Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: What Was Tarantino Trying to Say?

Photo Credit: YouTube

Part I: A Slow First Half

**SPOILERS AHEAD - BEWARE! **

Being one of the world's most famous filmmakers -- if not the most famous -- buys you an awful lot of leeway. 

The first third -- and you could argue even the entire first half -- of Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood is noticeably slow. If I wasn't watching a Quentin Tarantino film, I might have checked out mentally. If I wasn't watching Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie -- exactly the kind of megastars a Tarantino production commands -- I might have given up altogether. 

I know Tarantino was trying to build his three primary characters -- has-been actor Rick Dalton (DiCaprio), his loyal stuntman Cliff Booth (Pitt) and the late Sharon Tate (Robbie), but there was simply too much lag time. Too many scenes lingered past their expiration dates. There was far too much meaningless "filler" -- and if Tarantino is as great as everyone thinks he is, why did he need so much of it?

When Dalton struggles with his dwindling career in the first half, I couldn't help but think of Tarantino himself. Did QT know he was thin on material, here? When Dalton reads a book that mirrors the fall of his own career, is Tarantino getting extra meta, there?

A couple of scenes are necessary to set up future events -- namely one with a dog, and another with a blow torch -- but much of it feels like wheels spinning. Actually...literally. There are too many extended scenes of characters driving their cars. I'm sure there were artistic reasons; but again, it's filler. 

Mike Moh (as the legendary Bruce Lee) jumps in to provide a temporary jolt of entertainment and excitement, but it doesn't last long. I give the first half of Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood a 3 out of 10. 

Part II: A Violent - and Funny? - Conclusion

For me, things started to come together during a quiet-but-illuminating sequence following Tate around Hollywood Hills. She's known for her devastating beauty and burgeoning career as an actress, but she isn't yet a superstar. She decides to pop in to watch a movie she's in, is about to pay for admission, then thinks twice and says, well, what if I'm IN the movie?

Of course, the magic doors open for her, and she begins to enjoy her minor celebrity status. When patrons laugh during the film, she's tickled. Margot is great - Tate comes across as warm, luminescent and entirely unironic. There were many complaints about her lack of lines in the film, but I disagree wholeheartedly - no matter what the tabloids say, Tarantino and Robbie were clearly on the same page, here. Tarantino absolutely wanted us to know that Tate's fate was the wrong fate. She picks up strangers and drops them off at random places. She worries about her neighbors. She's polite with friends, fans and basically everyone. This was a rising star and good person who met an unfair, untimely end. I'm certain Robbie and Tarantino did her family proud. 

DiCaprio also kicks into high gear in the second half, playing many of his lines for well-earned laughs. This is where the early character building pays off -- but again, this is a 2 hour, 40 minute movie that could have been much tighter and better at exactly 2 hours. Yes, many of the second-half punchlines land, but that doesn't mean the first half had to be as slow as it was. 

Pitt has a tense sequence at the Manson family commune, then of course the big finish which rewrites history. I'll leave the specifics of the spoilers out, where that is concerned.

These are three great actors giving good performances, but is Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood a great film?

Part III: What Exactly Was Tarantino Going For?

What was the message, here? Was it all simply a set up to rewrite history, the way Tarantino did in Inglourious Basterds? But that was a much better movie. The dialogue sung. Pitt was in that film, too, and his character (Lt. Aldo Raine) was more entertaining and more memorable. Who was Cliff Booth supposed to be in Once Upon a Time - a relic of the past? A symbol of the old guard? A warrior born in the wrong era? 

So many questions, and so many of those questions appear to have empty answers. 

I enjoyed the second half of the film, and I like the way plot strings tied together, but the entire experience felt empty. If there was a message, I simply don't think it landed. Of course I'll watch this one again in the future, but for now it's a generous 6.5 out of 10. 

Part IV: Frascella Ranks All the Tarantino Films He's Seen

1. Inglourious Basterds: 10 out of 10

2. Django Unchained: 9.5 out of 10

3. The Hateful Eight: 9 out of 10

4. Jackie Brown: 8.5 out of 10

5. Kill Bill: Vol. 1: 7.5 out of 10

6. Kill Bill: Vol. 2: 7.5 out of 10

7. Death Proof: 7 out of 10

8. Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood: 6.5 out of 10

9. Pulp Fiction: 5.5 out of 10

10. Reservoir Dogs: 4.5 out of 10

MY UP-TO-DATE ARCHIVE OF ALL REVIEWS AND SCORES

(The Top 200 series will continue, but the list below includes ALL of my past reviews and scores.)

