The Hateful Eight

Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, The Hateful Eight is the story of eight different people who seek refuge at a stagecoach stopover in a mountain pass as they deal with a chilling blizzard. Set years after the American Civil War, the film is a western that plays into a group of people who find themselves in a shelter where it’s a mixture of people who are forced to deal with each other despite their differences. Starring Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Samuel L. Jackson, Walton Goggins, Demian Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, Channing Tatum, Zoe Bell, and James Parks. The Hateful Eight is a tremendously grand and rapturous film from Quentin Tarantino.

The film revolves a group of different people who are trekking towards a small town in the middle of Wyoming as they deal with a blizzard where they stop and meet an assortment of characters at a stagecoach stopover where there’s a lot of tension looming between eight different people. It’s a film that plays into a group of people who doesn’t just deal with a blizzard that is deadly but also what is at stake as a woman named Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is being driven to a town where she is to be hanged for many murders as the bounty hunter John Ruth (Kurt Russell) is accompanying her to make sure that she will die by hanging and collect a $10,000 bounty. Along the way, they encounter two different men who join them on the stagecoach and then meet more at the stopover where something sinister starts to happen.

Quentin Tarantino’s screenplay is set in a very traditional three-act narrative with six chapters as each one doesn’t just play and introduce key characters into the story. It’s also in what is at stake as it relates to Daisy whose bounty is huge as the men she and Ruth encounter either have their own motives in what to do with her or are there for their own reasons that has nothing to do with her. Among them is another bounty hunter in a former cavalry officer in Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson) who is also going to this town of Red Rocks, Wyoming to collect a separate bounty of his own while a young Southerner named Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins) is also going to the town to become its new sheriff. All of that happens in its first act where these four characters meet and ride on this stagecoach where Mannix, Ruth, and Warren all have some background and history where Mannix is the son of a marauders leader who refused to accept the defeat of the South.

By the film’s second act where they stop at this stopover, they meet another group of diverse characters including a Mexican named Bob (Demian Bichir), a British hangman named Oswaldo Mobray (Tim Roth), a quiet cowboy named Joe Gage (Michael Madsen), and a former Confederate leader in General Sandy Smithers (Bruce Dern). Along with the stagecoach driver O.B. Jackson (James Parks), these people find themselves inside the house where paranoia and mistrust ensues which includes some tension involving Smithers and Warren where the film’s first half ends with a chilling story from the latter about the former’s son. It is told with such style and detail as it has this mix of dark humor and gruesome imagery. By the film’s second half, the drama and suspense becomes more prominent as it’s not just what is happening inside the house but also the fact that there’s a sense that there’s some people that is going to die. It’s not just who is in this house that is scary but also the fact that there is this blizzard out there. No one is safe where something will break as the third act reveals more into what is happening and who wants what with Daisy being the prize.

Tarantino’s direction is definitely vast in not just the richness of the images he creates but also in the way he sets it. Shot entirely on location in Telluride, Colorado, Tarantino takes great advantage of the locations from the look of the Rocky Mountains to the ravishing attention to detail with the locations as well as the snow which is crucial to the film itself. Notably as Tarantino takes great stock into shooting these locations not just in rich wide and medium shots but also shoot it in a format that hadn’t been used for many years which is 65 mm film stock. In that grand film stock and in an anamorphic aspect ratio of 2:76:1 which was a common format in the 1950s and 1960s that is also similar to the Cinerama process of the times. Tarantino doesn’t just go for images and moods that play into those films of the times with these wide lenses but also brings it back to Earth while creating an intimacy and tension for scenes inside the house.

The scenes set in the house are gripping as it’s small but also has some space where the film stock captures much of the lighting with great detail. Even in some of these smaller moments such as a lone jellybean on the floor or the close-up of a coffee pot. Tarantino’s usage of close-ups as well as some intricate crane shots and some long shots help play into the drama and suspense that looms in the film. The film stock helps with these scenes as well as in what Tarantino does in his compositions in a key scene where Daisy sings a song as she is in the foreground and Ruth is in the background. By the time the film reaches its third act, that is where the violence starts to really take shape. While violence is something that is expected with Tarantino, it is presented with a sense of urgency that adds to the suspense. Especially in the film’s climax where it is about survival and who can out-wit who. Overall, Tarantino creates a gripping yet tremendous film about a group of individuals dealing with themselves and a cold blizzard in the West.

