Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood

Ever since Quentin Tarantino came into being as the writer/director he has become, he has worked with some amazing actors (some more than once) and has given us a plethora of juicy stories and some incredible cutting edge filmmaking. "Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood", being his ninth film, he just continues to give us original and fresh stories that we can definitely sink our teeth into.

 

Actor Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) gained fame and fortune by starring in a 1950s television Western, but is struggling to find meaningful work in a Hollywood that he doesn't recognize anymore. He spends most of his time drinking and palling around with Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), his easygoing best friend and longtime stunt double. Rick also happens to live next door to Roman Polanski (Rafal Zawierucha) and Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie)--the filmmaker and budding actress whose futures will forever be altered by members of the Manson Family.

This film takes place in Los Angeles in 1969, at the height of hippy Hollywood. This ninth film of Tarantino showcases a huge ensemble cast and multiple storylines in a tribute to the final moments of Hollywood's golden age.

 

Others to round out the cast are Timothy Olyphant as James Stacy, Dakota Fanning as Squeaky Fromme, Al Pacino as Marvin Schwarzs, Kurt Russell as Randy, Luke Perry as Wayne Maunder, Harley Quinn Smith as Froggie, Austin Butler as Tex, Nicholas Hammond as Sam Wanamaker, Bruce Dern as George Spahn, Margaret Qualley as Pussycat, Emile Hirsh as Jay Sebring, Damian Lewis as Steve McQueen and Mike Moh as Bruce Lee.

 

This was brilliantly directed by Quentin Tarantino ("My Best Friend's Birthday" '87, "Reservoir Dogs" '92, "Pulp Fiction" '94, "Jackie Brown" '97, "Kill Bill: Vol. 1" '03, "Kill Bill: Vol. 2" '04, "Sin City" (special guest director) '07, "Death Proof" '07, "Inglourious Basterds" '09, "Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair" '11, "Django Unchained" '12, "The Hateful Eight" '15) plus TV. He effortlessly is able to make the characters in his films simply come alive, this film being of no exception. Of course, the fact that he writes his films surely helps in his directional approach. He certainly hasn't created many films considering the number of decades he's been at this, however he chooses his projects with extreme fastidiousness. He has used some actors more than once: Samuel L. Jackson, Christhoph Waltz and with this Brad Pitt--the other being "Inglourious Basterds". It was also written by Tarantino ("True Romance" '93, "From Dusk Till Dawn" '96, "Grindhouse" (segment "Death Proof") and the films listed above) plus TV and shorts. Of all the writers Hollywood has to offer, Tarantino has got to be one of the most talented, certainly one of the most original and fresh writers in Hollywood, unlike I see in films today. Really, the only questionable aspect of this would be that it was simply a bit too long. Approximately 15-20 minutes could've been edited, otherwise this script was awesome. Also, I thought it would have a little more humor--maybe because of the dry, dark humor, it could've come across as not as funny as I was expecting. It was bizarre, as all Tarantino films are, and with that the plot becomes skewed and quirky, but this is why we love Tarantino. One of the best things about this is that it's not a sequel, prequel, remake, reboot, franchise or continuation--in other words, it's original as with all of his films.

 

In a world where there are more unoriginal, rebaked work out there, it truly is refreshing to have a story that's conveyed to us that is actually an original story not based on anything! Wow! Who would've thought that? Tarantino films aren't for everyone--they're a bit violent, but if you're into fine filmmaking, you'll be in film heaven.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                   Rated: R                                    161mins.

 

The Lion King

With all the animation films produced, Disney has still got to be the king of the companies that produce them. Add to that the fact that the same company has and continues to remake those animated flicks into live-action, and we have "The Lion King" in the offing. Disney has recreated "The Jungle Book", "Beauty and the Beast", "Aladdin" and will release "Mulan" and will be making "The Little Mermaid" and " Jungle Book 2". When will the madness end?

 

From Disney Live Action, director Jon Favreau's all-new "The Lion King" journeys to the African savanna where a future king is born. Simba (JD McCrary) idolizes his father, King Mufasa (James Earl Jones), and takes to heart his own royal destiny. But not everyone in the kingdom celebrates the new cub's arrival. Scar (Chiwetel Ejiofor), Mufasa's brother--and former heir to the throne--has plans of his own. The battle for Pride Rock is ravaged with betrayal, tragedy and drama, ultimately resulting In Simba's exile. With help from a curious pair of newfound fiends, Pumbaa (Seth Rogen) and Timon (Billy Eichner), Simba (Danny Glover), now older, will have to figure out how to grow up and take back what is rightfully his.

