Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

Screw RT, I'd rather get your 2 cents on it..., posted on July 28, 2019 at 10:51:25
musetap Audiophile Posts: 31879 Location: San Francisco Joined: July 8, 2003 Contributor Since: January 28, 2004	IF and WHEN you can spare it. "Once this was all Black Plasma and Imagination"-Michael McClure

Yup, posted on July 29, 2019 at 18:15:28
violinist3 Audiophile Posts: 2922 Location: San Diego California Joined: August 7, 2003	I trust comments here a bit more.Good explainations too.

Just saw it., posted on July 30, 2019 at 13:27:37
volunteer Audiophile Posts: 5666 Location: Louisville, KY Joined: January 7, 2012	Liked it and it looked great and captured SoCal fifty years ago. I like Tarantino films and his "creative" handling of history. -Wendell

RE: Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, posted on July 31, 2019 at 09:46:02

Paul Eizik
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It's interesting that all the comments by people here who have seen Once Upon a Time... are positive so far, and of a very kind tone. I saw a limited engagement 70mm print of it here in Chicago last night, and for me this is the worst movie of the century, far surpassing my previous pick for this which is the 2001 Moulin Rouge. It's amateurishly edited, tediously paced in the middle, and far too long at 2 hours 41 min., though I would have sworn that it was over 3 hours by the way it dragged along. The acting is very good throughout though. I guess Tarantino doesn't really direct the actors much in same way as C.B DeMille, and none of the actors should regret their performances, though they may regret being in this mess when they see the finished product. I've had mixed feelings about Tarantino movies in the past, though I liked Inglorious Basterds and had looked forward to the expected sequel. Definitely watch Once Upon a Time... streaming with a finger on the FF button, as it makes Sharknado 5 look like high art.

Just saw it and liked it . . . (tiny sperler, maybe), posted on July 31, 2019 at 14:55:31

Billy Wonka
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until it became a cinematic apology for "the murders". Making light of that is akin to making fun of the Holocaust or any other serious moment in history.

I really liked Pacino, Pitt, and dynamite Margaret Qualley. It was an interesting flow of images and feelings for the end of the '60s. I was never bored or restless, I just drank in the times as I had just gone into the service.

Blessedly, there was no Sam Jackson chewing up the scenery. I think there will be some discussion on the treatment of the subject matter and it will not be the note Tarrantino goes out on. He's got to go out strong.

Largely agree, however..., posted on July 31, 2019 at 18:14:32

Steve O
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...I saw no apology for the Tate murders. I did see a somewhat preachy narrative holding Hollywood of the time responsible for the creeping normalization of violence in the culture. Interesting considering Tarantino's typical style and the slower pace and relatively subdued violence in this film. Overall I found the whole thing enjoyable in terms of the story, the casting, the acting and all the technical details, props, music etc. Did you catch the Dual
TT and Marantz 18 rcvr and the Wilhelm scream? More than a few reviews comment on how the film really captured a late 60s Hollywood. Wasn't there so I'll take their word for that part.

Since Tarantino filmed this with real photographic film, I'm gonna try and find someplace nearby showing it in 70mm and see it again as intended. On second thought, I won't see it in 70mm: nearest location is in another state. Oh well.

RE: Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, posted on August 1, 2019 at 08:11:52

Ross
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We saw it last night in a Drafthouse theater that was packed. We liked it, however we all felt it was about 30min too long, and would have benefited from additional editing. QT was an outsider director for a long time, and had to be creative within a limited budget. OUATIH was produced with a big budget and QT enjoyed spending it. Long scenes of nothing but meticulously recreated c1969 LA. Long tracking scenes of characters in action. And a dose of QT revisionist history.

The acting is excellent. Pitt doing his laconic alpha male persona initially felt rote, but fit the character very well. DiCaprio played a character with 3 dimensions. Depicted as an "actor", a normal person going about his life while on the verge of a mid life crisis, and then having to be an actor, while acting in a movie partly about acting. There were distinct characteristics around each portion of the role. Margarete Qualley- WOW ! There was criticism about Margo Robbie/Sharron Tate but her role was a bit of devilish misdirection. She functioned more as a surrogate for the audience slowly seeing their innocence slip away than an integral part of the story. The conceit was that we were set up for her to have a larger role. Bruce Dern's role was supposed to have been played by Burt Reynolds, but he passed away and Dern was brought it. His scene was short but effective- old Hollywood fading away and supplanted by nihilism feeding off of the decaying corpse. Pacino was good, but his character could have been played by any number of equally good actors....Dustin Hoffman, Andy Garcia and so on.

