FILM REVIEW: ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD

In a departure from what I normally do on my blogs, here’s a film review:

My take on  

ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD (2019)

written and directed by QUENTIN TARANTINO.

BRAD PITT, QUENTIN TARANTINO and LEONARDO DiCAPRIO

I have to confess immediately that I have not liked one previous QT film (Apologies: a lot of initials coming up!) I’ve found all of his previous movies heartless and empty. 

In my view OUATIH is one of the better QT’s – the PULP FICTION, RESERVOIR DOGS end of the scale, with DEATH PROOF, DJANGO and HATEFUL EIGHT down at the other. It may actually have the most ‘heart’ of any QT, and BRAD PITT 

and LEONARDO DiCAPRIO,

giving excellent performances, are just about the only QT characters I’ve ever warmed to and engaged with.

(MARGOT ROBBIE as Sharon Tate, on the other hand, is given so little to do – apart from looking dazzled by her own stardom – she might as well not be in the movie.)

MARGOT ROBBIE and the real SHARON TATE

So OUATIH may be the warmest and most likable QT – until it’s marred by typically OTT violence at the end. (The issue of how QT depicts violence against women surely has to be addressed.)

OUATIH is also sprawling and unfocussed. QT is clearly in love – probably too much in love – with his setting. He’s so keen to show off his knowledge of the pop culture of L. A. in 1969 – the locations, the contemporary music, TV and film – the background becomes the foreground, swamping the movie. I reckon one hour of the film is pure travelogue.

Which leaves less than two hours dealing with four or five storylines, (each of which could be a movie in itself,) so each strand is pretty slender.

There’s not a hint of tension until at least half way through, when Pitt visits the Spahn Ranch.

The Spahn Ranch

The Manson murders scenario isn’t introduced until two hours + in, far too late to build up suspense.

DAMON HERRIMAN

portrays CHARLES MANSON

Now I know it’s part of QT’s style not to follow a linear narrative, which is maybe why his movies don’t work for me. I much prefer traditional storytelling. But two storylines did interest me. 

One is the strange, menacing community in the desert (i.e. the hippies at Spahn Ranch.)

The other is a film within the film – the pilot of the TV Western ‘Lancer,’ where DiCaprio is the heavy played in the actual episode by JOE DON BAKER. I heard that QT’s original intention was to make a straight western based on ‘Lancer’ – which might have been more satisfying. (BTW the ‘Lancer’ pilot ‘The High Riders’ turns up on Youtube sometimes and is excellent.)

JOE DON BAKER and JAMES STACY in the ‘Lancer’ pilot ‘The High Riders:’ 

The same characters portrayed by LEONARDO DiCAPRIO and TIMOTHY OLYPHANT in OUATIH:

As it is, OUATIH has two classy lead performances and is striking in parts. But the whole was, for me, too shapeless to be memorable.

AUTHOR FAVOURITES: BLACK TRAFFIC by DAVID EDGERLEY GATES

DAVID EDGERLEY GATES writes thrillers, spy stories and ‘noir’ westerns.

He tells me a favourite of his own works is BLACK TRAFFIC, first in a series of ‘Cold War’ books. The setting is 1960s Berlin, where an American and a Russian intelligence operative form an unlikely alliance to solve a couple of murders, whilst delving into the murky world of spies, drug runners and contract killers.

I plundered Wikipedia for the following:

The Berlin Wall was a guarded concrete barrier that physically and ideologically divided Berlin from 1961 to 1989. Constructed by the German Democratic Republic (aka the GDR or East Germany), starting on 13 August 1961, the Wall cut off (by land) West Berlin from surrounding East Germany, including East Berlin.

The barrier included guard towers placed along large concrete walls, accompanied by a wide area (later known as the 'death strip') that contained anti-vehicle trenches and other defenses. The Eastern Bloc portrayed the Wall as protecting its population from fascist elements conspiring to prevent the 'will of the people' in building a socialist state in East Germany.

The West Berlin city government sometimes referred to it as the 'Wall of Shame', a term coined by mayor Willy Brandt in reference to the Wall's restriction on freedom of movement. Along with the border between East and West Germany, it came to symbolize physically the 'Iron Curtain' that separated Western Europe and the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War.

