Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Quentin Tarantino found a time capsule opened it and made a movie. The time was the 60’s and the place was Hollywood. Tarantino has fun, visiting old haunts, seeing old movies, long gone TV shows and 60’s music. Of his audience he is the one most entertained. The movie has vignettes of bad acting scenes which make up a part of the movie. After a while they become boring.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt in the same movie naturally elevates expectations. DiCaprio plays Rick Dalton, an actor whose career is sliding down the peak. DiCaprio does most of the overacting in the movie. Dalton suffers  anxiety over his declining  career. Brad Pitt is cool, Ocean’s Eleven cool. Pitt is the stunt double who works for Rick Dalton. Pitt sports scars  of his profession. He plays well a tanned buffed middle aged man with his usually laidback ease. Margo Robbie plays Sharon Tate. She plays Tate almost childlike. Tate delights with glee seeing herself in her own movie.

There is a profusion of supporting actors. Al Pacino plays a Hollywood producer; he is becoming a caricature of himself. Timothy Olyphant plays a bad guy (that’s a stretch). Lena Dunham as a member of the Manson family; she is the one in the moo moo. Bruce Dern is nearly unrecognizable except  for his gravelly voice. Kurt Russell plays a stunt coordinator boss. Dakota Fanning plays Squeaky Fromme, totally unrecognizable. Some guy plays Bruce Lee, this had to be the funniest scene in the movie. This is a comedy drama crime film.

The movie is schizophrenic. Aside from aging  actors peering into the abyss, the Manson murders provide the movie’s tension . Tarantino’s signature uber violence manifests itself in the tail end of the film. You go from a breezy self-indulgent movie to Reservoir Dogs violence.

Once upon a time is the tag line for a fairy tale. Tarantino weaves a revisionist story about the Manson murders. The murders were a savage heinous crime; almost sacrosanct.  For those of us who witnessed the demented brutality the Family the murders were disturbing and indelible.  They deserve more respect than Tarantino’s script.   

Hoobs and Shaw

I was a bit reluctant seeing another Fast and Furious movie. How many ways can you split a pie? What is this the 47^th F&F movie? The movie turned out to be quite entertaining. Aside from all the motor chases and fist fights the film has a familial theme.

In the early F&F movies Hobbs and Shaw really tried to kill each other. Now they are more like bickering brothers trying to show up one another. As the movie progresses the bickering lessens and comradery develops. It has a great cast. Besides Dwyane Johnson and Jason Statham, there is Idris Elba, Helen Mirren and Venessa Kirby. Johnson has more muscle, Statham more stubble and Mirren more wrinkles.

Helen Mirren is Shaw’s imprisoned mother. I can not tell you who Venessa Kirby is but she has a critical role. There are other two cameos by well known actors who I will not identify but are very funny and worth waiting for (stay after the credits).

Hobbs and Shaw are reluctant partners still harboring old grudges. They are such has hams they would be barred from a kosher deli. Ibis Elba is part human part cyborg. He has superhuman abilities and is controlled by a terrorist organization. A talented actor reduced to scowls and grunts; but he looks good in leather.

What about the plot? The plot is just an excuse for mayhem and pyrotechnics and there is plenty. Shaw drives an awesome McLaren at high speeds through the streets of London; a feat in itself. There is a scene with a helicopter and a bunch of trucks which is a scene stealer. Elba has an autonomous motorcycle that comes at his beck and call. You know some of the stunts are CG but they are impressive.

The film has a PG-13 rating so thank goodness there is no sex. The closest thing to sexy is a hot Mexican actress Eiza Gonzales. I was so distracted by her outfit I am uncertain if she was a good guy or a bad guy.

If you want to spend a mindless two hours, this is your movie. There are  some chuckles. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film  67%. It is estimated opening weekend it will clear $600m box office (budget $200m). So when is Fast and Furious 48^th coming out?