This week at the movies: Tarantino returns with another ultra-violent, ultra-satirical film; plus, a true mountain climbing tale from Korea.

The Hateful Eight

Profane, violent, and hilariously funny? Oh, yes – it’s a Quentin Tarantino picture. The eighth work by the director of Kill Bill and Pulp Fiction, The Hateful 8 stars many of Tarantino’s usual actors, including Samuel L. Jackson and Tim Roth, as well as some well-known newcomers to the Tarantino oeuvre, such as Kurt Russell and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Set a few years after the Civil War in Wyoming during the winter, the plot is a complicated collision of bounty hunters, fugitives, soldiers and sheriffs. Expect a lot of shootin’ and cursin’.

Perfect For: Tarantino fans (A.K.A. grownups only).

What the Critics Say: A mixed bag, which is not surprising given the director. Writes the New York Times: “Some of the film's ugliness is therefore a sign of integrity, and of relevance. But much of it seems dumb and ill considered, as if Mr. Tarantino's intellectual ambition and his storytelling discipline had failed him at the same time.” And Entertainment Weekly adds: “As someone who's loved almost all of Tarantino's films, I felt - for the first time - something close to disappointment.”

Our Take: It’s classic, eccentric Tarantino ­– if you’re going to see it, you gotta embrace it and enjoy the ride!

The Himalayas

Based on a true story about a Korean mountain climber who scales Mount Everest to retrieve the body of a junior climber who died there, the film covers all the foibles and dangers that befall him and his crew as they try to all make it out alive. Talk about a high-risk situation at very high altitude…

Perfect For: Fans of docu-dramas like The Walk; mountain climbing aficionados.

What the Critics Say: A bit formulaic for the adventure drama genre, but the story is nevertheless compelling and the cinematography is simply stunning. Writes the Village Voice: “For all the big-budget spectacle on display, it's the scenes that look to have been shot on a GoPro that most excite – only in these few sequences does The Himalayas begin to distinguish itself from its blockbuster ilk. If you've summited one mountain movie, you've pretty much summited them all.”

Our Take: Sounds visually and emotionally moving. Bring popcorn.