During this period over 100,000 people attempted to escape and over 5,000 people succeeded in escaping over the Wall, with an estimated death toll ranging from 136 to more than 200 in and around Berlin.

Political leaders across the world railed against the division and oppression the wall represented.

On 26 June 1963 U.S. President John F. Kennedy visited West Berlin. Speaking before an audience of 450,000 he declared 'Two thousand years ago, the proudest boast was … "I am a Roman citizen". Today, in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is "Ich bin ein Berliner!"... All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words "Ich bin ein Berliner!"' (Which does mean ‘I am a Berliner’ despite misinformation to the contrary.)

In a speech at the Brandenburg Gate on 12 June 1987, U. S. President Ronald Reagan challenged Mikhail Gorbachev, leader of the Soviet Union, with: ‘Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this Wall!’

Presidents Reagan and Kennedy

Indirectly, Gorbachev complied.

Mikhail Gorbachev

In 1989 a series of revolutions in nearby Eastern Bloc countries—Poland and Hungary in particular—caused a chain reaction in East Germany that ultimately resulted in the demise of the Wall. After several weeks of civil unrest, the East German government announced on 9 November 1989 that all GDR citizens could visit West Germany and West Berlin. The Wall was officially opened, therefore it was no longer a wall.

Crowds of East Germans crossed and climbed onto the Wall, joined by West Germans on the other side in a celebratory atmosphere. Over the next few weeks, euphoric people and souvenir hunters chipped away parts of the Wall. The 'fall of the Berlin Wall' paved the way for German reunification, which formally took place on 3 October 1990.

The Wall falls 1989

Demolition of the wall officially began on 13 June 1990 and finished in 1992.

I thought of movies with a similar 1960s Berlin/ Cold War backcloth to BLACK TRAFFIC, like ‘The Spy who came in from the Cold,’

Richard Burton in ‘The Spy who came in from the Cold (1965)’

Funeral in Berlin,

Michael Caine in ‘Funeral in Berlin (1966)’

and ‘The Quiller Memorandum.’

Senta Berger and George Segal in ‘The Quiller Memorandum (1966)’

I don’t normally put myself in these blogs but I couldn’t resist this: I visited Berlin in 2017. Here are my feet (literally) across the wall, or at least where the wall used to be.

REVIEWS of BLACK TRAFFIC:

‘I like nothing better than a ripping good tale of espionage… David Edgerly Gates delivers in full… He is a master at his craft.’

‘Black Traffic is the BEST Cold War novel I've read in a long time.’

‘A thrilling read.’

https://www.amazon.com/Black-Traffic-David-Edgerley-Gates-ebook/dp/B00BNPY2EG/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1510232861&sr=11&keywords=black+traffic+david+edgerley+gates&dpID=41rVeOKyE7L&preST=_SY445_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

My review of 52 TV WESTERNS edited by SCOTT HARRIS, PAUL BISHOP and ROB WORD

My 4 star review of 52 TV WESTERNS edited by SCOTT HARRIS, PAUL BISHOP and ROB WORD

Fun mix of the fondly-remembered, the quirky and the surprising

Acclaimed authors SCOTT HARRIS and PAUL BISHOP and TV writer/producer ROB WORD have put together reviews of 52 TV Western shows/ TV movies, drawing upon some other writers to help. I’m in here, reviewing one series.

Although the heyday of TV Westerns was 1955-1975 this compendium takes us from early shows like ‘The Range Rider’

Jock Mahoney was THE RANGE RIDER

through long-running staples like ‘Gunsmoke’

James Arness as Matt Dillon in GUNSMOKE

and ‘Bonanza,’ 

one-season wonders like ‘The Westerner’

Brian Keith as THE WESTERNER

right up to date with ‘Godless.’

Michelle Dockery in the woman-centric western series GODLESS

It isn’t intended to be a complete, exhaustive list which would run far beyond 52 series but a look at 52 examples of a form that has managed to be surprisingly diverse.

