Well, I finally saw "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood". My initial reaction is that it wasn't quite what I was expecting. I thought it was gonna have more of a mystery element to the plot. I knew that the Manson Family was part of the story, and I knew that Pitt and DeCaprio were gonna interact with them in some way, but I didn't know that Leo played a TV star, and I especially wasn't aware that his character lived on Cielo Drive, right next door to Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski.
I'm assuming you've seen the movie, so I won't give a lengthy review. Instead I'll just offer some impressions. I should state that I am not a huge Tarantino fan to begin with. I saw "Reservoir Dogs" when it came out, and was briefly impressed, but in hindsight I don't think it was all that great. Lots of style, perhaps, but not much content. "Pulp Fiction" was better, but what we were learning was that Tarantino was more about caricatures than characters. As a screenwriter, he was very wordy, and wrote idiosyncratic dialogue that reflected his own inner thoughts and opinions more than anything his characters would realistically say. We could see his developing style, but he never took it much further than the strutting dialogue and characters based on the hero worship of his youth. QT is a cinefile who loves exploitation flicks. His own movies have all been homages to stuff he enjoyed as a kid.
While I found "Once Upon A Time" entertaining for the most part, I really didn't see much point to the movie other than what might have been the pitch line : "Wouldn't it have been great if somebody annihilated the Manson Family before they committed the Tate murders? Hey! How about a good old fashioned cowboy? It could be a classic Good Guy Saves The Day story"! So in that sense I guess there was something of a plot, but it was all broken up into vignettes, like the charming but pointless scene with DeCaprio and the child actress. You know how we've talked about perfect movies that have "no fat", where each scene leads into the next to move the story forward, and there are no scenes which do not contribute to the plot? This was not one of those movies. There were many unnecessary scenes, and while some were fun or entertaining, they added nothing to the story. Why, for instance, have Sharon Tate enter the theater to watch her own movie? There was no reason for that scene, as it led to nothing relevant. In fact, there was no real story until the end, which was ridiculously brutal and felt like an adolescent boy's revenge fantasy. I know the Manson Family were scum, and beyond evil, but I think it may be insulting to the memory of those who actually died at their hands to make what amounts to a live-action cartoon out of the murders, even if you remove Sharon Tate from the equation and substitute Pitt and DeCaprio. But then it seems like all of Tarantino's movies are revenge fantasies, whether against Nazis or Manson or double crossing gangsters. Just because the targets are deserving doesn't make the films any less silly, or in this case, disturbing.
I mean......I dunno. I guess I was entertained overall, but the movie was way too long and had no lasting value. I did like the 1969 period re-creation, and some of the dialogue was "Tarantino funny". It was certainly a better movie than "Kill Bill" or "Inglorious Bastards". In fact, it was probably Tarantino's best movie (of the seven I've seen), but that really isn't saying much. What it isn't, is an Academy Award quality film. I mean, please. Taking a flame thrower to Susan Atkins? Yes, it is true that she was evil beyond measure, but that scene felt like something out of a comic book, and I don't feel the Manson murders are something to make light of, even if you're torching the bad guys.
I'll shut up now, but that's my commentary on "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood". Entertaining but pointless, way too long and slightly insulting. I'll give it Two Thumbs Sideways and make no recommendation one way or another. ///
As for the impeachment, it looks it's all over, or will be by Wednesday at the latest. The Republicans have caved in to cowardice, and there has never been a loyalty in their party that even approaches the way they've stood behind Donald Trump, toadying up to a criminal and lowbrow bum who makes Richard Nixon look like a saint. They are strange folks, these right wing senators and congressmen. They have a majority in the Senate, and we always thought they'd acquit Trump anyway, but they aren't blind, or stupid (most of 'em), and they must know that if they get what they ultimately want - which is four more years of Trump - that the country won't last under the chaos that will ensue.
But then maybe it will.
At times in history, there have been very bad men who have taken hold of a country and been enabled by a support system, in this case the Republican Senators, and have caused havoc in that country. But in every single case that person has gone down. Trump's downfall will be his own sense of infallibility, bolstered by his toadies in the Republican Party, and as I've said, when he goes down he'll go down hard, he'll go down all the freaking way, and so will those who've enabled him. America is bigger than Donald Trump, and he's gonna have to answer for his crimes at some point. Count on it, and wait for that glorious day because it's coming. ////
That's all I know for tonight. I know I've missed a lot of days this month, but I'll try to get back to everyday blogging as soon as things settle down. I've been on a completely different schedule ever since January 15, when Pearl first went into the hospital. She's doing much better now, eating every meal and getting her energy back, but there are changes. She is on oxygen now, and a pureed diet, so there is a lot of prep work that wasn't necessary before. Her daughter is still here, so I am staying at my apartment at night but am at Pearl's during the day, from 9-7pm. But my movie schedule is slowly returning now that Pearl is out of immediate danger, and as I find more time to write, my daily reviews will return as well (in addition to my ridiculous commentary, haha). I am gonna watch a movie right now, in fact, so I'll sign off for now and see you tomorrow at whatever the Usual Time is these days.
Megatons of love. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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