Another Great Quentin Tarantino film!

Rating: 8/10 (10 January 2016)

First of all, I want to congratulate Quentin Tarantino for the release of his 8th film, The Hateful Eight. As a huge fan of Quentin Tarantino's films, I have seen Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2, Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained, and Reservoir Dogs. Just like any of his other films, The Hateful Eight did not fail to impress me and it clearly utilizes the same distinctive film style that he uses in all of his films. Although, The Hateful Eight is extremely well made, I cannot say that it's my favorite Quentin movie. But, I am going to thoroughly explain what I enjoyed and didn't enjoy about the film.
The cinematography is excellent! I noticed that Quentin incorporated a lot of shots that were filmed with slider, dolly, and/or jib. I may be mistaken about the equipment that was used, but the motion of the shots definitely held my attention. The opening credits scene with the crucifix and the horse carriage was very creative; it was all filmed in one long shot, and the camera slowly moved back to reveal the horse carriage moving closer until it went out of frame. I loved the shot where Quentin reveals the people hiding beneath the cabin in the basement; Quentin also filmed this type of shot in the beginning of Inglourious Basterds, and it allows to viewer to be aware of something that the actors are not aware of. I was also fascinated by the fact that almost every moving shot had a purpose for the way it moved. For example, when Daisy was explaining her deal to Chris, the angle of the shot shifted from the right to the left so that John, who was sitting at the table, ended up in the background right before he was about to speak. There were also a lot of long shots in the movie that not only used subtle camera movements, but that also had the focus adjusted to the actor that was speaking. For an example, there was a memorable shot at the table in the cabin where everybody was eating and talking; the camera stayed still but the focus was constantly changing to keep the viewer's attention. I am currently in advanced video production in high school and I find the cinematography very inspiring.
The acting is also incredible; Quentin seemed to do a great job directing the movie and telling the actors exactly how to act. The style for this movie, just like any other movie directed by him, is long, and usually slow, with a lot of violence mixed with humor. I am very fond of his style, but there are many people that express distaste for his style. One of his most popular actors for his films is Samuel L. Jackson, and I found his acting superb and humorous for this movie. Walton Goggins, who apparently played a role in Django Unchained, did a great job acting as Chris in The Hateful Eight. Jennifer Jason Leigh does a fantastic job acting as Daisy Domergue, who is a very creepy and deceitful character...
***SPOILERS AHEAD!***
...Chris and Samuel L. Jackson's character, Major Marquis Warren, don't seem to have a great relationship in the beginning of the film; but at the end of the film, the two characters unexpectedly seem to have planned their rough relationship the entire time, and they end teaming up to hang Daisy.
The only (small) weakness of the film is the story. First of all, I disliked the fact that the entire film took place all in one day at a cabin. I do wish that the story could have gone elsewhere, rather than just the cabin. I also observe that the storyline is very simple, instead of being complicated like Pulp Fiction; I am not saying it's a bad thing, it is just my observation. Even though the story seemed to drag on, it didn't reduce the quality of the movie that much.
I do however love Warren's background story of how he made the general's son suffer in the terribly cold climate; the scene itself is very well done: Warren has his own gun next to the general while he is telling the story, and at the last second, Warren has the general shot dead right before the general can shoot him.
I could go on and on about this film...Nevertheless, this was a great film filmed by a fantastic director! I recommend this film to anyone who is a Quentin Tarantino fan!