1. Inglourious Basterds (10/10) - Review Coming Soon
2. Up in the Air (9.5/10)
3. Steve Jobs (9.5/10)
4. Django Unchained (9.5/10) - Review Coming Soon
5. Collateral (9.5/10)
6. No Country for Old Men (9.5/10)
7. The Wrestler (9.5/10)
8. The Drop (9.5/10)
9. Zodiac (9.5/10)
10. Kramer vs. Kramer (9.5/10)
11. Margin Call (9/10)
12. Office Space (9/10)
13. The Hateful Eight (9/10) - Review Coming Soon
14. Hannah and Her Sisters (9/10)
15. Mystic River (9/10)
16. L.A. Confidential (9/10)
17. Lady Bird (9/10)
18. Stay (9/10)
19. Gone Girl (9/10)
20. Nocturnal Animals (9/10)
21. 45 Years (9/10)
22. The Edge of Seventeen (9/10)
23. Bernie (9/10)
24. Lucky Number Slevin (9/10)
25. Tape (9/10)
26. A Perfect Murder (9/10)
27. Wanderlust (8.5/10)

28. War Dogs (8.5/10)
29. The Founder (8.5/10)
30. Jackie Brown (8.5/10) - Future Review
31. In Bruges (8.5/10)

32. Split (8.5/10)

33. Bad Moms (8.5/10)

34. Basquiat (8.5/10)
35. Love, Actually (8.5/10)

36. Moonlight (8/10)
37. Pretty Woman (8/10)
38. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (7.5/10) - No Review Available
39. Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (7.5/10) - No Review Available
40. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (7.5/10)

41. The Revenant (7.5/10)
42. The Good Shepherd (7.5/10)

43. The Shallows (7.5/10)
44. Focus (7.5/10) 

45. The Night Before (7.5/10)
46. The Walk (7/10)

47. 10 Cloverfield Lane (7/10)
48. Loving (7/10) - No review available
49. Death Proof (7/10) - No review available
50. Hail, Caesar! (7/10) - No review available
51. Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood (6.5/10)
52. A Most Violent Year (6.5/10) - No review available
53. The Shape of Water (6/10) - discussed in this review
54. The Boy (6/10) - No review available
55. The Accountant (6/10) - No review available
56. Bridge of Spies (6/10) - No review available
57. The Firm (6/10) - No review available
58. Muhammad Ali: Say My Name (6/10) - No review available

59. Joy (5.5/10)
60. Taking Lives (5.5/10) - No review available

61. La La Land (5.5/10)
62. Pulp Fiction (5.5/10) - Future Review
63. The Visit (5/10) - discussed in this review
64. The Mule (5/10) - No review available
65. 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (5/10)
66. Make Love Great Again (5/10) - No review available
67. Molly's Game (5/10)
68. Set It Up (5/10)
69. Get a Job (5/10) - No review available
70. The Interpreter (5/10) - No review available
71. Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars (5/10) - No review available
72. Reservoir Dogs (4.5/10) - Future Review
73. Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (4.5/10) - No review available
74. Brooklyn (4.5/10) - discussed in this review, and this review
75. Ocean's 8 (4/10)
76. Everything Must Go (4/10) - No review available
77. Why Him? (3.5/10) - No review available
78. The Program (3/10)
79. Open Water 3: Cage Dive (3/10) - No review available
80. Pitch Perfect 3 (2/10)
81. Shut In (2/10) - No review available
82. Premonition (2/10) - No review available

83. Rings (1.5/10)
84. Mother's Day (1.5/10)
85. I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer (0/10) - No review available

My 200 Favorite Movies: Reviews of Office Space & Wanderlust

Photo Credit: Entrepreneur 

This will probably be the last multi-film installment; they'll be singles, the rest of the way out. Here's how we got here:

Three Best Picture nominees: L.A. Confidential, Mystic River and Hannah and Her Sisters
Three Oscar winners: No Country for Old Men, Kramer vs. Kramer and The Wrestler
Three "Sleepers": Bernie, The Drop and Lucky Number Slevin
Two Rom-Coms: Pretty Woman and Love, Actually
Two Crime Dramas: Zodiac and Collateral

And now? Two comedies...

OFFICE SPACE (1999)

The quintessential Working In a Cubicle Kills Your Soul movie, Mike Judge's Office Space began as a cult classic, but has since morphed into the most well-known film about middle class malaise in the workplace. I feel like anyone who considers themselves (even a moderate) movie buff knows this movie. 

As the under-stimulated and underwhelmed Peter Gibbons, Ron Livingston -- known round these parts as Andrew Meyer's kindred spirit -- delivers a fun deadpan performance in the lead. Livingston really takes control of the movie when he decides to go rogue at work, doing the exact opposite of Lumbergh's (Gary Cole) requests.

