Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

When will Quentin Tarantino make a family friendly film?

I'm thinking never.

Tarantino's ninth film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, starts off rather benign. It tosses aside all restraint in its home stretch. That's when we witness the most memorable ending of the year.

Once upon a time, in Hollywood, there lived Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his best friend/stunt double/gofer Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt). Rick was the star of the 50s Western Show Bounty Law, but he's a has-been on February 8th, 1969. Producer Martin Schwarz (Al Pacino) suggests filming a Spaghetti Western or two. Rick sets his hopes on his new neighbors: Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) and her husband, Roman Polanski (Rafal Zawierucha).

The next day, a lot of stuff happens. Rick has a villain gig on Lancer. Sharon watches herself in the spy-spoof The Wrecking Crew. Charles Manson (Damon Herriman) visits Sharon. Cliff encounters the Manson Family when he drives a follower home to the Spahn Movie Ranch. It's an ordinary day. Little do Rick and Cliff know how big a role they'll play in history six months later when the Manson Family sets out for blood.

All of this plays out for two hours and forty-five minutes. But it was worth it. The best scene is during Rick's Lancer gig, when he strikes up a conversation with his precocious method actress co-star, Trudi (Julia Butters). Even at her age, Trudi sympathizes with Rick's feelings of obsolescence, reflected in the novel he's reading. It's a very nice scene.

Cliff's day is rather ordinary. A few odd jobs around Rick's house, plus a flashback to when he fought Bruce Lee (Mike Moh) to a draw. He's a chill dude, but don't push him. Sharon Tate is a sunny presence, while The Manson Family are ominous storm clouds. Anyone familiar with history knows what awaits Sharon in August ...

... But this movie isn't that loyal to history. The climactic brawl sees Cliff, his dog, Brandy, and Rick, turn the tables on Manson's followers when they invade Rick's house. They never get a chance to go after Sharon. It's an audacious, somewhat overlong display of ultra-violence. It's a fantastical comeuppance for the perpetrators of one of history's most vicious murders. It's not for everyone. It needs to be seen to be believed.

Now for the technicals. Cinematographer Robert Richardson presents an alluring view of 1969 Los Angeles. Some of his shots are astounding: Cliff speeding through the city is one highlight. Some impressive Gumping inserts Rick into The Great Escape and The F.B.I. There's some great production and costume designs to realize Tarantino's vision of the sixties. There's also a nice set list of sixties music on the soundtrack. There's also the trippy hairdos if you need to be convinced when it's set.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood presents Tarantino's fantasy of the sixties. It's quite long, but the cast made it work. The film's ultra-violent climax will stick to you like a knife to the side. Who knows if it's one of Tarantino's best films. But this is one of the best films of the year, so far. See it if ultra-violence and ultra-lengths don't scare you.

The Lion King

Now to the mane event of Disney's summer.

That event, of course, is The Lion King, Disney's "live-action" rendition of its African-set blockbuster. The classic story is told again by director Jon Favreau and screenwriter Jeff Nathanson. Let's see how they do it this time.

Simba (JD McCrary) the lion cub is born to Mufasa (James Earl Jones) and Sarabi (Alfrie Woodard), the King and Queen of the Pridelands. Mufasa wants Simba to take his place in the great Circle of Life when the time comes. But when Simba's evil uncle Scar (Chiwetel Ejiofor) usurps the throne, Simba is cast out.

Timon the meerkat (Billy Eichner) and Pumba the warthog (Seth Rogen) save Simba. Simba grows up, now voiced by Donald Glover, living the good life of Hakuna Matata. But when Nala the lioness (Beyonce) finds Simba, he'll have to step up and oppose Scar.

Why the air quotes around live-action? That's because the characters and environments are more photo-realistic than the usual animated film. The resulting verisimilitude is stunning to a point. The animals' facial expressions, at least, compared to the original, fall under dull surprise. But that's compensated by their expressive body language. The most emotive characters are the Hyenas, led by Shenzi (Florence Kasumba), Kamari (Keegan Michael-Key) and Azizi (Eric Andre). Shenzi's ferocity and Kamari and Azizi's banter make them my favorite characters.

