Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood - 60s/Manson movie

[Hanzo the Razor]

I agree. Apart from some of Dicaprio's outbursts there was a distinct lack of lols in the dialogue.

[andygt]

For anyone thinking of reading up on the Tate murders on Wikipedia before seeing this there is a now a fucking massive spoiler for the movie on that page.

[Silent Runner]

I re-watched Kill Bill 1 and 2 over the last week because it was a few years since I'd seen them and I fancied some more Tarantino. I thought KB1 was pretty great with some real drama and a great final scene in the House of Blue Leaves. But KB2 was a total mess - the training sequence went on forever and I'd totally forgotten the bits after she gets to Bill and her daughter is introduced. That part just drained all the energy from the film.

 

 

This would be my QT rating:

 

1. Reservoir Dogs
2. Jackie Brown
3. Django
4. Pulp Fiction
5. Once Upon A Time
6. Death Proof
7. KB1
8. Hateful 8
9. Inglorious Basterds
10. KB2 
 

[peeveen]

I enjoyed this. I was waiting for some kind of

Ubik/MulhollandDrive style ending, where the three main characters' real fates start to encroach into this fantasy

but I guess there was no need for that. Some of the voiceover bit near the end, painstakingly detailing the movements from restaurant to restaurant, etc, seemed a bit pointless. I almost tuned out there. Conversely, I thought the scene with the kid was fine! And it added a lot to what came after it. 8/10

[Delargey]

The voice over detailing the movements really ramped up the tension for me.

 

The kid didn't seem like a real person to me, while everyone else in the movie did so it took me out a little. 

[DirkCrisis]

Having seen this, I feel QT's foot fetish has escalated to a point where we need a UN resolution and a co-ordinated international effort to curb his excesses.

[Wickedkitten]

On 22/08/2019 at 11:35, Horribleman said:

Cool. 

 

Our babysitter can't do it now so we are going next week instead. 

plenty of time to read Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi then  still one of the best books I’ve ever read about the case and was written by the guy that actually prosecuted the Manson Family.

[Floyd]

On 26/08/2019 at 08:26, Silent Runner said:

I re-watched Kill Bill 1 and 2 over the last week because it was a few years since I'd seen them and I fancied some more Tarantino. I thought KB1 was pretty great with some real drama and a great final scene in the House of Blue Leaves. But KB2 was a total mess - the training sequence went on forever and I'd totally forgotten the bits after she gets to Bill and her daughter is introduced. That part just drained all the energy from the film.

 

 

This would be my QT rating:

 

1. Reservoir Dogs
2. Jackie Brown
3. Django
4. Pulp Fiction
5. Once Upon A Time
6. Death Proof
7. KB1
8. Hateful 8
9. Inglorious Basterds
10. KB2 
 

 

I wondered if you put True Romance in there too? I know he didn't direct but he wrote it. 

[macosx]

He hates it

[Skull Commander]

Watched this last night and really enjoyed it. It is a strange film in some ways with it's lethargic pace, but I see what Tarantino was doing and I think even more will be revealed on second viewing. A surprisingly funny film in places and some outstanding performances from most of the cast. Was in knots at the Bruce Lee scene and also the obvious scene (which I won't go into). 

 

One thing I would say though about the 8 year old girl scene:

 

Spoiler

I haven't fully read this thread yet but I see a lot of people seem to think that the scene was pointless. I see it as one of the most important. Di Caprio is the old guard of Hollywood. He doesn't take his craft seriously and comes to work with a hangover, not learning his lines properly. The girl is the future of Hollywood. She aims for perfection and even has pads in her dress (to prepare for the event of a spontaneous fall). Their conversation is as important as the Manson family in the film in that is the transition from the 60's to the 70's and the change of society as a whole. 

 

[SpagMasterSwift]

Plus 

Spoiler

his desperation for validation at the end of their scene was tragically funny.

 

I enjoyed it throughout tbh.

[Eric86]

On 04/09/2019 at 08:00, Wickedkitten said:

plenty of time to read Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi then  still one of the best books I’ve ever read about the case and was written by the guy that actually prosecuted the Manson Family.

 

I've listened to the audiobook of this and it's excellent. Almost like listening to a Serial-type podcast. The narrator is great.

 

Back to the film though, I thought it was average at best. The performances were all top notch, as expected given the calibre of the cast, but it lacked the flair and humour that Tarantino usually brings to dialogue. It was as self-indulgent as most of his other films - he really needs an editor, it could easily have been 40 minutes shorter. It relied a lot on the audience having knowledge of the Manson murders.

 

Spoiler

I liked the way he handled Sharon Tate's character. Her scenes watching herself at the cinema were quite emotional knowing what was (supposedly) to come. But I thought the ending was overly gratuitous, and the film made no attempt to explore any of the motivations behind the killings, or the exploitation of the young women who were caught up in the Manson family, and therefore didn't avoid being exploitative itself.

 

 

 

[makkuwata]

I’ve seen this now in cinemas 7 times. That’s crazier than what I did with The Force Awakens.

 

It’s officially beat-out Zodiac as my favourite movie of the 21st century so far.

 

(No, Prometheus doesn’t make the list)

[Stoppy2000]

6 hours ago, Gord said:

7 times? Why?

He's trying to find a plot.

[macosx]

He sells ice cream

[makkuwata]

My aunt does PR for the local cinema chain, I didn't pay 7 times. I have a lot of thoughts circling around that are hard to get down. I'll try to bash out a few paragraphs later in the week, but I've taken away something new with each screening.

