What is it? Tarantino western in which a group of bounty hunters become involved in various schemes in post-Civil War Wyoming. Why is it a major player? Quentin Tarantino is one of the few directors in Hollywood of whom it's deemed OK to appreciate as an auteur - his films may be violent, sweary and always controversial, but both audiences and critics love them. More importantly, his films are backed by the Weinsteins, and The Hateful Eight should be expected to be one of The Weinstein Company's main pushes for Oscar 2016, providing it does as well with critics as Tarantino's films so often do. It should be noted that The Hateful Eight's script was leaked then given a live-read before it went into production, and what fans saw was a Tarantino movie that focused on dialogue and performance more than any film of his since Reservoir Dogs. It means followers of awards season should expect the now-obligatory nomination for Best Screenplay and a whole bunch of acting nominations, with Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Demian Bechir and Bruce Dern at the moment all looking like contenders.
Lover of film, writer of words, pretentious beyond belief. Thinks Scorsese and Kubrick are the kings of cinema, but PT Anderson and David Fincher are the dashing young princes. Follow Brogan on twitter if you can take shameless self-promotion: @BroganMorris1