Cinematographer Robert Richardson does incredible work with the film‘s cinematography with its gorgeous yet evocative look of the daytime exterior settings in the Rocky Mountains to the lighting schemes and textures that he uses in the interior scenes as it is among one of the highlights of the film. Editor Fred Raskin does excellent work with the editing with its usage of jump-cuts and slow-motion cuts as well as creating rhythms that help play into the suspense and drama that unfolds throughout the film. Production designer Yohei Taneda, with set decorator Rosemary Brandenburg and art director Richard L. Johnson, do amazing work with not just the design of the stagecoach where some of the main characters ride on but also the look of the stopover house and its different farms as it plays into this world in the middle of the Rocky Mountains that is remote but also filled with some dread as the look of the stone cross in the film‘s opening scene is also one of the key touchstones of the film. Costume designer Courtney Hoffman does nice work with the clothes from the old military uniforms that Warren and Smithers wear to the array of fur and heavy clothes the many characters wear to deal with the cold winter.

Makeup designers Greg Funk and Jake Garber do brilliant work with the look of the characters such as the facial hair of characters like Ruth and Bob as well as the black eye that Daisy sports. Special effects director Greg Nicotero and visual effects supervisors Laurent Gillet and Darren Poe do fantastic work with some of the special effects as it relates to some of the violent moments in the film as well as a few set dressing for some of the exteriors. Sound editor Wylie Stateman does superb work with the sound as it adds a lot to the film‘s suspense and drama from the way the cold winds sound from inside the house as well as the sounds of gunfire. The film’s music by Ennio Morricone is phenomenal as it bears many of the hallmarks that is expected of Morricone in terms of operatic vocal and orchestral arrangements to the usage of quirky hooks and melodies as the music is a true highlight of the film music supervisor Mary Ramos creates an offbeat soundtrack that features songs by David Hess, Crystal Gayle, the White Stripes, and Roy Orbison.

The casting by Victoria Thomas is wonderful for the cast that is created as it features some notable small appearances from Lee Horsley, Belinda Owin, Keith Jefferson, and Bruce Del Castillo as employees/patrons of the stopover house, Zoe Bell as a stagecoach driver, Dana Gourrier as the stopover house owner Minnie Mink, Gene Jones as her lover Sweet Dave, and Craig Stark as Smithers’ son Chester in a chilling sequence that Warren tells General Smithers to. Channing Tatum is fantastic in a small but very memorable role as a gang leader named Jody who is a man that is full of charm but is also very dangerous. James Parks is terrific as the stagecoach driver O.B. Jackson as one of the few men that Ruth trusts as he deals with the brutality that is the cold weather. Bruce Dern is excellent as General Sandy Smithers as a legendary hero of the Confederate army whom Mannix admires while being aware that he and Warren had an encounter in the past that leads to some very intense moments.

Demian Bichir is superb as Bob as this Mexican who is looking after the stopover house as he is quite ambiguous but also someone that is charismatic while saying some very funny shit that baffles Warren. Michael Madsen is brilliant as Joe Gage as this quiet cowboy who is at the stopover on his way to his mother as it’s a very restrained yet cool performance as someone who could be very deadly. Tim Roth is amazing as Oswaldo Mobray as this British hangman who is the film’s comic relief as someone that is quite energetic but also says some funny things as he is among the group of individuals who is also very odd. Walton Goggins is incredible as Chris Mannix as the son of a marauders gang who is supposed to become a sheriff as he deals with Warren’s presence as well as admiration for General Smithers where it’s a complex performance that is part humor but also dramatic in the fact that he isn’t a smart man but a character that is fully aware that something isn’t right at all.

Samuel L. Jackson is remarkable as Major Marquis Warren as a former cavalry officer who bears the notoriety of doing a lot of killing in the Civil War as he is quite devious in what he does but also understands what is at stake where he tries to help Ruth. Kurt Russell is great as John Ruth as this notorious bounty hunter that likes to do things the hard way where also lives by old school rules as it’s a performance that has Russell be gritty but also someone that doesn’t take shit from anyone. Finally, there’s Jennifer Jason Leigh in a wild performance as Daisy Domergue as this woman who has a $10,000 bounty on her head for killing people as she is a character that is just off-the-wall in terms of the things she says and what she does where she isn’t to be trusted while being just as ruthless and devious as the men around her.

***The Following is a Description of the 70mm Roadshow Presentation***

For audiences who are going to see the film in its 167-minute general release are going to see the film in a more traditional format that is often common with today’s films. Yet, it doesn’t have exactly what Tarantino would want for the film which he shot in a format that is very different from what is often expected in cinema. For this special roadshow presentation which was a common thing for big films back in the 1950s and the 1960s, the film is given a wider scope that manages to capture every attention to detail into what Tarantino and cinematographer Robert Richardson had captured while the sound itself is also just as big.

