Thoughts on "Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood" (2019)

We like to think that we know our favorite directors. The simple fact is that we do not, and the best of them are always capable of surprising us. Alfred Hitchcock, the Master of Suspense, delivered outright horror in Psycho (1960); Steven Spielberg proved that he was just as adroit when handling the special effects extravaganza of Jurassic Park as the hard-hitting and grounded Schindler’s List; and now Quentin Tarantino shows us that he has a soft side with his nostalgic look back on old Hollywood in Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood.

Of course, any film that Tarantino directs will still feature his greatest hallmarks, but Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood is another matter entirely. Indeed, one could look at the director’s previous movie, the bleak and nihilistic Hateful Eight, and this film and be hard-pressed to suggest that they were the work of the same director. Not since Jackie Brown (1997) has Tarantino delivered a film quite as laid-back and relaxed, a film that is happy to take its time in meandering through its story, and whose characters are brought to the forefront, deconstructed, analyzed, and presented for the audience’s enjoyment.

Those characters in Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood are embodied by Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt as Rick Dalton, a struggling former western TV star, and his stuntman Cliff Booth respectively. DiCaprio and Pitt are front-and-center in this film. This is their story as both struggle to find their place in a changing film industry, and both men are pitch perfect in their parts. DiCaprio in particular is enthralling in every scene he’s in. Whether he’s chastising himself for forgetting his lines, or drunkenly accosting hippies in his pajamas, it is no exaggeration to agree with little 8-year-old Trudi Fraser who Rick shares the screen with when she whispers in his ear that “that was the best acting I have ever seen in my whole life.”

DiCaprio and Pitt almost never leave center stage in the film, and so they are complimented by a number of glorified cameos from Margot Robbie as Rick’s neighbor, Sharon Tate, Mike Moh as Bruce Lee with whom Booth spars on set, Damian Lewis as Steve McQueen, and Al Pacino as Rick’s agent. But perhaps the most important character in the film is Los Angeles of 1969, meticulously recreated by Tarantino and his team. Hollywood is evocatively brought back to life not only through the beautiful set dressing, but a massive soundscape of late ‘60s radio hits, nearly all of which seem to be blaring from the speakers of Rick and Cliff’s cars.

Though Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood is atypical Tarantino, when he does serve up his standard profanity-laced, razor-sharp dialogue and excessive violence, it does not disappoint. But, for any audience member expecting this film to be a retread of the director’s earlier work, they shall be disappointed. I, however, was thrilled to watch Tarantino spread his wings and am of the opinion that he has done some of his finest work here. Indeed, the film’s last thirty minutes may be some of Tarantino’s very best as a storyteller; stretching tension at every turn and then wrongfooting the audience at nearly every opportunity.

If film fans can learn nothing else from Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood it is not to pigeonhole their favorite filmmakers. The best of the bunch have always got a surprise up their sleeves.

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In my ongoing ranking of Tarantino films, I have discovered the list to be a much more fluid entity than I once thought. This revised list has changed since my last Tarantino review (Death Proof) and perhaps it is time to properly revisit this list. In the meantime, here is my ranking as it currently stands updated to include Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood from favorite to least favorite:

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Inglorious Basterds (2009)

Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood (2019)

Jackie Brown (1997)

The Hateful Eight (2015)

Django Unchained (2012)

Reservoir Dogs (1992)

Kill Bill (2003,2004)

Death Proof (2007)

300 Words on "Yesterday"

It should be mentioned right from the top that I love the Beatles, so it was destined that I would probably like Yesterday. I think that they are the greatest and most revolutionary band that ever existed and it’s obvious that writer Richard Curtis believes the same thing as character after character extoll the virtues of the songs that down-on-his-luck musician Jack Malick (Himesh Patel) has supposedly written, repeatedly calling them the best songs they have ever heard. It’s the kind of dialogue that made this die-hard Beatles fanatic smile from ear to ear.

But Yesterday is unlikely to have any more effect than to leave an audience smiling which, in itself, is not a bad thing. But the unique premise feels as if there is room for untapped potential as Curtis leans heavily upon his preferred cheesey romantic comedy conventions which he has already used in his previous hits Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) and Love Actually (2003). I love cheese, but a can of spreadable whiz just doesn’t pair well with an already beautifully-prepared platter.