So there’s spy-western hybrids (‘The Wild Wild West’)

Robert Conrad and Ross Martin in THE WILD WILD WEST

 tongue-in-cheek westerns with anti-hero leads (‘Maverick’)

James Garner in MAVERICK

‘intellectual’ westerns like ‘The Loner’, 

Lloyd Bridges in THE LONER

family westerns (‘Little House on the Prairie’)

and series aiming for gritty authenticity (‘The High Chaparral.’)

What unites the articles is the love the authors have for these shows and their pleasure in describing what makes them different and memorable.

I was pleasantly surprised that this compendium doesn’t lean too much on the well-known but highlights a number of interesting and quirky series I wasn’t familiar with (‘Legend’ ‘The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.’ etc.,)

Richard Dean Anderson in LEGEND

Bruce Campbell portrayed Brisco County Jr. (a person not a place) in THE ADVENTURES OF...

setting me the task of checking them out.

If I have a criticism it’s whether the inclusion of ‘Dead Men’ and ‘Justified’ can be – pardon the pun – justified.

Overall though, in this anthology, the reader can visit fondly-remembered old favourites, shows too ahead of their time to flourish, and newer items helping to keep this form alive. And, most importantly, thanks to the enthusiasm of the contributors and editors, have fun doing it. Recommended. 

Other review of 52 TV WESTERNS:

5 Stars - ‘If you're a fan of TV westerns, I highly recommend this book!’

Find my review on Amazon.co.uk https://www.amazon.co.uk/52-Weeks-TV-Westerns-ebook/dp/B07V8RJJ3K/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr
and Goodreads  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46832785-52-weeks---52-tv-westerns

You can also find 52 TV WESTERNS here: https://www.amazon.com/52-Weeks-TV-Westerns/dp/1079314326/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=52+tv+westerns+scott+harris&qid=1564733832&s=books&sr=1-1

AUTHOR FAVOURITES: THE BONE HARVEST by DAVID EDGERLEY GATES

DAVID EDGERLEY GATES writes thrillers, spy stories and ‘noir’ westerns. He tells me a favourite of his own works is THE BONE HARVEST, second in a series of ‘Cold War’ books. He says: ‘I knew going in that THE BONE HARVEST would be about the nuts and bolts - the gear, the manpower, the physical resources – what it takes to mount an actual spy operation.’

During the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan American military intelligence op Dix Apodaca tangles with a KGB colonel; also the Afghan resistance, Pakistani security services, drug and gun runners and rivals in the intelligence community, in a shifting landscape of betrayal.

The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan is not within my area of expertise so I’ve leaned on Wikipedia for the following:

The Soviet–Afghan War lasted from December 1979 to February 1989.

The Afghan government, having secured a treaty in December 1978 that allowed them to call on Soviet forces, repeatedly requested the introduction of troops into Afghanistan in 1979. They wanted them to provide security and to assist in the fight against the mujaheddin rebels. With a deteriorating security situation, large numbers of Soviet troops began to land in Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, on December 25th, 1979.

Soviet troops in Afghanistan

Insurgent groups known collectively as the mujahideen, as well as smaller Maoist groups, fought a guerrilla war against the Soviet Army and the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan government, mostly in the rural countryside. The mujahideen groups were backed primarily by the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan, making it a Cold War proxy war.

Mujahideen fighters Afghanistan 1985

Many nations since the time of ALEXANDER THE GREAT have intervened in Afghanistan but have been repeatedly defeated by the tenacity of the defenders and the difficulties of the terrain. The same fate befell the Soviet Union.

A statue of Alexander the Great

The Soviet Army of 1980 was trained and equipped for large scale, conventional warfare in Central Europe against a similar opponent, i.e. it used armoured and motor-rifle formations. This was notably ineffective against small scale guerrilla groups using hit-and-run tactics in the rough terrain of Afghanistan.

The Russians used large-scale offensives against Mujahideen strongholds, such as in the Panjshir Valley, which temporarily cleared those sectors but killed many civilians in addition to enemy combatants. Once the Russians did engage the enemy in force, they failed to hold the ground by withdrawing once their operation was completed. The killing of civilians further alienated the population from the Soviets.

Civilian casualties in the conflict were appalling. Between 562,000 and 2 million civilians were killed and millions of Afghans fled the country as refugees.

