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tbarwick
Reviews
Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood (2019)
A fine achievement - QT
This movie is a pleasure to watch so much so that you feel like you have begun to inhabit it. Its NOT slow as many people have said. It's simply well made, it cuts fast when it needs to, not constantly every 4-6 seconds which is essentially a flat line editing style. Juice filled shots satisfy because QT has considered what will work best. He uses low tracking shots that are partially obscured to draw you into the moment of meeting a new character. He lets the camera fly high when he wants to create more distance. But its always a voyeuristic feel and that us spot on. Combining well with slower fly on the wall solo scenes in the confines of a caravan. He constantly moves from location to location with cool shots of cool cars cruising through LA. Which buys him space to slow down and establish character, its not self indulgent he's seen the potential problem and fixed it.
Why has no one mentioned that it is an excellent buddy movie, thats its core. Alpha and Beta wolves, and just as much in nature the alpha is the neurotic one burdened with responsibilities and worry, the beta is too busy running around for the alpha to be overly concerned with anything beyond the day ahead. Two sides of men split into two characters is a clever play, Especially as that dichotomy often comes out when guys hit 50+. Its smart to offset that with Sharon Tates carefree period in her life. And again with the young girl in the TV PILOT.
Excellent work, make another one quick QT while your STILL on a roll.
Beat (2018)
A Tough Challenge well executed
There is a lot to like about the way this show is made a gritty thriller set in the Berlin Techno scene, could be terrible, the makers are clearly aware of this and take time to avoid. A corny love story, a purely heterosexual lead, he has a sensual tactile side thats so fresh in a male character, the intimacy between the male characters is one of the real successes here. Even between Beat & Philip there is an intimacy a tension.
The problem for new detective shows, is that the writer needs a person that would naturally be moving around within a situation with a reason to be able to move between societal strata. The detective, the busybody old lady, the vicar, the lawyer, the spy, its' a limited pool. A club promoter is a clever addition. We believe BEAT would be able to be at operate with the very rich and also be credible to the more hand to mouth clubber as well.
He's an obvious replacement for James Bond in that sense, this hero is not a misogynist, he believes in the power of collective unity, he is innocent and cynical. Bond is cynical through experience. BEATS character is likeable in that sense, vulnerable. His 'handler' Amelia is concerned for him but not in love with him, in thats sense he is the 'Damsel in distress' and she is his knight in shining armour, it's a nice twist with classical undertones as she gives him gun training to protect him, but also to draw him into the 'Quest'.
Clever editing cuts between two often quite different storylines, as things happen simultaneously. Great trick to extend viewers engagement as we process two things at the same time. And contrast in general is used really well all the time that paradox between a strong sense of family and that desire to be hedonistic and escape from it all is used to great effect. We believe BEAT is a self-centred pleasure monkey AND a caring man too.
OUR VILLAIN is very good, establishing from the start that the more he attempts to be normal and charming the more chilling he becomes. He's a real monologue guy a proper BOND villain, puzzled by morality and humanity but not challenged by it he's aimless, unlike old villains, thats more scary. The chunkier the sweater the colder he seems. Beautiful understatement as he stands with another monster waiting for the coffee machine to complete its cycle, heart beat probably at 48 bpm
SO MUCH POTENTIAL HERE...keep going, the club origin is now back story for a potentially great character as he grows and navigates an amoral universe.
Favourite scene
Amelia says absolutely nothing and just stares at the doctor as he speaks, so powerful, power held back, just this stare. This makes me feel she is tougher and cooler than any amount of shoot out action.
I feel this is being made by a team that think obliquely, see pitfalls and cliches and actively work through them or steer away from them totally taking the heroic quest and making it as nuanced and morally ambiguous as the 21st century deserves.
One star held back, because the score is good, BUT come on guys decades of techno to draw on a more 'Tarantino' approach is advised. Enjoy those tunes more. HE LOVES TECHNO, share that with us old clubbers a bit more.