Tarantino Rides Again: The 'Hateful Eight' Premieres

The eight gunslingers in Quentin Tarantino'sreally are hateful, so why do we like watching them so much, and so long -- 3-and-a-half hours -- give or take, including an overture and intermission.
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The eight gunslingers in Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight really are hateful, so why do we like watching them so much, and so long -- 3-and-a-half hours -- give or take, including an overture and intermission. Not only can't you take your eyes off them, you want to catch every word of Quentin Tarantino's clever script. Utilizing the tropes of Westerns -- he claims The Good, the Bad and the Ugly was a big influence -- Tarantino's Western borders on horror, as the eight come together in a cabin in a snowstorm. Act I features a stagecoach: John Ruth (Kurt Russell), a bounty hunter, wants to bring his charge, Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh), to Red Rock for hanging, and for the reward. Another bounty hunter, Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson), wants a ride. He wisely advises, better to bring her in dead. Driving past a Christ on the Cross, this company arrives at a storm hounded pit stop, and the rest of the bearded group: Bruce Dern, Tim Roth, Demian Bichir, Michael Madsen and Walton Goggins. You might say, after watching these mesmerizing events, for these men crucifixion might be a blessing.

In olden days people attended movies as if they were events, dressing up and planning for a fine night out. The thought of cramming in those viewings, a commercial accommodation, was anathema. In the grand tradition, The Weinstein Company hosted a special screening at the Ziegfeld this week: a popcorn and soda night, plus Raisinettes and Skittles felt old-school, but the after party at The Rainbow Room was anything but. The actors occupied a spacious corner, with family and friends. A Tarantino regular, Michael Madsen, held court with his sister Virginia Madsen, a star of Joy having its own stellar premiere this week. Kurt Russell attended the premiere with Goldie Hawn. The Fool for Love duo, Nina Arianda and Sam Rockwell paid their respects.

Channing Tatum is in the movie too, new to the Tarantino posse. He hung back with Bill Paxton. Of course the Foxcatcher and Magic Mike star makes a charming addition to the Hateful fold, and outside before getting into his giant black SUV he posed for selfies with fans. But back at the Rainbow Room, the dance party was getting started, with Finding Neverland's Laura Michelle Kelly twirling about in a red gown.

A version of this post also appears on Gossip Central.

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