Quentin Tarantino Somewhat Redeemed, In My View

[mso489]

I'm not doing an article, but the director Tarantino has soured me with a past film or two, and trailers from others, with a kind of soul-less, nihilistic glee. As in Pulp Fiction where a condo full of undoubtedly foolish college boys are gunned down for absconding with a briefcase full of (we are left to guess) some kind of super valuable drugs. The rest of the movie is a festival of death. One street kid is blown away by shear fumbling with a weapon and a high cost fixer comes in to clean up the mess, specifically, his remains. After two hours of that -- beautifully colorfully dramatically presented -- I was really put off Quentin and his high art. His recent ninth movie, "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood," has all of his pizzazz, jubilant color and cinematography, and primo acting (Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie) to spin a fantasy to redress exactly the kind of gratuitous violence the director has (to my sense) jubilantly celebrated. It's a re-do in the imagination of one of the horror crimes of Hollywood history, re-visulized with a better outcome, if violent. I recommend it.

 

[ophiuchus]

I enjoy most of Tarantino's films ... I found Once Upon a Time in Hollywood a refreshing experience. Long driving scenes reminiscent of Hitchcock's Vertigo, brilliantly restrained suspense at points, characters that start off resembling losers and posers but somehow redeeming themselves as the story progresses, a narrative buildup that justifies the gratuitous violence towards the end, one scene where DiCaprio is funny as hell until very suddenly he makes a threat to a mirror that strips away all humor ... so much about this spellbinding movie I enjoyed. For once the smartass dialogue plays second fiddle to a technically clever filmmaker's storytelling craft. I felt like I'd taken a short vacation to the end of the 1960's. I enjoyed the smart use of a couple Bernard Herrmann music cues he managed to sneak in.

I second the recommendation. ?

 

[smudgersmissingleg]

I'm not doing an article, but the director Tarantino has soured me with a past film or two, and trailers from others, with a kind of soul-less, nihilistic glee. As in Pulp Fiction where a condo full of undoubtedly foolish college boys are gunned down for absconding with a briefcase full of (we are left to guess) some kind of super valuable drugs. The rest of the movie is a festival of death. One street kid is blown away by shear fumbling with a weapon and a high cost fixer comes in to clean up the mess, specifically, his remains. After two hours of that -- beautifully colorfully dramatically presented -- I was really put off Quentin and his high art. His recent ninth movie, "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood," has all of his pizzazz, jubilant color and cinematography, and primo acting (Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie) to spin a fantasy to redress exactly the kind of gratuitous violence the director has (to my sense) jubilantly celebrated. It's a re-do in the imagination of one of the horror crimes of Hollywood history, re-visulized with a better outcome, if violent. I recommend it.

Unlike you I really liked Pulp Fiction, that and Reservoir Dogs are two of my favourite movies from the 90's.
I haven't seen Once Upon A Time In Hollywood yet, it's definitely on my to watch list though.

 

[Akousticplyr]

I'm not doing an article, but the director Tarantino has soured me with a past film or two, and trailers from others, with a kind of soul-less, nihilistic glee. As in Pulp Fiction where a condo full of undoubtedly foolish college boys are gunned down for absconding with a briefcase full of (we are left to guess) some kind of super valuable drugs. The rest of the movie is a festival of death. One street kid is blown away by shear fumbling with a weapon and a high cost fixer comes in to clean up the mess, specifically, his remains. After two hours of that -- beautifully colorfully dramatically presented -- I was really put off Quentin and his high art. His recent ninth movie, "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood," has all of his pizzazz, jubilant color and cinematography, and primo acting (Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie) to spin a fantasy to redress exactly the kind of gratuitous violence the director has (to my sense) jubilantly celebrated. It's a re-do in the imagination of one of the horror crimes of Hollywood history, re-visulized with a better outcome, if violent. I recommend it.

I particularly enjoyed Brad Pitt's character. I got the vibe from all his scars (that were shown early in the movie) he was some kind of WWII veteran, and from his hand to hand skills most likely a special ops badass (Airborne? Ranger? Marine?) Hence the ease with which he sparred against Bruce Lee and the ending fight while high out of his mind lol.

 

[mso489]

Seemed to me like Tarantino has finally discovered a moral center without giving up his darkness of heart. I lost faith in the "hero" of Pulp Fiction in the first twenty minutes. In "Once Upon A Time," much evil is reversed by a beautiful sloppy female attack dog who rewrites the script in her own toothy way. I had to love her. Also her sloppy goopy scenes dining on canned and dry food. She's a really good actor, and I'm not being romantic or cute. She grabs the screen.

 

[workman]

Unlike you I really liked Pulp Fiction, that and Reservoir Dogs are two of my favourite movies from the 90's.
I haven't seen Once Upon A Time In Hollywood yet, it's definitely on my to watch list though.

I second those two. Wonderful films and stories.
I've found much of his work to be form over function, so to speak. Kill Bill, Inglorious Basterds, Django Unchained. They are set pieces with much emphasis on the visual and the audio, while the actual storytelling lags behind.
But I'll watch this one. If anything, Tarantino knows how to entertain and keep an audience awake. Sometimes, he's even good.

