'Once Upon A Time In Hollywood' A Review

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is a dramedy/period piece set in 1969 Hollywood that follows actor Rick Dalton(Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stunt double/chauffeur/best friend Cliff Booth(Brad Pitt) as Rick's star fades and Hollywood changes. Rick lives next door to Sharon Tate(Margot Robbie) whose story is shown congruently.

DiCaprio and Pitt make an effortless, engaging, perfectly balanced duo. DiCaprio giving an incredibly emotional, vulnerable, at times pathetic performance with Pitt as the cool, unflapple, almost zen counter. They make a striking pair and there are moments and sequences when the two are really zoomed in and focused on when the film really soars. There's an extended sequence with DiCaprio filming a guest spot on a TV show which is easily one of the best in writer/director Tarantino's career. The focus of the narrative however is unfortunately disparate. Robbie gives Tate a joyful vitality going through her day-to-day with a singular bravura scene at the movie theater with Robbie as Tate the character watching the actual Tate the person playing a character in The Wrecking Crew. The rest of the cast are mostly all great actors but the majority aren't given much to do, the Mason Family characters particularly are not well utilized but the bigger issue is their place in the narrative at all.

As far as the production Taratino is at the top of his craft- beautifully shot, amazing soundtrack, at times playful, surprising, but always effective editing, authentic and evocative costuming and set design. All elements in perfect harmony. But it is as a screenwriter where Taratino post-Kill Bill seems to falter. The film is overlong, the two narrative threads meander and seem to belong in two different movies until the climactic and exciting conclusion which is mostly unearned and whose message seems bizarre at best and hopelessly regressive at worst. The film doesn't seem to have much of a point beyond nostalgia and because there is a lack of clarity in the intent there are some wonderful scenes and sequences but ultimately it reads like the bemoaning of the fallen status of the white male dominance of showbiz in a particularly off putting way. There may be other layers and satire intended by Taratino but they are simply not clear enough to discern and thus what could have been a great film leaves a bitter aftertaste given the fact it being released in 2019 seems not to have been considered. Devoid of context or time perhaps the film's issues would fall away.

A complicated film conflicted by the myopathy of it's creator.

Rent It.

Phantom Verse

In the fog
upon awakening
a sentence
then another
knit together
to form a stanza
and fully formed
a poem unearths
in my clouded
morning mind
but
before I
can grasp the rime
it dissipates
in the workday grime.

'David Crosby: Remember My Name' A Review

David Crosby: Remember My Name is a documentary about the life and career of the now elderly musician David Crosby. Through extensive archival footage and present day interviews the movie methodically, almost pedantically, plods linearly through Crosby's biography/discography.

The incredible trailer makes it appear that Crosby, who has a reputation for being a difficult hot-head with a history of excess and addiction, in his old age is finally grappling with the wreckage of his past. But what becomes abundantly clear about a third of the way through is that David Crosby may no longer use drugs, he may be old, but he is most definitely still an egotistical asshole. And as such this by-the-numbers retrospective of a B-list classic rock star is not particularly interesting or illuminating.

Crosby straightforwardly declares things like "I was an asshole" and "I was a real monster" but the movie clearly shows us his behavior mostly hasn't changed and he doesn't really express any contrition or insight about his past. He also only refers to women as "girls" and there a numerous candid photographs, presumably personal items from Crosby himself, that feature naked women and it certainly begs the question- were these women tracked down and was their consent given? As, aside from Crosby's now wife, no women are interviewed or included in a meaningful way the answer is presumably no. Which, among many other aspects of the movie, is a big problem.

A boring portrait of an entitled ill behaved rich white dude who regurgitates his past but who has seemingly learned nothing from it.

Don't See It.

'Sword Of Trust' A Review

Sword Of Trust is a comedy about a Birmingham, AL pawn shop owner Mel(Marc Maron) his goober employee Nathaniel(Jon Bass) and a lesbian couple Cynthia(Jillian Bell) and Mary(Michaela Watkins) who, after inheriting a sword which is supposed evidence of a confederate victory in the civil war, coordinate in an attempt to sell it. Although this absurd and convoluted premise is ostensibly the film's plot it is more a casual, funny, occasionally emotional character study.