Do I even have to mention that Lumbergh is his boss? He's probably a more famous character than Peter. "Umm, yeah, Pete, umm, about those TPS reports..."

For me, one of the highlights of Office Space is when Bob and Bob arrive at the Initech to evaluate employee performance. Played by the chameleon John C. McGinley and the Verne Lundquist-looking Paul Willson, "The Bobs" bring energy and hilarity as a perfectly cast duo. "Samir Naghe...Nagheena...Not gonna work here anymore, anyway!" gets me every time. David Herman (as Michael Bolton) and Ajay Naidu (Samir Nagheenanajar) are also memorable as Peter's co-workers and best friends. 

Simply put, this is a classic comedy that will always have its own niche in film history.

** Frascella's Score: 9 out of 10 **

WANDERLUST (2012)

This is one of the most underrated comedies of the last 20 years. This movie is laugh-out-loud funny. I love a good comedy, but I very rarely laugh out loud. This one got me more than a handful of times. 

When George and Linda Gergenblatt (Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston) fall upon hard financial times and are forced out of their yuppified city apartment, they decide to shack up temporarily with George's obnoxious brother, Rick (Ken Marino) and his dysfunctional family. Marino is f'n hilarious in this movie. He is over-the-top obnoxious and abrasive, in a good way. 

When things predictably go south with Rick's family, George and Linda hit the road and stumble upon "Elysium," a commune full of eclectic hippies and free spirits. Once there, supporting cast members Justin Theroux, Kathryn Hahn, Jordan Peele and Alan Alda provide a number of big laughs. Theroux is particularly outstanding as the de facto leader of the commune, the multi-talented Seth. In some ways, Theroux's character and performance remind me of one of my all-time favorite comedic characters, Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) of Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him To the Greek. 

The cherry on top is Rudd's solo act in front of a mirror toward the end of the film. I will not describe it. You have to see it for yourself. If you can't laugh at that, you don't have a sense of humor.

** Frascella's Score: 8.5 out of 10 **

MY UP-TO-DATE ARCHIVE OF ALL REVIEWS AND SCORES

(The Top 200 series will continue, but the list below includes ALL of my past reviews and scores.)

1. Up in the Air (9.5/10)
2. Steve Jobs (9.5/10)
3. Collateral (9.5/10)
4. No Country for Old Men (9.5/10)
5. The Wrestler (9.5/10)
6. The Drop (9.5/10)
7. Zodiac (9.5/10)
8. Kramer vs. Kramer (9.5/10)
9. Margin Call (9/10)
10. Office Space (9/10)
11. Hannah and Her Sisters (9/10)
12. Mystic River (9/10)
13. L.A. Confidential (9/10)
14. Lady Bird (9/10)
15. Stay (9/10)
16. Gone Girl (9/10)
17. Nocturnal Animals (9/10)
18. 45 Years (9/10)
19. The Edge of Seventeen (9/10)
20. Bernie (9/10)
21. Lucky Number Slevin (9/10)
22. Tape (9/10)
23. A Perfect Murder (9/10)
24. Wanderlust (8.5/10)

25. War Dogs (8.5/10)
26. The Founder (8.5/10)
27. In Bruges (8.5/10)

28. Split (8.5/10)

29. Bad Moms (8.5/10)

30. Basquiat (8.5/10)
31. Love, Actually (8.5/10)

32. Moonlight (8/10)
33. Pretty Woman (8/10)
34. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (7.5/10)

35. The Revenant (7.5/10)
36. The Good Shepherd (7.5/10)

37. The Shallows (7.5/10)
38. Focus (7.5/10) 

39. The Night Before (7.5/10)
40. The Walk (7/10)

41. 10 Cloverfield Lane (7/10)
42. Loving (7/10) - No review available
43. Hail, Caesar! (7/10) - No review available
44. A Most Violent Year (6.5/10) - No review available
45. The Shape of Water (6/10) - discussed in this review
46. The Boy (6/10) - No review available
47. The Accountant (6/10) - No review available
48. Bridge of Spies (6/10) - No review available
49. The Firm (6/10) - No review available
50. Muhammad Ali: Say My Name (6/10) - No review available

51. Joy (5.5/10)
52. Taking Lives (5.5/10) - No review available

53. La La Land (5.5/10)
54. The Visit (5/10) - discussed in this review
55. The Mule (5/10) - No review available
56. 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (5/10)
57. Make Love Great Again (5/10) - No review available
58. Molly's Game (5/10)
59. Set It Up (5/10)
60. Get a Job (5/10) - No review available
61. The Interpreter (5/10) - No review available
62. Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars (5/10) - No review available
63. Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (4.5/10) - No review available
64. Brooklyn (4.5/10) - discussed in this review, and this review
65. Ocean's 8 (4/10)
66. Everything Must Go (4/10) - No review available
67. Why Him? (3.5/10) - No review available
68. The Program (3/10)
69. Open Water 3: Cage Dive (3/10) - No review available
70. Pitch Perfect 3 (2/10)
71. Shut In (2/10) - No review available
72. Premonition (2/10) - No review available