The story's faithfulness is, perhaps, its biggest fault. It's a beat-by-beat recreation of the original film. The film opens with a stunning, shot-by-shot remake of the Circle of Life number. All the familiar story beats, and even bits of dialogue, are there. It got dull at times, even during its rendition of Can You Feel The Love Tonight. Scar's villain song, Be Prepared, is shortened into a near non-starter. Still, its original ideas are greatly appreciated. The film's substitute for Timon's hula gag is this film's best gag.

Hans Zimmer returns to rework his classic Oscar-winning score. It's as formidable as his original work, especially in the stampede scene. Elton John and Tim Rice's songs are memorable now as they were then. John and Rice even have a new end credit song, Never Too Late. Beyonce's own musical contribution, Spirit, perfectly punctuates a pivotal part.

Hello, alliteration.

The Lion King in "live-action" is mostly how you remember it in 2D animation. Whether that's a good thing or not is up to you. I thought it wasn't as lively as the original film. Its original aspects and voice cast made the 118 minutes more bearable. It's an OK matinee for an afternoon. Only time will tell if this Lion King becomes as iconic as its predecessor.

Spider-Man: Far from Home

Alright, let's start at the beginning one last time.

Again...

Spider-Man: Far from Home sounds like the whimper to Endgame's bang. But it's not. 

Peter Parker (Tom Holland) has a lot to deal with. There's the fact he and half the universe were vaporized by Thanos, brought back five years later and his mentor/surrogate father figure Tony Stark died to put down the Mad Titan for good. But at least he gets to go on a class trip to Europe! But Nick Fury won't let him rest. Spidey's got a mission.

The Elementals, embodiments of Earth, Wind, Fire and Water, crossed the multiverse to this dimension. Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal), aka Mysterio, is the last survivor of The Elementals' dimension. He needs Spidey's help to finish off the last Elemental. Oh yeah, Beck defeated two Elementals and fought the third by the time he met Spidey. Sounds easy. But how will Spidey balance his normal and superhero lives? There's also more to Beck and the Elementals than meets the eye.

Jon Watts returns to direct, but not write. The latter job goes to Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, who also return from Homecoming. We think it's all about Spidey's leisurely summer trip getting interrupted by The Elementals. And it is. But it also deals with the aftermath of Thanos's 50% universal massacre, "The Blip," and its reversal. At least the affected treat it as an inconvenience. Peter also deals with Tony's sacrifice. Any semblance of simplicity is thrown out the window when Beck reveals his true colors. The mid-credit scene gives us one massive cliffhanger.

What can I say about the characters? Tom Holland is still likable as Peter. His relationship with classmate Michelle (Zendaya) is endearing. You can't blame him for not wanting to be Spidey so soon after Endgame. It's awesome to see him take charge when he has to. Peter's fellow students were a fine bunch, especially Ned (Jacob Batalon), Flash (Tony Revolori) and new character Brad (Remy Hii). Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan makes a great mentor figure for Peter.

Here's where I talk about Beck. We first know Beck as an easygoing man with a troubled backstory. But then, the facade fades away to reveal a narcissistic sociopath. He'll threaten his colleagues as easy as he'll praise them. His pettiness alone makes him as dangerous as Thanos. His illusion powers lead to some nightmarish, though somewhat overlong, sequences. They're the visual highlights of the film, especially when Mysterio tops one trick with another.

Overall, Spider-Man Far from Home is a strong follow-up to not just Endgame, but Into the Spider-Verse. We get some great comedy and action for its 129 minutes. It has more tricks up its sleeve than its trailers let on. Anyone familiar with Mysterio might have suspected already. But how they explain Mysterio's methods and motivations is impressive. Even the end credits scene gives us one last surprise.

 Bring on the next movie.