STACK May 2016 Issue 139

38 / 101

Quentin Tarantino has assembled
his best cast since Pulp Fiction
for this ultraviolent post-Civil War
epic that strands eight unsavoury
characters (including Kurt Russell,
Jennifer Jason Leigh, Samuel
L. Jackson and Bruce Dern) in a
remote mountain outpost during
a blizzard. The Hateful Eight is a
slow burner; Tarantino’s passion
for colourful dialogue has always been both an asset
and a detriment to his films, and the eight are his most
loquacious ensemble to date. The first hour is largely
devoted to verbal repartee, but when the bullets and
blood finally begin to fly, the film becomes relentlessly
entertaining. Throw a pot of poisoned coffee and a
surprise twist into this pressure-cooker environment and
the result is an Agatha Christie-like mystery crossed with
an Evil Dead-style bloodbath. With most of the film set
indoors, The Hateful Eight plays like a stage production
in Ultra Panavision 70, with Ennio Morricone’s moody,
Oscar-winning score evoking his work for The Thing, as
does the snowbound setting, the distrust and paranoia,
and of course Kurt Russell. This is easily Tarantino’s best
(and bloodiest) film since Kill Bill Vol. 1, and the super
widescreen framing and enhanced detail of 70mm
makes viewing it on Blu-ray essential. SH
No one to trust. Everyone to hate.
THE HATEFUL EIGHT
Deadpool isn’t your ordinary
superhero. Wade Wilson (Ryan
Reynolds) is a terminal cancer
patient transformed into an
indestructible mutant through
torture and elevated stress. He’s
also a comic book character who’s
fully aware he’s a comic book
character, and that’s what makes
Deadpool so much fun. This is
meta-Marvel, playing on the same
self-reflexive wavelength as The
Last Action Hero, while simultaneously existing as part of
the X-Men universe. Deadpool’s shtick involves a relentless
barrage of smartarse dialogue, one-liners and dick jokes,
and your enjoyment will depend on how much of this
you can take for two hours. But also bear in mind that’s
entirely the point – he’s not known as the “Merc with the
Mouth” for nothing. With so much going on visually and
verbally, the plot is kept simple: Deadpool must rescue
his girl (Morena Baccarin) from the bad guy (Ed Skrein),
with his origin story interwoven in flashbacks. This berserk
action-comedy is the perfect antidote for superhero fatigue,
gleefully and crassly subverting genre conventions while
still remaining faithful to them. As a superhero satire,
Deadpool doesn’t bite the hand that feeds it – it chews it
off and grows a new one. SH • See page 26
With great power comes great irresponsibility.
DEADPOOL
DVD & BD
Beyond the Eight: A Behind the
Scenes Look
Sam Jackson’s Guide to
Glorious 70mm
JB HI-FI EXCLUSIVE
Limited Edition Blu-ray with
30-page Collector’s Booklet &
Alternate Artwork
Django Unchained
EXTRAS
FURTHER VIEWING
Release Date: 25/05/16
Format:
Kick-Ass
EXTRAS
FURTHER VIEWING
Release Date: 25/05/16
Format:
TOP
HITS
visit DVD&BD REVIEWS
38 MAY 2016
DVD&BD
Quentin Tarantino still plans to
call it quits after ten films. “I do
kind of like the idea of ten and
done, there’s a neat thing about
that,” he says. “I usually make
about three movies a decade,
so this is like number two for
this decade. If I can’t shoot
a film or release it to some
degree on film, I may not make
ten. We’ll see what happens.”
DID YOU KNOW...
TOP
HITS
DVD & BD
Deadpool’s Fun Sack
Gag Reel
BD ONLY
Deleted/Extended Scenes
From Comics to Screen... to
Screen
Audio Commentary with Ryan
Reynolds and screenwriters
Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick
Audio Commentary by director
Tim Miller and Deadpool
co-creator/comics artist Rob
Liefeld
Gallery: Concept Art, Costumes,
Storyboards, Pre-Vis, Stunt-Vis
JB HI-FI EXCLUSIVE
Limited Edition Blu-ray
Steelbook