Happy Midweek everyone! Two more days until Friday 😀 How’s your week so far? It’s kind of a s-l-o-w week for me and there’s been no Instagram updates from my dahling French crush so I’m missing him so much I could barely concentrate on anything today. Yes I live for Stanley Weber these days [sigh]… he is EVERYTHING!!!!
ehm, now that I get that out of the way…
… about those links…
Cindy posted a heartfelt tribute to the late author David Foster Wallace a while back, the subject of the recent film I saw, The End of the Tour
Mark wrote a retrospective piece on Top Gun that got me all nostalgic
In response to the recent box office bomb Fantastic Four, we’ve got a review from Keith that confirmed my dread, whilst Eddie offers up some suggestions on how to fix the franchise.
Two directorial debuts from excellent Aussie actors: Josh wrote about Russell Crowe’s debut The Water Diviner, while Tom wrote about Joel Edgerton’s The Gift
Meanwhile, Natalie reviewed this New Zealand horror comedy Housebound
Last but not least, Chris lists his picks of Best Songs of the Decade so far.
…
Time for question of the week
The Hateful Eight almost didn’t happen due to a script leak in 2014 by Gawker. If you follow this news, you’d likely know that QT ended up withdrawing the lawsuit against Gawker. At Comic-con last July, Tarantino said that “…it was the first draft that leaked online and he expected to write two more to get to a point where he was ready to shoot” (per THR).
In post-Civil War Wyoming, bounty hunters try to find shelter during a blizzard but get involved in a plot of betrayal and deception. Will they survive?
Check out the brand new trailer:
I’m not a big fan of Westerns, but this one looks intriguing. QT sure knows how to cut a trailer, and the visuals look fantastic, as to be expected. The only thing is, I don’t know if I want to see Wintry scenes right smack dab in the middle of Winter when this movie’s released.
The cast is astounding… We’ve got QT’s perennial favorite Samuel L. Jackson, plus Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tim Roth, Demian Bichir, Bruce Dern, Michael Madsen, Amber Tamblyn, Walton Goggins, etc. Channing Tatum gets top billing on IMDb but I barely see him in the trailer (?) I’m bummed that Viggo Mortensen didn’t end up joining the cast because of scheduling conflict.
Fans of 70mm format rejoice! [I’m looking at you Ted ;)] as the film will be shown in its Ultra Panavision 70 presentation. Per IMDb, the film will be released on December 25 of this year as a roadshow presentation in 70mm format theaters only before being released in digital theaters on January 8, 2016.
So are you excited for The Hateful Eight?
…
FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG 
Thanks for link Ruth! Always greatly appreciated! Ahh yes, Quentin Tarantino. I know in many eyes he can do no wrong but I’m still very mixed on his work. He is big on style as he constantly shows. I actually like that about him but I actually think his ‘cool’ style often masks his so-so work as a writer. For that reason The Hateful Eight isn’t super high on my list. But I will be watching for more info on it. The cast does look interesting for sure.
My pleasure Keith! Oh I don’t think QT can do no wrong, I’m not one of his groupies, ahah. I do like a few of his stuff and this one piqued my interest given all the news about the leak. The cast looks good too, though it’d be nice to see Viggo on here.
Ooooh I’m with you. Viggo seems perfect for what this movie SEEMS to be. But QT can pull the rug out from under us.
Hey Ruth, thanks kindly for the link! 🙂 And you bet I’m looking forward to The Hateful Eight. I am mostly excited the project has survived that scare when the script was partially leaked. QT would have been well within his rights to have killed it, but fortunately that doesn’t seem to have been enough to get him to do such a thing. Each of his projects has something really interesting going on, I wonder what it will be this time.
You’re most welcome! Yeah it sounds like what’s leaked was only the draft so I’m glad QT didn’t abandon it. Boy it’s tough making films in the social media age, esp when you’re as famous as QT. I haven’t seen all of Tarantino’s films, but he certainly has style and edge that make his film intriguing to watch.
Oh, I’m so ready for QT’s Hateful 8. Especially, for its use of 70mm film projection.
I wish I live out in LA area, I know there are a couple of true 70mm theaters out there. I’m very jealous!
Yeah, no doubt we’ll have a handful to choose from when this comes out…and I’ll be right there for an early screening. 🙂
Yep, I knew you and Ted would be all over this Michael!! 😀
Oh yeah, I can’t wait to see this, preferably on a true 70mm screen. Unfortunately there’s only one theater here in MN that can project 70mm but their screen size is very small. Since IMAX will showing Star Wars 7 around that time, we won’t get to see it there.
