‘Once Upon A Time in Hollywood’: Tarantino’s Indulgent and Bumpy yet Entertaining Ride

     If there is one major filmmaker who has influenced a whole new age of Cinema, it’s Quentin Tarantino. Since the early 90s, Tarantino has created many films that are ambitious, violent and not afraid to go outside the realm of traditional filmmaking techniques. Many filmmakers strive to be like Tarantino and due to his icon status as a director; he still manages to create memorable films. His newest film, Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, is another addition to his ever growing line-up of Stylized and Out there films. It feels a bit clunky and not as ambitious as his other works but was a film clearly made with a lot of fun and passion behind it.

Unconventional yet Not As Ambitious

     Once Upon A Time in Hollywood centers around a Popular Television Actor named Rick Dalton and his stuntman Cliff Booth. Dalton wants to further his career by being in more movies so we see a showcase of his life as a Film actor alongside Booth continuing with his own life. The film is not so much a straight forward story with major conflicts that persists throughout the film as it is more of a series of streamlined events. It’s a witness of events unravel between these characters which is something that isn’t uncommon for a filmmaker like Tarantino to do. Tarantino has made many films that betray the traditional storytelling conventions of film by telling stories out of order or making it more character focuses. Once Upon A Time in Hollywood is similar here as we see the characters encounter situations but they are not really correlated with one another. It is a film that goes by through sequences of events which other movies have done, however, Tarantino has this film not flow as well as his others. Mainly because the film likes to meander a lot, focusing on situations, characters and jokes that don’t necessarily go anyway. This is a very self-indulgent film focusing on a lot of what Tarantino loves to have in movies more so for the sake of it. That is not to say however that it wasn’t Tarantino’s intention or that he still manages to showcase his talent as a filmmaker here. The film he made here wasn’t quite as much to tell a fully cohesive story nor was it to say something deep and profound but more so to celebrate Hollywood in the late 60s. Evidently it succeeds in that as it a very entertaining romp through 60s culture, with a lot of great in-jokes and references to that era. All of this is done through Tarantino’s captivating writing style as conversations are very engaging to listen to and the performances succeed with that. Now that still does not make up for the shortcomings in terms of flowing narratively, as it still feels a bit empty in some parts Even though the film is already long enough, there definitely were elements that felt like it could have been fleshed out more than it was. That being said, it is far from a bad movie as many of these elements mentioned earlier and even later on prove that Tarantino does have a love for his craft in filmmaking even if the skill isn’t 100% there.

Killer Cast of Fantastic Actors

     One of the main things that can easily elevate a Tarantino movie is how well he can direct and work with so many talented actors. Whether it’s Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction, Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds or basically Samuel L. Jackson in any of his films, Tarantino films are known for having powerhouse performances and this film is no exception. Rick Dalton and Cliff Booth are very engaging characters in their own right, but to have them be played by iconic actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, make them all the more engaging. The performances given by these actors make these characters as memorable as they go all in on nearly every single type of moment in this film, whether dramatic, violent or funny. Even smaller moments where they’re hanging out and just watching an old TV Show is engaging due to the chemistry between Pitt and DiCaprio in this film. As for the rest of the cast, while there are plenty of well-known actors in this film, they don’t quite have as much impact as DiCaprio and Pitt. This isn’t due to them as all of them give it their all, but more so in the fact that the film doesn’t focus a whole lot of time on anyone else. It is very common for a Tarantino film to focus on other characters besides the main cast for just one scene but they can still hold their own as memorable scenes. It is no exception here either with small memorable moments with Al Pacino, the late Luke Perry and even a very hilarious moment with Mike Moh playing as martial arts icon Bruce Lee. The one major downside with the cast is having Margot Robbie playing as actress Sharon Tate. Robbie looks the part and definitely gives it her all in the film, but unfortunately the film doesn’t give her much to do and yet there are numerous moments where she is the main focus. Her moments in the film feel like filler which is a shame given that her character does play a role in one of the main true situations this film is based upon. It could be a contrast to what actually happens to Sharon Tate in real life as the film has her fate much better in this fictional account than what actually happen. Yet, it still feels like her character had more to be desired given the role itself and Margot Robbie being absolutely perfect for the role. Regardless though, Tarantino still has a knack for working with talented stars with this film as part of his great craftsmanship when making films.

