TV and Movies

[MarnieRez3]

@lulu1
Oh wow, I don't typically love the blending of truth and fiction in a movie, so your review gives me pause. Oliver Stone did that in his movie, "JFK," and I didn't like it at all.

[Pearlee]

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@MarnieRez3 wrote:
@lulu1
Oh wow, I don't typically love the blending of truth and fiction in a movie, so your review gives me pause. Oliver Stone did that in his movie, "JFK," and I didn't like it at all.

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@MarnieRez3   I agree with you.   However, you know the truth of that time period so you'll be able to tell what's truth and what's fiction.  The danger of these types of films is people who weren't around at the time believing the fiction of the film (like those who believed Stone's version of the JFK assassination conspiracy).   So while you may not like the blending of fiction and fact of the film (as I won't either) at least you'll be able to know what's truth and what's fiction.

[MarnieRez3]

@Pearlee
Yes, excellent point! My daughter's generation has a very limited knowledge of the Manson murders or that time in our history...she is most likely to fall for the "blended truth." Scary proposition.

[golding76]

The fictional part is not confusing or malicious.  It does not confuse even the least informed person. 

My feeling is that since I do not like Tarantino films, the fact that I loved this one might be a "bad sign" for those who are his usual fans.

I'd like to see this film win the Oscar for "Best Picture" as it is a tribute to Old Hollywood and to happier endings.

[twinny70]

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@MarnieRez3 wrote:
@twinny70

I'm reading some of the online reviews of "Once Upon A Time in Hollywood" and I didn't realize that your family's taekwondo instructor actually PORTRAYS Bruce Lee! He is personally getting incredibly good reviews, if you haven't seen them yet.

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We are thrilled that he made the Big Screen.  He is such a nice guy and has been going to Hollywood for quite a few years.  I haven't seen the reviews

[MarnieRez3]

@Alter Ego
@golding76

I took the family to see Once Upon A Hollywood last night and I loved it. The theater was really crowded...even on a Monday night.
My daughter and her boyfriend thought it was too long, but I don't agree. I would nominate Leo for a Best Actor Oscar and Brad for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar....and I agree with Goldie, the whole movie was so innovative and creative that I'd give it the Best Picture Oscar too!
Goldie my dear, I loved the ending, in particular, but I thought the whole movie was really melancholy. It made me sad for all the innocent people we have lost, and made me long for an easier era.
But... now I know the "something else" to which you were referring! Thank you for keeping it a secret. I agree that the blending of fact and fiction is unmistakable and no one will not "get" the fictional parts.
This is one of those movies that is almost impossible to discuss without ruining it for others, so I'll stop there. The plot is so wild...I'm pretty sure Tarantino will be nominated for another Best Original Screenplay Oscar...he already has won two Oscars in that category.
Loved EVERY detail of the scenery and the product placement and even the flower-covered and plaid luggage that is so reminiscent of that era. (I also was born and raised in Westwood, CA, so all the scenes of downtown were especially nostalgic to me.) Loved seeing ALL the cameos and all the references to actors and TV shows and movies of the past.

One NON-spoiler question:

Brenda Vaccaro is listed in the credits...she was a popular actress in my youth...did either of you or anyone else who has seen the movie...see her in any scenes?? Do you remember her? She was a brunette actress with a very deep, throaty voice. (In her later years she did TV commercials for feminine products.)

[golding76]

GoinBacktoCali,

So much to write to you!  I can't hold my joy in.  

First, I am relieved to know that a genuine Tarantino fan loved this movie.  Relief.  I was so concerned that my love for it was the kiss of death for his devoted following.  Of course I remember Brenda Vaccaro; she came on the movie scene for me in Midnight Cowboy.  And no, I do not remember seeing her in any scene in Once Upon a Time...  Checking IMDB, however, I discovered she was Al Pacino's wife, Mary Alice Schwarzs (that's how the Al character pronounced the name), and I did see Mary Alice.  So, I guess I saw her.  LOL

This movie must have had a full impact on you, Goin, what with your having grown up in Brentwood.

A local station that has an online presence posted a marvelous review of the movie yesterday, and I think you might like the last several paragraphs that I culled from it (see below).

