Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Last night I saw Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt.

This was the most fun I've had at a Tarantino film since Pulp Fiction.

The year is 1969 and Rick Dalton (DiCaprio) is a has-been television star that is struggling with the reality that his best days are behind him. Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) is his stunt double and best friend who has a tarnished reputation in the entertainment industry for allegedly killing his wife. They are both very "Hollywood" in their own right.

Rick lives next door to Roman Polanski (Rafał Zawierucha) on an affluent Benedict Canyon street. He hopes to connect with the famed director, but has yet to encounter him directly. Booth lives alone with his trusted dog and keeps a positive attitude despite his entire existence being dependent on Dalton's success.

We explore Dalton's pain—and hubris—through a series of meetings and parts he's won as he struggles to stay relevant. We understand just how much of a badass Cliff is based on his ability to protect himself in any given situation (even coming face to face with the Manson family on the abandoned ranch where they reside).

They're both hilarious in their own ways, sad as their situation may be, and as we watch them each navigate their self-imposed drama, we become distracted by following the idyllic life of rising star Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), who is married to Polanski and also lives next door.

Tate hangs out with friends, goes to see her own film at a nearby theater and generally seems like a lovely human being. Anyone who knows the real history of what became of her will feel a sense of dread as the summer progresses in the film.

It would be spoiling everything to go any further, but I will say that the "controversies" (Tarantino's treatment of women and representation of Bruce Lee) in this film I find to be silly. Every thing he does to every woman and the famed Asian star are part of the storytelling that's needed to shape his anti-hero (Booth). The laughs and gasps and reactions from the audience work because of this writing and I for one don't think he needs to apologize for it—he's not making a documentary, after all.

And men did call women "honey" in the workplace in the 1960s (for God's sake in some workplaces, they still do). As for the violence? Well, I knew what I was getting into when I bought a ticket to a Tarantino movie.

What a joy to watch DiCaprio and Pitt on-screen together, clearly having a great time; and what a thrill to see footage of the real Sharon Tate spliced in with Robbie's elegant portrayal of her.

I may just have to go see it again.

~~~

In the Shadow of the Moon

Today I saw the documentary In the Shadow of the Moon.

I'll admit—I've never been a space fanatic. I had no aspirations as a child to be an astronaut, and up until now the only reason seeing footage of a shuttle launch would give me goosebumps is because it serves as a reminder of good old fashioned MTV (who used the clip to introduce videos in its early years).

But on my Cinebanter partner's recommendation, I decided that I would give this documentary a try and I'm so glad I did.

This may be the most endearing talking-head documentary I've ever seen.

Basically, it traces the steps of America's arrival on the moon from the point of Kennedy's challenge to the present day using the actual men who've walked upon it as narrators (save for Neil Armstrong, who is only seen in archival footage).

The split-screen clips of them at the time and them now only adds to the brilliant nostalgia that permeates this incredibly patriotic glance at what America used to be capable of. A president says we need to do something: a team of brave men get together and do it—within a decade.

We catch a glimpse of how the international community viewed Americans in the 60s (they trusted us), we learn that some of the astronauts felt guilt for not fighting in Vietnam (as if their mission was any less dangerous), we begin to understand the overwhelming peace that these men gained from realizing just how beautiful the earth we live upon is—only after traveling so far from it.

It's a simple film about an almost supernatural accomplishment, led by men of dignity and honor.

I hope it will be shown to future generations in the years to come.