73. Rings (1.5/10)
74. Mother's Day (1.5/10)
75. I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer (0/10) - No review available

My 200 Favorite Movies: Reviews of Zodiac & Collateral

Photo Credit: Shelf Talk - Word Press

Don't forget to catch up on my series to date:

Three Best Picture nominees: L.A. Confidential, Mystic River and Hannah and Her Sisters
Three Oscar winners: No Country for Old Men, Kramer vs. Kramer and The Wrestler
Three "Sleepers": Bernie, The Drop and Lucky Number Slevin
Two Rom-Coms: Pretty Woman and Love, Actually

Now it's time for a pair of crime dramas directed by two of Hollywood's heavy hitters...

ZODIAC (2007)

The precursor to Netflix's addictive Mindhunter, Zodiac was directed with skill and superb pacing by the great David Fincher. This is a two-hour, 37-minute movie that feels like an hour and 45 minutes at most. 

Zodiac has it all -- it's an investigative journalism/detective story about the dogged pursuit of the elusive and enigmatic serial killer, but it's also suspenseful and energetic with explosive bursts of graphic violence. 

Two hard-working actors, Jake Gyllenhaal (as a journalist) and Mark Ruffalo (as a cop) are at the heart of the investigation, completely immersed in their high stakes game of cat-and-mouse with the intelligent and frustrating killer. John Carroll Lynch puts in a tricky and creepy performance as Arthur Leigh Allen. 

In my opinion, Zodiac owes an awful lot to Alan J. Pakula's All the President's Men (1976). In a classy move, Fincher pays homage with his layout and design of the San Francisco Chronicle's newsroom. If you've seen All the President's Men, you will see the intentional similarities. 

** Frascella's Score: 9.5 out of 10 **

COLLATERAL (2004)

I'm not really a Michael Mann guy. He certainly has his own aesthetic, so I can't fault him for that, but I think his movies tend to drag due to poor editing. Some directors just can't seem to let go of any of their material. 

That said, Collateral is perhaps his tightest and most entertaining film. A ruthless and interesting Tom Cruise plays Vincent, a contract killer scheduled to knock off a number of potentially-damaging witnesses in the same night. In order to complete his assigned task(s), Vincent enlists the help of an unwitting cab driver named Max (a toned down and vulnerable Jamie Foxx), who quickly realizes that he's in a situation he'd rather not be in. 

Max tries to wiggle his way out in a few different fashions, but Vincent has no plans to change drivers. As far as he's concerned, he and Max are linked for the night. Essentially, Max is Vincent's hostage as he crosses paths with characters played by Javier Bardem, Jada Pinkett-Smith and other recognizable faces. 

I like the powder keg action in Collateral, but perhaps my favorite aspect of the film is its screenplay, written sneakily by Stuart Beattie. Vincent and Max may be a killer and a cabbie, but they are complex, multi-dimensional characters who have interesting things to say. 

Collateral is an entertaining film with effective surprises and unanticipated depth. Whenever it's on, I have a difficult time turning it off. 

** Frascella's Score: 9.5 out of 10 **

MY UP-TO-DATE ARCHIVE OF ALL REVIEWS AND SCORES

(The Top 200 series will continue, but the list below includes ALL of my past reviews and scores.)

1. Up in the Air (9.5/10)
2. Steve Jobs (9.5/10)
3. Collateral (9.5/10)
4. No Country for Old Men (9.5/10)
5. The Wrestler (9.5/10)
6. The Drop (9.5/10)
7. Zodiac (9.5/10)
8. Kramer vs. Kramer (9.5/10)
9. Margin Call (9/10)
10. Hannah and Her Sisters (9/10)
11. Mystic River (9/10)
12. L.A. Confidential (9/10)
13. Lady Bird (9/10)
14. Stay (9/10)
15. Gone Girl (9/10)
16. Nocturnal Animals (9/10)
17. 45 Years (9/10)
18. The Edge of Seventeen (9/10)
19. Bernie (9/10)
20. Lucky Number Slevin (9/10)
21. Tape (9/10)
22. A Perfect Murder (9/10)