The film certainly looks fantastic though, director Danny Boyle creating a brightly-colored landscape against which Patel, Lily James, Kate McKinnon, and (surprisingly) Ed Sheeran all deliver solid performances. And the arrangements of the Beatles’ music is well done too; not only are Himesh Patel’s covers excellently done, but Daniel Pemberton’s score which subtlety weaves the Fab Four’s melodies in the most unexpected places had me humming as soon as I left the theatre.  

If you are in search of an entertaining diversion for a few hours, Yesterday is the film for you. If you are a Beatles fanatic, you’ll probably get a kick out of this fun alternate history. However, Yesterday is about as saccharine as “Love Me Do” but a whole lot less resonant.

300 Words on "The Twilight Zone" (2019)

Submitted for your consideration…

Since the original series left its undeniable mark on our culture, there have been several attempts to reboot, remake, and reimagine Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone. These attempts always fell short, but this most recent version – executive produced and hosted by Academy Award winner Jordan Peele (Get Out, Us) – gets the Twilight Zone formula for success right.

And the show knows it. In the series’ metafictional finale (a Twilight Zone episode about making a Twilight Zone episode) Zazie Beetz’s writer extolls the genius of Serling’s original series which mixed science fiction and horror with genuine social commentary, and it was this commentary which felt lacking in every other iteration of the show until now.

This new Twilight Zone is unafraid to tackle potent societal issues, and some of the series’ finest episodes confront police brutality, toxic masculinity, the Trump Administration, and gun violence. The episodes themselves may not always live up to the sum of their parts – nearly every episode features at least one recognizable guest star complemented by stunning visual direction – sometimes hindered by predictable plotting and the occasional twinge of unlocked potential from these storylines, but to say that Peele’s Twilight Zone is the closest thing that modern viewers have to the Serling original is praise enough.

For the first time in nearly fifty years, The Twilight Zone feels as if it is hands which truly understand its purpose and potential – a team who have achieved a seemingly impossible feat; to push sand upward through the hour glass, rewinding to the origin of the fabled show’s history. A feat that is impossible except in that fifth dimension; a dimension of sound and mind.

A feat achieved only in The Twilight Zone.  

300 Words on "Captain Marvel" (2019)

Perhaps more than any other Marvel movie, Captain Marvel knows who its target audience is. The film’s 1990s setting – filled to the brim with nostalgic references – make it clear that this movie is aiming for the older comic book crowd. And perhaps that is what makes Captain Marvel such a strong entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Unencumbered by a need to appeal to fans of all ages, the film emerges as one of quirkiest and most unique entries in the long-running series.

That is not to say that Captain Marvel doesn’t feature the usual hallmarks of a Marvel movie. Indeed, the movie may be chalk full of more fan service than the last few films combined, but it all manages to feel fresh and different. There is some genuinely exciting action - including an excellent car chase the likes of which haven’t been seen in a Marvel film in a long time - and the film’s script (penned by co-directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck alongside Geneva Robertson-Dworet) showcases an offbeat sense of humor reminiscent of the MCU’s other, boldly eccentric entries.

There is also a genuinely intriguing mystery at the heart of the film’s scenario which is enlivened from strong performances by Brie Larson as the eponymous hero, Samuel L. Jackson as a digitally de-aged Nick Fury, and Jude Law as Larson’s former mentor. It all makes for an engaging watch, made all the more sumptuous by Ben Davis’ evocative cinematography. Captain Marvel may very well be the best looking of the films in the MCU.

Captain Marvel plays out like fairly standard Marvel movie fare, but its presentation is so singularly done that – despite the film’s endless attempts to weave its story into the larger tapestry of Marvel’s labyrinth-like narrative – Captain Marvel feels very much like its own, independent entity. 

Finally Getting Around to "Bird Box"

By the time that I got around to watching Bird Box the phenomenon was very much over.

Released on December 21, 2018, the horror film became a sensation almost immediately. Internet memes parodying the film flooded the worldwide web, and then videos starting popping up on social media of the “Bird Box Challenge” in which participants attempted the most rudimentary of tasks while blindfolded.

Netflix, who seldom releases viewing figures, said that within the first four weeks of the release of Bird Box that the film reached 80 million viewers.