The promotion of MIKHAIL GORBACHEV to General Secretary of the Soviet Union in 1985 and his 'new thinking' on foreign and domestic policy was likely an important factor in the Soviets' decision to withdraw.

Mikhail Gorbachev

The first step of the Soviet Union's exit strategy, beginning in 1985, was to transfer the burden of fighting the mujahideen to the Afghan armed forces, with the aim of preparing them to operate without Soviet help. Soviet forces continued withdrawing until the final troop withdrawal on February 15, 1989. This left the government forces alone in the battle against the insurgents, which continued until 1992 when the former Soviet-backed government collapsed.

Officially the Soviet forces lost 14,453 killed whilst Mujahideen losses included 57,000 killed.

The Soviets' failure in the war (which is sometimes described as the Soviet Union’s Vietnam War) is thought to be a contributing factor to the fall of the Soviet Union. 

Movies that feature this conflict include:

‘RAMBO 3’ (1988) with SYLVESTER STALLONE. It originally ended with the statement: ‘This film is dedicated to the brave Mujahideen fighters of Afghanistan.’ 

‘THE BEAST’ (1988) about the crew of a Soviet T-55 tank during this conflict (below.)

The 1987 JAMES BOND movie ‘THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS’ with TIMOTHY DALTON as Bond (below.)

5 Star REVIEW of THE BONE HARVEST: ‘Very enjoyable. Can’t wait for his next book.'

https://www.amazon.com/BONE-HARVEST-BLACK-TRAFFIC-Book-ebook/dp/B018PK1212/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

and https://www.amazon.co.uk/BONE-HARVEST-BLACK-TRAFFIC-Book-ebook/dp/B018PK1212/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=the+bone+harvest+david+edgerley+gates&qid=1563704921&s=gateway&sr=8-3

AUTHOR FAVOURITES: BLAZE! A SON OF A GUN by STEPHEN MERTZ

Stephen Mertz writes thrillers (sometimes with a political tinge) as well as westerns.

He tells me BLAZE! A SON OF A GUN is a favourite of his own works. It’s ninth in a series of westerns with the same leading characters – J.D. and Kate Blaze – written by a variety of different authors. J.D. and Kate are two of the deadliest gunfighters in the Old West. They also happen to be husband and wife.

They set off in pursuit of the Ludlow brothers, a trio of crazed and vicious outlaws wanted by the Pinkertons, and trail them to a deserted Arizona ranch. They’re ready for the unexpected – but not running into a young gunfighter who claims to be J.D.’s son! This same young man has troubles of his own: a ruthless cattle baron and a gang of bloodthirsty nightriders on his trail.

Here’s ALAN PINKERTON, head of the Pinkerton Detective Agency, with President ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

Real outlaw hide-outs included the ranch run by the BASSETT sisters – ANN and JOSIE – at Brown’s Hole (now Brown’s Park) on the Utah/ Colorado border.

Ann Bassett

Others were Robbers Roost in Utah

and Hole-in-the-Wall in Wyoming.

All were frequently used as hide-outs by BUTCH CASSIDY and his Wild Bunch in the 1890s.

Before then, Brown’s Hole was frequented by less well known outlaw bands such as the TIP GAULT Gang, the TOM CROWLEY Gang, the ‘MEXICAN JOE’ HERRERA Gang, the ‘DOC’ BENDER Gang, the MCCARTY  Gang and others. 

‘Rancho Notorious’ was a 1952 movie featuring a ranch used as a headquarters by outlaws.

Arthur Kennedy, Marlene Dietrich and Mel Ferrer in ‘Rancho Notorious.’

REVIEWS of ‘BLAZE’ A SON OF A GUN:

‘Pure pulp joy. Its plot is simple, linear and well executed.’

‘Blaze at its best.' 

https://www.amazon.com/Blaze-Son-Gun-Western-Book-ebook/dp/B019PMOKEK/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=blaze+a+son+of+a+gun+stephen+mertz&qid=1563020467&s=books&sr=1-

and https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blaze-Son-Gun-Western-Book-ebook/dp/B019PMOKEK/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=blaze%21+stephen+mertz&qid=1563020323&s=digital-text&sr=1-2