 

Others to round out the cast are Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as Nala, Alfre Woodard as Sarabi, John Oliver as Zazu, Shahadi Wright Joseph as Young Nala, Keegan-Michael Key as Kamari, Penny Johnson Jerald as Sarafina, Eric Andre as Azizi, Florence Kasumba as Shenzi and J. Lee as Hyena.

 

This was amazingly well directed by veteran Jon Favreau ("Bad Cop, Bad Cop" (TV movie) '98, "Smog" (TV movie) '99, "Made" '01, "Elf" '03, "Life on Parole" (TV movie) '03, "Zathura: A Space Adventure" '05, "Iron man" '08, "Iron Man 2" '10, "Cowboys & Aliens" '11, "Chef" '14, "The Jungle Book" '16) plus TV. This must've been a challenge to direct considering that it was all with voice overs--like an animated film, but it still is a live action and 100% animals and birds. Certainly Favreau, being an actor has to assist him when it comes to directing a film, however not imperative. It will be interesting to see how he does with "Jungle Book 2" which has been announced. It was executed well by writer Jeff Nathanson ("For Better or Worse" '95, "Speed 2: Cruise Control" '97, "Rush Hour 2" '01, "Catch Me If You Can" '02, "The Terminal" '04, "The Last Shot" '04, "Rush Hour 3" '07, "Tower Heist" '11, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" '17) plus TV, based on a story by Brenda Chapman, which is based on characters created by Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts and Linda Woolverton". Although this wasn't a perfect script, it was a nice send up of the original '94 version. There was a bit of choppiness and lack of continuity, but the way it was conveyed to its audience, was near perfection. Nathanson is a consummate writer, and I'm not sure what happed, but he will continue to impress us with his stories. The visual effects were impressively designed by MPC (Moving Picture Company). It always amazes me how they not only got those animals to talk, but how do they get the animals to sit, walk and run according to directing?

 

If you must see this, it has to be seen on the large screen considering the grandiose of the project. It's presented in an impressive IMAX version as well. It was well directed, photographed and definitely had an awesome ensemble cast that simply rocked! Grab the popcorn and enjoy.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                       Rated: PG                                         118mins.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stuber

Hollywood seems to only know two types of comedies: the gross, uses tons of 4-letter words, referencing sex and drugs or the cleaner, more formulaic, predictable type. Is there no happy medium? In several years past, the best comedies are usually produced by small independent companies. Here we are offered "Stuber", a fairly formulaic comedy with a police crime plot.

 

A quick-tempered cop Vic Manning (Dave Bautista) who's recovering from eye surgery, recruits a mild-mannered Uber driver Stu (Kumail Nanjiani) to help him catch a deadly, ruthless heroin dealer Oka Tedjo (Iko Uwais) who murdered his partner. The mismatched pair soon find themselves in for a wild day of stakeouts and shootouts as they pursue violent criminals through the seedy streets of Los Angeles. There are a couple of subplots involving Vic's daughter Nicole (Natalie Morales) and a friend of Stu's, Becca (Betty Gilpin) as well.

 

Others to round out the cast are Mira Sorvino as Angie McHenry, Karen Gillan as Sara Morris, Jimmy Tatro as Richie Sandusky, Steve Howey as Felix, Rene Moran as Amo Cortex and Amin Joseph as Leon.

 

This was fairly well directed by Michael Dowse ("Fubar" '02, "It's All Gone Pete Tong" '04, "Fubar: Balls to the Wall" '10, "Take Me Home Tonight" '11, "Goon" '11, "What If" '13) plus TV and a short. Even though the characters came across as real as they could be, considering this is a comedy, it was just a bit too stagy. He has a fair amount of seasoned work, so I'm not sure what happened. He definitely has a distinct flair, however this could have had a bit more polish. If you like his brand of directing, his "Coffee & Kareem" is in post-production for a 2020 release. It was executed well by Tripper Clancy ("Four Against the Bank" '16, "Hot Dog" '18) plus a short. Considering this writer's limited experience, this script wasn't badly written. Nothing Academy Award worthy, but it definitely conveyed many funny lines. It was basically formulaic and predicable and it did have a tendency to jump around a bit, but with these types of films, predictability kind of becomes the norm. The two small subplots involving Vic's daughter and Stu's friend/girlfriend, could have been intertwined a bit more thoroughly than they were. But hey, I've seen seasoned writers that didn't have  scripts as well thought out as this. The message here is underlying in that no matter how different people are, there can still be that connection that we're all looking for.

