Tuesday, August 13, 2019

'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' even better the second time

When I first saw Quentin Tarantino's latest opus Once Upon a Time in Hollywood I found myself enjoying it so much I just knew I'd want to see it again. I had that feeling with  this year with Us. I had it last year with Black Panther, too. Like those blockbuster genre movies, this one really is even more rewarding on a second viewing.

The film is an experience -- lengthy, yes -- but also immersive if you're willing to give into it. It's elegiac, both a tribute and a kiss-off to an era of Hollywood that Tarantino clearly romanticizes. But I also think it's being misread as a conservative anti-'hippie' screed.

It's true that the heroes seem to have a deep-seated resentment towards hippies -- but that's them, they're old guys of an old age. The young actress who schools DiCaprio's character on method acting -- she represents the idyllic future, the coming 1970s cinema, where method acting and more sophisticated storytelling became the norm (at least for a while).

As with all Tarantino movies there are multiple backlashes to it -- it's too slow, too long, it disrespects women, it disrespects Bruce Lee. But on second viewing a lot of those quibbles are pretty easily debunked.

I can't speak to the length bothering people, there's so much movie to feast on here I can't imagine anyone being bored by it, plus almost every Tarantino movie is long. If lengthy movies aren't your bag, then you're not going to appreciate this one.

The Bruce Lee thing, in my opinion, is getting wildly overhyped. There are shots of him genially training Sharon Tate and Jay Sebring which undercut this notion that the movie portrays him as a callous jerk. He comes across as cocky -- that's it and that's all. It doesn't have to be everyone's cup of tea, but I don't find it the least bit disrespectful. Bruce Lee has become as iconic as Elvis -- he so mythic I think it's fair to play around with his myth.

The violence in this movie is intense -- although there's not all that much of it in the movie.

SPOILER ALERT - in the big climatic showdown between Brad Pitt and murderous members of the Manson family, most of the violence inflicted is done by a dog, and the murder of Tex, the one male in their crew is arguably just as gruesome as the women's. 

Yes, Pitt smashing the red head's face on seemingly every corner he can find is an over the top gore fest, Tex gets his face stomped in and his genitals ripped off. I'm just saying. It's  also not just Pitt and DiCaprio inflicted the violence, DiCaprio's Italian bride gets in on the action too.

And while I too, like a lot of audiences, struggled at first with Margot Robbie being more a symbol as Sharon Tate as opposed to a fully fledged character. But I found her enchanting this time and there's something so moving about her voice on the other end of the telecom saying 'hello neighbor' to DiCaprio's comeback kid Rick Dalton.

Also, a word on DiCaprio. He really has matured into one of the great actors -- not just a phenomenal movie star. I've missed him from the movies in the four years since The Revenant and here he gives the funniest, loosest performance he's ever given. Especially in the central section of the film, he delivers a real tour de force.

I hope he's in the Best Actor race at the end of the year. And hopefully Pitt will pop up in supporting, too. Of course, if the movie continues to generate as much controversy as it has, I fear that it won't get the awards love it deserves.

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