In a macro sense this movie also embraced what many LA/Hollywood Nostalgia movies seem to thrive on. It you stop for a moment, you can see the uncredited, non compensated, silent participant that is integral to creating the right vibe. No, it isn't random celebrities, kitschy or camp landmarks, or even historical events. No it is right there out in the open and all around. The Sun. Everything in this movie is touched by it, even the scenes set at night. Everything has a saturated sun drenched look and color palette. Everyone is tan. Everyone looks like they are going to or coming from a beach party. Everyone has a pool. Much is made of the temperature at night (a voice over during a critical part notes it was the hottest night of the year), and the haze etc during the day. Everyone squints when outside. QT gets that.

Is this his best movie. No. Is it his worst. NO ! Probably above average, but it will be remembered.

RE: Largely agree, however..., posted on August 1, 2019 at 09:16:16

Paul Eizik
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I dunno about the creeping normalization of violence, it depends on where you were back then as it seemed to be exploding everywhere. I drove a cab in Chicago in the Summer of '69 and the memories of the violence at the Democratic National Convention the previous Summer of "68 were quite fresh then. I worked for Associated Press in '68 as a motorcycle film courier and I got laid off in large part due to my highly modified (and very unreliable) Suzuki X6, so I watched the whole thing on TV. A friend of mine stuck it out and he got clubbed in the head, while luckily wearing his helmet but he did get a cool bruise on his face, and he got his bike vandalized. This totally turned his politics around, he previously supported the war and liked LBJ, but went the other way following the '68 DNC. The friend I went to see Once Upon a Time... with was serving in Vietnam at the time the movie was set in. We left our wives at home as the movie didn't seem like a chick flick. In '69 Tarantino was 6 years old and bouncing between his single mother and grand parents. At the end of the movie when the credits rolled a few people started to clap, and then quite a few people joined in clapping. My friend booed, and I was about to join him when I had a premonition of us slugging our way out of the theater through some of the brain damaged morons who had laughed through some of the gruesome violence in the movie, in particular the ridiculous scene where the woman is burned to death by DiCaprio's flame thrower while standing waist deep in a swimming pool yet! I usually sit through the credits and listen to the music at a movies end but my friend said "Wanna go?" so we left. Quite a few people were lined up to the door. I was tempted to yell "The director is in the theater, let's grab him" but again thought better of it.

I don't think you are missing much not seeing the 70mm version, I would recommend seeing the movie on a VHS bootleg via a period correct vacuum tube TV.

I can do that but need a little help..., posted on August 1, 2019 at 10:47:44
Steve O Audiophile Posts: 12385 Location: SE MI Joined: September 6, 2001	...what's your source for a bootleg VHS video cassette? Oh, wait...VHS wasn't released in the US till 1977. So much for "period correct". LOL

RE: I can do that but need a little help..., posted on August 1, 2019 at 13:53:07

Paul Eizik
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I didn't expect that anyone would take me up on that suggestion, but if you did I would salute (but not share) your Tarantino enthusiasm. I used to have an old tube TV over my workbench in the basement, but when they started digital only broadcast it went to the recycler. I could probably make a VHS boot right here, the last time I tried the old VHS/DVD player it worked some years back, but I would have to rent the disc and that aint gonna happen, so there's no danger of such a victimless crime being committed here. I remember stories of Elvis getting mad and shooting his TV screen at Graceland, which was nice if you could afford it. Today if someone lived in a remote rural area they could buy a cheap video projector and put Once Upon a Time... up on an old bed sheet outside and shoot away at it. They could even set the sheet on fire as they pleased, and if sheets were on sale at the dollar store the sky's the limit. And if they put a video of this on youtube I would watch it, which is about the only way I would watch OUATIH again.

The creeping violence in tv and films was addressed . . ., posted on August 1, 2019 at 14:37:15
Billy Wonka Audiophile Posts: 3768 Joined: April 25, 2013 Contributor Since: October 15, 2013	at least twice. Once by Pussycat and the other outside of Dalton/Polanski's homes. By apology, I mean Tarrantino tried to set history right by changing its outcome. It was actually a very, very cheapshot at sensationalism and violence. It really is offensive to think he can laugh it off to "more violence" in entertainment at the cost of having an ironic/moronic ending.