 

It's just one of those movies I enjoy sitting in with a fresh audience and you'll never get that chance again. Like the guy on the opposite end of the room who bursts out laughing when the feet go up on the chair and a majority of the room doesn't understand why it's funny.

[Raoull duke]

On 04/09/2019 at 08:00, Wickedkitten said:

plenty of time to read Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi then  still one of the best books I’ve ever read about the case and was written by the guy that actually prosecuted the Manson Family.

 

There's a new book out that shits all over Bugliosi and Helter Skelter. Chaos by Tom O'Neill. I haven't read it but I heard the guy on a podcast (fitzdog radio) it sounds very interesting and based on the podcast I heard it isn't a daft conspiracy book (though it does brush up against all that mad sixties shit) the guy is a legit journalist and all his claims in the book are all well documented apparently. 

 

It's top of my reading list. 

[Wickedkitten]

1 hour ago, Raoull duke said:

 

There's a new book out that shits all over Bugliosi and Helter Skelter. Chaos by Tom O'Neill. I haven't read it but I heard the guy on a podcast (fitzdog radio) it sounds very interesting and based on the podcast I heard it isn't a daft conspiracy book (though it does brush up against all that mad sixties shit) the guy is a legit journalist and all his claims in the book are all well documented apparently. 

 

It's top of my reading list. 

I'll have to check it out and see if it actually does then

[macosx]

I need to get this too

[whizzo]

On 08/09/2019 at 18:52, makkuwata said:

My aunt does PR for the local cinema chain, I didn't pay 7 times. I have a lot of thoughts circling around that are hard to get down. I'll try to bash out a few paragraphs later in the week, but I've taken away something new with each screening.

 

It's just one of those movies I enjoy sitting in with a fresh audience and you'll never get that chance again. Like the guy on the opposite end of the room who bursts out laughing when the feet go up on the chair and a majority of the room doesn't understand why it's funny.

I dont think anyone thought you paid 7 times. nearly 20 hours watching the same film over a couple of weeks is insane enough

 

[makkuwata]

It’s just where I’m at right now. What more can I say in this kind of literal forum.

[glb]

(from that there Twitter)

 

 

[Raoull duke]

Went and seen it again and liked it even more this time. Think it might be second best to Pulp Fiction. 

[Hitcher]

About an hour in and I've stopped watching for now as I'm struggling to stay interested. The dialogue is just boring me.

[kerraig UK]

I liked it a lot more on second viewing, but there are 3 scenes in the middle (Sharon at the cinema, Leo chatting to the little girl and another I can't quite remember, maybe the Leo fluffing his lines scene) that REALLY slow it down. You could actually lose all three scenes and change nothing about the plot or characters (something QT is guilty of in all his films). The scenes would be fine if they were cut edited down, but they just go on and on and on. 

Brad Pitt is so good though

[Curtis]

I watched it this afternoon, and i'm not sure what to make of it. Lots of actors actually driving. Lots of smoking. The worst soundtrack of all Tarantino's movies (maybe its a 60's thing) and the constant tuning in & out of background radio and TV commercials is good world-building, but incredibly annoying. I also thought DiCaprio was horribly miscast, despite a couple of great scenes when he's on set trying his hardest to stay relevant. I really liked the neon sign montage, but like a lot of it, it felt like fluff and padding - much ado about nothing. I'll watch it again for sure, just to see if my opinion changes. One absolute fact is Brad Pitt just exudes charisma and pops off the screen, even when he's doing nothing. Best thing he's done since Seven.

 

2 and a half hours is always a test, but i never felt bored, never checked my phone etc, and while there were some very slow sequences in the middle that could've been cut and not missed, it was a pleasent trip to a fictional version of the Hollywood we know. And, the end! Well that was worth the price of admission alone. I'll say no more.  

[Bazjam]

56 minutes ago, kerraig UK said:

I liked it a lot more on second viewing, but there are 3 scenes in the middle (Sharon at the cinema, Leo chatting to the little girl and another I can't quite remember, maybe the Leo fluffing his lines scene) that REALLY slow it down. You could actually lose all three scenes and change nothing about the plot or characters (something QT is guilty of in all his films). The scenes would be fine if they were cut edited down, but they just go on and on and on. 

Brad Pitt is so good though

I get that those scenes slow things down, but for me they are the emotional heart of the film. I adore this film. I feel that a second viewing is crucial for this. You really get a better feeling of the flow and pace of the piece second time around. 
 

can’t decide between this, Vox Lux, or The Irishman for my film of the year so far.

[kerraig UK]

8 minutes ago, Bazjam said:

I get that those scenes slow things down, but for me they are the emotional heart of the film. I adore this film. I feel that a second viewing is crucial for this. You really get a better feeling of the flow and pace of the piece second time around. 
 

can’t decide between this, Vox Lux, or The Irishman for my film of the year so far.

Check out Monos. Thats my film of the year. Then The Irishman.

I do really like the atmosphere of this film, but I wish it was tighter.

[Bazjam]

Yeah, really want to see Monos. Unfortunately it didn’t play anywhere down here in Cornwall. 

[kerraig UK]

I went to a screening and Q&A last week and it was fascinating. QT said he hated one of the performances and had to cut that person more or less out of the film. I reckon he was talking about the guy who plays Charles Manson but he didn't say. He also said he essentially just wanted to write a love letter to his childhood. That the film is Hollywood as it existed in his mind as a kid.