destiny by treading down a more perilous road. As bondsman Max Cherry falls for Jackie, he begins to question his career but is ultimately a slave to his stalwart sense of duty. Leading to their collective downfall, Ordell and the fresh-out-of-prison Louis fail to accept that they've both seen better days and are laid low by their wounded egos.

It's easy to fall in love with Pam Grier's Jackie, as the legendary blaxploitation star is a natural fit for the beautiful, strong, and resourceful heroine. Robert Forster is also perfectly cast as the mild mannered duty-bound everyman Max. Delivering a performance that swings between whimsical and menacing, Samuel L. Jackson truly shows off his range as Ordell. Bridget Fonda is convincing as the aggravatingly brash and insolent Melanie. Unfortunately, Robert De Niro fails to leave much of an impression as Louis in one of his least memorable performances playing the addled criminal. Michael Keaton and Michael Bowen are an entertaining duo respectively portraying a straight-shooting ATF agent and an overbearing LAPD detective putting on the old good cop/bad cop routine. Chris Tucker also appears in a bit role as Ordell's associate who runs afoul of the law, effectively setting the story in motion.

His most grounded and stylistically subdued feature, Jackie Brown is an often-overlooked entry in Quentin Tarantino's filmography, but an excellent picture in its own right. The film is a showcase of auteur's strengths in storytelling and character work without the over-the-top carnage so prevalent in his repertoire.


THE STORY BEHIND THE TITLE
In Elmore Leonard's Rum Punch the main character is named Jackie Burke, but Tarantino changed her name to Jackie Brown in honor of his leading lady, referencing the 1974 blaxploitation hit Foxy Brown also starring Pam Grier in the title role.


QUENTIN TARANTINO AS...
- The unconvincingly robotic voice of Jackie's answering machine


FOOT STUFF
- The camera overtly lingers on surfer girl Melanie's bare legs and feet


CASTRATION WITH A BANG
- Though she doesn't pull the trigger, Jackie presses a gun she lifted off Max against Ordell's privates when he confronts her at home


NOTABLE NEEDLE DROPS
- Bobby Womack's excellent theme song for Across 110th Street is intrinsically tied to this film, playing over the opening sequence and closing out the film

- "Strawberry Letter 23" by the Brothers Johnson makes for an unexpectedly chilling theme tune for Ordell

- The Delfonics' classic love ballad "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)" serves as a cute theme for Max's crush on Jackie


FRAGMENTS
- Steven Soderbergh's 1998 adaptation of Elmore Leonard novel Out of Sight features Michael Keaton reprising the role of ATF Agent Ray Nicolette

- Ordell, Louis, and Melanie are also featured in Daniel Schechter's 2013 film Life of Crime, an adaptation of Elmore Leonard novel The Switch, in which they are played by Yasiin Bey, John Hawkes, and Isla Fisher


MCU CONNECTIONS
- Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury in Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War, Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and The Marvels)

- Michael Keaton (Adrian Toomes in Spider-Man: Homecoming)