23. War Dogs (8.5/10)
24. The Founder (8.5/10)
25. In Bruges (8.5/10)

26. Split (8.5/10)

27. Bad Moms (8.5/10)

28. Basquiat (8.5/10)
29. Love, Actually (8.5/10)

30. Moonlight (8/10)
31. Pretty Woman (8/10)
32. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (7.5/10)

33. The Revenant (7.5/10)
34. The Good Shepherd (7.5/10)

35. The Shallows (7.5/10)
36. Focus (7.5/10) 

37. The Night Before (7.5/10)
38. The Walk (7/10)

39. 10 Cloverfield Lane (7/10)
40. Loving (7/10) - No review available
41. A Most Violent Year (6.5/10) - No review available
42. The Shape of Water (6/10) - discussed in this review
43. The Boy (6/10) - No review available
44. Muhammad Ali: Say My Name (6/10) - No review available

45. Joy (5.5/10)
46. Taking Lives (5.5/10)

47. La La Land (5.5/10)
48. The Visit (5/10) - discussed in this review
49. The Mule (5/10) - No review available
50. 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (5/10)
51. Make Love Great Again (5/10) - No review available
52. Molly's Game (5/10)
53. Set It Up (5/10)
54. Get a Job (5/10) - No review available
55. The Interpreter (5/10) - No review available
56. Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars (5/10) - No review available
57. Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (4.5/10) - No review available
58. Brooklyn (4.5/10) - discussed in this review, and this review
59. Ocean's 8 (4/10)
60. Everything Must Go (4/10) - No review available
61. Why Him? (3.5/10) - No review available
62. The Program (3/10)
63. Pitch Perfect 3 (2/10)
64. Shut In (2/10) - No review available
65. Premonition (2/10) - No review available

66. Rings (1.5/10)
67. Mother's Day (1.5/10)
68. I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer (0/10) - No review available

My 200 Favorite Movies: Reviews of Pretty Woman and Love, Actually

Photo Credit: Smooth Radio

Don't forget to check out the first three installments of my series:

Three Best Picture nominees: L.A. Confidential, Mystic River and Hannah and Her Sisters

Three Oscar winners: No Country for Old Men, Kramer vs. Kramer and The Wrestler

Three "Sleepers": Bernie, The Drop and Lucky Number Slevin

Now it's time for a couple rom-coms...

PRETTY WOMAN (1990)

Let's just get this right out into the open: I'm not going to shy away from romantic comedies or "chick flicks" simply because they aren't generally considered manly or masculine. A good movie is a good movie; there's no need to discriminate or dismiss any particular genres. 

That said, Pretty Woman is certainly considered one of the all-time classics of its genre. Carried by the breakout performance of Julia Roberts' illustrious career, Pretty Woman is a textbook example of a "hooker with a heart of gold" story. Roberts literally plays a hooker with a heart of gold named Vivian Ward, who wins the affection of a ruthless businessman named Edward Lewis, portrayed with suavity and confidence by Richard Gere. 

Perhaps the most memorable scene of the movie is when Edward sends Vivian on a downtown shopping spree, just days after Vivian had been insulted by uppity store clerks. Vivian comes out on top the second time around. The chemistry between Roberts and Gere is real and magnetic. 

** Frascella's Score: 8 out of 10 ** 

LOVE, ACTUALLY (2003)

Holiday movies are generally sappy, saccharine crap. They tend to take the easy way out in a lazy attempt to give the audience what they want: Predictable love stories, overly joyful characters and happy endings. 

Hmm, I've kind of painted myself into a corner, here. It's not that director Richard Curtis isn't going for happy endings in Love, Actually, it's just that his multiple storylines work and the payoffs aren't painfully cheesy. 

I find myself rooting for the characters in this massive ensemble piece featuring Hugh Grant, the late Alan Rickman, Bill Nighy, Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, Liam Neeson, Keira Knightley, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Laura Linney, Billy Bob Thornton -- basically every European actor who ever appeared in a Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings or Pirates of the Caribbean movie. 

I am entertained and satisfied by virtually all of the storylines, and the dramatic climaxes for The Prime Minister (Grant), Jamie the writer (Firth) and Daniel's (Neeson) son, Sam (Thomas Brodie-Sangster, later of Game of Thrones) actually work for me. 

Also, not everyone gets a happy ending. Things are bittersweet for Harry (Rickman), Karen (Thompson) and lovelorn Mark (Andrew Lincoln of The Walking Dead), whose crush, Juliet (Knightley), marries his best friend, Peter (Ejiofor). 

Ensemble love stories can go terribly wrong -- see Garry Marshall's Valentine's Day or New Year's Eve -- but this one doesn't. Love, Actually has a lot of moving parts, but they move pretty well.

