'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' Review

Quentin Tarantino once again takes a revisionist paintbrush to history, his canvas this time around being 1969 Hollywood where former television star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) struggles with alcoholism and to make his impact as a fringe actor in Hollywood while his more content buddy, former stunt man and chaperone Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) gets into a series of hijinks which lead him to the infamous Manson Family, and Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) moves in next door to Rick as her career blossoms...

The Good: 

- The heights of Tarantino's sleight of hand is as evident as ever here with regards to many of his stylistic choices. The choice of soundtrack this time round is not only as catchy as always but if anything, embodies the time period better than any of his previous works. The cinematography is excellent throughout, and the costumes, set design, are all pitch-perfect both in terms of accuracy towards the period will granting their own very QT-esque style. I will also say that aside from one reservation I'll get to later on that he definitely delivered on them with a lot more nuance than one might expect.

- Acting is, as per usual, strong on the whole and I love that QT found so many talented actors to play relative bit-parts that add so much to the overall picture. Highlights from the supporting cast would be Mike Moh's pitch-perfect Bruce Lee, Margaret Qualley's somewhat loveable, somewhat insane hippie Pussycat, and Julia Butters as precocious yet very endearing child actor Trudi Fraser.

- DiCaprio and Pitt are a fantastic combo. DiCaprio once again proving that perhaps comedy is where his true calling is with a hilarious portrayal of a down-on-his-luck wannabe superstar whose pursuit of acting perfection is both pathetically funny but also somewhat moving. And Pitt giving his best performance in quite sometime as the mysterious, soft-spoken and for lack of a better word, badass Cliff who is easily the highlight of the bonkers third act. And their chemistry together is fantastic.

- Some of QT's best individual scenes ever - I'll keep mum for fear of spoilers, but his handling of the action sequences and the 'fake film' interludes are some of his finest work to date. It's also arguably his most wholesome film to date which makes for a nice change of pace.

- Handles what could've been some major 'ehhhh' factors very sensitively and with maturity that you might not expect of QT. The Manson Family are genuinely quite creepy but the way they are depicted is in a way that does not exploit the original tragedies.

The Bad:

- Margot Robbie is lovely as Sharon Tate but I wish she'd had a bit more to do acting-wise. As it is her subplot is more of just a set-up for the third act.

- Absence of truly memorable dialogue I'd say, which is odd for a QT film as for all the reservations one might have with Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight, there were certainly loads of memorable lines from those. It's still a great screenplay but perhaps less memorable.

- The film is deliberately aimless in its overarching tone which is fine, but there are several sequences I do feel could've been cut out, if not altogether excluded. The pacing is a bit off here and you do feel the extra length of the film which is not a problem I had with say, The Hateful Eight which I felt kept its breakneck momentum sustained throughout the whole nearly three hour runtime.

- QT really needs to stop using the narration motif in his films. It worked for Kill Bill and Inglorious Basterds and somewhat for The Hateful Eight but here despite getting Kurt Russell to do it, it feels forced.

The Ugly:

- This film will ultimately be quite divisive, as with any QT film, when looked at against certain topics and critiques, particularly with regards to gender roles, its treatment of Bruce Lee, its treatment of real-life events, liberties taken with real people...personally, I'm giving it all a bit of room to breathe before giving more thought. I will say that I definitely have issues on these fronts, as with any of Tarantino's filmography, but not necessarily on the negative side, but I do think a debate in this regard is necessary.

Conclusion: 

Having thoroughly loved his last three films, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is probably my least favourite of his most recent work in the past decade or so. However, it's still a strong, occasionally amazing, film from one of the industry's most unique voices, and I was thoroughly entertained throughout.

The MCU's Future - What's in Store/Reel and Roll's Thoughts (Comic-Con 2019)

How does one follow up something like Avengers: Endgame? A whole lot of everything, apparently. 