An Aesthetically Authentic Journey through Time

     For as much Tarantino is great with actors, there’s also no denying how the man wants to keep classic filmmaking alive. Once Upon A Time in Hollywood is a gorgeously crafted film having a very filmic aesthetic looking very much something out of the 1960s. The cinematography sets and costume design really makes you feel like you’re in a different time period experience the situations these characters have to go through. Not to say that it is always well crafted as sometimes the editing isn’t as tight as we’re used to from the director. Some scenes may go on too long, abruptly cut short or even just have some odd cuts in between, which seem a bit out of character for Quentin. Granted, the film has been stated to have a longer cut in the past, so an extended version of the film could be somewhat beneficial to fixing those weird edits. Not only that but there is a lot of Tarantino clichés appearing throughout the film, including tons of license songs, some heavy violence and some very gratuitous shots of women’s feet. This adds to Tarantino making this film a lot more self-indulgent than usually, which is saying something given his previous works. Not to say that Tarantino can’t have these elements in his film, especially when its one he’s having a lot more fun with, but it could come across as more mature if he toned some of those elements down. It is a shame that it can be bogged down by some more gratuitous moments because the film is masterful on a technical level, especially for the kind of film Tarantino makes. However, it still doesn’t completely kill the movie, so if you’re able to handle some of the more indulgent parts of Tarantino’s works more than others, then it can still be seen as a fun ride through old Hollywood.

An Indulgent yet Enjoyable Ride with Tarantino

     Once Upon A Time in Hollywood is far from Tarantino’s Best work. It isn’t even close to being on the level of quality as his previous films from the past decade were. Yet it is also clear that Tarantino wasn’t attempting for this movie to be the grand epic film of his career. Tarantino made a film that is at the end of the day, incredibly entertaining. For all of the moments he truly makes this film self-indulgent for his career, it is also very amusing to see this ride happen with Tarantino. This certainly isn’t the movie to be shown as an introduction to Tarantino’s work due to its faults. However if you’re looking for a film that’s entertaining but also has a lot of craftsmanship to its work or even just a Tarantino fan, this is still a must see movie. It is not ambitious as other films from a director like Tarantino but certainly has more craft than the average standard film that comes out every year. 

‘Spider-Man Far From Home’ A Fun Follow-Up to ‘Endgame’

With a film that is such a huge moment for Marvel as Endgame, you would think Marvel would take a long break from releasing films just to ease their audience. With Spider-Man Far From Home out a mere two months after Endgame, that’s certainly not the case, as we get to see the Web Slinger again in another Solo outing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Far From Home has a lot to live up to being shortly after Comic Book movie game changers like Spider-Verse and Endgame¸ however for the most part, it does succeed in that department. Far From Home may start out a bit standard but as the film progresses, it ends up becoming a great film and an excellent addition to Spider Man’s ever growing rooster of solid movies.