I think DiCaprio should receive an Oscar for Best Actor, Pitt for Best Supporting Actor and Tarantino for Best Director.  And if Hollywood loves itself, the film should receive Best Picture.

Of course, the true star is the city itself, as Tarantino fills each and every frame with Los Angeles in all of its 1969 glory. It’s a time capsule of retro wardrobe, throwback hairstyles, classic hot rods and famous restaurant billboards. These are presented in snappy montages and impressive crane shots, rising from Pitt’s car over the drive-in theater screen or over DiCaprio’s swimming pool to find Polanski and Tate’s doorway, often to the sound of period radio commercials.

Occasionally, the Hollywood worship becomes indulgent as we meander around Tinseltown. The film is packed with 4:3 black-and-white cutaways of the films the characters are shooting, as well as dream sequences of Leo superimposed over Steve McQueen in “The Great Escape” (1963). At two hours and 45 minutes, it feels like excess fat that could have been trimmed. Even the title is desperate to join the club of Sergio Leone’s “Once Upon a Time in the West” (1968) and “Once Upon a Time in America” (1984).

Thankfully, it’s all layered with Tarantino’s trademark touch for offbeat music choices, avoiding cliché tunes in favor of deep cuts (Paul Revere & The Raiders’ “Hungry”) and unique covers (José Feliciano’s “California Dreamin'”). The atmosphere recalls late-season “Mad Men” when Don and Megan Draper visit L.A. to Spencer Davis Group’s “I’m a Man.” One can imagine Tarantino reading the Draper-Tate internet conspiracies and hatching this film’s crazy concept.

It might sound tasteless to build a buddy comedy around the Manson murders, fearing that it’s building to a Tarantino-style pregnant bloodbath. Not to worry, the Manson family isn’t glorified. Rather, they’re presented as hacks, first as worthless dumpster divers, then lazy bums at a hippie commune, then bumbling idiots stumbling into history. It’s Tarantino’s attempt to take the mythical allure out of the evil serial killers, insisting they weren’t cult legends but hapless fools.

Granted, the climax is violent, so consider yourself warned if you were at all squeamish during “The Hateful Eight” (2015). Even so, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how it all plays out, leaving us with a commentary on pop-culture violence as perpetuated by Hollywood. As one Manson girl said, “For years, Hollywood showed us how to kill. Now, we’re gonna kill the ones who taught us.”

Leaving the theater, you’ll wonder how history might have changed had this horrific event not occurred. Would Tate have become a bigger movie star, not to mention a mother? Would Polanski have made more Hollywood masterpieces like “Rosemary’s Baby” (1968) and “Chinatown” (1974) rather than flee the country over statutory rape charges (requiring a scene of Pitt turning down underage sex)? Would Hollywood — and our culture as a whole — be less cynical today?

Alas, we’re left with the world that 1960s Hollywood built en route to the 1990s revolution of Quentin Tarantino. “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” is a departure from his flashier work, showing a more mature, contemplative side to the hyper cinephile. As a result, it likely won’t crack your Top 5 (“Pulp Fiction,” “Reservoir Dogs,” “Inglorious Basterds,” “Django: Unchained,” “Kill Bill”), but the sixth best by Tarantino is still better than the very best by most other mortal filmmakers.

Let’s face it, it’s impossible for Tarantino to out-Tarantino himself, nor should he. A cocktail doesn’t need to be laced with acid to wash down smoothly. To quote my favorite line from the entire movie: “This booze doesn’t need a buddy.”

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[golding76]

For those interested in the full review posted by WTOP:

https://wtop.com/entertainment/2019/07/movie-review-tarantino-matures-in-once-upon-a-time-in-hollywo...

[sunshine45]

@MarnieRez3 

Brenda Vaccaro as Mary Alice Schwarz - Vaccaro portrays Schwarz's wife in a few scenes of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Vaccaro is an Academy Award-nominated actress who rose to prominence in the late 1960s as well as throughout the 1970s in films like Where It's At and Once Is Not Enough.

https://screenrant.com/once-upon-time-hollywood-movie-cast-guide/

[proudlyfromNJ]

Brenda Vaccaro was hot and  heavy with Michael Douglas for  a pretty long time for Hollywood standards.