Black Widow - 1st May 2020 (film) directed by Cate Shortland

L - R: Florence Pugh, O.T. Fagbenle, Rachel Weisz, Scarlett Johansson

L - R: David Harbour, Florence Pugh, O.T. Fagbenle, Cate Shortland 

Confirmed cast:

Scarlett Johnasson, reprising her role as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow
David Harbour as Alexei
Florence Pugh as Yelena
Rachel Weisz as Melina
O.T. Fagbenle as Mason

Hype level: B

Given the events of Endgame this is clearly expected to be a prequel, and the MCU has assembled quite the cast for this one, with the incredibly talented Pugh's inclusion being particularly intriguing. It'll be interesting to see what direction they go with this one, if it'll be a change of pace and a smaller, more intimate story given that it doesn't need to deal with added ramifications/more buildup for the MCU and can afford to be a more self-contained story, and we may well find out what REALLY happened in Budapest...

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier - Fall 2020 (Disney+ Series)

L - R: Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie

Confirmed cast: 

Anthony Mackie, reprising his role as Sam Wilson/Falcon
Sebastian Stan, reprising his role as Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier
Daniel Brühl, reprising his role as Helmut Zemo

Hype level: B -

Mackie and Stan have shown incredible chemistry both on and offscreen so hopefully this will be a good continuation of this, although I have to admit I really hope they do give ol' Bucky Barnes a proper break at some point, he's gone through a really long rough patch, and I hope the series doesn't fall into the trap into making them too much of a cutesy joke duo. Adding in the return of Zemo, who was one of the first MCU villains to properly break through the mould of underwhelming antagonists, and the experimentation with the miniseries format for a Marvel scale story, piques my interest. An unknown quantity but one I'm nevertheless anticipating. 

The Eternals - 6th November 2020 (film) directed by Chloé Zhao

L: Chloe Zhao
L - R (back row): Lauren Ridloff, Richard Madden, Angelina Jolie, Kumail Nanjiani
(front row): Brian Tyree Henry, Lia McHugh, Don Lee

Confirmed cast: 

Richard Madden as Icarus 
Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo
Lauren Ridloff as Makkari
Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos
Salma Hayek as Ajak
Lia McHugh as Sprite
Don Lee (a.k.a. Ma Dong-Seok) as Gilgamesh
Angelina Jolie as Thena

Hype level: B

Kudos to Marvel for embracing diversity in the right way, as this is a pretty intriguing mix of actors, and hopefully is also a sign that the MCU will continue to go bonkers with the Celestial/cosmic side of things. Zhao is also a brilliant director as evidenced by her breakthrough The Rider, hopefully her still will translate to a big-budget production like this.  

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings - 12th February 2021 (film) directed by Destin Daniel Cretton

L - R: Destin Daniel Cretton, Simu Liu 

Confirmed cast:

Simu Liu as Shang-Chi
Awkwafina as ???
Tony Leung Chiu-Wai as The Mandarin

Hype level: A -

Well talk about some major throwbacks, as we go back to the very beginning with the Ten Rings, the terrorists essentially responsible for spring boarding Tony Stark's journey into Iron Man, and his antagonist in Iron Man 3 the Mandarin - but this time for real, and pitted against the MCU's first Asian hero. Liu seems like a good casting choice, I like Awkwafina, but I have to say the biggest boon here is casting the legendary Leung in a role I hope they'll give the required complexity and nuance to. Plus this is being released on my birthday. Hype, for sure.

Loki - Spring 2021 (Disney+ Series)

Tom Hiddleston

Confirmed cast:

Tom Hiddleston, reprising his role as Loki

Hype level: C -

Hey, I love Loki as much as anyone else, and Hiddleston certainly delivered throughout each of his appearances, smaller or more substantial, as the God of Mischief. I do however, think that he got the perfect sendoff in Infinity War and frankly, that exploring more of the Loki who goes AWOL in Endgame in the '2012 alternate timeline' doesn't really pique my interest. I'm all for exploring the multiverse but honestly, I don't know how much more Loki has to offer as a character especially if he's going to be removed from the Thor storyline.

Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness - 7th May 2021 (film) directed by Scott Derrickson

L - R: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen 

Confirmed cast:

Benedict Cumberbatch, reprising his role as Doctor Stephen Strange
Elizabeth Olsen, reprising her role as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch

Hype level: A

Now the idea of making a Doctor Strange horror film is a fantastic idea, given how some of the best elements of the first film verged into this territory and Derrickson's background in the genre. All bets seem to be off if you're going to blend the powers of Strange and Scarlet Witch together (though don't forget Wong, and maybe Karl Mood will be back), as visually speaking this may be even more of a trippy affair than the first film. And honestly there's no better individual to explore the multiverse concept now than the Master of the Mystic Arts.