Yet, from the beginning, opinion was divided on the movie. Some said that it was a unique, enthralling apocalyptic thriller. Others claimed that it was little more than a cheap knockoff of 2018’s earlier horror success, A Quiet Place.

For my part, the parallels to A Quiet Place were tenuous at best, but Bird Box still proved to be a disappointment.

Perhaps the most upsetting aspect of the film is that its incredible potential feels squandered. The story finds Mallorie (Sandra Bullock), a young artist, fighting to stay alive amongst a small group of survivors as the world is ravaged by creatures whose might is enough to induce insanity and suicide.

Bullock is the obvious star of the film, but she is complemented by an ensemble cast made up of so many familiar faces including Trevante Rhodes (perhaps best known for his role in the 2017 Best Picture-winner Moonlight), John Malkovich, Lil Rel Howery and Sarah Paulson.

However, star power does not make a film, as this assembled horde of familiar faces feels wasted in their underwritten roles. Malkovich, in particular, chews scenery like never before, and Sarah Paulson is gone almost as soon as she had arrived.

Bullock, then, caries much of the film on her shoulders and, to her credit, she does an admirable job. The scenes she shares with young actors Julian Edwards and Vivien Lyra Blair as Boy and Girl respectively, are invested with real emotional weight due in no small part to Bullock’s playing of the distant and standoffish Mallorie.

The generally lackluster performances do not help to salvage what could have been an exciting concept for a horror film. The notion that the world has been taken over by unknown beasts who can will humanity into ending their lives is a tantalizing one for any viewer with a taste for the macabre. 

And to the film’s credit, its realization of such creatures – never once allowing us to get a glimpse of them – is well done and suggestive that the monsters are simply too horrendous to even visualize. As a rare example of H.P. Lovecraft’s cosmic horror on film, Bird Box is pretty much unmatched.

However, Bird Box is bogged down by a painfully slow narrative which seems to only be marking time in between gruesome set-pieces. Even the sequences which were obviously designed to create suspense and push audiences to the edges of their seats seldom follow through on their intentions.

As Bird Box felt as if it were entering its third hour, I paused the movie only to see that 45 minutes had gone by. To be boring is, I think, the worst crime that any film – let alone a horror film – can commit.

There are a few noteworthy things about the movie: the visual effects are excellently handled (especially for a film with a comparatively low budget) and cinematography by Salvatore Totino gives the film an appropriately cold, bleak tone. These aspects go little way towards rescuing Bird Box though.

Bird Box was not a total disaster, but I am inclined to think that the social media firestorm which greeted the film upon its release was quite unfounded. As a horror movie with a unique story to tell, I applaud Bird Box.

I just wish it had done it better.

"Suspiria": A Beautiful Nightmare

When you think of horror movies, what do you think?

Dark and stormy nights where long, creeping shadows threaten to overwhelm the screen? Characters wandering into impenetrable, inky blackness, doomed to never return?

These conventional images apply to so many horror films – new films and bona fide classics alike. They do not, however, apply to Dario Argento’s 1977 masterpiece, Suspiria.

Indeed, Suspiria may very well be one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen.

To simply try to describe its vibrant, bold use of color would be doing the film a disservice. Like an uncompromising artist, Argento uses the screen as his canvas and paints his film in striking reds, greens, yellows, and blues. Few movies – let alone horror movies – are so liberal in their use of color, but it is a daring directorial decision which once seen is not likely to be forgotten.

There was, however, some precedent to the way Suspiria looked.

Director Argento began his filmmaking career redefining a subgenre called giallo. Italian for yellow, giallo at first referred to a series of pulp crime novels published in Italy which were noted for their striking yellow covers. Film adaptations of these stories followed; all filled to the brim with murder, mystery and intrigue played out against vibrantly-colored settings.

Dario Argento’s giallo thrillers – most notably The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) and Deep Red (1975) – cemented him as a distinguished filmmaker dabbling in the macabre. Indeed, Argento soon was praised as “The Italian Hitchcock” as his films were comparable to the Master of Suspense working many miles away in Hollywood.

And like Hitchcock who continually pushed the boundaries of his thrillers to their extremes, Argento did much the same with Suspiria.

Suspiria tells the story of American dancer, Suzy Bannion (Jessica Harper) who arrives in Germany to begin studying at a prestigious dance academy. Suzy’s arrival coincides with the violent death of a fellow student which plunges Suzy into a real-life nightmare as she realizes not all is as it may seem at the academy.