Sorry for the bad lighting...

For this special presentation, audiences don’t just receive a special program for the film but would also be given the chance to experience something that is rare. In this 187-minute version of the film, the film opens with an orchestral overture that lasts for about a few minutes and then the film would play. During the middle of the film comes an intermission that lasts for fifteen minutes. There’s no trailers that precedes the film that is often the case with traditional films of the day. Instead, audiences would see the film and that is it while getting a chance to take a break in between as it plays into a presentation that is rare in today’s more commercialized idea of cinema.

***End of 70mm Roadshow Presentation Tidbits***

The Hateful Eight is a tremendously visceral and exhilarating film from Quentin Tarantino. Headlined by a hell of an ensemble cast as well as gorgeous photography, grand visuals, eerie suspense, high-octane violence, and a monstrous score by Ennio Morricone. The film is truly an example of what epic cinema is and what it should be in an era where the term is misused while being a western that is very dark and filled with intrigue that is gripping to watch. In the end, The Hateful Eight is an outstanding film from Quentin Tarantino.

Quentin Tarantino Films: Reservoir Dogs - Pulp Fiction - Four Room-The Man from Hollywood - Jackie Brown - Kill Bill - Grindhouse-Death Proof - Inglourious Basterds - Django Unchained - Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood

The Auteurs #17: Quentin Tarantino - Growing Up with Quentin Tarantino

© thevoid99 2015

Grindhouse

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 4/9/07 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

From the minds of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, Grindhouse is an ambitious double-feature that celebrates sensational exploitation movies of the 1970s that were shown in drive-ins that blended all sorts of genres from zombie movies, biker films, horror, and all sorts of stuff. Both Tarantino and Rodriguez contribute their own features for this project that also includes fake trailers from Rodriguez, Rob Zombie, Eli Roth, and Edgar Wright. From Robert Rodriguez is Planet Terror about a doctor, a one-legged stripper, a hitman, and several others fighting zombies in their small Texan town. From Quentin Tarantino is Death Proof about an aging stunt car driver stalking and killing women for his own pleasure only to find himself dealing with the wrong group of women.

With an all-star cast that includes Kurt Russell, Bruce Willis, Michael Biehn, Rose McGowan, Marley Shelton, Freddy Rodriguez, Naveen Andrews, Rosario Dawson, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Danny Trejo, Nicky Katt, Tom Savini, Michael Parks, Jeff Fahey, Tracie Thoms, Zoe Bell, Sydney Tamiia Poitier, Jordan Ladd, Vanessa Ferlito, and Eli Roth. Grindhouse is one hell of a motherfucking movie that will fuck the shit out of everyone who loves good ol' 70s exploitation.

Planet Terror

Go-go dancer Cherry Darling (Rose McGowan) meets her ex-boyfriend Wray (Freddy Rodriguez) at a barbeque shack as he asks her to give him back his jacket. Meanwhile at an army base, a scientist named Abby (Naveen Andrews) is trying to create a cure for an infection that is carried by Lt. Muldoon (Bruce Willis) and his troops as it starts to spread. At another part of town, Dr. Dakota McGraw Block (Marley Shelton) is hoping to leave her husband Dr. William Block (Josh Brolin) to be with her girlfriend Tammy (Stacey Ferguson) only for something to go wrong when zombies start to emerge where Cherry had her right leg torn off. Wray takes Cherry to the hospital where Sheriff Hague (Michael Biehn) questions Wray and has him arrested while Dr. Block notices an infection on a patient (Nicky Katt) is spreading. Suddenly, the infection starts to spread on people as Hauge and his troopers try to escape where they go to the barbeque shack owned by Hague's brother J.T. (Jeff Fahey) for safety.

After Dr. Block doses Dakota with her drugs to make her joints limp as he knows about the affair, Dakota escapes with her son Tony (Rebel Rodriguez) as she seeks help from her father Earl McGraw (Michael Parks) for help as they evade all of the zombies going to J.T.'s barbeque shack. With the survivors at the shack, they all try to escape only to be captured by Lt. Muldoon and his troops for quarantine. With Abby also there as well as he knows how to make the antidote, Wray learns about the infection as he and Abby make an escape as does Cherry and Dakota where the former gets a machine gun as a new leg as the whole gagn fights the zombies.