If formulaic, predictable films are what you like, this will be a film to look for. But, if you're looking for a bit more substance, you might want to Netflix this. It wasn't a wash--as mentioned prior, along with some drama, there were many funny scenes and the banter between Stu and Vic was solid.

Out of 4 Stars: 2.5                                   Rated: R                                      93mins.

 

Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable

Are documentaries getting better these days, or do we not see enough of them, so it seems this is the case? Not that I've seen every documentary unfortunately, but I have seen many of them and not only are they informative, but in some cases, entertaining as well. "Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable" is the documentary of which the biopic "Soul Surfer" '11 was based. So it was interesting to see the correlation between the biopic and the documentary.

 

Bethany Hamilton is rewriting the rules on being a fearless athlete. This is the untold story of the heart of a champion and her resilience against all odds to become one of the leading professional surfers of our time.

Hamilton lost her arm to a 14-foot tiger shark at age 13 in 2003, but this didn't stop her from pursuing her dream of becoming a professional surfer. She was back on the surfboard four weeks after the attack. However, it wasn't only the competition that fueled her desire to stay in the big blue, but her love for the ocean. Not only has she conquered the giant walls, but also the journey of getting married to supportive Adam Dirks and of being a mother--all with only one arm. Through interviews with Dirks, her mom, Cheri, dad, Tom, brothers, Noah and Timmy and others in the field, we learn more about this tenacious individual. And through her obvious belief in the Lord God and support of others, she continues to inspire and she never stops; Bethany Hamilton is Unstoppable.

 

This was well delineated by director and cinematographer Aaron Lieber ("The Pursuit"  (documentary) '08, "Lakey Peterson: Zero to 100" (documentary) '13). Not only was this amazing filmmaker able to connect all these interviews in a well delineated timeline, but the cinematography was simply stunning. Obviously he had many others cinematographers to assist him-- the production was on his shoulders but he was able to pull it off in spades. Between the cinematography, editing and post-production, this film soared. The cinematography was absolutely to be unbelieved. Some of the surfing shots were awesome! It was effectively written by Carol Martori ("Wake Up Screaming" (video documentary) '06, "From Here to There" (documentary) '14, "Social Animals" (documentary) '18) and Lieber. Obviously this was written narratively well by Martori, and it was well executed. Surely Lieber's contribution to the script was smaller, however pivotal considering this is his film. Along with the directing, these writers were definitely able to show their audience the humanity of these people that surrounded Hamilton in her life.

 

This is a documentary that all should see in that it is informative, entertaining, heartfelt, heart-pounding, exciting and with a great message of determination, a strong belief and the willingness to engage herself and those around her to reach for your dream, in spite of the obstacles. The title says it all: Bethany is Unstoppable!

 

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                        Rated: PG                                       100mins.

 

Crawl

Horror films are a common Hollywood staple genre, and more to the point, horror films involving different fish or reptiles have been around, but moreover are bigger today than ever. The list simply grows: the "Godzilla" films, "Jaws" '75, "Piranha 3D" '10, "The Shallows" '16, "47 Meters Down" '17, "The Meg" '18, and even the up coming "47 Meters Down: Uncaged". So, certainly when "Crawl" was being advertised, Hollywood just couldn't resist in cashing in on, yet another 'fish and reptile' tale.

 

When a category 5 hurricane hits her Florida town, young Haley (Kaya Scodelario) ignores the evacuation orders to search for her seemingly missing father, Dave (Barry Pepper). After finding him gravely injured in their family home, the two of them become trapped by the rapidly encroaching floodwaters. With the storm strengthening, Haley and Dave discover an even greater threat than the rising water level--a relentless attack from a pack of gigantic alligators. So, what starts out to be a relative rescue mission, ends up a severe 'cat and mouse' game with the alligators as the tenacious opposition. Will Haley and Dave make it out alive, or will they end up succumbing to the wrath of these alligators?