 

[whsergent]

Yeah i agree, this last of his movies is among his best. Im a fan tho, i have liked all of them, the Kill Bills maybe not so much, but yeah, Once Upon a Time is, imo, one of the best movies ever made.

 

[smudgersmissingleg]

I second those two. Wonderful films and stories.
I've found much of his work to be form over function, so to speak. Kill Bill, Inglorious Basterds, Django Unchained. They are set pieces with much emphasis on the visual and the audio, while the actual storytelling lags behind.
But I'll watch this one. If anything, Tarantino knows how to entertain and keep an audience awake. Sometimes, he's even good.

I second those two. Wonderful films and stories.
I've found much of his work to be form over function, so to speak. Kill Bill, Inglorious Basterds, Django Unchained. They are set pieces with much emphasis on the visual and the audio, while the actual storytelling lags behind.
But I'll watch this one. If anything, Tarantino knows how to entertain and keep an audience awake. Sometimes, he's even good.

Yeah I didn't like Kill Bill either, or Jackie Brown. I did like Inglorious Basterds though, even if it was a little less than historically accurate?.

 

[warren]

He appeals to man's baser traits. I've never thought of him as a special talent. He knows what sells and targets that demographic. So, maybe he excels at selling.

 

[trudger]

It was fun to see some of the regular cast get back together again. Really the best use of a flame thrower in cinema. Bruce Dern stealing a scene from Pitt was great. Well trained dog and some other funny bits. I love how Quentin always makes me laugh knowing full well some really dark stuff is coming.
Hateful Eight anyone? Kurt Russel is smoking his own Mastro de Paja.

 

[sablebrush52]

Inglorious Basterds finally cured me of Tarintino. Way too self indulgent film making. I may get over my reluctance and take a look at Once Upon A Time In Hollywood.

 

[Sonorisis]

I think he is brilliant. The only movies I buy on blu ray without thinking about it. OUATIH is fantastic. The sets and the costumes are perfect. Let's face it, the flame thrower is SO OVER THE TOP that all you can do is sit with your mouth agape and watch it.

His re-writes of history always have the good guy winning in the end. Now, that's Hollywood!

 

[prndl]

Pitt's "arrivah durci" was the only good thing I enjoyed with "Inglorious".

At some point in Mr. Tarantino's young life, he must have once picked up a dime-store comic book and decided he liked it.

Most of his movies watch like how those comics read.

 

[3rdguy]

Enjoyed every movie of his but inglorious bastards.

 

[mikefu]

I have not seen Once Upon a Time yet, but I have enjoyed all of his films except for “From Dusk Til Dawn” and “The Hateful Eight.” Pulp Fiction I particularly enjoyed as a redemption story of both Bruce Willis‘s and Samuel L Jackson‘s characters. Violent and gratuitous, but nevertheless a great insight into the change of man when forced into a crossroads of belief/lifestyle. Thanks for the post, MSO, I will have to check it out!

 

[Kozeman]

Yeah I didn't like Kill Bill either, or Jackie Brown. I did like Inglorious Basterds though, even if it was a little less than historically accurate?.

But you had to like the parking lot scene from Jackie Brown. When I can't remember where I parked at a mall,,, people better not mock me.

 

[smudgersmissingleg]

Pitt's "arrivah durci" was the only good thing I enjoyed with "Inglorious".

At some point in Mr. Tarantino's young life, he must have once picked up a dime-store comic book and decided he liked it.

Most of his movies watch like how those comics read.

He's definitely got a distinctive style. Family Guy took him off, they had it down to a T.

 

[brian64]

I consider his films up to and including Kill Bill to be very good. He's gone steadily down hill since then IMO.

I have not seen OUATIH yet, but will eventually. Hopefully it's an improvement over the last few.

I give those first films a lot of credit for being creative and original, but it doesn't take much of that to stand out in the modern Hollywood wasteland of poor writing and contrived remakes, sequels...and endless comic book "superhero" movies. YAWN.

Personally I much prefer the Coen brothers films to Tarantino's.

 

[trubka2]

I've been a Tarantino fan since Reservoir Dogs, and I think Once Upon a Time is one of his best. It's a little tricky since it's so meta (even more than his previous films), and I doubt there are very many people who can recognize most of the allusions and subtexts. The movie is one long string of visual quotations, so it can be a little obscure. But even though I can only half-ass understand it as art, I really enjoyed it and I thought it was a great comeback after Hateful 8, which didn't do much for me. Guess I'm in the minority here, as I thought Basterds was hilarious and great fun. Then again, I'm a sucker for anything with a lot of Nazi-killing, and that movie has some glorious Nazi-killing.

 

[Moonbog]

I more or less love most of his movies. Still think Pulp Fiction is great. But Hollywood was actually a feel good manson movie and I loved it. Now go watch 1917 for an entirely different experience. Loved that one maybe even more.