This week, in cinemas: Tarantino goes to Wyoming in The Hateful Eight; Lindholm goes to Afghanistan in A War; and vengeful ballerinas go to Moscow in Bolshoi Babylon.
The Hateful Eight
★★★★☆
What it’s about: Quentin Tarantino’s ninth film (or eighth, if you count Kill Bill as one film, which he apparently does) is another frosty Western. Tarantino would prefer you see it in 70mm – though finding a 70mm screening could be trickier than finding true justice in the Old West.
What we thought: “starts low-key but ultimately delivers big, bold, blood-soaked rewards.”
A War
★★★★☆
What it’s about: A brooding take on a seemingly unwinnable conflict, A War is the follow-up to Tobias Lindholm’s acclaimed hostage drama A Hijacking. What could be next in what we presume is Lindholm’s Indefinite Article Trilogy? A Murder? A Romance? A...Musical?
What we thought: “a riveting, complex film.”
Bolshoi Babylon
★★★☆☆
What it’s about: This disturbing documentary charts the toxic backstage behaviour of Moscow’s Bolshoi ballet company which lead to its artistic director having acid thrown in his face. Essentially Black Swan: The True Story.
What we thought: “it paints the Bolshoi as a microcosm of Russia, in thrall to tradition but beset by greed, backstabbing and corruption.”