 

Others to round out the cast are Morfydd Clark as Beth, Haley's sister, Ross Anderson as Wayne, Jose Palma as Pete, George Somner as Marv, Anson Boon as Stan, Ami Metcalf as Lee and Cso-Cso as Sugar, the dog.

 

This was creepily directed by Alexandre Aja ("Furia" '99, "High Tension" '03, "The Hills Have Eyes" '06, "Mirrors" '08, "Piranha 3D" '10, "Horns" '13, "The 9th Life of Louis Drax" '16) plus shorts. Certainly, by his very resume, this filmmaker is in familiar territory. Although it would be intriguing to see him branch out and attempt something different, familiar territory definitely allows him to give us well delineated characters in how effective they can be in showcasing the terror and desperation considering the predicament they're in. The audience could definitely feel the pain of these characters as they were dragged through that proverbial keyhole. If you like this brand of directing, his "Space Adventure Cobra" is in pre-production. It was creatively written by Michael Rasmussen and Shawn Rasmussen ("Long Distance" '05, "The Ward" '10, "Dark Feed" '13, "The Inhabitants" '15). Considering that this running time was only 90 minutes long, the storyline cut right to the chase. These writers, a writing team, know what it takes to create an horrific yarn and what it takes to keep their audience on the edge of their seats, and making the running time short gives it that one, two punch. Other than a couple of places of small inconsistencies, this script soared. Then add in that Sam Raimi being one of the producers, and this film had to an effective one. I'm not sure if these alligators were CGI or animatronic or real or a combination thereof and edited in in post production, but the visual effects were simply amazing.

If horror, and more specifically. horror laced with reptiles galore, is your thrill, this is the film for you. I was all over my seat--totally in suspense. This puts the 'I' in intensity, and when you walk into the multiplex, you'll definitely walk out--knees wobbling, when you leave just from the pure adrenaline pumping in your body. It's a gripper!

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                   Rated: R                                      88mins.

 

Spider-Man: Far from Home

As this film "Spider-Man: Far from Home" follows "Spider-Man: Homecoming" '17, it also continues where "Avengers: Endgame" '19 left off. Of course, this is all part of the Marvel Comic Universe (MCU) and even though I'm not overly fond of the 'comic book' film, all of the Marvel films seem to be connected in some shape, form or fashion, which makes them intriguing.

 

Peter Parker (Tom Holland) returns in "Spider-Man: Far from Home", the next chapter of the "Spider-Man: Homecoming" series! Our friendly neighborhood Super Hero decides to join his best friends Ned (Jacob Batalon), MJ (Zendaya), Flash Thompson (Tony Revolori) and the rest of the gang on a European vacation. However, Peter's plan to leave super heroics behind for a few weeks are quickly scrapped when he begrudgedly agrees to help Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) uncover the mystery of several elemental creature attacks creating havoc across the continent. Even with the help from a being from another universe, Mysterio/Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal), the task still seems in surmounting. 

 

Others to round out the cast are Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill, Marisa Tomei as May Parker, Peter's aunt, Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan, Angourie Rice as Betty Brant, Remy Hii as Brad Davis, Martin Starr as Mr. Harrington, JB Smoove as Mr. Dell, Jorge Lendeborg Jr. as Jason Ionello and Numan Acar as Dimitri.

 

