Movie Time!

 

I finally plonked my butt down and watched The Irishman (2019).

Made for Netflix by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Al Pacino together with a large cast that includes Anna Paquin, Harvey Keitel and Ray Romano, this is the story about the Mob and Jimmy Hoffa.

The Irishman is based on a book by the real Frank Sheeran (De Niro) and shows his life from being a meat delivery driver to working for the Philadelphia Mob to his work for Jimmy Hoffa and the Teamsters Union. I'm no authority on the subject but in general terms one can say this is probably how it happened. I really can't say much else about the plot without dragging this out too far and spoiling the plot.

Let me warn you. This movie is 209 minutes long, or over three and a half hours! This is a mini-series of 4.6 episodes with 45 minutes per episode. By the time it finished, I had a hard time remembering what happened in the beginning. That said, I had a good time all the way through. The Irishman doesn't drag, which is in itself an accomplishment considering that for its length, very little happens. Everything is important, but it isn't an action movie by any means. Sure, people get shot and cars blow up now and then, but most of the film is talking and arguing. Oh, and shouting when Pacino is involved.

This is unmistakeably a Scorsese movie. But it isn't Goodfellas 2 or Casino 2. It is its own thing and must be seen as such.

Style wise, it is excellent. It all takes place before my time but everything seems authentic. The production staff had to recreate a huge number of suits since the style changed drastically between the 50's, 60's and 70's, but they did the work and the movie is better for it.

What else can I say? The cast can't get more veteran than this. Everyone is amazing, and it was a real treat to finally see De Niro and Pacino share proper screen time together. What little we got in Heat (1995) wasn't enough, this is where it's at.

The Irishman felt to me like a last hurrah. One last chance to get the gang together and make an epic movie before everyone gets too old. After all, Scorsese is 79, Pacino is 81, De Niro and Pesci are 78. No one lives forever and I'm glad they got to do this movie. It's not a masterpiece, and I'm probably not going to re-watch it like I have with Goodfellas, but it is absolutely worth watching if you like what these men I mentioned do.

I also sat down and watched Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood (2019).

This is the ninth movie by Quentin Tarantino and stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie and many more. It is in fact a bit of a who's who of actors who have worked for Tarantino.

This is a wonderful movie, but a weird Tarantino film. I'd say out of all his previous works it reminded me most of Jackie Brown. The incredible over the top action you get in Kill Bill, Inglourious Basterds and The Hateful Eight is missing apart from in once scene, and ...In Hollywood is 161 minutes long.

What we have here are some of the events surrounding the Manson Family Murders back in the late 60's. DiCaprio plays the actor Rick Dalton, a famous TV cowboy from the 50's who's career is in danger of sliding down the drain. Pitt plays Cliff Booth, Dalton's stunt double and general gofer. They fill most of the screen time, with the rest being Robbie as Sharon Tate. If you know about the Manson Murders that should tell you enough, if not I wont spoil anything.

...In Hollywood is in every way an amazing movie. Tarantino plays with the suspense so well I wish he would do a Hitchcock style thriller. The humor is there, and the dialog is as always top notch. The two things that really stood out though are the acting and the props. They actually convinced shops on Hollywood Boulevard to accept changes to their storefronts to appear more period, and many decided to keep the new look afterwards. They also somehow got permission to shut down a large part of the Hollywood Freeway between 12 pm and 2 pm, in order to fill it with period cars. This has never happened before.

While I'm on the props, I ran into a slight dilemma while watching. I noticed that everything is squeaky clean. All the cars are shining, the sidewalks are spotless etc. I remember the 70's-80's when all cars spewed black smoke everywhere. There was a dark gray film of grime on everything back then and the 60's were no better. Now this is either an oversight by Tarantino or then it is deliberate. The title of Once Upon A Time, indicates a fairy tale, not reality which could mean it is a golden memory of a time past with all the grime edited out. I don't know what the truth is, you'll have to make up your own mind.

The acting is a joy to watch. DiCaprio hits it out of the park again, and Pitt isn't far behind. During filming they became real friends and it shows. Everyone else does a great job, but it's the Pitt/DiCaprio part that is worth pure gold.

I definitely recommend Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood. I had a blast from beginning to end and I am going to re-watch it at a later date.

 

Well, I've rambled on almost as long as the movies I mentioned. I hope you'll join me again next time, and have yourself a great week! Stay safe.

The Hateful Eight

Yesterday, I finally watched The Hateful Eight, the eight film by Quentin Tarantino. In case you're confused, it's the eight because he counts the Kill Bill movies as one.

Anyway, seeing as I've watched all the others, I had to see this one as well. And since it's Monday, I might as well talk about it.

Is it good? Yes and no.

The thing about Tarantino is that he makes the movie he wants to make, and then leaves the rest up to you. He's not really one for making statements about issues, nor does he worry too much about opinions and messages. This is not a bad thing, everything doesn't have to be deep and meaningful, but it does make you wonder what you just watched for three hours.

Yes, that's right, hateful eight is three (3) hours long, and to be honest, that is one hour too much. The movie could have been just as enjoyable at the two hour mark without loosing anything valuable. But that's the interesting thing about it, there isn't really anything that's pointless due to the fact that the movie is all about atmosphere and suspense. I suppose it could almost have been better as a mini-series than a movie.

Tarantino takes his time building things up. A less dedicated director would just have pointed out that there is a blizzard, but Tarantino spends almost an hour driving home how bad it is for the characters that there is a blizzard.

Oh, I forgot to tell you what it's all about, didn't I? Well, it's western set a few years after the civil war. A bounty hunter is on his way to deliver a prisoner, when he meets another bounty hunter and a newly minted sheriff (unless he's lying), and they have to seek shelter from the blizzard. But there are other people at the roadside inn/store where they take shelter, and then Tarantino things happen. With me? Good.

The dialog is excellent as always, as is the action. Most of the Tarantino trademarks are there, including the Red Apple cigarettes, but the best part of the movie is the tension, without a doubt. You could cut it with a knife, and that's the real genius of The Hateful Eight. Despite the three hour length, Tarantino manages to keep up the tension, which is no small feat. The cast helps of course, with names like Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russel, Tim Roth and Jennifer Jason Leigh.

I enjoyed the movie, no doubt about that, but when it was all said and done, I still think it's too long. What I find fascinating are the inspirations for this film. Tarantino likes his homages, we all know that, but The Hateful Eight is inspired by The Thing by John Carpenter, and Reservoir Dogs by Tarantino. He was either inspired by, or made a homage to, his own movie. Maybe both.

The bottom line is this: if you like what Quentin Tarantino does, you will like this movie. If you're sick of his stick, avoid seeing it.

That all for today, so until next time, have a great week! (And avoid bounty hunters, trust me).