Movie Review: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

PLOT:

Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood visits 1969 Los Angeles, where everything is changing, as TV star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his longtime stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) make their way around an industry they hardly recognize anymore. The ninth film from the writer-director features a large ensemble cast and multiple storylines in a tribute to the final moments of Hollywood’s golden age.

REVIEW:

What did I like?

BFFs. Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio were long seen as sex symbols and heartthrobs. To my knowledge, this is the first time they have starred in a film together. All those girls who had their posters on their walls and lockers in the 90s and early 2000s must have been in heaven when they heard these guys were going to be in this together. From my point of view, not being a female who was obsessed with these guy back in the day, I appreciated the acting. I was able to believe that these were two best friends, despite one being a stunt double and the other being a big, albeing fading, star. The whole film, if not a big chunk of it, relies on their camaraderie and the audience being invested in it, which they did a pretty job of, in my opinion.

Bruce Lee. There has been some controversy over the portrayal of Bruce Lee. Obviously, director Quentin Tarantino has respect from Lee. If there is any question, look at Uma Thurman’s outfit in the Kill Bill movies and compare it to Bruce Lee’s in Game of Death and notice the homage. All that aside, this portrayal of Lee is over the top…maybe a bit too much…but fun to watch. The idea that Lee was this cocky and arrogant is the total opposite of who the man was, which makes this such a delight, not to mention the fight choreography he has with Pitt’s character. I only wish we could have seen more.

Aesthetic. Every decade has a certain look and feel. From the music and fashion to the cars and the way people speak, you can tell when you’re watching a film set in, say the ’50s as opposed to the ’80s. Tarantino has captured the aesthetic of the ’70s in such a way that it almost feels like we’re watching a flick from that era. This really should come as no surprise, though. Almost all of his films have a this touch. He just decided to use the technique for a whole film this go ’round.

What didn’t I like?

Tate-r tot. From the minute this film was announced, there seemed to be a big deal made about the inclusion of Sharon Tate and the Manson family. Not to spoil anything, but she is more of a side character than part of the main cast. When I realized this, I thought to myself, was all that hype to get people to watch? Did she have a bigger role initially and it was cut down? Did Tarantino and Margot Robbie have creative differences that led to such a small part? Maybe we’ll find out when the 50th anniversary DVD is released. Until then, all we can do is speculate.

A violent end. In the film’s climax, Tarantino chooses to change history. I won’t spoil what he does, but I will say that the scene in which he does this seems to come from out of nowhere. That is to say, the rest of the film has had a few punches here and there, but nothing that seems like it out of a John Wick film. Yet, this is what we get in this last scene as Pitt”s character (and his dog) defend the homestead, for lack of a better term, while DiCaprio’s new wife sleeps. Not for nothing, DiCaprio gets the best of one of the female intruders. Still, this whole sequence seems more in line with Inglorious Basterds or Reservoir Dogs.

Feet. Quentin Tarantino has a foot fetish. Watch any of his films, with a couple of exceptions and you will fins barefoot women (and men). To each their own, I suppose. I’m not judging the man as I can appreciate a woman in some sexy heels or sandals, myself. However, Tarantino doesn’t seem to be hiding his affinity for feet in this film. Robbie’s Sharon Tate is seen in a movie theater with her boots off and her (surprisingly dirty) bare feet on the back of the seat. One of the very first scenes we see is a beautiful blonde laying in the bed, her golden skin glowing in the sun. Does Tarantino focus on her beauty? No, he instead lingers on her toes before finally moving the camera up. Again, to each their own, but these are just a couple of the examples in this film where he just goes all in on showing his love for feet…dirty feet at that!

Final verdict.

When it all comes down to it, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is a love letter to the Hollywood that Tarantino grew up with. There actually is a good story and great acting here, but I can’t help but feel this is not one his strongest films. That said, this is one of the more entertaining pictures for its runtime and doesn’t feel as if the characters are rambling off just to hear themselves talk. Do I recommend it? Yes, but you can probably wait until it comes to video or streaming, rather than rushing to see it in theaters.

4 out of 5 stars

What’s good? #14

With so much stuff on Netflix, it can be a little overwhelming finding something to watch, especially when one scrolls through and half of what they see are foreign flicks and tv shows that they have absolutely no interest in. With that said, the purpose of these weekly posts is to share something that i watch on the service. Hopefully it will help someone find something new…or keep them from something they might have wasted their time with otherwise.

This week I’m going to cover…

Genre: Horror, Comedy
Duration: 3 seasons (30 episodes; ~28 min each)
Cast: Drew Barrymore, Timothy Olyphant, Liv Hewson, Skylar Gisondo, Natalie Morales, Ethan Suplee, Nathan Fillion, Ramona Young, Jonathan Slavin, Mary Elizabeth Ellis

Zombies have had a resurgence in the last few years because of shows like The Walking Dead, Z Nation, Ash vs Evil Dead, iZombie, etc. The thing about zombies it, though, that they are almost always portrayed as mindless killing machines in dark apocalyptic type scenarios. What would happen if we took the undead and let them be perfectly normal, except for the hunger for human flesh, living life as if nothing changed? This is the basic premise of Santa Clarita Diet.

Before you ask, there aren’t too many zombies in this series. I am nearing the end of the 3rd and final season and I think I can count the number of zombies that have appeared on one hand. The main member of the undead, and the star of the show, is Drew Barrymore. As Sheila, she and her husband Joel (Timothy Olyphant) are real estate agents living in the suburbs of Santa Clarita and raising their teenage daughter. One night she gets food poisoning after eating someplace and wakes up the next morning as a zombie, unbeknownst to her at the time.

As the show goes on, Sheila does what she can to survive while not letting her secret out. One can only imagine what it would be like to know that you live in a town with a woman who will shake your hand and give you a hug in the same action moment that she would rip you apart and eat you alive. Surprisingly, this works better than you can imagine, with the help of her friends and family.

There are those who would soon see her fail, however. I can’t remember the name of all these factions that are out to kill all the undead. In season 3, we get the Knights of Sumeria. None of these seem to be real threats, though. When a real threat does come along, they seem to be cast off as comic fodder while those less than capable take the forefront. Given that this is a comedy, that makes more sense, but I still have a feeling there should be more of a threat.

Aide from Sheila’s everyday trials and tribulations, audiences are also privy to the struggles of Joel as he plays the supportive husband, but always seems to have a look on his face as if he is wondering “why do i keep doing this?” Their daughter Abby and neighbor Eric are also in on the goings on. As time goes on, they grow closer, to the delight of Eric, but Abby is confused and reluctant.

This is another of the shows that Netflix has axed without letting it have a decent ending. So, all we have are 3 seasons. It can be argued that is more than long enough for this show to go on, but I need some closure. From what I have heard, there are some loose ends that needs to be tied up following the season 3 finale, which turned out to be the season finale.

All that said, I love this show and not because I have grown up loving Drew Barrymore, but rather because this is something that is different from anything that we currently have available to us. A zombie comedy that at one point is almost a sitcom and then when it is time for Sheila to feed becomes a watered down version of Dexter in some ways is entertaining to me, at least. If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, give it a shot sometime!