Death Proof

New Yorker Arlene (Vanessa Ferlito) arrives to Austin to party with Shanna (Jordan Ladd) and local DJ Jungle Julia (Sydney Tamiia Poitier) as they go to a bar. They party with a few locals as watching them is an old childhood enemy of Julia's in Pam (Rose McGowan) as she finds herself sitting next to a man named Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell). Mike offers a ride as he looks at the rest of the women partying in the bar as he approaches Arlene for a lapdance as he heard from Julia's program that Arlene is giving free lapdances. After the party, the women leave while Pam rides in Mike's black 1971 Chevy Nova SS which he used for his stuntwork as the ride turns out more than what Pam bargained for. After a horrific crash that Mike survived as he's been cleared of all charges by Earl McGraw and his son Edgar (James Parks), Mike moves to Tennessee. Mike decides to stalk another group of women in a makeup artist named Abernathy (Rosario Dawson), young actress Lee Montgomery (Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and two stuntwomen in Kim (Tracie Thoms) and Zoe (Zoe Bell) as they're taking a break from making a film.

While they gossip on men and such, Zoe revealed she's found a 1970 white Dodge Challenger, which is the same car from the 1970s cult film Vanishing Point, in Tennessee as Zoe wants to take it out for a test drive and play a stunt game with Kim. Abernathy convinces the car's seller Jasper (Jonathan Loughran) to lend the car in exchange for some time with a sleepy Lee as Abernathy joins Kim and Zoe for the stunt game which was interrupted by Mike in his 1969 Dodge Charger Death Proof car. What Mike doesn't know is that he has fucked with the wrong group of ladies.

Trailers:

Directed by Robert Rodriguez, Machete stars Danny Trejo in the title role as a Mexican hitman who is hired to kill a politician only to be set up by a crime boss (Jeff Fahey). Machete decides to get revenge with help from a priest (Cheech Marin) as the boss realizes he messed with the wrong men. Directed by Rob Zombie, Werewolf Women of the S.S. is a World War II film about a group of Nazi scientists trying to create an army of superwomen when everything goes wrong. Starring Udo Kier, Sheri Moon Zombie, Sybil Danning, Bill Mosley, and Nicolas Cage hamming it up as Fu Manchu. Directed by Edgar Wright, Don't is a British horror film of the 1970s starring Jason Issacs, Matthew McFayden, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Emily Booth, and Stuart Wilson about a haunted house that scares everyone. Finally, there’s Eli Roth's Thanksgiving with Jordan Ladd, Michael Biehn, and Jay Hernandez about a cannibal plot to kill people for a cannibal Thanksgiving. All of these films will be coming soon.

Since this is a tribute to the grindhouse movies of the 1970s, one would think that a movie like Grindhouse would have something profound to say to its audience. Naaaahh... In many ways, Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror is essentially an old-school zombie movie with loads of references to John Carpenter with its cheesy, synthesizer music in some parts to its campy dialogue. Even the character of El Wray is a caricature of the heroes Kurt Russell played in his work with John Carpenter. Overall, Planet Terror never bores its audience with its suspense, action, and sexual innuendo. It just plays it straight with its array of gore, machine guns, explosions, everything. It works overall. Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof is a part tribute to slasher films as well as car chase films of the 1970s, notably Vanishing Point. Now some audiences might be put off in some of the film's heavy, dialogue-driven conversations that comes in between the action sequences. Yet, those who know Tarantino is fully aware that his knack for fun dialogue is always done in great fun and are a joy to listen to.

The cinematic style of both films feature broken, scratchy film work that is done intentionally along with messed up sounds, dubs, and whatnot. Even in both films, there's scenes that are missing yet, I'm sure both directors will put them on the DVD. Both directors really just go for hard knocks in their style. Though Rodriguez did use visual effects for McGowan's leg and for some of the stunt work. Tarantino is more traditional in just using real stunts and real cars. Both Kurt Russell and Tracie Thoms drive the cars they are using in their battle. In truth, both directors plus Eli Roth, Rob Zombie, and Edgar Wright know what to expect from their audience. Nothing really overly intellectual. Something that everyone can enjoy. You want laughs. You got it. You want mindless sex and violence. That's there. You want cool stunts, gore, and everything you need in a fucking good motherfucking movie Then you fucking it Why? BECAUSE THIS IS MOTHERFUCKING GRINDHOUSE BITCH!!!!!