Solid Start but Soars after a Certain Point

Far From Home focuses on Peter Parker, who after being a part of an intense war, wants to kick back and relax on an upcoming Vacation with his classmates. Things take a turn when Nick Fury is summoning him to figure out a new threat coming to Earth, so Parker has to struggle with managing being Spider-Man all while trying to have the perfect vacation. The plot has a decent set up, and in the first half of the film, it is enjoyable. It doesn’t do anything truly outstanding within the first half hour because it’s mostly trying to be entertaining, especially after such a dramatic Marvel film like Endgame. The downside is, some moments of comedy and character moments don’t mesh up as well in the first half, with the writing not so much falling flat, but not landing as hard as it could have been when it comes to a story and character standpoint. That is, during the first half of the film, once the second half of the film occurs, not only does it pick up big time, it becomes down right great! At a certain point, when a major reveal happens, the film gets more intriguing and also a bit deeper when it comes to characters as we get a better sense of the threat that occurs in Far From Home. Plus, we see more growth with how these characters are handling their situations along with maintaining their relationships, in a ton of very clever ways. It becomes more so a film about living up to one’s potential and showing that in this film with Spider Man and the events that happened in Endgame made it flow very well and was incredibly fitting to the character. Also much like the previous Homecoming, this new Spider-Man movie doesn’t try to be like the original films but instead its own thing and does it in a solid execution. It’s hard to reveal much of the good elements of the plot without spoiling too much, but rest assure that Far From Home takes a while to get great but when it does it becomes one of the best Spider Man movies out there.

Parker and Friends Make for Fun Characters

Far From Home does elevate in plot in the second half, but it is due to a good cast of characters we see grow in this sequel. Tom Holland as Spider-Man is a good representation of the character being both different yet also true to the original character. We see Parker in this film trying to live up to the potential that so many of the other Avengers had to offer, and it’s a struggle that is portrayed in a more realistic fashion. We see his confidence grow even through all the various moments that we might be lead to believe that he has given up, with some solid writing and acting; the character was made more believable. The rest of the cast serves their purpose pretty well, as a lot of them are mostly comedic relief that tend to have some jokes that hit or miss. The highlights of the side characters are Nick Fury who is fun like always and Zendaya is also very entertaining as MJ being a decent new take on Spider Man’s love interest. By far the best character in this movie is Mysterio played by Jake Gyllenhaal. Of course as expected Gyllenhaal gives a phenomenal performance as this character being believable in every scene he’s in. His character is also very well written, even though it might be obvious on what this character will end up being if you know anything about the character, the motivations and techniques behind his methods more than make up for it. His sequences end up being one of the highlights of the film with great action set pieces and even add to Spider Man character in terms of development.  Mysterio is fantastic addition of the Spider-Man cast of characters for his impact on the actual story and characters of the film. Much like the best Spider-Man movies, its characters really make this iconic Comic Book characters come to life.

Mysterio Brings Visual Flare

A Marvel Production, especially one centered on Spider-Man is bound to have some great visuals from a technical standpoint. During the first half, the look of the film is pretty standard with CGI that is pretty serviceable. Nothing true out of the ordinary for Marvel, but yet once the second half comes in, we somehow get more of an explanation for Far From Home’s seemingly standard effects. Without giving away too much, if you feel like the effects aren’t as good in this movie compared to other Marvel movie, Mysterio himself gives an explanation for the effects and done in a clever way. What elevates this movie from a technical level more so are the action sequences which this film delivers plenty of and all in creative ways. Most particular an outstanding action sequence involving Mysterio which not only looks unique and creative but dives into the psychology of the characters in a way that makes this action scene all the more interesting. It all concludes to a great action packed finale that while not as great as the Mysterio Mind Sequence, is still a solid way to end the movie. It’s no Endgame when it comes to scale, but in terms of the first Marvel film after Endgame, this was a good follow up towards that film on a technical standpoint.

Enjoyable and Strives to be Mostly That

Spider-Man Far From Home is a fun entertaining movie. Certainly isn’t one of the best films from Marvel, but it is elevated through a lot of great moments and a very strong second half. Coming off of Spider-Verse and Endgame, this might feel like a weaker film, however it’s not trying to be those movies. It’s another feature film that adapts Spider-Man in a unique creative way; it does have some faults and filler, but improves much more as it goes along to one of the most entertaining Spider-Man movies in recent memory. For a character as over used as the Web Slinger Hero is, Far From Home is a refreshing adventure for comic book and Spider-Man fans alike.