WandaVision - Spring 2021 (Disney+ Series)

L - R: Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany 

Confirmed cast:

Elizabeth Olsen, reprising her role as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch
Paul Bettany, reprising his role as Vision
Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau

Hype level: B-

I'm not quite sure what to expect from this, except that it'll definitely be quite experimental in nature, which is a good thing, but could potentially feel a bit extraneous in the overall MCU canon. I'm all for getting Olsen and Bettany back to reprise their roles, though, and I'm sure that this will find some way to bring some more meat to one of the more thinly sketched MCU relationships.

What If...? - Summer 2021 (Disney+ Series)

Jeffrey Wright

Confirmed cast:

Jeffrey Wright as the voice of The Watcher

And featuring the vocal reprisals of - 

Haley Atwell as Peggy Carter 
Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa/Black Panther
Josh Brolin as Thanos
Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark 
David Dastmalchian as Kurt
Michael Douglas as Hank Pym 
Karen Gillan as Nebula 
Jeff Goldblum as The Grandmaster 
Sean Gunn as Kraglin 
Chris Hemsworth as Thor 
Djimon Hounsiou as Korath 
Toby Jones as Arnim Zola 
Neal McDonough as Dum Dum Dugan 
Natalie Portman as Jane Foster
Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye 
Michael Rooker as Yondu 
Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/The Hulk
Stanley Tucci as Dr Abraham Erskine
Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury
Michael B. Jordan as Killmonger 
Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man 
Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier
Chris Sullivan as Taserface 
Taika Waititi as Korg 

Hype level: B

A series exploring a series of hypothetical 'what if'-scenarios over the MCU chronology, in an episodic Twilight Zone style format sounds intriguing. It seems like the kind of format where the MCU can afford to be hit and miss and be a bit daring since there's no risk at all. And Wright's voice as an omniscient overseer seems pitch perfect. 

Hawkeye - Fall 2021

Jeremy Renner

Confirmed cast:

Jeremy Renner, reprising his role as Clint Barton/Ronin/Hawkeye
??? as Kate Bishop

Hype level: C

I'm all for seeing more of Jeremy Renner onscreen and him getting those hefty Disney pay checks. However, the direction they seem to be going in with this series - exploring more of the Ronin phase of the character in between Infinity War and Endgame...I don't know. It doesn't sound particularly intriguing to me on paper, and I kind of like how the film left much of it to the imagination. Nevertheless, I'll approach it with an open mind.

Thor: Love and Thunder - 5th November 2021 (film) directed by Taika Waititi

L - R: Taika Waititi, Natalie Portman, Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson

Confirmed cast:

Chris Hemsworth, reprising his role as Thor Odinson
Tessa Thompson, reprising her role as Valkyrie
Natalie Portman, reprising her role as Jane Foster

Hype level: A+

Okay, that title is what gets me halfway there in terms of excitement, as it seems that they're really ready to let Taika Waititi loose with whatever he wants to do with Thor the character and Thor the story. Overjoyed for the reprisals, and though Jane Foster wasn't the best written character in the previous films, I'm sure that choosing to develop her story arc into 'female Thor' could result in something quite special and exciting (plus Portman's adeptness at comedy has often been overlooked - take a look at her SNL appearances).

Mahershala Ali will play Blade

L - R: Kevin Feige, Maheshala Ali 

A very good casting choice for the role, although he had a really thankless character in Alita: Battle Angel the whole aesthetic was basically a prevision to how he'll probably look as Blade. Wesley Snipes was iconic in the role but I'm sure Ali will find a way to own it and make his mark.

Black Panther 2, Guardians of the Galaxy 3, Captain Marvel 2, Fantastic Four, Mutants in the works

More details will probably be announced at next year's Comic-Con. Particularly excited to see who they cast as the new Fantastic Four.

Sources: Reddit, IGN, Variety, Entertainment Weekly

The three sub-plots that stole the show in 'Stranger Things' Season 3

SPOILERS AHEAD 

I really didn't know what to expect from Season 3 of Stranger Things. That ending tease to Season 2 aside, everything had wrapped up pretty neatly and I was interested, but also wary, about the direction the Duffer Brothers and co. would take the series in.