If this is true he will go out wrong rather than strong..., posted on August 3, 2019 at 12:06:55

musetap
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I'm looking forward to seeing OUATIH, but mostly feel that the sooner QT calls it quits the better.

He peaked a while back and OUATIH (no matter how good or bad I find it) won't change that.

But it would be SO IRONIC for him to head for The Final Frontier to close the curtain!

"Once this was all Black Plasma and Imagination"-Michael McClure

Beam him up...

Two hours and forty-one minutes????????????????????..., posted on August 3, 2019 at 12:13:34
musetap Audiophile Posts: 31879 Location: San Francisco Joined: July 8, 2003 Contributor Since: January 28, 2004	Brevity never was a strong point of his manic ego, big mouth, self promotion OR films. "Once this was all Black Plasma and Imagination"-Michael McClure

NICE! I LOVE the comparison of Tarantino and Baz Luhrmann!...., posted on August 3, 2019 at 12:40:10

TWB
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yet ANOTHER over-rated director that took my favorite book and made it into a joke of a film! Like Tarantino, I've stopped going to Luhrmann films. After Gatsby I'm done. I won't have him ruin Elvis Presley for me too...I've yet to see a worthwhile film by EITHER director that warranted the attention that they seem to garner.... Simplicity in evaluating is always best... Tarantino= gratuitous violence , Luhrmann= over-the-top production, end of story...

2 more points, posted on August 3, 2019 at 14:14:37
Ross Audiophile Posts: 1814 Joined: January 24, 2000	Main characters should have driven a convertible. They're in LA and everyone else does. Soundtrack is well thought out. Sounded like what you would actually have heard on LA radio c1969. Defiantly not Woodstock greatest hits on repeat.

the 159 minutes flew by for me. Nice camera work throughout and hilarious ending, posted on August 3, 2019 at 18:32:39
PhilJ Audiophile Posts: 2826 Joined: January 20, 2002	...

There's a lot of buzz about this one. Review attached., posted on August 4, 2019 at 08:53:37

free.ranger
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If interested, The LA Times has a lengthy review with some insights; some spoilage within.

LA Times

RE: Just saw it and liked it . . . (tiny sperler, maybe), posted on August 8, 2019 at 02:58:59

beach cruiser
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If that ending upsets you, you might want to stay away from his world war two movie. Change that to absolutely will want to stay away.

If you got steamed over a movie with once upon a time in the title, you really won't like how the hateful eight handled the last world war.

I like happy endings, just one of the agreeable elements I saw in the movie.

my two cents, posted on August 8, 2019 at 03:38:57

beach cruiser
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First, I drive a convertible, actors generally do not. Convertibles invite interaction , people on the sidewalk will offer conversation. actors would just rather be famous when they get there , not during transit. I probably have seen only a handful of actors driving around, so am far from an expert.

secondly, to adress a point in the above review, yes a lot of actors could have handled pacinno's role, but he is a star. That is an important point, his being there is not that he is the best absolute actor, a fine actor would fight to be in this movie, Pachino is a big movie star, a star filled cast is part of the old time hollywood deal, and part of the details that built this movie, described by critics as a love letter to hollywood. They also mentioned the directors love for shoes, as shown in some of the shots. i thought the scenes effective.

the guy could have filled the lead roles with unknowns, but he chose the biggest stars possible. Just like he has a horse chase in the middle of the movie , it's a classic bit among a collection of classic bits in a movie about classic hollywood actor's problems.

I'll add...., posted on August 12, 2019 at 17:54:28
Ross Audiophile Posts: 1814 Joined: January 24, 2000	Hollywood, especially old Hollywood, was about bringing fantasies to life on a grand scale. OUATIH could be seen as a fantasy in many ways.

hilarious ending ..., posted on August 19, 2019 at 09:43:07
reelsmith. Audiophile Posts: 13138 Location: CT Joined: June 7, 2005 Contributor Since: January 19, 2010	My daughter, who normally covers her eyes when things get gory, laughed out loud (really loud) through the entire scene when Pitt trashed the hippies. We both enjoyed it, but found it too slow and too long. Dean. reelsmith's axiom: Its going to be used equipment when I sell it, so it may as well be used equipment when I buy it.

RE: I'll add...., posted on August 23, 2019 at 14:40:33
fantja Audiophile Posts: 15524 Location: Alabama Joined: September 11, 2010	Absolutely!

Films/DVD Asylum

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

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