Though the giallo films which proceeded Suspiria were all grounded in reality, the supernatural hangs oppressively over Suspiria and definitely marks the film as a horror movie and less of a murder mystery.

The freedom that came with this, I think, allowed Argento to create some of his most visceral set-pieces which still resonate over 40 years since the film’s release.

I have been fortunate to see Suspiria screened twice at independent movie theatres, and both times, the film still manages to surprise and unsettle viewers.

Perhaps the reason for this is the film’s incredible simplicity. Clocking in at just over 90-minutes, Suspiria is not bloated with in-depth characterizations, subplots, or extraneous dialogue or detail. Suspiria is a lean, mean machine whose only goal is to get under your skin and frighten.

As an exercise in frightening sound and visuals, I think it is unparalleled.

Beyond this, there is a timelessness to the film which adds to its continued relevance. The predominately female cast are all presented as autonomous human beings, and the film never lingers and leers in the exploitative way which was so common in the late ‘70s.

Additionally, the film leans upon the standards of Gothic horror which give the movie a unique fairy tale quality which is absent in so many horror movies.

I would also be remiss if I did not mention the music by the band, Goblin, which underscores so much of the movie. Memorable in its own right, the score would go on to influence several other filmmakers; most notably, John Carpenter who cited the group as a major influence to his revolutionary score to his film Halloween a year later.

Suspiria was recently remade by filmmaker Luca Guadagnino (Call Me By Your Name) and starring Dakota Johnson, Tilda Swinton and Chloë Grace Moretz. The film opened to divisive critical reviews, but I am unable to pass judgment on it as it is a film which has still eluded me. It’s recent arrival on DVD and Blu-ray, however, mean that that will change very soon.

Suspiria may have fallen into relative obscurity outside the horror movie community, but its recent revivals suggest that the film is poised for a resurgence and the time has finally come for it to take its rightful place alongside the hallowed classics like Halloween, The Exorcist and other pillars of the horror genre.

Until then, Suspiria remains a beautiful nightmare. And probably the greatest horror movie you have never seen.

300 Words on "The Black Dahlia" (2006)

With the films out now that I could be writing about – Vice, Roma, The Favourite – surely you are asking yourself why I am talking about this one.

Some movies need to be saved.

Time will be good to the titles listed above (one need not gaze into a crystal ball to tell you that), but the years have done nothing to help Brian De Palma’s 2006 neo-noir thriller. Released to disparaging reviews upon its release, the film has been put down as one of De Palma’s late-game misfires, and though The Black Dahlia cannot compete on the same playing field (let alone be in the same arena) as the director’s other thrillers like Blow Out or Dressed to Kill, it is still an engaging and evocative film.

Based on the novel by James Ellroy which itself is inspired by the real-life unsolved murder of Elizabeth Short, The Black Dahlia flaunts its gritty hardboiled whodunit tropes: Josh Harnett and Aaron Eckhart play homicide detectives willing to sacrifice it all – even their sanity – to solve the case; Scarlett Johansson plays the woman they both love; and Hilary Swank is the alluring femme fatale who knows more than she lets on. Despite her very limited screen time, the finest performance in the film may very well come from Mia Kirshner as the doomed Elizabeth, whose Hollywood screentest scenes are the kind of haunting images films of this ilk wish they could create.

Elevated in no small measure by its excellent production design and De Palma’s characteristic, assertive cinematography, The Black Dahlia is – at the very least – a triumph of style over substance. Rest assured, the film is not peak De Palma, but it is hardly the cinematic train wreck which so many hyperbolic reviews have made it out to be.

These 300 words may not have changed your mind, but at least I have done my part to save an unjustly maligned film from one of the all-time great directors.

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Brian De Palma’s The Black Dahlia was originally a three-hour epic which would have faithfully adapted James Ellroy’s sprawling crime novel. Ellroy himself praised the finished product, but in the face of studio intervention, De Palma cut the film down to two hours. It was this heavily truncated version which reached movies screens in 2006 and has garnered a lackluster reputation ever since. Rumors persist that that lost footage is still out there somewhere, just waiting to be restored.

I, for one, would be thrilled if it was.