In any case, it’s a new film from QT so I’m happy, let’s just hope it’s better than Django Unchained.
It’s really a bummer we only have ONE 70mm theater! I might try to see it there if it makes it here to MN as I’ve never seen anything in 70mm projection. I still haven’t seen Django yet so I guess I have no comparison.
You saw The Dark Knight Rises at the zoo IMAX theater right? It’s shown on 70mm film but in IMAX format, it’s pretty much the same quality as regular 70mm. The one and only 70mm theater in Plymouth is not that big and their surround sound system is way out of date, when I saw Interstellar there last fall, it sounded pretty bad. I hope they upgrade their equipment and screen size if they’re going to show Hateful 8 there.
Ah yes I did see TDKR at IMAX zoo, so I guess I have seen the IMAX version of 70mm, just not the regular one. Well I’d rather just see it at ICON then w/ Atmos than at the Plymouth one if the sound system is bad. I think sound is as crucial in cinema viewing for me.
Yeah I’m just going to see it at the ICON theater too but I don’t think it will be in Atmos though. I know QT wants to keep it old school and Atmos is a new sound system. I’m hoping he’ll change his mind and record the movie in Atmos. I know there’s an old theater in South Mpls that has a bigger 70mm screen, I’m not sure if it’s still around but it would be cool if they show it there.
I want to be excited, but I thought that trailer was awful. I’ve actually been talking about it on AW all morning. The dialog seemed awkward and silly, the staging seemed off, the performances felt uncomfortable…I just don’t have high hopes for this one.
But I’m all for Tarantino proving me wrong!
Yeah all of this!
Y’know, I thought it’s very Tarantino-esque, it has a theatrical feel to it that might seem staged. But hey, it’s only a teaser, I hope the film itself turns out to be good!
I have to admit the trailer doesn’t really get me too excited, but then it’s only a trailer and I completely trust Tarantino to deliver. The cast members suggested after their first joint reading of the script that it’s the best thing he has ever written, which is some praise indeed. We’ll have to wait and see!
Hi Stu! I think a teaser usually just gives the tone and look & feel, and this one feels very Tarantino-esque to me, which is what I expect. I wonder if this is going to be the exact same script that was from the reading though, but in any case that is high praise indeed.
Thanks for the link! Was a lot of (fun) work putting the decade so far list together.
Will be interesting to see what Tarantino does with his (now second) western. The trailer doesn’t give too much away, which is nice.
You’re welcome Chris! Lots of great song choices you’ve got there.
I still haven’t seen Django yet, did you like that one? I might give it a go before this one comes out, that one has a great cast too.
@Ruth: Django Unchained features some incredible one-liners which should assure the film will stay in people’s memory. Tarantino brings out the best in his actors, and I love the soundtrack. It is violent in places, Tarantino is known for that. I liked it, didn’t love it.
It will be worth a viewing just because it’s filmed in 70mm. However, I’m getting tired of Samuel L. Jackson. I hope he doesn’t ruin it. The rest of the cast looks fine. The visuals look great. Thank you for the link, Ruth 😉
Hi Cindy! SLJ seems to have a contract w/ QT as he’s in SO many of his films. He doesn’t bother me but I can see why he can get tiresome, esp he’s also in a bunch of commercials, ugh.
Quentin Tarantino is a must-see for us. We may not always love what he does, but it’s always worth checking out and you KNOW you’ll be talking about it for days.
Hi Jay! I’m not as huge a fan of QT but I realize he’s a unique filmmaker so if the film appeals to me (which this one does), I’ll check it out. You’re right his films always spark discussions, don’t they?
Hey Ruth! I just saw the trailer myself before clicking on your post- great timing. I’m not as into Tarantino as much as I was when I first discovered his work a couple of years ago, but I’m still excited to see what he has next even without knowing anything about. I kind of wish he wasn’t doing another western right after Django and I’ll admit, the news that it will be shown in 70mm was kind of the most exciting part of the trailer for me. But I still trust Tarantino to deliver a good movie, and I just have to track down a theater that will actually show it in that format!
Hi Melissa! Long time no see… how was China? Did you do a blog post on your project?
I’m not well-versed on QT’s work as I haven’t seen a lot of his earlier work (some are just too violent for me I think), but I like Kill Bill and Inglourious Basterds so I’m more keen on checking this one out. Yeah, unfortunately 70mm theaters are so rare nowadays.
I did not end up blogging on my project because it didn’t turn out that well unfortunately. I ended up having all sorts of equipment problems and barely finished the film at all! However, the trip otherwise was great ha ha. I met a lot of cool people and ate a lot of delicious food, so it was definitely worth it in the long run.