Maron puts in the most nuanced and evocative performance of his career to-date. He's afforded a lot of screen time so he has further to range than in most of his supporting roles, he also plays a version of himself (from New Mexico, in recovery) but is able to play more with the differences and channel some real pain and catharsis into the characters story. He has a monologue with the other three leads in the back of a box truck which is shocking in it's impact, one of the best films of the year. Both Bell and Watkins give playful, funny, but also grounded performances also two actors more accustomed to supporting roles(especially in film) so it is a wonderful chance to see more of them and their range. The outlier is Bass who is serviceable but a little over-the-top and uninspired, muted by the wattage of the other three. The rest of the cast all do well in what basically amount to extended cameos. The most notable is writer/director Lynn Shelton as Mel's ex Deirdre which is exquisitely heartbreaking.

Visually simple with a solid soundtrack, the humor and authenticity of the leads are what really carry the day, the plot about the sword is secondary to the breezy honest and provocative characters we get to spend time with. A small film that packs a surprising punch and a showcase for Maron who continues his slow trudge toward an astonishing career.

See It.

Black Box

I keep my memory in a box
folded, filed, put away
lest the past come back to stay.

On a shelf and out of sight
preserved for future appetite
if such exists, in the coming night.

History may overpower, overstay
although it has much to convey
no fealty is owed to ticking clocks.

'The Farewell' A Review

The Farewell is a drama about aspiring NYC artist Billi(Awkwafina) who has a close relationship with her grandmother Nai Nai(Zhao Shuzhen) in China who is diagnosed with terminal cancer, although the family decides to keep this knowledge from her. The family invents a wedding for one of Billi's cousins in order to get the family together for a final visit.

Awkwafina give a down-to-earth and stirring performance as the emotional center of this alternatively moving, funny, and inspiring piece of cinema. She effortlessly moves through the film, emotive, empathetic, and authentic. As great as Awkwafina is Shuzhen is the real star, in easily one of the best performances of the year, she soars as the loving, upbeat, playful grandmother-we-all-wish-we-had. She has an absolutely magnetic wry soulful exuberance that electrifies the screen. The supporting cast are also excellently drawn and build this wonderfully connected and relatable family that for, essentially, a domestic drama totally startles in its vibrance and potency.

A subtle but effective score and cinematography that's not flash but has a creeping simple beauty, even a sense of humor, the film delivers in all aspects. The Farewell is such a surprising almost operatic triumph further description would only detract from it's infectious freshness.

Don't Miss It.

'Toy Story 4' A Review

Toy Story 4 is a computer animated family comedy a continuation of the Toy Story franchise. The film opens on a flashback where Bo Peep(Annie Potts) was given away, flashfoward to the present and Woody(Tom Hanks) is relegated to the closet, not a particular favorite of Bonnie his new kid. Bonnie begins kindergarten and brings home a toy she made, a freshly sentient Forky who Woody looks after and acclimates to life as a toy. The family goes on a roadtrip and Forky and Woody are separated from the family, enter a free and feral Bo Peep as well as Gabby Gabby(Christina Hendricks) a menacing yet tragic doll and let the adventures begin!

The core cast is as solid as they've ever been with some great additions of supporting characters like Hendricks, Keanu Reeves as Duke Kaboom, Key and Peele as Bunny and Ducky, and a parade of fun cameos. There are some really interesting ideas hinted at in the script- the "birth" of a toy, toy autonomy- but the bigger themes are only hinted at and as a result there is a lot of fun but not a lot of depth in this agreeable rehash.

Fun, funny, and comfortably familiar Toy Story 4 is nice and entertaining but not enough of a compelling reason to resurrect the franchise after the beautiful finality of Toy Story 3.

Stream It.