Both Tarantino and Rodriguez do their own cinematography where Tarantino's exterior shots are very wide open to convey the sunny side of Tennessee and Austin while the interior sequences are wonderfully colorful. Rodriguez's photography is more stylized with its darker colors to add to the film's genre style. Tarantino's longtime editor Sally Menke plays up to the film's unique energy in the car sequences while slowing it down for the conversation sequences with its longshots. Rodriguez and co-editor Ethan Maniquis also brings energy and style to the more fast-paced Planet Terror with some great and intentionally messy editing. Set decorator Jeanette Scott does some wonderful work in utilizing the locations while creating fantastic sets for both films. Costume designer Nina Proctor also does excellent work in creating the diverse costumes for the characters.

Visual effects supervisor Ryan Tuphole does some great work in creating some of the digital effects for the Planet Terror segment while makeup artists Rob Hinderton, Meredith Johns, and Darylin Nagy do great work on the gory look of the zombies. Sound designers Paula Fairfield and Carl Murray add to the film's tense, energetic atmosphere with some great sound work. For the score of Planet Terror, the film is dominated by snarling saxophone and guitar work from Robert Rodriguez along with cheesy, John Carpenter-like score music along with Graeme Revell's traditional, orchestral score. The music in Quentin Tarantino's is more of a soundtrack featuring 60s and 70s rock music plus a cut from legendary Italian composer Ennio Morricone.

Finally, there's the cast and what a hell of a cast. Featuring fun cameos from Tarantino (in both segments), Cheech Marin, Danny Trejo, Sheri Moon Zombie, Sybil Danning, Udo Kier, Jason Issacs, Jay Hernandez, Eli Roth (also in the Death Proof segment), and Nicolas Cage in the trailers are fun to watch. From the Planet Terror segment, the small appearances from legendary horror film icon Tom Savini, El Mariachi's Carlos Gallardo, singer Stacy Ferguson, Julio Oscar Mechoso as Romey, Nicky Katt, and Michael Parks (also in Death Proof with son James) are a lot of fun to watch. Playing the Crazy Babysitter Twins (who also appear in Death Proof) are Electra and Elise Allevan (Rodriguez's nieces) are fun to watch along with Rodriguez's son Rebel as the Block's son. Bruce Willis makes a great appearance as Lt. Muldoon who reveals what he's done for his country. Lost's Naveen Andrews is great as the scientist Abby who carries a mean knife. Noted character actors Jeff Fahey and Michael Biehn give two of some of the best performances as brothers fighting zombies with Fahey as a cook and Biehn as a sheriff. The two have great one liners and even make appearances in different trailers, they deserve more work.

Josh Brolin is wonderful as the villainous Dr. Block who later becomes a zombie wanting to kill his wife for her affairs. Marley Shelton is fun and sexy as the syringe-shooting Dakota Block who is one woman not to be messed with. In a role that is definitely inspired by Kurt Russell, Freddy Rodriguez gives a star-making performance as El Wray. Rodriguez steals nearly every scene he's in whether he's doing back flips, twirling guns, or anything. Rodriguez is the man!!! Finally, there's Rose McGowan returning to the cinema after a few years on TV for Charmed. McGowan is great and sexy as the back-talking, funny Cherry Darling who loses her leg and tries to find her way to fight back. Then when she gets that machine gun as a new leg, she really owns the film. It's a great, comeback performance from Rose McGowan who also does great work as Pam in the Death Proof segment.

In Death Proof, the small appearances from Michael Bacall, Monica Staggs, and Jonathan Loughran from Kill Bill are fun to watch. Jordan Ladd is great as the partying Shanna, Vanessa Ferlito as the New Yorker Arlene, and Sydney Tamiia Poitier is fun as the bitchy Jungle Julia. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is good and cute as the cheerleading-wearing actress Lee who is the naive group of the bunch with Dawson, Bell, and Thoms who doesn't understand about the films of the past. Tracie Thoms is a lot of fun as the car-driving Kim with real-life stuntwoman Zoe Bell is fun as herself. Rosario Dawson is great as the cautious turned angry Abernathy who uses her charm and wit to get the car.

Finally, there's Kurt Russell in what has to be an Oscar-worthy performance as Stuntman Mike. Russell starts off being laid back and cool but once he's in that car, he's a total badaass. Wait, there's two more characters cannot be missed. The cars. Playing Death Proof are the 1971 Chevy Nova SS and the 1969 Dodge Charger where as one, they're both badass looking cars that can destroy anyone. The other car, making his comeback after a 35-year sabbatical is the old-school 1970 white Dodge Challenger from the cult film Vanishing Point. That's a fucking beauty.

