What do you do when a filmmaker that has made some very influential films seems to be stuck in a rut? Well there’s not much to do other than be mad and shake your head, much like this reviewer did upon leaving the 70mm Roadshow screening of The Hateful Eight. This film, as presented to us, finds the director at his most self indulgent and lazy, a man more concerned with the appearance of a good film rather than making one.
Movies can often stir up emotions and speak to a current culture’s issues and climate. Often times this is a conscious choice, but in the case of a film like Selma, which comes at a time where protests and racial conditions have factored into the news cycle, a film can hit a portion of the zeitgeist. Thankfully for audiences Selma is more than just a film that people are using to explain the now, it’s a wonderfully made picture with crackling energy and a larger than life performance at the helm.