((ALEX)) QUENTIN TARANTINO'S
LATEST FILM AND A LOW-BUDGET
LOOK AT TOXIC MASCULINITY ARE
ON AREA SCREENS THIS WEEK.
HERE TO REVIEW "ONCE UPON A
TIME IN HOLLYWOOD" AND "THE
ART OF SELF-DEFENSE" ARE FILM
CRITICS PAM POWELL AND CHUCK
KOPLINSKI.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
(Starts Friday) A faded
television actor (Leonardo
DiCaprio) and his stunt double
strive (Brad Pitt) to achieve
fame and success in the film
industry during the final
years of Hollywood's Golden
Age in 1969 Los Angeles. A
wonderfully acted, beautifully
shot, tightly written film
that is ultimately undone by
writer/director Quentin
Tarantino
gratuitous violence and
revisionist history. A
frustrating movie that wastes
the fine work of all involved.
2 ½ Stars (Chuck Koplinski)
Rated R. 161 minutes. AMC-C,
AMC-D, SAV.
The Art of Self- Defense. A
man (Jesse Eisenberg) is
attacked at random on the
street. He enlists at a local
dojo, led by a charismatic and
mysterious sensei (Alessandro
Nivola), in an effort to learn
how to defend himself. In its
examination of the pitfalls of
modern masculinity, the dark
comedy is the obvious progeny
of"Fight Club" Eisenberg is
very good as the nebbish,
deadly weapon, but Nivola
steals the film with his turn
as a charming psychopath who
makes the most outlandish
philosophy seem logical. A
true sleeper worth seeking
out. 3 ½ Stars (Chuck
Koplinski) Rated R. 104
minutes. SAV.
((ALEX)) KEEP UP WITH CHUCK AND
PAM ON THEIR REEL TALK
FACEBOOK PAGE. GIVE THEM A
LIKE!*THUMBS U*