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Rating: 9 stars

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35mm logan theatre hollywood 1969 home invasion flamethrower producer actor director film industry Los Angeles hitchhiker hippies dog bruce lee stuntman

All movies seen on 07/30/2019

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Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (2019)

Directed by Quentin Tarantino

Drama | Comedy

Most recently watched by lordofthemovies, sensoria, CaptainBigTime

Overview

Los Angeles, 1969. TV star Rick Dalton, a struggling actor specializing in westerns, and stuntman Cliff Booth, his best friend, try to survive in a constantly changing movie industry. Dalton is the neighbor of the young and promising actress and model Sharon Tate, who has just married the prestigious Polish director Roman Polanski…

Rated R | Length 162 minutes

Actors

Leonardo DiCaprio | Brad Pitt | Margot Robbie | Emile Hirsch | Margaret Qualley | Timothy Olyphant | Julia Butters | Austin Butler | Dakota Fanning | Bruce Dern | Mike Moh | Luke Perry | Damian Lewis | Al Pacino | Nicholas Hammond | Samantha Robinson | Rafał Zawierucha | Lorenza Izzo | Costa Ronin | Damon Herriman | Lena Dunham | Madisen Beaty | Mikey Madison | James Landry Hébert | Maya Hawke | Victoria Pedretti | Sydney Sweeney | Harley Quinn Smith | Dallas Jay Hunter | Kansas Bowling | Parker Love Bowling | Cassidy Vick Hice | Ruby Rose Skotchdopole | Danielle Harris | Josephine Valentina Clark | Scoot McNairy | Clifton Collins Jr. | Marco Rodríguez | Ramón Franco | Raul Cardona | Courtney Hoffman | Dreama Walker | Rachel Redleaf | Rebecca Rittenhouse | Rumer Willis | Spencer Garrett | Clu Gulager | Martin Kove | Rebecca Gayheart | Kurt Russell | Zoe Bell | Michael Madsen | Perla Haney-Jardine | James Remar | Monica Staggs | Craig Stark | Keith Jefferson | Omar Doom | Kate Berlant | Victoria Truscott | Allison Yaple | Bruce Del Castillo | Brenda Vaccaro | Lew Temple | Daniella Pick | David Steen | Mark Warrack | Gabriela Flores | Heba Thorisdottir | Breanna Wing | Kenneth Sonny Donato | Sergio Gonzalez | Casey O'Neill | Michael Graham | Emile Williams | Vincent Laresca | JLouis Mills | Gilbert Saldivar | Maurice Compte | Eddie Perez | Hugh McCallum | Zander Grable | Ed Regine | Michael Bissett | Lenny Langley Jr. | Gillian M. Berrow | Chad Ridgely | Chic Daniel | Corey Burton | Michaela Sprague | Ryan Ramirez | Kayla Jenee Radomski | Kerry Westcott | William DeAtley | Brianna Joy Chomer | Quentin Tarantino | Johnny Otto | Gina Aponte | Adam West | Burt Ward | Katarína Paveleková | Weston Razooli

Viewing History (seen 3 times)

Viewing Notes

Came down for the only 35mm screening in town (which I didn’t even know until I did a search over the weekend for theaters screening 35mm; Logan has done *zero* promotion for this 35mm print). Despite some projection issues* (mainly out of focus during the opening sequences then later when the lower half of the screen would fall out of focus) this was pretty neat to see. The print, having several screenings already since last week, had a few scratches and lines with I actually liked and it was not a distraction (unlike the occasional out of focus moments).

This second viewing solidified this film being one of my favorites of the year. Not having to concentrate so much on the story and where it was going allowed my mind to observe more within each scene and really get absorbed into the atmosphere. The 35mm showing gave it a dream-like quality. This was especially effective during the Sharon Tate sequence when she goes to the theater.

After the recent Bruce Lee controversy blow-up this week I really honed in on that scene. First, it’s still amazing and that one take is terrific. Mike Moh totally nails his BL portrayal. I can understand Shannon’s dismay over her father being portrayed in this fashion (he’s her father!). Yet I can also understand why he was in this fuzzy flashback of Cliff’s. Also seeing people state that Lee was not redeemed in this story which is a weird take, IMO. Lee is shown later training Tate for a scene in which she’s very proud of (noted by her reaction and the audience’s reaction when she watches in the theater) then later when Lee is training with Jay Sebring. BUT…. but Bruce Lee doesn’t need redemption in this story! He’s Bruce Lee! And it’s not his story.

I’ve appreciated the takes that express how Tarantino has humanized Lee while depicting him as he was. I’ve seen plenty of BL interviews (hell, I watched a half dozen BL documentaries last year alone) where Lee is confident, charismatic, charming and boastful. Even if one believes this depiction is somehow a mockery of Lee it’s not gonna tarnish the legacy of one of the most important heroes of the East *and* West of the last century. What’s more wild is there have been plenty of depictions of BL over the years that have been far worse. And I’m still not thrilled that his estate (managed by Shannon) licensed his likeness to sell whiskey from beyond the grave.

One more thing on the mockery bit. I’ve read where audiences were laughing during the fight scene and usually at Bruce for his accent and mannerisms. My audience was laughing in both screenings. I was chuckling, too. While I can’t say what the others were laughing at specifically I was smiling at the entire ridiculousness of it; the spot on performance of Bruce plus Booth’s bravado to call him out and throw down. Bruce’s legendary hot-headedness on full display combined w/Booth’s fuzzy memory then Janet (Zoe Bell) rushing in made for an amusing sequence. Was my audience laughing at Lee’s accent and/or mannerisms bc the inherent racism (the “oh haha Chinese man speak and act funny” reaction) I cannot say.

I can only state my reaction was how I could totally see something like this going down; recall that when Lee was on Green Hornet he was still trying to prove himself in Hollywood, that he was better than what he was given and was criticized for upstaging Van Williams. Things soured for Lee after the cancellation of the series that he rebuke Hollywood and returned to HK to make his first feature. So that entire scene, even as a hazy flashback in Cliff’s memory, is a confrontation I could imagine happening. Former stuntman Gene Lebell who worked on Hornet has plenty of stories very similar to the one we see in the movie.

Anyways, that’s my piece on the Bruce Lee controversy. I grew up in an era that idolized him (my best friend studied martial arts and had posters of Bruce all over his walls). Bruce was on the cover of all the martial arts magazines (this is 10 years after his death!). Having watched all those documentaries, I understand the significance of the legend and the person. He was imperfect but also larger than life. I get why people are upset. But it’s a damn movie. A fantasy movie at that. One that plays with the timeline and ideas of that timeline. Yet it’s Tarantino’s sandbox and I enjoyed what he gave us, a wonderful what could’ve been.

Now don’t get me started on the ignorant masses unaware of who or what Charles Manson and his family is or was. That stuff is just baffling to me. Then again I guess they don’t teach true crime in schools.

I’m already looking forward to seeing this film again… in a less crowded theater to soak it up even more. At the end of this screening the woman sitting behind got up right after the title card hit at the end and said “stupid!” hahahahaha

* a couple of women were noticeably agitated by this in the early goings and ultimately got up and left after 10 minutes with their tubs of popcorn and sodas. I’m guessing they didn’t know it was 35mm or were unwilling to be patient.

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