meadever

This movie is just so enjoyably bad. This is a film that knows it's cheap and leans into it hard. But for the kind of film they're making fun of, that cheapness works. The cartoony sexism, the bad puns, the cliche dialogue, it all works perfectly within the cheap sci-fi genre that inspired the movie. The blatantly low budget suit on the monster has got to be my personal favorite. His goofy eyes and obvious zipper are honestly hilarious when you see him moving around and doing things like playing football with a zeppelin. And every actor really gives their all to the stupidity and bless them for it. I would take this over something like "Epic Movie" or "Disaster Movie" any day. The filmmakers took their microscopic budget and ran with it in a way that is sure to please people like me that appreciate old-school fifties science fiction films that take themselves too seriously. Not for everyone, but definitely worth watching if you can appreciate something that is just utterly goofy by design.

This movie is objectively better than a lot of the male-centric action movies we've seen over the years. It's not a masterpiece of cinema but the writing, the fight scenes, the story, the cinematography, they're all on par with the testosterone fueled movies we're used to. You really gonna tell me the action here is worse than the shaky cam extravaganza that was Taken 3? That the overall story is more far-fetched than the last several Fast and Furious movies? That the dialogue pales in comparison to the poetry of Schwarzenegger? Not to disparage any of those people or films, but let's stop acting like this is somehow far beneath those popular cinematic entries. No, the real reason I think people hate on this movie is it is unapologetically feminist and female-centered. It doesn't try to mitigate or cater to men by playing down the abilities and intelligence of its heroes. It doesn't see them disavowing their womanhood and ignoring the advantages and/or disadvantages that come with that in order to make the audience comfortable. And it doesn't see them engaging in pointless titillation to lure in certain demographics. In short it's clearly not meant for the male gaze while existing within a genre that is typically geared towards men, and that's an unfortunately sure fire way to ensure backlash. Which is a shame because I have seen my share of action movies over the years, in fact I'm a huge fan of the genre, and this is on the higher end of the spectrum of my viewing. I like that I can see the fight scenes clearly. I like the thought that went into the various choices made. I like that there are real consequences to those choices. And I like that what I see is more grounded in reality (as much as any action movie can be). It's just a well-crafted flick that is worth seeing as long as you can check your sexism at the door and accept that just like men like to revel in their masculinity (which we allow them to do freely), women like to acknowledge their womanhood and what it means without having to resort to shades of androgyny or sexualization for acceptance. I do have to end with saying though that my favorite part of this whole movie is Kristen Stewart. She is a phenomenal comic relief at times and utterly likable. Her performance alone made this worthwhile viewing for me. Is this movie perfect? No. Have other films like Wonder Woman done similar things to better effect? Yes. But it's certainly better than people have admitted, and the fact that the few "preachy" moments scattered throughout offend so many people is just proof that we need more movies like it.

I will be the first to say, this movie is not for everyone. If you're not of a certain mind you will find it to be slow and dragging. But for those of us who appreciate 60's cinema and television and the Hollywood that produced it, this is an absolute masterpiece. By far one of the greatest movies about movies I have ever seen. Let's start with the atmosphere and writing. Tarantino has written a love letter to a certain period in the history of Los Angeles and it is gorgeous. He perfectly captures the time when old Hollywood was ending and new Hollywood was taking over, rendering the last year of the 60's in glorious detail with his trademark humor. The story wonderfully portrays the growing pains that the industry experienced, in particular its performers as they tried to find their niche in an ever changing landscape. The narrative isn't focused so much on Sharon Tate and the Manson family, but on two friends who as they age find their once secure positions becoming ever more unstable. Many people were likely disappointed by this focus, but it honestly makes for a better film. Many shows and movies have focused on the Manson family and their crimes, this one focuses on two working joes who saw things from the outside, making it easier for the audience to connect with the time and place and see a new perspective on a well-known story. And the focus that is placed on Tate is far better than what we normally get, treating her not as merely a victim but as a woman who, while seen by many as a glamorous star, was a normal girl like so many others, making her career and life one day at a time. Her portrayal, while short and relatively quiet, is the most three-dimensional and sympathetic I have yet seen. This is partly due to the casting of the role, which like all the other roles in the film is letter perfect. Every character is casted ideally, in particular those based on real people. This of course is helped by the acting, which is overall transcendent. Margot Robbie perfectly captures the quiet unassuming glamor that Sharon Tate possessed. Damon Herriman gave me chills with his recreation of Manson's nasally drawl. And Dakota Fanning gets beautifully lost in the part of Squeaky Fromme, inspiring the right amount of revulsion and apprehension. But by far the standouts are the two main stars of the film. Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt have never been so good. DiCaprio turns in what I think is his best performance to date, authentically rendering the whole gamut of emotions experienced by a man watching his stardom fade by the day. His tears are moving, his drunken outbursts laugh-inducing. He IS Rick Dalton, to the point I forget that there are no other movies I can go watch him in. And then there is Brad Pitt as Cliff Booth, the steady anchor to Dalton's instability. Pitt plays the stuntman with the practiced calm if someone who has taken his lumps and lived to tell about it, too content with what he has to care whether others approve. The only word for him here is badass. Badass in the way of Clint Eastwood or John Wayne, with the same weathered touch that makes you wonder what the rest of his story is. The two together, Booth and Dalton, DiCaprio and Pitt, are electric. The chemistry is genuine, smacking of a friendship spanning decades and running deep. Their interplay and their lives become more fun and fascinating to watch than any laser-focused portrayal of the Manson murders could ever be. So if you enjoy movies about movies, and want a brilliant study of a friendship between two industry vets as they navigate a changing world, I urge you to watch this one. It truly is a glorious piece of cinema.