This was helmed by a director that doesn't have a great amount of feature film work, Jon Watts ("The Scariest Show on Television" (TV movie) '08, "Eugene!" (TV movie) '12, "Spider-Man: Homecoming" '17) plus tons of TV and shorts. Obviously, since this filmmaker directed "Spider-Man: Homecoming", it was a slam dunk that he helm this film so as to give more of a direct connection between the two films. Certainly the incredible amount of TV and shorts he has as experience has served him well, because to see how clear and well paced these characters are shows he has learned what it takes to get his actors to emit the emotions to make the characters come alive. He has made his niche in the MCU. It was effectively written by Chris McKenna ("Igor" '08, "The Lego Batman Movie" '17, "Spider-Man: Homecoming" '17, "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" '17, "Ant-Man and the Wasp" '18) plus TV and Erik Sommers ("Cuz-Bros" (TV movie) '14, "The Lego Batman Movie" '17, "Spider-Man: Homecoming" '17, "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" '17, "Ant-Man and the Wasp" '18) plus TV, based on the Marvel comic book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. These two writers are virtually a team involved in their collaborating and considering their respective experience, one can understand why there was a fair amount of humor in this. Certainly, comedy in these types of films has profited nicely. It all started with "Guardians of the Galaxy" and has mushroomed since. The other comic book films have humor, however not to the point that the comedy would necessarily be integral as far as I have noticed. The humor only helps. Think about it: the 'comic book' films are based on comics which is a direct derivative of the word comedy, and everyone loves to laugh. The only thing that seemed amiss here was that there was so much to pay attention to--it started to bog down a bit, but considering it was covering so many characters, it was an incredible effort nonetheless. The film's visual effects designed predominantly by ILM (Industrial, Light & Magic, SPI (Sony Pictures Imageworks) and Luma Pictures were seamless and looked great on the large screen. These writers will get more work.

 

The one good thing about seeing these types of films is that they are the quintessential summer flick replete with bombs, bullets, explosions, adventure and action all rolled up in a comedic slant. While I'm not totally fond of the Spider-Man movies, they typically are well made, so this has got to say something for it. It's also in a nifty IMAX and 4DX format as to have fun with.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                     Rated: PG-13                                       129mins.

 

 

 

The Other Side of Heaven 2: Fire of Faith

Typically inspirational films are not released during the peak summer film season for fear of a low box office draw, so when I realized that "The Other Side of Heaven 2: Fire of Faith" was being released in latter June, I felt that it was a mistake, and so far, it has been a box office bomb. Not that it was a bad film necessarily, but because of the bad timing of release.

Based on a true story, missionary John H. Groberg (Christopher Gorham) returns to Tonga (of the Fiji Islands) in the 1960's with his wife Jean (Natalie Medlock) and their five young daughters through the backing and encouragement of Thomas Monson (Russell Dixon). When their sixth child-- a son--is born with a serious illness, the Groberg's face their ultimate test of faith, only to find themselves surrounded by the love and prayers of thousands of Tongans. Barriers of inter religious strife are ultimately broken down as all unite in hopes of a miracle that will save the baby's life, as well as the life of a Tongan minister's son, Feki (Joe Folau).

Others to round out the cast are Ben Baker as Sione, Brenda Kendall as Floydene, Ian Mune as Veri, Alipate Radrodro as 'Uliti Uata, Asaeli Sinusetaki as Manase Nau, Mriama Smith as Lavania, Ateca Ravuvu as Nurse #1, Alex Tarrant as Toutai, Nicole Whippy as Tanita and Matt Young as Matt Young.

This was effectively directed by the existing director of the original in 2001, Mitch Davis ("The Other Side of Heaven" '01, "Language of the Enemy" '08, "Christmas Eve" '15, "The Stray" '17). What helps make this as an effective follow up of the original of the same name is by having Davis as the continued director. One feels as though you know these characters well even though it has been 18 years later. What is remarkable is that Christopher Gorham not only played the missionary in the original, but in this follow up as well. It's as though he never grew older. Good DNA? Not sure. Davis also executed the writing well and his writings include "Wind Runner" '94, "Handel's Messiah" (TV movie documentary) '14, "Joseph Smith: American Prophet" '17, and the others he also directed. It was based on the novel "Fire of Faith" by John Groberg. The script was not badly put together, however there were times when the connection between the two opposing factions were not connecting enough to congeal the story as effectively as it could've. The two factions are of Mormonism and Methodism involved here. The two factions could've been any of the religions, however since this was based on a true story, these were the religions involved. My particular belief neither falls to either faction, but I believe that the message here is not so much about a religions' beliefs as much as how we can love each other, especially when things go awry, in spite of our religious beliefs. Each minister goes through their 'living hell' and through their people and the power of the Lord, they were ultimately able to transcend above there owns problems to reach out toward others.

The message of love and redemption is the main reason why one would want to see this. Certainly Gorham as the missionary was effective as were the supporting cast. And even though the writing could've used a bit more polish, the message will win all.

Out of 4 Stars: 2.5                                   Rated: PG-13                                     118mins.