OK, So Quentin Tarantino Has Some Talent …

By ROB PATTERSON

I imagine readers think that we critics love to be proven right. I can’t speak for most other practitioners of my trade, but I more enjoy being proven wrong, in a way. When a creative figure whose work I’ve criticized and/or found wanting finally impresses me, it’s a special kind of delight.

In contrast to a considerable number of today’s moviegoers and self-proclaimed film buffs, I’ve been less than impressed with the films of Quentin Tarantino. Yes, I did enjoy his 1992 not-quite debut “Reservoir Dogs” and its follow-up, “Pulp Fiction.” But what I saw from then on became a case of diminishing returns.

I must confess that it was the almost laughable claims made by some of his avid fans that probably upped my skepticism to some degree. One once made the absurd claim that “Quentin Tarantino has influenced evert filmmaker who has come after him.” Another claimed that “’Pulp Fiction’ changed the language of cinema.” Really?

Such hooey seems to me to be sometimes engendered by Tarantino’s canny aim for hitting the current zeitgeist, so I can’t entirely blame him for those bits of silly hype. He certainly is facile at manipulating the “language of cinema,” but he’s hardly a true innovator and too often he engages in not-quite plagiarism rather than smart homage. The violence in some of his films too often feels gratuitous. His plots can have holes and seem less-than-fully realized.

On the other hand, he has given some great and on occasion neglected actors (like John Travolta and Pam Grier) a chance to shine, and there are some selected scenes of his that really glisten. And as skeptical as I may be about his accomplishments, whenever he’s commenting in film documentaries I perk up, as he does know his film and invariably makes astute observations.

Part of my feelings about his work I suspect is a difference in our cinematic aesthetics. He has a fondness for what I call “trash cinema” I don’t quite share, being more of a classicist. And his stories can sometimes lack a moral center.

I recall how on my way to see “Inglorious Basterds” hoping I would like it – I’m a fan of great war movies – and being beyond disappointed. But his latest, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” finally won me over in a big way.

It has many merits. Its recreation of Los Angeles at the end of the 1960s is richly colorful, feeling real and nicely sentimental. Its core story of an aging Western movie star and his stunt man sidekick, skillfully portrayed by in the best buddy movie style by Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, hums along quite appealingly throughout.

The script and performances are rich with chuckles and outright laughs. He also pokes gentle fun at the movie and TV business in a charming yet affectionate way, bereft of dyspeptic cynicism. And the songs that play throughout are a treasure trove of gems from the era.

Some people – spoiler alert – have issues with the alternative historical ending. I found the one in “Inglorious Basterds” to be a real groaner. But in “Once Upon a Time,” the notion that Charles Manson and his followers didn’t slaughter Sharon Tate and her friends seems like a kind wish that she’d had a better fate. The violence is at the end, rather brief, and is just over the top enough to be quite funny, if in a twisted way.

The entire movie seems suffused with a sweetness and positive nostalgia for what were better times, and a wish that things hadn’t gone as dark as they did with the Manson murders. I’m glad that Tarantino finally made a movie I loved, and am almost regretful that he says he’ll only direct one more film. Those are the feelings I like best as a critic, as they’re part of truly loving movies.

Populist Picks

TV Series: “The Righteous Gemstones” – The creative team of actor Danny McBride and Jody Hill are today’s best satirists puncturing the foibles, pretensions, hypocrisies and idiosyncrasies of today’s American Southern culture in such previous HBO shows as “Eastbound & Down” and “Vice Principals.” Their latest offering for the premium network skewers the family of televangelist preachers led by patriarch Eli Gemstones. Even with its occasional stumbles and bumbles, the series is rich with hoots and chuckles and often on the money in its skewering of evangelism.

Musical Act: Haim – These three music-making sisters from Los Angeles’s San Fernando Valley strike a perfect pop-rock balance on their two albums and such singles as their latest, “Summer Girl,” displaying a knowing innocence and wacky charm as they create music by the young not just for the young.

Rob Patterson is a music and entertainment writer in Austin, Texas. Email orca@prismnet.com.

From The Progressive Populist, February 1, 2020

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