Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell and Jennifer Jason Leigh in the Quentin Tarantino movie ‘The Hateful Eight’

Crime, drama and mystery are leading elements in the Wyoming set Quentin Tarantino written and directed movie The Hateful Eight (2015). Set in 1877 on the plains of the frontier west, the introduces us to the snowy plains with a mission to get to Red Rock, Wyoming that we will never manifest due to a series of vengeful, selfish humanity rife in the hallmark style of the film’s director and screenwriter.

(From left, Samuel L. Jackson as Major Marquis Warren and Walton Goggins as Chris Mannix in the Quentin Tarantino movie The Hateful Eight).

It’s on the plains, with three corpses stacked one atop another, that a stagecoach driven by O.B. Jackson encounters bounty hunter and Union veteran from the American Civil War, Major Marquis Warren, stranded. Horseless and stranded with the corpses, Warren seeks a ride on the coach. With bounty hunter John ‘The Hangman’ Ruth to ‘Crazy’ Daisy Domergue already on board and facing the same incoming blizzard, we are introduced to the tension of whether Warren will get a ride. Jackson, Warren, Ruth and Domergue were portrayed by James Parks, Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell and Jennifer Jason Leigh, respectively.

(From left, Kurt Russell as John ‘The Hangman’ Ruth, Jennifer Jason Leigh as ‘Crazy’ Daisy Domergue and Bruce Dern as General Sanford ‘Sandy’ Smithers in the Quentin Tarantino movie The Hateful Eight).

Warren and his cargo get a ride, as he bonded with Ruth over a personal letter Warren carries as purportedly written by former United States president Abraham Lincoln. A bit up the road, Chris Mannix, claiming to be Red Rock‘s new sheriff, joins them. The tension baked into Mannix joining this party rests with Mannix’s father, Erskine, having led Mannix’s Marauders, a Lost Cause of the Confederacy militia that fought on the opposite side of the American Civil War to Warren. Clear animosity between Warren and Mannix over clear disagreements based in racial indignance, not to mention a bounty among sympathizers of the confederacy on Warren’s head. Walton Goggins portrayed Chris Mannix.

(From left, Michael Madsen as Joe Gage, Demián Bichir as Señor Bob, Tim Roth as Oswaldo Mobray and Channing Tatum as Jody Domergue in the Quentin Tarantino movie The Hateful Eight).

Seeking shelter from the blizzard at Minnie’s Haberdashery, the stagecoach party finds Minnie Mink, ‘Sweet’ Dave Mink, Six-Horse Judy and Gemma nowhere to be found. Señor Bob, a Mexican by heritage, is tending the haberdashery in their place. The lodge, meanwhile, is found to be sheltering cowboy Joe Gage, hangman Oswaldo Mobray, and Confederate general Sanford ‘Sandy’ Smithers. Dana Gourrier, Gene Jones, Zoë Bell, Belinda Owino, Demián Bichir, Michael Madsen, Tim Roth and Bruce Dern portrayed Minnie, Dave, Judy, Gemma, Bob, Joe, Oswaldo and Sanford, respectively.

(From left, Dana Gourrier as Minnie Mink, Zoë Bell as Six-Horse Judy and Belinda Owino as Gemma in the Quentin Tarantino movie The Hateful Eight).

Several tensions unfold at the haberdashery, with extends well beyond the introduction to the folks at the accommodations. The fact that the door needs to be nailed shut is a sure sign that unusual happenings are afoot, with the introduction of Jody Domergue, as portrayed by Channing Tatum, not coming until after the scene including references to past events having occurred in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The sequencing of revelation worked well in maintaining much of the larger mystery of the movie.

(Screenwriter and director Quentin Tarantino on set of the Quentin Tarantino movie The Hateful Eight).

The poking at larger cultural tensions through individuals, including a social commentary in the process of telling a contemporary portrait of stylized violence, provide many of the over-the-top elements fans of Quentin Tarantino seek in his movies. It is in the delivery of these points, with a moderated gratuity in language when compared to other Tarantino movies at their full throated, that standout to me. I grant The Hateful Eight as presented by Quentin Tarantino 4.0-stars on a scale of one-to-five.

