Quentin Tarantino Movie Discussion

[webstar1000]

My buddies just got back and didn’t love it. Said the same thing... Tarintino over doing it. I’ll see for myself but we generally have same taste in movies... so expectations are lower now.

[zelig]

The ‘over indulging’ doesn’t bother me anymore with his movies. I’ve come to expect it, and it just sort of washes over me. This was definitely one of my favorites of his.

[cit74]

I enjoyed it...but it was not one of my favorites. I was expecting some of the different characters/story lines to come together (I guess differently in my mind). I guess for me I was waiting for things to build up more and yet it was more of drawn out sequences (my anticipation was higher). And then there were a few spikes of the adrenaline (Brad Pitt's visit to the old set/house - which was genuinely creepy) and the obvious scene near the end. I might try to find some decent articles on specific themes he was going after - but again, it kinda left me with the feeling of...ehh?

[Heather19]

I also saw it this weekend. I enjoyed it, but have some of the same feelings as you guys. Maybe I had just hyped it up so much in my mind, but I was expecting something more from it. I'd probably rank it somewhere in the middle of his films.

[Hunchback Jack]

I'm not sure what to expect, but plan to see it over the next week or so. I haven't been as hyped about it, just because I haven't really heard that much about it (deliberately). But I'm looking forward to it.

I will say that, while I very much enjoy Tarantino's work, if this is a bit of a departure for him, I think that's a positive thing.

HBJ

[Tommy]

I haven't been yet but from what I've seen and read, I just can't get that excited about it for some reason. I will see it eventually but I'll wait a few weeks for all the cell phone people that insist upon sitting up front during movies to thin out a little bit.

[zelig]

It really transported me to that time and place. I felt part of the story that was unfolding. For me there was a clear sense of the calm before the storm, and the beginning of the end of an era which pivoted on the murders. Obviously a thorough knowledge of the events that transpired make it all more meaningful and impactful.

[Tommy]

It appears that Bruce Lee's daughter is not pleased about the film's depiction of her father at all.

Bruce Lee’s Daughter Saddened by ‘Mockery’ in ‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood’ (Exclusive)

“It was really uncomfortable to sit in the theater and listen to people laugh at my father,” Shannon Lee told TheWrap

[mae]

Agreed. That's one of the scenes I didn't like at all.

[Tommy]

Bruce Lee’s Protégé Recalls His Humility Amid ‘Once Upon a Time’ Criticism

I know it's supposed to be a fairy tale and all that but why turn such a beloved icon into a laughable jerk? I don't understand Tarantino's thinking here at all.

[Randall Flagg]

I thought the scene was wonderful. Of course it was imaginary, but the confrontation did end in a draw with both participants looking amused and ready for a third "round". Bruce Lee was by no means a saint, and it will always be unclear how he would have fared in a fight with a boxer, let alone in the new world of mix martial arts.





The new world is that someone is always offended. I grow tired of the constant indignation.

[zelig]

This review says it all. Way better than I was able to put into words.

https://bloody-disgusting.com/editor...ime-hollywood/

[Still Servant]

A co-worker who isn't particularly well versed at looking deep into film mentioned something that I thought was pretty interesting.

As we know, the film focuses on Rick Dalton, and actor who is starting to fade. The film in general is depicting Hollywood right before it really started to change.

She mentioned that Once Upon a Time in Hollywood could be seen as Tarantino's commentary on the current state of film and how it's also going through huge changes right now. Mainly with the lack of original films and the idea that big movie stars don't carry films anymore. It's more about the recognizable property that draws people to the theater nowadays than anything else.

Interesting thought.

[fernandito]

Additionally, it can also be seen as a rumination of his own filming legacy reaching its twilight years. QT feels he needs to pass the baton on sooner than later.

[MikeDuke]

I saw it this weekend and I don't know what to think of it. I will say that in the line of his films, this is near the bottom. I did like the performances though. I also found it interesting that if you start with Inglorious Bastards and go through this film, he is turning some events around in a historical context. In Inglorious Bastards, didn't the Nazi's die during the screening of the film? In Django, you had a slave being a bounty hunter killing slavers and plantation owners. And in this film,

Spoiler:

the Manson people went to the wrong house and were all killed

. I wrote that without even reading the article first so I guess I was right in that respect.

I still think the film was not his best and the reasons listed above make good arguments as to why.

[Still Servant]

Additionally, it can also be seen as a rumination of his own filming legacy reaching its twilight years. QT feels he needs to pass the baton on sooner than later.

Very true. I could see that being the case.

I think that's bullshit though. He's got tons of years left. Look what Scorsese is doing at his age still. Look what Lumet did in his 80s.

