Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)

If there was ever a director that I had a ton of respect for, that distinct honor would go to Quentin Tarantino who has directed some amazing films in his career like Inglorious Basterds, The Hateful Eight, Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, and so many more. That is why I jumped at the chance to check out his latest that he also wrote in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio (Inception) as faded Hollywood TV star Rick Dalton who along with his bodyguard Cliff Booth (Academy Award Winner Brad Pitt) are trying to find their place and achieve more fame in an Hollywood whose golden age is starting to fade away in 1969. The film also stars Margot Robbie (Birds Of Prey) as Sharon Tate, Emile Hirsch (Vincent N Roxxy) as Jay Sebring, Timothy Olyphant (Gone In 60 Seconds) as James Stacy, Austin Butler (The Dead Don't Die) as Tex Watson, Dakota Fanning (The Runaways) as Squeaky Fromme, Bruce Dern (Nebraska) as George Spahn, Mike Moh (Inhumans) as Bruce Lee, Luke Perry (Riverdale) as Wayne Maunder, Damian Lewis (Dreamcatcher) as Steve McQueen, Al Pacino (The Irishman) as Marvin Schwarz, Samantha Robinson (The Love Witch) as Abigail Folger, Damon Herriman (Justified) as Charlie, Lena Dunham (Girls) as Gypsy,  Victoria Pedretti (The Haunting Of Hill House) as Lulu, James Landry Hébert (Gangster Squad) as Clem, and Kurt Russell and Zoë Bell (Death Proof) as Randy and Janet Miller.

That list of actors doesn't even put a dent on how many actors, long lost actors, and really good actors were in this film like Scoot McNairy, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Danielle Harris, James Remar, Lew Temple, Rebecca Gayheart, Martin Kove, Clu Gulager, Rumer Willis, Clifton Collins Jr., Harley Quinn Smith, Nicholas Hammond, and so many more. I know a lot of people complained about the pace of the film, but I have to be honest in saying that you know what to expect from a Tarantino film. One is that it's always going to be slow paced and it's going to feature a lot of dialogue included in it usually. So, once you know those things, his films are actually quite enjoyable and you have to appreciate what he brought to the table with this film. The sets alone in this film are absolutely amazing and the way it's presented to you is fantastic. Part of me felt like I was watching a special from 1969 mixed with what was going on. While I loved what DiCaprio brought to the film, the real MVP in my opinion was Brad Pitt and deservedly so considering he won the Oscar for best supporting actor for his part in this film. He carried the film and he had all of the best lines and scenes. The film is kind of a slow burn for the final battle scene at the end that makes the wait very worth it especially if you love Brad Pitt. While I didn't care for the change in the history of what happened, I also didn't mind it either. That is why I am going to give the film an A+ for a final grade because it was awesome. The Bruce Lee scene is controversial (in a way), but it was also funny at the same time.

Gone In 60 Seconds (2000)

I like doing these challenges because it gives me a chance to check out films that I otherwise probably wouldn't have and to be honest when it's free on VUDU, it makes it a little more enticing. The film I chose for today was one that I had been avoiding for 20 years and to be honest I don't know why, but I decided to check out Gone In 60 Seconds which was directed by Dominic Sena (Swordfish). The film stars Nicolas Cage (Leaving Las Vegas) as notorious retired car thief Memphis Raines who had to leave town when things got too hot. The only problem is that his kid brother has decided to follow in his footsteps, but with poor results. You see he promised a very bad man 50 exotic cars and he failed to do so and now Memphis has to step in and try to save the day by stealing 50 cars in three days or else his kid brother dies. The film also stars Giovanni Ribisi (Saving Private Ryan) as Kip Raines, Angelina Jolie (Mr. and Mrs. Smith) as Sway, T.J. Cross (Showtime) as Mirror Man, William Lee Scott (The Butterfly Effect) as Toby, Scott Caan (Varsity Blues) as Tumbler, James Duval (Donnie Darko) as Freb, Will Patton (Armageddon) as Atley, Delroy Lindo (Malcolm X) as Det. Castlebeck, Timothy Olyphant (Rock Star) as Det. Drycoff, Chi McBride (Waiting) as Donny, Robert Duvall (Stalin) as Otto, Vinnie Jones (Snatch) as The Sphinx, and Christopher Eccleston (Thor: The Dark World) as Raymond Calitri.

This film has quite the collection of actors contained in it and it was to be the who's who of young Hollywood at the time mixed with some seasoned players. It is however another film that took the caliber of the cast and made it work for them in a very positive way because this at face value was actually an enjoyable film. Nicolas Cage was Nicolas Cage complete with his signature wig out moment, but it actually worked for this film. There was a time when he was actually making decent films and that was because some of the roles were tailored made for him and his acting chops and this was one of them and not so much The Wicker Man. I love Angelina Jolie and at this time I had the hugest crush on her, but I have seen her in better films like Gia. The comedy in the film was on point and it felt so natural and was delivered so smoothly that it worked when it needed to and the action scenes were superb. That is truly when the film gets really good is when we get to the stealing of the cars and some of the police chases that come with some of them. Some of the cars they steal in the film I have only dreamed of owning and they are marvelous including the Shelby GT Mustang that is "The Unicorn." The cinematography is great because it still has that rough 90's look mixed with the gloss look of the 2000's Hollywood blockbusters. I am definitely kind of mad at myself for waiting this long to see this film, but in the end at least I finally got around to it. I am going to give the film an B+ for a final grade.