Grindhouse is a one absolutely enjoyable and adventurous double-feature from Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez. With two amazing movies and some great faux trailers from Rodriguez, Rob Zombie, Edgar Wright, and Eli Roth, it's a film that really captures the glory and excitement of the Grindhouse movies. It has something for everyone. Tits, ass, cars, gore, zombies, fights, explosions, guns, good food, and lots of unadulterated violence!!!! In the end, Grindhouse is an experience that will give audiences one hell of a fucking time.

Quentin Tarantino Films: Reservoir Dogs - Pulp Fiction - Four Rooms: The Man from Hollywood - Jackie Brown - Kill Bill - Inglourious Basterds - Django Unchained - The Hateful Eight - Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood

Related: The Auteurs #17: Quentin Tarantino - Growing Up with Quentin Tarantino

Robert Rodriguez Films: (El Mariachi) - (Roadracers) - (Desperado) - Four Rooms: The Misbehaviors - From Dusk Till Dawn - (The Faculty) - (Spy Kids) - (Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams) - (Spy Kids 3D: Game Over) - (Once Upon a Time in Mexico) - Sin City - (The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3D) - (Shorts) - (Machete) - (Spy Kids: All the Time in the World) - (Machete Kills) - (Sin City: A Dame to Kill For)

© thevoid99 2012

Whip It

In an age where young girls are given to look a certain way and act in a certain way. One of the most daring films to come out in 2009 came from one of American cinema’s most revered actresses in Drew Barrymore. Though known for her days as a child star with films like E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial and Firestarter and later solidifying herself as one of the top-draw actresses of the late 90s and early 21st Century. Barrymore took a step further into her role outside of acting as made her own directorial debut with a film based on the world of roller-derby called Whip It.

Based on the novel Derby Girl by Shauna Cross, Whip It tells the story of a 17-year old girl from the fictional Bodeen, Texas as she wants to escape a world of beauty pageants that her mother wants to compete in. When she and a friend go to Austin and check out the world of roller-derby, she takes in finding the escape she needed. Directed by Drew Barrymore with Cross writing the screenplay, the film is a tale of a teenage girl finding her own voice while trying to deal with her strict, caring mother. Starring Ellen Page, Alia Shawkat, Daniel Stern, Kristen Wiig, Zoe Bell, Eve, Jimmy Fallon, Carlos Alban, Juliette Lewis, Ari Graynor, Andrew Wilson, Landon Piig, Drew Barrymore, and Marcia Gay Harden. Whip It is an extraordinary yet touching film from Drew Barrymore.

Bliss Cavendar (Ellen Page) is a 17-year old high school student from Bodeen, Texas who is unsure what to do with her life. With her mother Brooke (Marcia Gay Harden) trying to get her to win a local beauty pageant that she won many years ago. Bliss’ attempts at rebellion by dyeing her hair blue has only baffled her mother while her dad Earl (Daniel Stern) wonders what is up with Bliss. When Bliss isn’t at school, she works at a local restaurant with best friend Pash (Alia Shawkat) and their boss Birdman (Carlos Alban). Then one day on a trip to Austin with her mother and younger sister Shania (Eulala Scheel), Bliss finds a flyer for a roller-derby exhibition as she and Pash decide to go without telling their parents.

Bliss’ discovery of the world of roller-derby becomes life-changing as she saw a match between the two-time reigning champions the Holy Rollers led by Iron Maven (Juliette Lewis) against the rag-tag Hurl Scouts. Though the Hurl Scouts lost, Bliss was still impressed by their no-holds-barred attitude as the team consisted of Maggie Mayhem (Kristen Wiig), Rosa Sparks (Eve), Bloody Holly (Zoe Bell), and Smashley Simpson (Drew Barrymore). After Maggie suggests that Bliss should try out, Bliss does though she had to wear her old Barbie doll skates where she manages to impress the Hurl Scouts coach Razor (Andrew Wilson) as she along with the Manson sisters (Kristen Adolfi and Rachel Piplica) to join the team. While Bliss decides to hide her new role as a roller derby girl from her parents, only Pash and Birdman know with Pash helping along.