Matt – Saturday, May 13, 2023

Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Judge Reinhold in the Amy Heckerling movie ‘Fast Times at Ridgmont High’

With school back in session across much of North America by now, let’s look at a favorite of Daycare Friend, a fan and friend of the blog. The Amy Heckerling feature-length directorial debut Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) featured Cameron Crowe as movie screenwriter and author of the 1981 book Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

(From left, Amanda Wyss as Lisa and Judge Reinhold as Brad Hamilton in the Amy Heckerling movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High).

Ridgemont High School is a fictional high school based in San Fernando Valley in the County of Los Angeles, California. We are introduced to senior Brad Hamilton with his plans for the school year. Portrayed by Judge Reinhold, we learn that Hamilton hopes to pay off his used car based on work at All-American Burger on his way to breaking up with Lisa, his girlfriend as portrayed by Amanda Wyss. Things don’t exactly go as planned, with the paths the stories of these two taking a point of the movie.

(From left, Phoebe Cates as Linda Barrett and Jennifer Jason Leigh as Stacy Hamilton in the Amy Heckerling movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High).

While we are learning about Brad and Lisa, we meet Brad’s freshman sister Stacy, a 15-year-old virgin. Stacy Hamilton’s older friend, Linda Barrett, works alongside Stacy at a pizza restaurant in Ridgemont Mall. Based on exaggeration of her own intimate exploits, Linda leads Stacy into an intimate relationship with a stereo salesman named Ron Johnson. Johnson is more than a decade older than Stacy, with this plot point setting up much of the movie’s storylines that follow. Jennifer Jason Leigh, Phoebe Cates and D.W. Brown portray Stacy Hamilton, Linda Barrett and Ron Johnson, respectively.

(From left, Brian Backer as Mark ‘Rat’ Ratner and Robert Romanus as Mike Damone in the Amy Heckerling movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High).

We then meet smooth-talking Mike Damone and his shy yet friendly pal Mark ‘Rat’ Ratner, as portrayed by Robert Romanus and Brian Backer, respectively. Ratner works in the mall across the walkway as a ticket taker in the movie theater, while Damone proves more at ease with communicating with others. Their relationships to the two ladies, along with Brad Hamilton’s fate later in the movie, also become points to engage with through the course of Fast Times at Ridgemont High. That the emotional costs of intimacy are raised in the mixture of contexts are, ultimately, addressed in a compelling manner for the target audience of this movie.

(From left, Sean Penn as Jeff Spicoli and Ray Walston as Mr. Hand in the Amy Heckerling movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High).

Sean Penn as Jeff Spicoli provides a particularly enthusiastic example of comic relief for what proves to be a fair mixture of cinematic comedy and drama. Spicoli is an epically carefree surfer that runs afoul of history teacher Mr. Hand, with Mr. Hand being portrayed by Ray Walston. Beyond reinforcing the notion that events are happening at school, Spicoli’s interactions with Charles Jefferson’s little brother while damaging Charles’ car, along with the aftermath for the Lincoln High School football team, is humorous. Forest Whitaker and Stanley Davis Jr. portrayed Charles Jefferson and his brother, respectively.

(From left, Scott Thomson as Arnold and Forest Whitaker as Charles Jefferson in the Amy Heckerling movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High).

The primary relationship questions for the movie are addressed by the movie’s end. Some measure of humor is offered in small biographies given to a handful of main characters at the end of the movie. That Brooke Shields, Ozzy Osbourne and Van Halen are invoked only adds to the relevance of the movie to its place in time.

(Director Amy Heckerling and actor Sean Penn on site of the Amy Heckerling movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High).

Overall, I found Fast Times at Ridgemont High to be entertaining and on point with the message and sensibilities for the time it was made. The coming-of-age viewpoints for multiple personality types were less stereotypical than I’ve seen in movies from this era, which added to my enjoyment. I give Fast Times at Ridgemont High as directed by Amy Heckerling 4.25-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Wednesday, August 31, 2022