** Frascella's Score: 8.5 out of 10 **

MY UP-TO-DATE ARCHIVE OF ALL REVIEWS AND SCORES

(The Top 200 series will continue, but the list below includes ALL of my past reviews and scores.)

1. Up in the Air (9.5/10)
2. Steve Jobs (9.5/10)
3. No Country for Old Men (9.5/10)
4. The Wrestler (9.5/10)
5. The Drop (9.5/10)
6. Kramer vs. Kramer (9.5/10)
7. Margin Call (9/10)
8. Hannah and Her Sisters (9/10)
9. Mystic River (9/10)
10. L.A. Confidential (9/10)
11. Lady Bird (9/10)
12. Stay (9/10)
13. Gone Girl (9/10)
14. Nocturnal Animals (9/10)
15. 45 Years (9/10)
16. The Edge of Seventeen (9/10)
17. Bernie (9/10)
18. Lucky Number Slevin (9/10)
19. Tape (9/10)
20. A Perfect Murder (9/10)

21. War Dogs (8.5/10)
22. The Founder (8.5/10)
23. In Bruges (8.5/10)

24. Split (8.5/10)

25. Bad Moms (8.5/10)

26. Basquiat (8.5/10)
27. Love, Actually (8.5/10)

28. Moonlight (8/10)
29. Pretty Woman (8/10)
30. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (7.5/10)

31. The Revenant (7.5/10)
32. The Good Shepherd (7.5/10)

33. The Shallows (7.5/10)
34. Focus (7.5/10) 

35. The Night Before (7.5/10)
36. The Walk (7/10)

37. 10 Cloverfield Lane (7/10)
38. Loving (7/10) - No review available
39. A Most Violent Year (6.5/10) - No review available
40. The Shape of Water (6/10) - discussed in this review
41. The Boy (6/10) - No review available
42. Muhammad Ali: Say My Name (6/10) - No review available

43. Joy (5.5/10)
44. Taking Lives (5.5/10)

45. La La Land (5.5/10)
46. The Visit (5/10) - discussed in this review
47. 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (5/10)
48. Make Love Great Again (5/10) - No review available
49. Molly's Game (5/10)
50. Set It Up (5/10)
51. Get a Job (5/10) - No review available
52. The Interpreter (5/10) - No review available
53. Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars (5/10) - No review available
54. Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (4.5/10) - No review available
55. Brooklyn (4.5/10) - discussed in this review, and this review
56. Ocean's 8 (4/10)
57. Everything Must Go (4/10) - No review available
58. Why Him? (3.5/10) - No review available
59. The Program (3/10)
60. Pitch Perfect 3 (2/10)
61. Shut In (2/10) - No review available
62. Premonition (2/10) - No review available

63. Rings (1.5/10)
64. Mother's Day (1.5/10)
65. I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer (0/10) - No review available

My 200 Favorite Movies: Bernie, The Drop & Lucky Number Slevin

Photo Credit: MoviePosters2.com

Yesterday I reviewed Oscar winners No Country for Old Men, Kramer vs. Kramer and The Wrestler; today we transition to three lesser-known films. Maybe you'll find a "sleeper" to watch in here...

BERNIE (2011)

Richard Linklater is one of my favorite directors, and Jack Black has really grown on me over the years. With that talented duo pulling the strings of Bernie -- a fascinating and (somehow) funny true story about Bernie Tiede (Black), a well-liked funeral director who murdered his mean old female companion, Marjorie Nugent (a game Shirley MacLaine) -- we are undoubtedly in good hands. 

Matthew McConaughey is hilariously deadpan as local District Attorney Danny Buck, the only man in Carthage, TX who actually wants Bernie to be convicted. Matthew's real-life mom, Kay, gets into the act as one of the townspeople lobbying for Bernie's acquittal. You can see where he gets it from.

** Frascella's Score: 9 out of 10 **

THE DROP (2014)

Any time I think of The Drop, the words "tight" and "lean" immediately pop into my head. Dennis Lehane (Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone) is an absolutely phenomenal crime drama writer, and The Drop represents another impressive bullet point on his resume. 

There is nothing extraneous or superfluous in this film; Lehane's screenplay is economical, and virtually everything is there for a reason. Tom Hardy is a chameleon in one of the two leads as Bob Saginowski, a Brooklyn dive bartender and right-hand man of Cousin Marv (the great James Gandolfini, in his final role). 

I won't say much about the plot, except that it may not be what you initially think it is. Matthias Schoenaerts is a standout as wannabe thug Eric Deeds, and the always excellent John Ortiz provides energy as the sharp Detective Torres, who always seems to have his eye on Deeds, Bob and Marv. This film is a great sleeper.

