My issues with the treatment of Daisy Domergue in The Hateful Eight

(spoilers!)

The Hateful Eight, Tarantino's eight movie, is a fine film. While it is too long and it's last 60 minutes are significantly better than the first 100, it's still a fine film. It will keep you entertained, it has moments of sheer brilliance (Daisy playing on the guitar comes to mind) and good performances by talented actors, with Leigh stealing the show and Channing Tatum yet again delivering very strong work in spite of short screentime. In spite of a very long running time - nearly 3 hours - the film is never boring. In fact parts of it are really masterful.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

 (spoilers!)

I was 10 years old when Phanthom Menace came out. I remember how the toys inspired by the movie were everywhere and everyone was talking about this film. I had not seen this one in the cinema but I did see Attack of the Clones. By the time Revenge of the Sith came out the new trilogy was already such a subject of ridicule I watched it solely for the laughs.

I wish I was born 15 years later or 20 years sooner. It must be so dope to be a kid and grow up with actual good Star Wars films. But what George Lucas tarnished for my generation, the new one is getting thanks to Disney and JJ Abrams. I'm not gonna sit here and lie - this film has one of the least ballsy scripts of the year. It follows the formula of A New Hope, it relies so heavily on nostalgia and it plays everything very safe. But I think this is a small sin comparing to the alternative - Lucas' prequels were no doubt creative. Creative to the point we wanted to rip out our eyeballs and shove them into our ears as plugs, just so we don't have to experience that creativity anymore.

(Probably endless) list of things I love about Mad Max: Fury Road, part 1.

If you told me months ago when I walked out of cinema after seeing Fury Road, all lightheaded and enamored, that this is gonna be the movie that's gonna be up for most prestigious Oscars, I wouldn't believe you. But somehow, it has happened. Fury Road is getting accolades and nominations left and right and the nomination for Best Picture at the Oscars seems certain. 

So let's have ourselves a Merry Christmas and revisit my favorite movie of 2015. Here are the things I adored about it:

Promote, promote your way to that nomination...

Hardy in The Revenant

It was such a beautiful time. When you used to get excited about Awards season, while lying to yourself that people who really deserve the recognition are gonna win, or at the very least get nominated. It is no more for me this year.

Tom Hardy, arguably biggest break out star in 2015, who appeared in 5 different films and one popular TV series did not get a single SAG or Golden Globe nomination this year. That is unpleasant. But the behind the scenes stuff and the fact that HFPA nominated both Mad Max and The Revenant for Best Drama, while ignoring Hardy, whose work is integral to those movies' success, is just ugly.

10 best trailers in 2015

While my awards in this season will be later than usual - thank you for releasing The Revenant as late as January 29th :/ - I can start already because I'm assuming other than some mind blowing promos for the Oscar films that are gonna drop soon there won't be any new, potentially amazing, trailers. Some of the trailers released this year like "Krampus" and "The Nice Guys" informed me of existence of those movies and made me wanna see them, some like "Hail Cesar" used amazing music and some like "The Hateful Eight" trailers just didn't click for me. I'm also making that list because recently Playlist published theirs and The Revenant was FOURTH. I almost puked in my mouth when I saw that.

So here are the best trailers of 2015:

Soundtrack Wednesday - Macbeth

Track: Turn Hell Hound

Artist: Jed Kurzel

Movie: Macbeth

Macbeth

Justin Kurzel's Macbeth, which is one of the most cinematic Shakespearean works, opens with the still shot of a dead child laying on the ground, surrounded by heather. The film's tone is set from the very start - as raw, grim and filled with great sadness. This is a dark, bloody affair and an unpleasant one too.

If only it was a better movie.