On the whole - I was impressed. Though there were faults and perhaps some of the series' nadirs in the first few episodes, more in terms of the balance of tone, and some of the writing - not a fan of making Hopper into an entitled goofball, and a little bit of teen romance goes a long way -, it remained compelling in its slow burning yet never slow pace, a feast for the eyes and ears, consistently humorous and ultimately quite emotionally compelling. 

Crux to the show's popularity is undoubtedly the character dynamics, and I have to say that in this department the show did not disappoint, despite a few odd exclusions (no Will and Jonathan Byers scenes frankly makes the latter seem really redundant). The kids remain as electrifying as ever in their interactions forever, whether it be just shooting the breeze or planning how to once again deal with the Upside Down. The connection between Mike and Eleven, though a bit soppy, did end up going somewhere, and Joyce and Hopper, though it took a while to get going, ended up being rather heartfelt and impactful. The highlights of the season in this regard, however, ended up being in somewhat expected yet unexpected places.

'Dude! You did it! You won a fight!'

First off, I'm so glad they did not forget about the glorious chemistry between Steve (Joe Keery) and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo). The two are simply a delight in every scene they're together in, and credit to the Duffer Brothers for realising this and yet not overplaying this note. It just simply felt natural for the two to once again be lumped in together with some madcap scheme that somehow ends up becoming contingent to the plot. Even through some of the rough patches of the earlier episodes, I have to say Dustin's plans saved the day and grabbed my attention back every time.

It would be too easy to perhaps just do the same thing as last season with these two characters, but I loved the subversion this season of Steve being more hapless than ever and yet subsequently all the more endearing, as well as actually being so enthusiastic about joining in with the antics of Dustin. The way the series has developed Steve from jerk jock to endearing schmuck has been perhaps the highlight of the series' arcs, and credits to not only the writing, but Keery for pulling it off. 

"I can't believe I'm gonna die in a secret Russian base with Steve 'The Hair' Harrington."

As icing on the cake - or perhaps, a whole cake in itself - was the inclusion of Robin (Maya Hawke). The way the series integrates new characters so seamlessly into the storyline is commendable, and this particular choice of giving a new sparring partner for Steve and Dustin was inspired. Hawke's performance was easily the highlight of the season for me, and I loved every scene we spent with her Robin. Sarcastic yet affable ice cream server to intrepid translator, the more she got involved with the Stranger Things storyline the more absorbed I was with her character, to the point that I started to care about her predicament even more than some of the more firmly established characters on the show.

Her big scene in the bathroom with Steve, which took on a direction that not only was unexpected but also made complete sense, was perhaps one of the best written, directed, and acted scenes in the series so far, and I have so much respect for how they pulled it off, making it feel organic, unforced and very, very moving. 

'Hopp, he did ask for cherry...'

Speaking of moving, how about that random Russian scientist we met in the first scene who we'd most probably expect would meet a gruesome and satisfying death by the series end? Alexei (Alec Utgoff), or 'Smirnoff', ended up being one of the biggest surprises for me in the season. Not only was it such an effective way of essentially humanising the 'enemy', by showing a scientist who was pretty much an innocent pawn in their game, finding such joy in the simple things in life. Alexei was one of the funniest parts of the season, and honestly brought much needed life into some heavy exposition scenes, and his eventual departure was I'll admit a truly saddening moment, up there with some of the most moving deaths in the series.

'Seven feet...'

If that was unexpected though, what they ended up doing with Billy (Dacre Montgomery) absolutely floored me. I'll admit that in the previous season I'd found the character a bit extraneous, a bit of a caricature, but this season made sense of it all. Billy was, frankly, quite terrifying here as a sort of 'minion' to the Upside Down, through Montgomery's physical performance and some excellent, genuinely creepy sequences showing how being possessed by the Mind Flayer makes him both stronger than ever while also revealing the character's inner fallibilities all the more. This all builds up to Billy being the unlikeliest hero of all. Which if you'd told me this last year I'd have scoffed at you, but the execution of this was I have to say, the most emotionally resonant scene in the finale for me. See, I still love the show for the original reasons - Eleven's story, the soundtrack, the visual creativity - but it's nice to see it also surprise me with new things to be delighted by at every turn.