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Movie Review

Tarantino's self-indulgent The Hateful Eight delivers one hell of a ride

Alex Bentley
Dec 28, 2015 | 1:04 pm

The place that writer/director Quentin Tarantino has carved out for himself in the film world — making what are essentially glossy Hollywood versions of 1970s B movies — has served him extremely well.

Although 2012’s Django Unchained was a Western of sorts, it was only a matter of time before he got around to truly paying homage to the Western genre, which he does with aplomb in The Hateful Eight.

Running around three hours, which includes a prologue and an intermission if you see the 70 mm roadshow version, the film is as sprawling as a story that mostly takes place in one room can get. The eight in question include two bounty hunters, John Ruth (Kurt Russell) and Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson); Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a wanted criminal Ruth is transporting to be hanged; Sheriff Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins), the law in the town where Daisy is to be hanged; General Sandy Smithers (Bruce Dern), a Civil War veteran; and three other men — Oswaldo Mobrey (Tim Roth), Joe Gage (Michael Madsen), and Bob (Demian Bichir) — with possibly shady backgrounds.

They all come together at a place called Minnie’s Haberdashery in the middle of a blizzard, with no escape possible for at least two days. Ruth is convinced that one or more of the people in the room are there to free Domergue, and the mystery behind everyone’s intentions drives the drama and ups the suspense.

The film represents Tarantino at perhaps his most self-indulgent, in a mostly good way. As he is wont to do in most of his films, he breaks the story up into chapters, and he takes his sweet time with most of them, diving deep into characters in a way that few other filmmakers do. The first act consists of almost nothing but talking, and since Tarantino is renowned for his dialogue, it’s a smorgasbord of fascinating conversation that covers up the fact that pretty much nothing happens.

He makes up for that with a vengeance in Act Two, which is somewhat to the film’s detriment. Even though the plot leaves no doubt that there will be bloodshed, the way in which Tarantino goes about the bloodshed is considerably less elegant than his dialogue. Even for a man known for his visceral violence, he ups the gore significantly with this film, seeming to serve no real purpose than to keep true to the B movie aesthetics.

In addition to the stellar dialogue, what ultimately makes the film worth its long running time is the multiple ways Tarantino plays with camera angles and space in Minnie’s Haberdashery. He changes things up constantly, giving the audience different perspectives on the room and the locations of each character to maintain the film’s delicate balance.

Although multiple people deliver good performances, Jackson dominates the film. Tarantino gifts him with many great lines and a couple of entrancing speeches, and Jackson makes the most of every last one of them. Russell is nearly as good, although his glorious facial hair seems to do half the work for him.

Tarantino’s version of a Western is at once familiar and also wildly different. His style will never be for everybody, but for those willing to jump on board, he always delivers a hell of a ride.

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Michael Madsen in The Hateful Eight.

Michael Madsen in The Hateful Eight
Photo by Andrew Cooper
Michael Madsen in The Hateful Eight.
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Movie Review

Real-world events make the message of Call Jane all the more relevant

Alex Bentley
Oct 28, 2022 | 1:12 pm
Real-world events make the message of Call Jane all the more relevant
Photo by Wilson Webb / courtesy of Roadside Attractions

Elizabeth Banks in Call Jane

The overturning of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court has sent shockwaves through much of American society, including Hollywood. For years since the initial 1973 decision legalizing abortion, the issue has remained a part of many stories in movies and on TV, especially as conservative states started to enact more and more restrictions on when and where a woman could get the procedure.

When the cast and crew of Call Jane started making their film in 2021, they likely thought they were just showing an interesting chapter in history and underscoring the importance of a woman’s right to choose. Instead, they find themselves inadvertently smack dab in the renewed debate over abortion, and perhaps demonstrating that history is repeating itself.

Elizabeth Banks in Call Jane

Photo by Wilson Webb / courtesy of Roadside Attractions

Elizabeth Banks in Call Jane

The film is a fictional story about Joy (Elizabeth Banks), a middle-class woman in 1968 Chicago who has a husband, Will (Chris Messina), and a teenage daughter, Charlotte (Grace Edwards). She’s also pregnant, but she has a heart condition that necessitates terminating the pregnancy to save her life. When the (all-male) board at her local hospital denies her request for an emergency abortion, she starts searching out other options.

After being advised of a number of poor-to-terrible choices, she finds a flier with a message to “Call Jane” if you’re pregnant and anxious. That leads her to a relatively safe place to get the procedure done illegally, one organized by a group of activist women headed by Virginia (Sigourney Weaver). Soon, Joy finds herself drawn into being part of the group, a role that becomes increasingly larger the more she learns about the women who need its services.

Directed by Phyllis Nagy and written by Hayley Schore and Roshan Sethi, the film is a surface-level examination of the abortion issue, but still an effective one. The shocking initial choices Joy faces – convincing psychiatrists that she is suicidal or “accidentally” falling down a staircase to induce a miscarriage – are now ones that may be a reality again for many women, giving the film even more heft than it already had.

The film is at its best when Joy is with the organizing group, as it depicts a diverse group of women – including a nun! – who are all there for one purpose: To help other women. The group has its disagreements, like what type of women should get priority treatment, but the dedication as a whole to the larger cause has a hopeful vibe despite the obstacles they collectively face.

