At the Cinema - July 2019

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood – 9

Quentin Tarantino’s 9^th film meanders through 1969 and the Hollywood of his youth.  It is a sprawling tribute to the golden age of Hollywood, featuring fictional characters interacting with real people.  It concludes its winding path on the night that Charles Manson sends 4 cult members to murder the residents of a house that is owned by Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate.  If you know Tarantino, you know there will be a blood and guts ending, and he doesn’t spare the audience. 

Leonardo Di Caprio plays Rick Dalton, an aging actor who was once the lead in a TV western, but, as pointed out by an agent (Al Pacino), he is now relegated to guest star villain roles on series like “The FBI.”  His career, and his bank account could be rejuvenated by a trip to Italy for some starring roles in spaghetti westerns.  His sidekick, stuntman, and best friend is Cliff Booth, played by Brad Pitt.  Margot Robbie plays Sharon Tate.  It is quickly evident why these three are movie superstars.  They are all terrific.  It is Pitt that has his best role in years as he strolls through his part with the same charisma he had in Thelma and Louise.  I hope he gets an Oscar.  He’s that good.

So, what’s great about this movie, besides the three superstars?  First, there’s the music.  Tarantino as always, nails the background.  Everything is from 1969 or earlier, and its all great.  The supporting cast features many Tarantino regulars and some new faces.  The sets are great, and the way Tarantino inserts Dalton into footage is often draw dropping.  There’s even a Mannix moment, and I loved Mannix. Best TV theme song ever. 

My only quibble with the movie is that it is a little slow paced at times, as Tarantino goes to great lengths to show off his recreation of Hollywood.  It’s the Tarantino way.  At 2 hours and 40 minutes, I suggest you ignore the concession stand on the way in.  Well worth seeing, unless you are violence-adverse.

So, now for a couple of purely personal lists.  Once Upon a Time takes it place in the pantheon of great L.A. films.  Here’s my top 5:

1. Chinatown
2. L. A. Confidential
3. Singing in the Rain
4. Collateral
5. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

And where does it rank among Tarantino’s other films?  Here’s my ranking:

1.       Kill Bill 1 & 2 
2.       Pulp Fiction 
3.       Once Upon a Time in Hollywood 
4.       Reservoir Dogs 
5.       Inglorious Bastards 
6.       Django Unchained
7.    The Hateful Eight  
8.       Death Proof 
9.       Jackie Brown

And finally, 1969 was perhaps the most eventful year in U.S. history. 

Chew on these events:

January 12           The New York Jets upset the Baltimore Colts 16-7 in Super Bowl III

January 12           Led Zeppelin releases their first album in the U.S. that same day

January 20           Richard Nixon is sworn in as 37^th President of the U.S.

January 30           The Beatles give their last public performance on the roof of Apple Records

March 28             Dwight Eisenhower dies

June 22                 Judy Garland dies of a drug overdose

July 18                   Ted Kennedy drives off a bridge at Chappaquiddick.  Mary Jo Kopechne dies in the car

July 20                   Apollo 11 lunar module “Eagle” lands on the moon

August 9               Members of the Manson Family invade the home of Roman Polanski and kill his pregnant wife Sharon Tate and 3 others.

August 15            Woodstock begins

August 17            Hurricane Camille hits the Mississippi Gulf Coast, killing 248 people

September 23    Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is released

September 28    The Beatles release Abbey Road

October 16          The Amazing New York Mets complete their World Series upset of the Baltimore Orioles

October 31          Wal Mart is incorporated

November 9       A group of American Indians seize Alcatraz Island

November 15     Dave Thomas opens his first Wendys

December 6        Altamont Free Concert ends in violence

1969 – well worth the attention.  There’s a whole bunch of movies there.

 

Scanning the Satellite

Satan and Adam – 10

This enthralling documentary appearing on Netflix was started when streaming was only a dream.  It begins in the mid-80’s when the streets of Harlem were marked by racial tension.  A despondent Columbia grad student named Adam is exploring Harlem when he comes upon a blues guitarist known as Mr. Satan.   Mr. Satan is Sterling Magee, a well regarded backup musician who had become dissatisfied with the music business and decided to make his living on the street. 

Adam is white and Sterling is black, and when Adam asks Sterling if he can accompany him with his harmonica little do they know they are embarking on a 20 year odyssey of ups and downs that will include some modest acclaim, a disappearance, disability, and triumph. 

Sometimes documentaries are lucky and sometimes they are good, and this is both.  The filmmakers could not have predicted what they would be lucky enough to document.  This is one of my favorite documentaries ever, and if you like music, don’t miss it.

Bathtubs over Broadway – 10

Another Netflix documentary home run is this amazing film.  It is hard to believe that musical theater Is as old as our country.  It thrived in the 20^th century as the Broadway musical reached great heights.  And late in the century, Broadway caliber talent was used in the corporate world for industry meeting productions.  Steve Young, a writer for David Letterman discovered this world as he searched for records for “Dave’s Record Collection,” an early bit on the Letterman’s show.  This launched Steve’s obsession with this invisible world, with records that were marked “internal use only” and “not for public viewing.”  His 20-year hunt for as many of these musicals, both on vinyl and video, is beautifully chronicled here.  This film has already won many awards.

If you like music, or musicals, or anything Broadway, you will be wide-eyed as Steve tracks down some of the individuals who put these shows together.  Their stories are terrific, the music is indeed catchy, and the personalities, including some famous ones, are worthy of the star treatment they get from Young.  Don’t miss this love story.

Big Little Lies, (season 2) - 7

Meryl Streep joins the superstar cast of this hit HBO soap opera, and the star power jumps off the screen, even if the story can’t quite live up to the fast-paced events of the first season.  Streep, Witherspoon, Dern, Kidman, Kravitz, and Woodley make up an all-star team, but unfortunately there isn’t much likability in the team.  They are all irritating.  Given no one to root for, I was rooting for an earthquake.

Veep – 10

I was late to the Veep party, but I’m glad I finally got there.  There’s a good reason Julia Louis-Dreyfous is an 8 time Emmy winner and a national treasure.  She delivers one of television’s all time great characters as Vice President Selena Myers.  But, as good as she is as the anchor of this, the entire cast is terrific.  I understand why this show ranks as one of HBO’s best ever. More laughs per minute than anything I can remember.

 And finally, a little Lagniappe: