View original postAnyway, it builds to the predictable denouement, predictable because the Manson family and Sharon Tate are highlighted in the film and the two main characters are often at a house near the future crime scene and it's a Tarantino flick and we have not had any violence yet. And that's the only actually good part of the film, with the cathartic release of the excruciating tension being built up. The amazing thing is that Tarantino took the effort to film a long movie without (until the conclusion) much violence or incipient violence or tension from potential violence, and seems to have done it fairly competently. The problem is, it's not very interesting or much fun, or unpleasant in a way that's supposed to be. Or at the very least, "tedium" isn't a very thematic thing to be experiencing for most of it. The best possibility for which I can give Tarantino credit, is that he is trying to draw out the suspense and build up to that violent climax. But it's just not engaging or necessary. I think it's supposed to be the point that this sort of homicide thing popping up isn't ever what people expect to happen in their lives, but Rick and Cliff are not ordinary enough to empathize with, their problems are largely of their own making to the point that normal people wouldn't be very sympathetic to them, and the main/real-life murder victims just don't click with the viewer. Towards the end, the movie suddenly wants us to be invested in Rick's and Cliff's friendship, when it's not really a thing in the rest of it. They're friends because Rick is in a performer's bubble and doesn't have many people really in his life, and Cliff is easy-going enough that he's not bothered by Rick's bullshit, no matter how torqued-up he can get with other people.

View original postI just feel like Tarantino could be a lot better at filming other people's stories. Or even acting. I certainly like his version of Richie Gecko better than the recent TV show. His obsessions with old movie genres just don't work out that well when he's in charge of the story. That he's making homages to these genres is not even a good excuse, since George Lucas and Stephen Spielberg did the same thing and got Star Wars and Indiana Jones out of it.

View original postIf you're into the whole Tarantino of it all, this is probably a fine movie, and somewhat different than his usual style, but it's a lot of the problems with his other movies (or the problems unrelated to gore and violence) in full bloom.