The story falters a bit when it focuses on Joy’s home life. She explains her time away from home as her taking art classes, an excuse that’s laughable given the hours she spends with the group. The filmmakers try to create drama with Will complaining about the lack of home-cooked meals, Charlotte always on the verge of discovering her mom’s secret, and their neighbor Lana (Kate Mara) paying a bit too much attention to Will, but none of it lands compared with the main story.

Banks has tended to be a comedic actor in her 20+ year career, so it takes a bit of time to accept her as the buttoned-down character she’s supposed to be. But once Joy joins the group, Banks’ performance blossoms, especially in scenes with Weaver. Weaver is a grounding force for the film as a whole, feeling exactly like the type of woman who could lead a rebel group like this.

Call Jane is not a firebrand of a film, likely because the filmmakers didn’t know it needed to be. But its release at this particular moment in time can still be interpreted as a call for those who believe in its message to not give up the fight, even if right now the world seems to be against them.

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Call Jane opens in theaters on October 28.

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San Antonio museum displays Broadway's 'Wicked' best costumes in new exhibition

Katherine Stinson
Oct 28, 2022 | 9:29 am
Susan Hilferty McNay Musuem
Courtesy of Susan Hilferty
Something Wicked/Susan Hilferty Costumes is on display at the McNay Art Museum until March 23, 2023.

As Glinda the Good Witch says in the iconic Wicked opening, let us "rejoiceify" with the McNay Art Museum's newest exhibit — Something Wicked/Susan Hilferty Costumes.

Hilferty is the costume design mastermind behind the Tony Award-winning costumes in the hit Broadway musical, from Glinda's resplendent blue ballgown to Elphaba's magical finale dress. They're just two of the incredible array of Hilferty costumes currently on display at the McNay. Other costumes spotted were vibrant Ozian outfits, Glinda's pink 'Popular' dress, the Wizard's green suit, and more.

McNay guests can also immerse themselves in the worlds of other musicals Hilferty has designed costumes for, including Annie, Wonderland, and Lestat. There are thirty of Hilferty's brilliant costumes to view in total.

Hilferty has also been confirmed as a guest at the McNay Art Museum's annual Tobin Distinguished Lecture, which will take place on Thursday, March 23, 2023. (Guests can purchase tickets for the lecture on the McNay website closer to the event date).

The Tony Award-winning costume and set designer collaborated with R. Scott Blackshire, Ph.D., curator of the Tobin Collection of Theatre Arts to create a truly enchanting experience that will officially be housed at the McNay until Sunday, March 26th, 2023.

Dr. Blackshire had nothing but praise for the exciting collaboration, noting in an official statement that, "Helping [Hilferty] honor the makers, artisans, knitters, fabric painters, and others who bring her designs to the stage was a privilege. Susan relies on creative collaboration for every production she designs."

The importance of the exhibition for San Antonio's local prosperous theatre community was not lost on Dr. Blackshire, who also stated, "The community of San Antonio theatre makers who visit the exhibition will find many of their art forms represented and reflected in the costumes."

Something Wicked/Susan Hilferty Costumes is now open to the public in the Tobin Theatre Arts and Brown Galleries at the McNay Art Museum until March 23, 2023.

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Go Spurs

H-E-B scoops new Spurs-inspired ice cream flavor to honor 50 years of hometown team

Hannah J. Frías
Oct 27, 2022 | 2:38 pm
Spurs 50th Anniversary
Courtesy of H-E-B

Brb, heading to H-E-B for the new Spurs Creamy Creations Courtside Chocolate Crunch.

San Antonio-based H-E-B is celebrating 50 years of the hometown team with something sweet. Along with a new, limited-time Spurs Creamy Creations flavor (chocolate malt ice cream with chocolate rice crispy crunchies and a chocolate swirl), the supermarket brand is also launching an equally sweet sweepstakes to score custom sneakers, courtside Spurs seats, a year supply of ice cream, and more.

Coming in half-gallon and pint sizes, the Spurs Creamy Creations Courtside Chocolate Crunch will be available throughout South and Central Texas, including San Antonio, Austin, Corpus Christi, Laredo, and the surrounding areas. Made in San Antonio, the flavor is part of the company’s Select Ingredients line, which excludes more than 175 artificial flavors, preservatives, and ingredients.

Designed by H-E-B partner Nick Garza, the new flavor will feature silver, black, and gold packaging with icons of championship rings, the Spurs logo, and the Spurs Coyote.

Along with the delicious new offering, H-E-B also launched a sweepstakes with prizes ranging from $100, $200, and $500 H-E-B gift cards to custom H-E-B and Creamy Creations leather sneakers, courtside seats (and a parking pass) to the December 12 home game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, a signed Spurs jersey, or a year's supply of Creamy Creations. Head to heb.com/spurs for official rules and to enter the sweepstakes, which ends on November 17.

In anticipation of the Spurs 2022-2023 season, H-E-B is also rolling out a digital video series highlighting Spurs stars like Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan, and Devin Vassell. The first video aired on October 20, and more videos will be released throughout the year.

“We’re excited to team up again with the Spurs and celebrate their 50th anniversary with a tasty, new ice cream flavor and fun giveaways our loyal customers and Spurs fans will enjoy,” said Ashwin Nathan, H-E-B Group Vice President of Marketing, in the release. “Each year, we look for ways to create an entertaining start to the season, and this year in our video series, we’re excited to welcome some young, new stars to the set.”

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