With Bliss playing her first game as Babe Ruthless, she manages to impress the fans along with her teammates even though they lost. Bliss and Pash goes to a party that included many in the scene. Among them was the game’s announcer “Hot Tub” Johnny Rocket (Jimmy Fallon) and a local musician named Oliver (Landon Piig) who Bliss falls for. While the party was fun, Bliss still had to deal with her mother’s desire for Bliss to succeed at an upcoming beauty pageant. Bliss found escape when Oliver visited as a relationship starts to blossom while realizing that the Hurl Scouts really wanted to win some games. Thanks to Bliss’ speed and Razor’s new plays, the Hurl Scouts start to become winners as things are going great. Even as Bliss becomes the league’s new poster girl. Then one night after a game, the league gets in trouble with the fire marshal as Bliss manages to leave with Oliver though Pash got arrested for carrying alcohol.

Though Bliss would have a romantic night with Oliver, she comes home where her parents found out what she’s been up to. Bliss leaves home as she tries to call Oliver while Iron Maven finds out that Bliss lied about her age to the league as she threatens to reveal the truth. With things starting to fall apart and the championship game is underway, Bliss tries to mend fences with her mother and Pash. Even as Earl discovers more about Bliss’ role in the roller-derby circuit as he goes to the Hurl Scouts for help about the upcoming game.

While the film is a mixture of a sports comedy as well as a light mother-daughter drama, it’s really about a young girl trying to find her place in the world while seeking the approval of her mother. Still, screenwriter Shauna Cross goes deep into the world of roller-derby and why it was able to attract someone as out of place as Bliss is. For Bliss, it’s not that she despises the world of beauty pageant entirely. She’s just trying to find some escape not just from well-meaning but demanding mother but also from the dull world that is Bodeen, Texas.

Another reason for Bliss to enter this rough-and-tumble world of roller derby is to find an outlet where she can be tough and deal with whatever people she has to deal with at home like a fellow pageant contestant/cheerleader or Iron Maven, the roller-derby queen. Though Maven isn’t a traditional antagonist, she is someone who feels a bit threatened by Bliss’ arrival while would be the one who discovers her true age. Bliss also discovers first love in a young rock musician named Oliver who would be the one to help get out of her shell but also put her in reckless situations that would nearly cost her friendship with Pash.

Cross’ screenplay is wonderful not just for its structure but also in character development. It’s not just Bliss that starts off as a nerdy outsider who turns into a badass, confident young woman. It’s also her mother Brooke who is this woman that has aspirations for her daughter to have a much better life than she had. Though she works as a mail carrier and likes to put Bliss into the world of beauty pageants, she always had the best intentions though not in the right way. Even though her husband Earl gets a bit smothered by Brooke, he is still able to be by her side when Bliss’ secret is revealed. Yet when she finds Bliss wallowing over Oliver, Brooke becomes the kind of woman that everyone expects in a mother and more as she also loosens up a bit.

Cross’ screenplay succeeds in not just fleshing out characters and create some funny and inspiring moments. It also gives Drew Barrymore a chance to create a film that brings Cross’ story to life. Barrymore’s direction is mostly straightforward with her presentation towards comedy and light-drama. Yet, she makes sure that the story the audience is telling is about not just Bliss but also the relationship with her mother and her friends. Barrymore always keeps the camera moving though still when it comes to conversation scenes with the Hurl Scouts. The scenes where the roller-derby is taking place definitely is one of the film’s highlights as she always has the camera following the action. Whether it’s from the viewpoint an audience member watching from the nose-bleed seats or inside the roller-derby stage.

Barrymore also allows the audience to relax and enjoy a few sequences and the scenery of where the film takes place. Notably Austin for some scenes as it was mostly shot in suburbs of Detroit. Still, Barrymore was able to give the idea that it could’ve been shot anywhere near Austin since it’s a lively place. While the film does play up to a few formulas expected in a coming-of-age film, Barrymore is able to play around with it while maintaining the heart of the story of a young girl finding her own identity. Overall, this is definitely a solid yet entertaining directorial debut for Drew Barrymore.

Helping Barrymore with her vision is famed Wes Anderson cinematographer Robert Yeomen. Yeomen’s photography is filled with an amazing array of colorful shots for many of the film’s exterior settings along with wonderful steadicam shots for the roller derby scenes. While it may not have the blaring looks that he did for Wes Anderson, Yeomen does create some inspiring work. Notably the pool scene where blue lights and dark shading around the pool is truly inspiring as Yeomen really captures something magical with that scene.

Editor Dylan Tichenor does a very good job with the film’s editing by maintaining a leisured pace for the film. Even as he create some great sequences which includes Bliss’ training montage set to the .38 Special song Caught Up In You. It’s definitely masterful in what is expected for a genre-bending coming-of-age comedy while it also plays up to the intensity of the roller-derby scenes.

