So the Revenant was set up in 1823, South Dakota. Meanwhile the Hateful Eight was set up after 1865, but just right next to South Dakota, in Wyoming. Haha! Both films were shot during winter time, and because I watched them two nights in a row, some scenes felt like a continuation of the earlier. There's one time in the Hateful 8, when a coach was passing by a riverside, and I thought to myself, isn't that the spot where Hugh Glass almost killed Fitzgerald in the Revenant?? There were cinematic scenes where both movies captured the magnificence of the heavy snowed mountain, and of course there's the blizzard. And the awfully similar scene (not saying that they're copying each other, but it just creeps me out a little of how I watched these one night after the other) of the Pawnee guy who helped Glass, playing around with the snow by opening his mouth and tasting the snow with his tongue. AND THEN! There it is, the diabolical (using Samuel L Jackson's character word) Daisy Domergue opening her mouth and tasting the snow with her tongue! Haha!
Anyways, so that's as far as one can get to similarities, everything else is a great divide. I have to say I almost didn't inform myself with too much details before getting to the cinema. I don't know whether that's more convenient rather than not, because I got confused at some points (like when I watched the Big Short and have no clue what a hedge fund company is!), but I sort of insinuate that the Revenant is a more man versus nature sort of film, while the Hateful Eight would be the typically filled with dialogue, Tarantino's movie. I didn't have big expectations for both, actually. For the Revenant, I always find it hard to engage that much to man vs nature type of movie. I guess, I still like better the collisions between human's life? Hehe. While Tarantino... after finding myself disappointed with Django Unchained, I sort of managed my expectation, especially when an office mate describe it, from her friend, that it's a movie which halfway is talking, and the rest was gore.
Okay, now let's start with the Revenant. So I won't go to details about the story line, I guess lots of people have mentioned that already, and I've seen - wait, I just checked wiki and just realized that Alejandro G. Iñárritu was the one who made BABEL and 21 GRAMS??!! - the Birdman, which was shot and edited in such a way you would've thought that there's no scene cuts, this was done -- although of course not a full one shot movie, but rather super lengthy scenes with no cuts -- in somehow similar that makes it so familiar with the Birdman. I wasn't so engaged with the Birdman, I guess because there was plenty of talking and I watched it without subtitle (so I need to rewatch it), so I got lost at times, but the Revenant was filled with more silence, and well, nature happens and almost killed a man (as it killed many others). And plenty of the scenes are phenomenal, I mean talking about breakthrough in cinematic history, the intimate scenes where the breath of the characters covered up the camera, and Leonardo di Caprio's powerful acting (he lost his wife, yet AGAIN), and although I was expecting 3/4 way, would there be more conflict between the men?, I guess the aim was in the exploration of the nature itself. And for that sense, I think the movie works really well.
But one thing that kept on lurking at the back of my head, was about the Natives. When the trappers were attacked at the beginning of the movie by Arikara Native Americans, I kept on thinking, sheesh, these people, this was their land, and the Europeans stole it from them. It's like their last act of survival. They were the ones who knew how to navigate themselves in this vast continent. Yeah they fought with each other as well, but it was their home, taken away. The degrading part was also this. It wasn't highlighted so much, but in Fort Kiowa where the trappers gathered, around the fort, Native American women and kids lived around there, and the women prostituted themselves to the white people. It's so sickening to think that this is their only way for survival, by selling their bodies. And it's crazier to understand in the back of your head, how these tribes of people was degraded in such a way, that they didn't just lose their home, they also lost their dignity (and that's why I like the scenes when the Arikara chief leader spoke back in French and retorted back in his native language when ranting about how the Europeans stole everything; I like the scene when the rapist's balls were cut because I don't even want to think what Powaqa had to endure while under their captivity; and that last scene when the Arikaras walked past by Glass on their horses, the way they held their head high... I wish there'd be more movies about them. But at least, I'm glad they used real Native Americans as actors and actresses). Awesome, Alejandro G. Iñárritu.
Well... when the movie starts, I don't know, the Hateful Eight has that Tarantino flavor which I like a lot. I was at first a bit taken aback by the movie length (had to have a cup of coffee to make sure I won't fall asleep!), BUT the movie was so engaging right from the beginning that in the end I think it didn't matter if I drank coffee or not. I don't know, I know it's not everyone's taste, but the music score that they used!!!! The way it took time to get you into the melody of the music while taunting you with the seemingly never ending scene of a coach passing by, I love it! And then when the dialogues rolling in, and you slowly getting hints here and there who these people are, and you got so curious about what the hell is going on, you realized that this is one of Tarantino's finest work. I thought it's gonna be super boring since the dialogue was set up almost only in this one small house up in the mountain, but that's how you built tension!
Of course it's also really spook you of how many n****r word was spoken, or women being smacked in the face (but IT IS Daisy Domergue after all!!), or the demoralized acts that these people do -- you started to sympathize, but nope, you were thrown back to finally get the conclusion, like a review I read, that Tarantino had equal contempt to all his characters! (ah, by the way, the way people call Samuel L Jackson's character in the movie also reflects their political side during that time after the civil war). Jennifer Jason Leigh as Daisy Domergue was really awesome, I think she should get an Oscar, because she was all loose when playing her character! Gosh! I can't believe they almost cast Jennifer Lawrence, because if not we might miss this awesome piece of acting! AND SAMUEL L JACKSON!! He should at least be nominated for the Oscar together with Leonardo diCaprio. Seriously.
In the end, I felt like it is one of Tarantino's solid, dialogue strong, tension raiser, best of movies. The music scores was really great. The trivia about how the guitar Kurt Russell damaged in the movie was a lend from a museum (and it's actually really worthy) and how the acting of Leigh was a reflection of that reality, and old Tarantino SMIRKED at it (this guy's really crazy!!), gosh! Of course per usual there's the gore, but you've seen Tarantino's movie often enough, so it's no big surprise. And you can imagine how this movie can easily turned into a play, rite? Hm hm hm!
Oh one more thing. I don't know why, but when they discussed about the original hut owner, Mimmie and Dave, I had this image in my mind that she'll be the regular white cool, but, angry lady. But she was actually a cool, motherly black lady! Talking about how these things are so ingrained in your sub conscience. Tarantino must have done this on purpose! And also, I need to rewatch it, because I realized that Tim Roth's character, at first spoke in a rather forceful English accent, but then changed into a more relaxed 'common people' English? (I'm not sure if I'm correct here. Gotta rewatch or read something). That was so awesome, adding such swift change in the tone of the characters! And the New Zealand girl, when I heard her speaking, I was... wait, she's not American... Not British... She's somewhere from.... Australia?
And so, these were solid fine movies that I watched the last three days. Once I understood it better, I think I will make a review on the Big Short. Right now I just need to let out my thoughts on these two movies, especially this strange similarities!
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