Book vs. Movie: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Hello, my darling readers!
I’ve talked about Once Upon a Time in Hollywood a while ago – naturally I had to see the film the moment it came out. But guess what, Tarantino decided we aso need a book version of the story. So, let’s see how that turned out!

The Plot (as found on Goodreads):

RICK DALTON – Once he had his own TV series, but now Rick’s a washed-up villain-of-the week drowning his sorrows in whiskey sours. Will a phone call from Rome save his fate or seal it?

CLIFF BOOTH – Rick’s stunt double, and the most infamous man on any movie set because he’s the only one there who might have gotten away with murder. . . .

SHARON TATE – She left Texas to chase a movie-star dream, and found it. Sharon’s salad days are now spent on Cielo Drive, high in the Hollywood Hills.

CHARLES MANSON – The ex-con’s got a bunch of zonked-out hippies thinking he’s their spiritual leader, but he’d trade it all to be a rock ‘n’ roll star.

HOLLYWOOD 1969 – YOU SHOULDA BEEN THERE

Hemlock Grove on Goodreads

Book vs. Movie:

I’m gonna keep my thought on the film short, as I have a full-lenght review over here. I enjoyed it a lot (I’ve seen it multiple times) but I completely understand why it doesn’t work at all for some people. Tarantino gave us a film that captures the zeitgeist of the late 60s. If you know a thing or two about Hollywood in that time you’re going to have a field day spotting all the little hints and references. But if you are not familar with that period and it’s MVPs, you’re going to be very bored. The action doesn’t pick up until the last half hour. But it’s a three hour movie so it takes a long time for it to get exciting.

Thursday Movie Picks: Favorite Cinematography

Hey, guys!
Welcome to another entry for Thursday Movie Picks.
It’s a series hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves, so if you want to join the party, head over to her blog! It’s pretty easy: check out each week’s topic and come up with 3 to 5 movies that fit the theme.
Today’s topic is favorite cinematography, so let’s get talking!

#1 Sweeney Todd

Tim Burton has a very unique way of putting his films together. Sweeney Todd is a brilliant example for his still and I love everything about it.

#2 Kill Bill

The same goes for Quentin Tarantino. I actually had a hard time choosing just one of his pictures but Kill Bill just comes with brilliant cinematography.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Hello, hello!
My darling readers, today I’ll be reviewing one of my most anticipated releases of 2019. I am beyond excited that Quentin Tarantino’s latest picture finally hit cinemas and I already went to see it multiple times.

The Plot:

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is set in 1969 following the lives of actor Rick Dalton and his stunt double Cliff Booth. They are both struggling in a changing world.
In the meantime, Rick’s neighbor Sharon Tate is on her way to success in Hollywood…

The Rating:

Okay, so here’s the deal. I, for my part, really enjoyed this film. However, it is obvious to me, why many people didn’t.
First of all, there isn’t all that much of a story going on. I think Tarantino was more trying to capture the vibe of the 1960s, the zeitgeist and getting that feeling across. If you aren’t into the 1960s aesthetic, this might not be for you.

I absolutely love the 1960s and could watch the film for the clothes and music alone. However, I am also quite familiar with the movies of that time. So for me, the not really existing story about Sharon Tate was interesting. But if the only thing you know about her is that she was a Manson family victim, you’ll be bored with her scenes.
Unless you have some background knowledge, you won’t get why many of the scenes are in this film as several of them don’t seem to contribute pretty much anything to the story. Let me give you an example. In one scene, Sharon goes to a bookshop to buy a copy of Tess D’Urberville for her husband. This scene is not particularly interesting nor has it any relevance for the rest of the picture. However, the scene gets interesting if you know that Sharon had read that precise book, loved it and wanted to get her husband Polanski to make a film of it. She would have played the leading character. The day she gave him the book was actually the last time Polanski would see his wife before she was murdered. He did end up making the film about ten years after her passing and dedicated it to her. The movie title Tess was a huge success and nominated for six Academy Awards.

There are several instances in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood where scenes will be lost on you without at least a bit of background knowledge. Tarantino included so many details, every time I re-watched the film I discovered something I had missed before.

3 Times German Language was used perfectly in English Movies

Hey guys!
It’s time for another list! Today I have something very special for you. There are some movies that are actually made in English but feature also other languages. This happens rather rarely – which is shame! It really adds to the authenticity of the film!
And the actors get to show one more talent 😉

 

Inglorious Basterds:
Quentin Tarantino is one of my all-time favourite directors. His movies have so much to offer and Inglorious Basterds in particular is a gem. This film actually features four different languages and I really appreciate it that instead of doing it all in English subtitles were used. The characters speak German, English, French and (very bad) Italian! It was really cool for me to watch it as I live in a German-speaking country and also got a chance to refresh my French lessons!

Movie Mania: Django Unchained

Hey Guys!
You all know by know that I’m a huge Quentin Tarantino fan. But I completely escaped my notice, that I had never written about Django Unchained! That’s needs to be changed right away!

 

The Plot:
Bounty Hunter Dr. King Schultz acquires the slave Django to help him identify some of the guys he’s looking for. In exchange for that he offers Django his freedom. However, once the job is done, they become partners. Dr. King Schultz even agrees to help Django free his wife Broomhilda who is a slave at Calvin Candie’s plantation…

Soundtrack to my Life Movie Tag

Hello folks!
Today I want to share another book tag I modified. This time it’s the really awesome Soundtrack of my Life tag. But instead of writing about books I’m going to share my favourite movies! =)

 

Opening Credits: Favorite Childhood movie:
Basically everything Disney. I still own almost all the movies like Peter Pan, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty on video. But I guess the one I like best is actually not a Disney film. Anastasia is a very badass girl who saves herself and doesn’t wait for a prince to come along. Love it!

 

Waking up: A film that got you out of a movie watching slump:
During the last two years I almost completely stopped watching films and changed to TV shows. But when I re-watched the Evil Dead trilogy I was so amused that I digged out all my favourite old horror movies.