I think some people are misunderstanding when QT says he's retiring. I think he will continue to work, but I think he will try his hand at other mediums like TV. I'd love to see what he could do with a series. I think once he's done playing around with different ideas, he will return to film.

When you have someone who is as creative as Tarantino, you can't just turn off those creative juices. He will come up with a killer idea that he needs to put to film.

Look at King, didn't he say he was retiring years ago?

[fernandito]

I also found it interesting that if you start with Inglorious Bastards and go through this film, he is turning some events around in a historical context. In Inglorious Bastards, didn't the Nazi's die during the screening of the film? In Django, you had a slave being a bounty hunter killing slavers and plantation owners. And in this film,

Spoiler:

the Manson people went to the wrong house and were all killed

Yes, it's been branded as 'Revenge Fantasy'. Essentially its wish fulfillment.

Additionally, it can also be seen as a rumination of his own filming legacy reaching its twilight years. QT feels he needs to pass the baton on sooner than later.

Very true. I could see that being the case.

I think that's bullshit though. He's got tons of years left. Look what Scorsese is doing at his age still. Look what Lumet did in his 80s.

I think some people are misunderstanding when QT says he's retiring. I think he will continue to work, but I think he will try his hand at other mediums like TV. I'd love to see what he could do with a series. I think once he's done playing around with different ideas, he will return to film.

When you have someone who is as creative as Tarantino, you can't just turn off those creative juices. He will come up with a killer idea that he needs to put to film.

Look at King, didn't he say he was retiring years ago?

Idk. He hasn't exactly been cryptic when asked about retirement. He has explicitly said that he'd be done directing after 10 films.

I think he'd probably retire from behind the camera, but would still lend his creativeness to screenwriting. Maybe he writes a book?

[MikeDuke]

I also found it interesting that if you start with Inglorious Bastards and go through this film, he is turning some events around in a historical context. In Inglorious Bastards, didn't the Nazi's die during the screening of the film? In Django, you had a slave being a bounty hunter killing slavers and plantation owners. And in this film,

Spoiler:

the Manson people went to the wrong house and were all killed

Yes, it's been branded as 'Revenge Fantasy'. Essentially its wish fulfillment.

I did not know that it was branded like that. Thanks for the info.

[Tommy]

For everyone that's seen the 9 out of 10 now, can you rank them?

[fernandito]

I'll give it a whirl

1. Pulp Fiction
2. Kill Bill (1,2)
3. Inglourious Basterds
4. Reservoir Dogs
5. Once Upon A Time.. in Hollywood
6. The Hateful Eight
7. Django Unchained
8. Jackie Brown
9. Death Proof

[Randall Flagg]

IMO:



1. Pulp Fiction
2. Inglourious Basterds
3. Once Upon A Time.. in Hollywood
4. Kill Bill (1,2)
5. Reservoir Dogs
6. Django Unchained
7. The Hateful Eight
8. Jackie Brown
9. Death Proof

[Heather19]

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

That was hard, some of them might flip flop depending on my mood.

[Garrell]

1. Pulp Fiction
2. Inglorious Bastards
3. Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
4.The Hateful Eight
5. Django Unchained

[Still Servant]

I have to see Once Upon a Time in Hollywood again before I can put a list together. That's the natural born procrastinator in me.

[divemaster]

Just got the chance to see Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood this afternoon. I absolutely loved it. Tarantino has just nailed the art of moviemaking. Every scene, every camera angle, the edits in all the right places, the pitch perfect dialog, using famous actors just for a pop-in scene, the music selections...it's all just perfection. I knew I was in for a treat from the very first scene with the guy interviewing Rick and Cliff. The way it was cut
(ham-fisted and completely unsophisticated...and completely on purpose) was a call-out to how things were done back then, when the viewer wouldn't care or even notice. Today an interviewer wouldn't be caught dead the way that was edited.

I had avoided most of the discussion on the movie, so I was completely surprised at how the last 30 minutes played out. Completely surprised. And I loved it! Wonderful film. Wonderful movie-making.

And for those that criticize the Bruce Lee scene? Have you ever heard him talk? Seen his interviews? Documentary footage? He talked exactly like that. "You must become one with the fist...and it's all groovy, man." The actor had his voice inflections, his physical mannerisms, his accent, down pat. It was very VERY good. I didn't see any part of the scene at all "making fun" of Lee, or offering him up as a laughingstock. If his daughter heard people in the theater laughing, it's probably because they were not familiar with Lee's very specific speaking and fighting style. Maybe it "sounds funny." But that's not Tarantino's fault. The only quibble I had was that Lee would have ended up on his ass by a has-been stunt double, but I know why Tarantino did it; to establish some things that come up much later in the film. So it didn't bother me.