** Frascella's Score: 9.5 out of 10 **

LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN (2006)

You would think a film starring Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Josh Hartnett, Lucy Liu, Ben Kingsley and Stanley Tucci would be better known, right? 

Usually when a cast like that doesn't generate much buzz or critical acclaim, the movie is a stone cold flop. Oddly enough, that isn't the case here. I'm not exactly sure what happened with Lucky Number Slevin (though, it does have a very strong 7.7 score on IMDB), but it didn't do well in the box office and was generally bypassed by the critics. 

Anyway, "Slevin" is actually the name of the protagonist, played with relative intrigue by Harnett, who has since faded out of the limelight. Hartnett is kind of like the audience throughout the film -- he keeps getting thrown into inexplicable situations and can't quite figure out how he got there. That's part of the fun of this film; we're never quite sure who is good, bad, innocent or guilty. 

Slevin crosses paths with the mysteriously sexy Lindsey (Liu), the merciless "Boss" (Freeman), the not-too-holy "Rabbi" (Kingsley), a conflicted hitman named Mr. Goodkat (Willis) and a curious and relentless cop (Tucci). Either physically or emotionally, Slevin takes a beating from virtually all of these characters. 

Nevertheless, in the end, it's nothing a little "Kansas City Shuffle" can't fix. This is a tricky and fun film with many welcome twists and turns.

** Frascella's Score: 9 out of 10 **

MY UP-TO-DATE ARCHIVE OF ALL REVIEWS AND SCORES

(The Top 200 series will continue, but the list below includes ALL of my past reviews and scores.)

1. Up in the Air (9.5/10)
2. Steve Jobs (9.5/10)
3. No Country for Old Men (9.5/10)
4. The Wrestler (9.5/10)
5. The Drop (9.5/10)
6. Kramer vs. Kramer (9.5/10)
7. Margin Call (9/10)
8. Hannah and Her Sisters (9/10)
9. Mystic River (9/10)
10. L.A. Confidential (9/10)
11. Lady Bird (9/10)
12. Stay (9/10)
13. Gone Girl (9/10)
14. Nocturnal Animals (9/10)
15. 45 Years (9/10)
16. The Edge of Seventeen (9/10)
17. Bernie (9/10)
18. Lucky Number Slevin (9/10)
19. Tape (9/10)
20. A Perfect Murder (9/10)

21. War Dogs (8.5/10)
22. The Founder (8.5/10)
23. In Bruges (8.5/10)

24. Split (8.5/10)

25. Bad Moms (8.5/10)

26. Basquiat (8.5/10)

27. Moonlight (8/10)
28. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (7.5/10)

29. The Revenant (7.5/10)
30. The Good Shepherd (7.5/10)

31. The Shallows (7.5/10)
32. Focus (7.5/10) 

33. The Night Before (7.5/10)
34. The Walk (7/10)

35. 10 Cloverfield Lane (7/10)
36. Loving (7/10) - No review available
37. A Most Violent Year (6.5/10) - No review available
38. The Shape of Water (6/10) - discussed in this review
39. The Boy (6/10) - No review available

40. Joy (5.5/10)
41. Taking Lives (5.5/10)

42. La La Land (5.5/10)
43. The Visit (5/10) - discussed in this review
44. 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (5/10)
45. Make Love Great Again (5/10) - No review available
46. Molly's Game (5/10)
47. Set It Up (5/10)
48. Get a Job (5/10) - No review available
49. The Interpreter (5/10) - No review available
50. Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (4.5/10) - No review available
51. Brooklyn (4.5/10) - discussed in this review, and this review
52. Ocean's 8 (4/10)
53. Everything Must Go (4/10) - No review available
54. Why Him? (3.5/10) - No review available
55. The Program (3/10)
56. Pitch Perfect 3 (2/10)
57. Shut In (2/10) - No review available
58. Premonition (2/10) - No review available

59. Rings (1.5/10)
60. Mother's Day (1.5/10)

My 200 Favorite Movies: Reviews of No Country for Old Men, Kramer vs. Kramer & The Wrestler

Photo Credit: Miramax & YouTube

In yesterday's installment, I reviewed Best Picture nominees L.A. Confidential, Mystic River and Hannah and Her Sisters. This time we'll take a step up to two Best Picture winners, as well as an unlikely Best Actor...

NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (2007)

I wouldn't call myself a Coen brothers' fanatic -- though, the recent The Ballad of Buster Scruggs boosted my tempered opinion of them -- but I can certainly appreciate their unique talents and the overall quality of their work. Like many others, I think Fargo is a twisted little gem, but No Country for Old Men is a slightly superior film to me. 