If it was coming out before Christmas I wouldn’t have any trouble; there’s a theater that’s a 20 min walk from my house in Boston that I’ve a couple 70mm films in. But I’ll be at my parents house for Christmas, and there are far less 70mm projectors in the suburbs of Connecticut 😦 regardless, I’m sure I will enjoy the film as QT hasn’t failed me yet!
Thanks so much for the link Ruth!
The H8ful trailer itself doesn’t blow me away. But I’m excited for any new Tarantino movie and the cast looks fine. Good to see Walter Goggins in there and I’m curious about Jennifer Jason Leigh’s character. I’m glad QT didn’t abandon this project.
My pleasure Eddie! I think they wanted a bunch of other actresses before they cast Jennifer Jason Leigh but she looks good here, haven’t seen her in anything in ages.
Well… it is the #1 film of the year that I’m eagerly awaiting to see as I’m a QT fan and a fan of Westerns. Plus, I want to experience seeing the film on 70mm film. I want to do that once in my life.
Oh really? I hope it doesn’t disappoint you Steven! I have never seen anything in regular 70mm either, but I did see the IMAX version when I saw The Dark Knight Rises and it was glorious!
I must say that is a disappointing trailer. Nothing landed here, it doesn’t look exciting or funny.
Hey, I like your new gravatar Margaret. I have a girl crush on Rebecca Ferguson in MI5 😀
As for the trailer, well it seems very QT-ish to me, hopefully the movie itself will be good.
I’m not crazy about westerns either, and I just watched a really terrible one (The Salvation) last night. But, it’s Tarantino and I like that cast. I’ll see it. The trailer was good enough.
Hi Brittani! Oh that’s a bummer The Salvation was awful, I heard about that a while ago and it sounds like it could be good, esp with Mads in it. Ah well, hopefully this one would be decent at least.
I’ll see anything by Tarantino, but I thought the trailer looked just okay, not great. But I wasn’t too impressed with Basterd’s one either and I loved that film.
I barely remember the trailer for Basterds but I too loved the film!
The trailer seemed a little choppy to me compared to Django Unchained and some of his other teasers. But the cast is enough for me, and the characters look wild enough that it will be an interesting adventure.
Hi Katy! I think because it’s a teaser it still looks a little choppy. It’s got enough going for it for me to be intrigued though.
Now that looks interesting!
Glad you think so Abbi!
I thought the trailer looked great but was so…meh. Not feeling Tarantino since Django, which I thought was so overrated.
Hi Fernando! I haven’t seen Django yet, so maybe that’s why this QT Western seems fresh to me. Hmmm, maybe I should be more cautiously about this one.
Yeah, I’m going in with low expectations. I was so excited for Django and it let me down. I don’t think you’d enjoy that one; it’s so violent. But then again, so is every Tarantino film.
I am definitely excited about The Hateful Eight! I am always up for a new Tarantino movie.
Hope it lives up to your expectation!
As ever Ruth, I thank you most kindly for your unwavering support! As for that QT trailer, yep, I’m most definitely on board for this!
Hi Mark, sorry I missed your comment here somehow. Just read your MI5 review btw, glad we’re in agreement!
Thanks for including me in this Ruth. Although I’m not generally a big fan of Tarantino I’m quite looking forward to this one. I liked Django and have enjoyed a few Westerns recently like The Salvation. Fingers crossed Tarantino delivers on this one.
You’re welcome Natalie! I haven’t seen Django but really like Kill Bill and Inglourious Basterds. Curious about The Salvation though it seems quite violent for my taste.
The trailer for Hateful 8 is one of the best I’ve seen in recent years (excluding the awesome Man of Steel #3 one) and my anticipation level went from “meh” to astronomical on the basis of the 70mm photography. I’ll plug my own article on the things about the trailer I loved.
http://www.fernbyfilms.com/2015/08/13/the-h8teful-8-trailer-9-things-we-loved/
But yes, I’m definitely very excited for H8teful 8!
Hi Rodney! Glad you’re excited for this too. I hope to see this in 70mm glory too when it comes out.
I am SO excited for The Hateful Eight. QT has said it’s a return to his Reservoir Dogs roots, in that most of the film is a bunch of characters in a single location. Plus that thing is going to look gorgeous in 70mm. Can’t wait!
Hello Alex! I’m always intrigued by films consisting of a bunch of characters in a single location. I’m sure QT can handle it and make it entertaining!
Thanks for the link! I love a good western, but I’m still unsure about The Hateful Eight. Can’t wait to check it out, though.