Quentin Does It Again

This is a wonderful film and firmly establishes its director, Quentin Tarantino, as the most consistently provocative of all filmmakers.  Like in Inglourious Basterds before it, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood rewrites history with a steely vengeance, this time eviscerating the collective consciousness’s memory of the atrocities of the Manson family in 1969. 

This is just part of the story though. 

What we are presented with overall is a sprawling, magnetic orchestration that weaves and snakes among a plethora of stories, sometimes going off on dizzying, wonderous tangents that seem to be totally inconsequential at the time, but are still thoroughly enjoyable to behold.   Some scenes seem to linger and just playfully meander to develop character and add an idiosyncratic element to the film as a whole. 

All of the signature Tarantino elements are there:  eccentric, pop culture-infused dialogue; postmodern riffs and references to many aspects of cinema and culture; wrenching violence; odd and dark but effective humour; a pulsating, invigorating soundtrack.   And revenge is a theme present in many of Tarantino films.  You have to wait for the final minutes of this nearly 3 hour film to see the revenge come to full fruition, but it is worth the wait and it is done in a revolutionary, unconventional way. 

The acting is phenomenal, particularly from DiCaprio and Pitt, but Margot Robbie as Sharon Tate brings life to this picture.  Tarantino is paying tribute to the late actor, and in a few scenes her character is given breadth and depth thanks to Robbie’s performance and allowing her to inhabit Tate and the mise-en-scene.  One scene in particular portrays her attending a screening of one of her own films from the time, The Wrecking Crew.  The camera lingers on Robbie’s face as she absorbs her own film and takes-in the reactions of the surrounding spectators - great acting and great filmmaking combined. 

There is a sense, thanks to QT’s skill, that the screen is alive and that one’s own viewing of the film is, in essence, establishing the film for the first time on the retina of the present.  It is an active viewing experience which challenges the spectator to work with the material, engaging with the story and characters to create meaning both intrinsically within the viewer’s head and collectively with society and the past. 

Few films recently have so moved me and made me feel breathless with its creativity and boldness.  

Ozu's "I Was Born, But..." (1932) is a silent marvel

I Was Born, But... may be added to my personal list of favourite silent films of all time.  It's definitely my favourite Japanese silent film (it's the only one I've seen).  Though it is Japanese and was released in 1932, Ozu's film seems universal and timeless, still fresh after all these years.  I'm not sure if Truffaut saw it, but I can see antecedents to The 400 Blows in its treatment of youth and the school system.

It portrays two young brothers whose family moves to a new city, where they experience bullying at the hands of a local gang of children.  The film deals with how they overcome the rivalries and difficulties on the streets and at school, as well as the friction that occurs at home between the boys and their parents.

There are many idiosyncratic motifs throughout that keep reappearing.  For example, Ozu will frequently portray a passing train in the background of his shots.  I'm not sure of the significance, but they add a pleasing flourish to the mise-en-scene.  There is a frequent return to a focus on a wire ring puzzle and a humorous game which the children play on one another which signifies a death and resurrection.

I watched the film on Turner Classic Movies and in the introduction to the film, Ben Manckiewicz alludes to the tonal shift halfway through from light comedy to dour seriousness.  He also iterates the fact that despite being made in 1932, Ozu and not yet embraced the coming of sound, much like Charlie Chaplin at the time.

The performances by all the players, especially the children, add an element of realism and naturalness to the proceedings, creating a film of poignant impact.  Any viewer can find something to identify with.  Ozu seemed to be a master of holding a mirror up to society.

This is silent cinema at its best, an example of its art form being carried to its absolute height just prior to its disappearance.

Revisiting Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

After the huge success of Jaws in 1975, Steven Spielberg would direct the special effects marvel
Close Encounters of the Third Kind in 1977.  It is about the experiences of a few individuals and their connection to extraterrestrial life in a small American town in the present.  It stars Richard Dreyfuss, Melinda Dillon, Terri Garr, and Francois Truffaut, among others.  

Dreyfuss does a great job of conveying a sense of madness and obsession with his seemingly extrasensory relationship to the alien life forms.  There is however a line that is crossed at some points in the film into the realm of the preposterous as his character goes to great lengths to reconstruct the mountainous structure he has telepathically received in his mind's eye with a) a pile of mashed potatoes, b) clay, and c) the entire earthly elements of his backyard within the confines of his living room.  

There is a lot of sci-fi hogwash going on all at once at times, almost to the point of causing dumbfounded awe and confusion in the eyes of the viewer.  The film also drags bit in the last quarter before the highly anticipated entrance of the mothership and its inhabitants.  Overall, however, this is a landmark film for its time, perhaps to be overshadowed by the success of Star Wars that same year.

There are good performances, amazing special effects, and a mystical, spiritual quality that is infused to elevate it above the ranks of your average science fiction film.  

The Benefit of Having Patience

In a world that demands constant movement and progress, it can be difficult to sit back and just let things happen.  There is a great benefit to having patience as much as there is in taking action.  How many times in your life have you found that simply waiting, relaxing, and allowing life to happen has been of great benefit?  Probably everyone has had a situation in which such patience has been beneficial.  We often rush into things and feel the need to do something immediately when in fact, all we really need to do is have a little patience. 

Time heals. We are living in a quick-fix, immediate gratification society where we seldom take into consideration the benefit of long-term fulfillment as opposed to short-term pleasures. 

Say you run into a situation where you seriously offend someone or make a mistake and do someone wrong.  We sometimes will get caught up in wanting to make amends and doing everything we can right now to make the situation better.  However, often all we need to do is have patience and allow the passing of time to heal the wounds and solve the problem.  New situations will arise and unforeseen opportunities will come up that will lead the way to a solution to any previous problem.   

There is no doubt that taking action is important, but we need to balance this imperative with a recognition of the value of patience.  A truly dreadful situation one day can be alleviated by the coming of the next morning’s sunlight.  It is wonderful how much things change from day to day, including our outlook on life and life’s difficulties.  

I recently had an unfortunate situation arise at work that caused me a great deal of stress and anxiety.  There was nothing really I could do about it, but wait for the situation to resolve itself over time.  There was no real action I could take.  After the passing of some time, the situation became more bearable until the reality of my work environment returned to a semblance of normalcy, calm and balance. 

The same goes for personal growth.  It requires some action and direction, but there are numerous cases where our growth and wisdom comes from simply living and existing on a day-to-day basis.  

Three years ago, I took up a meditation habit.  At first, I was bad at it.  I couldn’t relax into it without feeling a restlessness that would not abate.  With time, now three years later, I can genuinely see the benefit of the practice and I am quite a bit better at it now.  I can be more present and patient.  Meditation requires patience and it will in turn, through the practice of it, make you more patient.  

The same goes for exercise.  I have been consistently lifting weights for about a year now.  At first, I didn’t see a difference in my appearance.  Now, I definitely do and I feel more confident and happy as a result.  This and the meditation are examples of the balance that must be forged between taking action and having patience.  

Patience is a remarkable quality to possess.  It helps you enjoy life more and appreciate each passing moment.  You don’t get caught up in the endless need to acquire more and constantly be busy to achieve something.  Striking the delicate balance between taking action and having patience is one of the best skills anyone can have.