Production designer Kevin Kavanaugh and set decorator Meg Everist do an amazing job with the look of the Roller Derby rink as well as the restaurant that Bliss works in which includes a large pig on top of the building. Costume designer Catherine Marie Thomas does excellent work with the costumes including the pageant dresses and the costumes that the roller derby girls wear. Sound editor Christopher Scarabosio does some fantastic work with the sound that includes the intense atmosphere of the roller derby with the crowd roaring along with the sounds of roller skates driving through the rink. It’s definitely something that is expected in a rousing yet fun film with that kind of sound.

The film’s score by the Section Quartet is mostly a low-key score with serene string quartet pieces to play up a bit of the film‘s light-drama. Helping with the film’s soundtrack is music supervisor Randall Poster as he creates a truly diverse soundtrack filled with all kinds of music. From old-school acts like the Ramones, Dolly Parton, .38 Special, and the Breeders to indie acts like MGMT, Jens Lekman, the Raveonettes, the Go Team!, Peaches, Har Mar Superstar, and many others. It’s definitely a killer soundtrack that has something for everyone.

The casting by Justine Baddeley and Kim Davis-Wagner is definitely a real highlight as there are numerous standouts in various small roles. Whether its Sarah Habel as the bitchy high school queen Corbi, Shannon Eagen as the friendly pageant contestant Amber, Doug Minckiewicz as Corbi’s boyfriend Colby, and indie music performer Har Mar Superstar as a rival coach. They all bring something memorable to their roles. Other notable small roles include Carlos Alban as Bliss and Pash’s restaurant manager Birdman, Eulala Scheel as Bliss’ younger sister Shania, Kristin Adolfi and Rachel Piplica as the Manson Sisters, Ari Graynor as roller derby queen Eva Destruction, and Jimmy Fallon as the very funny roller derby MC “Hot Tub” Johnny Rocket.

Andrew Wilson is very good as the Hurl Scouts coach Razor with his silly jean-shorts look and his ability to create excellent plays. Landon Piig is pretty good as Oliver, Bliss’ rocker love interest who helps Bliss explore more of herself though would play a part into her own individuality. Zoe Bell is wonderful as the tough Bloody Holly while Eve rocks as the no-nonsense Rosa Sparks. Drew Barrymore is hilarious as Smashley Simpson who acts like a ditz and often does silly things on and off the rink. Kristen Wiig is great as Maggie Mayhem, the straight person of the Hurl Scouts who gives Bliss some advice about what mothers go through in raising kids. Juliette Lewis is also great as Bliss’ roller-derby rival Iron Maven as a tough woman who feels threatened by Bliss’ arrival while wanting to be a funny sort of bully.

Daniel Stern is phenomenal as Earl, Bliss’ dad who has to deal with his neighbor and his football-playing sons while wanting to escape his wife’s strict world. Stern hasn’t had a big major role in years as it’s definitely a reminder of what a great actor he is as he also delivers some of the film’s funniest one-liners. Alia Shawkat is superb as Pash, Bliss’ best friend who helps her become a roller-derby player only to feel slighted when Bliss goes further into the world of roller-derby and Oliver. It’s definitely a fantastic supporting performance as Shawkat can be funny and also serious in a role that could’ve been clichéd.

Marcia Gay Harden is amazing as Brooke, Bliss’ strict though well-meaning mother. Harden exudes all of the motherly traits that her character needed as she is someone who wants the best things for Bliss that she never had as a child. Harden even gets a chance to be funny while allowing her character to break away from her strict shell as it’s definitely one of her best performances to date. Finally, there’s Ellen Page in what is certainly a remarkable performance. While she doesn’t spew quirky lines or act in a stylized manner that she did in her breakthrough role in 2007’s Juno. It’s definitely a much more interesting performance as she plays a more realistic girl trying to find her place in the world. Page brings some humor to the role along with some drama as she makes Bliss Cavendar into a real, lively character. Even as it allows Page to play sexy in a non-conventional manner. It’s definitely one of Page’s finest performances yet.

Whip It is an extraordinary, fun debut film from Drew Barrymore that features a radiant performance from Ellen Page. Armed with a great ensemble cast that includes Marcia Gay Harden, Daniel Stern, Juliette Lewis, and Alia Shawkat. It’s the kind of film that brings laughs, real situations, and lots of roller-derby action that audiences can cheer for. It’s also the kind of film that brings a lot of girl-power that is lacking in today’s world of overly-beautiful women that not many could relate to. In the end, Whip It is a phenomenal debut film from Drew Barrymore and company.

© thevoid99 2011