As the soulless, stalking Anton Chigurh, Javier Bardem gives us one of the top 10 villains of all time. Tommy Lee Jones (Sheriff Ed Tom Bell) and Josh Brolin (Llewelyn Moss) are note perfect in the lead roles, and Kelly Macdonald is the sweet, unsung hero of the story as Llewelyn's unlucky wife, Carla Jean. 

With well-calibrated direction, patient pacing, memorable characters and some interesting philosophical ideas, No Country for Old Men is a complete film and deserving Best Picture winner.

** Frascella's Score: 9.5 out of 10 **

KRAMER VS. KRAMER (1979)

When I was initially texting with Sam Ytuarte, Jimmy Kelly and Andrew Meyer about my list back in 2016, in reference to this film I said, "Now there's a perfect example of a Fro Movie." 

Kramer vs. Kramer is a small, little film about the separation of Ted and Joanna Kramer, complex human characters played beautifully by Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep. Caught in the middle is their confused little boy, Billy (Justin Henry). 

Henry was deservedly showered with praise for his integral role in this touching family drama. He was an extremely likable and skilled child actor. 

Kramer vs. Kramer feels real and genuine throughout its 105-minute running time, and justice was served when it won Best Picture at the 1979 Academy Awards. Jane Alexander also deserves mention for her nuanced and vulnerable performance as Ted and Joanna's torn mutual friend, Margaret Phelps. 

** Frascella's Score: 9.5 out of 10 **

THE WRESTLER (2008)

Darren Aronofsky films can be difficult to watch. 

It all started with the manic and claustrophobic Pi back in 1998, followed by the painful examination of drug addiction, Requiem For a Dream. In those initial successes, it almost seemed like he was intentionally trying to put the viewer through hell. It's safe to say that Mr. Aronofsky has a pretty grim outlook on life. 

However, he softened up a bit for The Wrestler, and the result is his best film to date. 

Carried by a career-reviving performance from Mickey Rourke (at least momentarily), The Wrestler is a sad story about, well, a wrestler, who doesn't quite realize that his better days are behind him. Randy "The Ram" Robinson is single, has a fractured relationship with his daughter (a feisty Evan Rachel Wood) and his only friends are a boy who plays video games with him and a sexy stripper named Cassidy (Marisa Tomei), whose career trajectory mirrors Randy's. 

"The Ram" really tries to turn his messy life around. Does he succeed?

** Frascella's Score: 9.5 out of 10 **

MY UP-TO-DATE ARCHIVE OF ALL REVIEWS AND SCORES

(The Top 200 series will continue, but the list below includes ALL of my past reviews and scores.)

1. Up in the Air (9.5/10)
2. Steve Jobs (9.5/10)
3. No Country for Old Men (9.5/10)
4. The Wrestler (9.5/10)
5. Kramer vs. Kramer (9.5/10)
6. Margin Call (9/10)
7. Hannah and Her Sisters (9/10)
8. Mystic River (9/10)
9. L.A. Confidential (9/10)
10. Lady Bird (9/10)
11. Stay (9/10)
12. Gone Girl (9/10)
13. Nocturnal Animals (9/10)
14. 45 Years (9/10)
15. The Edge of Seventeen (9/10)
16. Tape (9/10)
17. A Perfect Murder (9/10)

18. War Dogs (8.5/10)
19. The Founder (8.5/10)
20. In Bruges (8.5/10)

21. Split (8.5/10)

22. Bad Moms (8.5/10)

23. Basquiat (8.5/10)

24. Moonlight (8/10)
25. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (7.5/10)

26. The Revenant (7.5/10)
27. The Good Shepherd (7.5/10)

28. The Shallows (7.5/10)
29. Focus (7.5/10) 

30. The Night Before (7.5/10)
31. The Walk (7/10)

32. 10 Cloverfield Lane (7/10)
33. Loving (7/10) - No review available
34. A Most Violent Year (6.5/10) - No review available
35. The Shape of Water (6/10) - discussed in this review
36. The Boy (6/10) - No review available

37. Joy (5.5/10)
38. Taking Lives (5.5/10)

39. La La Land (5.5/10)
40. The Visit (5/10) - discussed in this review
41. 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (5/10)
42. Make Love Great Again (5/10) - No review available
43. Molly's Game (5/10)
44. Set It Up (5/10)
45. Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (4.5/10) - No review available
46. Brooklyn (4.5/10) - discussed in this review, and this review
47. Ocean's 8 (4/10)
48. Why Him? (3.5/10) - No review available
49. The Program (3/10)
50. Pitch Perfect 3 (2/10)
51. Shut In (2/10) - No review available
52. Premonition (2/10) - No review available

53. Rings (1.5/10)
54. Mother's Day (1.5/10)