Check This Out: "The Hateful Eight" Extended Edition Comes to Netflix (With a Catch!)

There's a lot of reason to have Quentin Tarantino on the brain in 2019. Along with this year marking the 25th anniversary of Pulp Fiction, he is returning to cinemas this summer with the highly anticipated Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood. Despite the barrage of reasons to celebrate, there's one that falls on the curious side, especially given that the director isn't often associated with TV miniseries. His Oscar-winning 2016 film The Hateful Eight received a lot of acclaim during its theatrical run and gave the filmmaker one of his longest running times. It's hard to imagine, but there was an even longer Roadshow cut that was hard to see outside of theaters... until Netflix. The only catch is that you'll have to watch it, albeit in a fairly butchered form.

A24 A-to-Z: #19. "Cut Bank" (2015)

Scene from Cut Bank

In case you didn't know, A24 is one of the great purveyors of modern cinema. Since 2013, the studio has found a way to innovate independent cinema by turning each release into an event. As a result, A24 A-to-Z will be an ongoing series that looks at every release from the studio by analyzing its production history, release, criticisms, and any awards attention that it might've received. Join me on a quest to explore the modern heroes of cinema by exploring every hit and miss that comes with that magnificent logo. They may not all be great, but they more than make A24 what it is and what it will hopefully continue to be for ears to come.

Check It Out: Watch Videos From The Academy's Governors Ball 2016

Jackie Chan

This past weekend, The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) held their annual Governors Ball to hand out Honorary Oscars to individuals in the arts who have done superb work. This year's group featured Jackie Chan, Frederick Wiseman, Anne V. Coates, and Lynn Stalmaster along with celebrities introducing them with monologues detailing each recipient's achievements. Thanks to the fine work over at The Academy's YouTube page, you can watch highlights from the ceremony right now, including each recipient's speech as well as the introduction by AMPAS President Cheryl Boone Isaacs.

Super Delegates Bonus: The Lincoln Letter in "The Hateful Eight" (2015)

Samuel L. Jackson in The Hateful Eight

Welcome to Super Delegates Bonus. As a subsidiary of Super Delegates, the sporadic additional column is meant to explore depictions of politicians on film outside of the conventional methods of the column. This ranges from everything such as political candidates in TV movies and miniseries to real life candidates providing feedback on their pop culture representation. While not as frequent or conventional, the goal is to help provide a vaster look at politics on film as it relates to the modern election year. Join in and have some fun. One can only imagine what will be covered here.

Review: "The Hateful Eight" is Like a Great Dinner Mystery Show, With Bloody Results

Scene from The Hateful Eight

It's easy to forget the impact that director Quentin Tarantino made back in 1992 with Reservoir Dogs. While Pulp Fiction would take most of the credit, the film introduced an American voice that mixed stylized violence, witty dialogue, and movie references into a blender and produced an impressive heist drama that featured none of the heist. It was a small ingenuity that made him the talk of the town, causing him to get even more high concept with each passing film. However, one cannot help but think of Reservoir Dogs when watching The Hateful Eight; being reminded of how powerful Tarantino could be with limited locations. Even if his latest structurally feels like it owes some debt to his debut, it's possibly his most ambitious attempt to make a real movie with real messages beyond the blood and guts.

"The Hateful Eight" Trailer Shows Tarantino Prodding the Western Genre Back to Life

Samuel L. Jackson

It has been awhile since we last heard about director Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight. While the film's production legacy has been long and storied, including rumors that Tarantino would ditch the project entirely, it has slowly been unraveling details that are sure to entice longtime fans of the director. For starters, there's the promise of an Ennio Morricone score and a run in 70 mm to look forward to. While we have seen pictures, there hasn't been any major marketing for the film... until today. They have just released the full length trailer for The Hateful Eight, which gives us our first glimpse into his latest western with an all star cast. And... it looks to be just as fun as you'd expect Tarantino's work to be.

Birthday Take: Bruce Dern in "Nebraska" (2013)

Bruce Dern in Nebraska

Welcome to The Birthday Take, a column dedicated to celebrating Oscar nominees and winners' birthdays by paying tribute to the work that got them noticed. This isn't meant to be an exhaustive retrospective, but more of a highlight of one nominated work that makes them noteworthy. The column will run whenever there is a birthday and will hopefully give a dense exploration of the finest performances and techniques applied to film. So please join me as we blow out the candles and dig into the delicious substance.

Payne's "Nebraska" to Debut in Color on Epix This Sunday

Left to right: Bruce Dern and Will Forte

One of my favorite films of 2013 as well as a nominee for six Oscars at this year's ceremony, director Alexander Payne's Nebraska, is having a strange new resurgence this upcoming weekend as it makes its debut on TV. While it has happened before, it seems increasingly unprecedented that films would be shown in two formats. Not HD and standard definition. I am talking about something more blatant that may help to shape the way that we literally view the film. For those interested, the Epix movie channel is having a "limited" run of the film in a never-before-seen form of color. This is done without Payne's permission, but does it necessarily mean that it won't be worth a gander? To me, it is worth checking out solely to understand how color and black and white formats can impact a film tonally.

A Closer Look at the Best Actor Nominees

One of the most difficult races at this year's ceremony to predict is going to be the Best Actor race. Along with a scandalous moment in which CNN supposedly revealed this year's winner, this race has lead to plenty of discussion, and for good reason. Each performance delivers a slightly different skill that makes it better than the next. Its only issue is that in a year where the playing field almost feels too even, it leaves plenty of surprise for Oscar night and has already launched numerous think pieces such dissecting each nominee. The following is my look at the field as well as who I think should win as well as why.

"Nebraska" is an Enjoyable Ride Down Memory Lane

Left to right: Bruce Dern and Will Forte

*Originally published at CinemaBeach here.

The opening scene to director Alexander Payne’s latest film Nebraska follows protagonist Woody Grant (Bruce Dern) as he is walking alongside the freeway. As he is questioned by a police officer on where he is going, he simply points his finger in the direction of Lincoln, Nebraska. Before we know anything about Grant’s personality or motives, we understand his psyche. This is an old man who is not all there and suffers from severe cases of wanderlust. This may sound like the set-up for a barrage of geriatric insults but as the opening credits close and we meet his son David (Will Forte), it is quickly revealed that there is much more going on. Woody’s senility isn’t the source of the film’s humor. It is actually from everyone’s inability to communicate properly.

The "Nebraska" Trailer Introduces Bruce Dern into the Best Actor Race

Left to right: Bruce Dern and Will Forte

While I made my preseason predictions a few weeks ago, I still feel like some contenders have yet to form themselves in the public consciousness. The most notable example of this is director Alexander Payne's follow-up to The Descendants called Nebraska. While I had posted statistics about the film and didn't rank it high, save for a nod for Best Actor for Bruce Dern, I am still eagerly awaiting the film as well as the trailer. Up until this morning, little was known about the film. Now with the release of some clips and the official trailer, it looks like Payne is back with a film reminiscent of About Schmidt.