ARTS 3517 August 2019 THE WEEKFilmThis calculated weepie is the story of a
struggling racing-car driver who loses the
love of his life to cancer. It’s also narrated
by his adorable golden retriever, Enzo,
said Jamie East in The Sun. It’s “hammy”.
It’s “clichéd”. But “you can’t help but
be swept up by it”.
Enzo is the stand-out turn here, said
Stephanie Zacharek in Time. He has
“golden fur, soulful eyes andaway
with words”. His “bons mots of shaggy
wisdom” come to us with gravitas, courtesy of Kevin Costner.
But the big problem withThe Art of Racing in the Rain“is that
it’s nearly impossible to care about any of the humans”.There’s
alimit to how much wisdom even Enzo
can impart, when “all he’s witnessing is
another boilerplate family drama”, said
Clarisse Loughrey in The Independent.
As the tragedies tick past, it all “quickly
starts to feel likeaconveyor belt of
emotional manipulations”.
Milo Ventimiglia, who plays Enzo’s
owner, is terribly bland, while Amanda
Seyfried, as his doomed wife, portrays
acharacter whose only interest seems
to be to provide him with babies, said Dan Jolin in Time Out.
Overall, this film is so clumsy and dull that it should be made
to get back in its kennel and stay there. “Bad dog.”The Art of Racing in the Rain ★★
Tear-jerker with Kevin Costner asadog Dir: Simon Curtis 1hr 49mins (PG)Blinded by the Lightis “a good-natured
and likable” movie, “machine-tooled to
an internationally accepted feel-good
standard”, said Peter Bradshaw in The
Guardian. Directed by Gurinder Chadha,
who gave usBend It Like Beckham,this is,
effectively,Sing It Like Springsteen.The
story is set in glum 1980s Luton, where,
somewhat incongruously, our 16-year-old
hero (Viveik Kalra) is inspired by Bruce
Springsteen’s songs of American blue-
collar stoicism to defy his conservative Pakistani-born father, and
pursue his dream of beingawriter.
Based onamemoir by the journalist Sarfraz Manzoor, this
comic fable makes fora“cheery, eager-to-please” jukebox
musical, said Tom Shone in The Sunday
Times. In the best scene, our shy
protagonist is inspired byaburst of
Springsteen’sProve It All Nightto kiss his
clever classmate. There’s also an amusing
cameo fromacomically bewigged Rob
Brydon. But, sadly, “around the one-hour
mark” it runs out of steam. And you’d
better beafan of Springsteen’s music, said
Nigel Andrews in the FT, “because you’ll
be battered by it”.
Even so, this isa“sprightly, upbeat, vibrant romp”, which hits
all the emotional buttons, said Ian Freer in Empire. Likeaclassic
pop song, the result can be corny and it certainly isn’t subtle–but
“you’d needahard heart to resist”.Blinded by the Light ★★★
Feel-good drama powered by Springsteen songs Dir: Gurinder Chadha 1hr 57mins (12A)“He’s finally done it. Quentin Tarantino
has made his masterpiece,” said Kevin
Maher in The Times. Even in 1994’s
reveredPulp Fiction,the narrative was
compromised by the director’s weakness
for pastiche and obscure references to
forgotten B-movies. The tendency has
worsened in recent offerings. Yet in his
latest film, Tarantino “swings his camera
round” to focus on Tinseltown itself,
thereby bringing story and style into
harmony. The result isablack comedy
thriller which is alsoacompelling love
letter to Hollywood, studded with
glittering star turns, moving moments
and droll humour. That’s not to say it’s
always easy to watch: the climax is shockingly violent. But the
writing is his most “assured” and “subtle” yet.The focus of this “massively fun shaggy-dog story” isahorrific
true-life event, said Dave Calhoun in Time Out–the brutal
Manson murders of August 1969, when drug-addled cult
members slaughtered the actress Sharon Tate and four of
her friends. Tarantino “retells the story on his own terms”,
approaching it obliquely from the viewpoint ofabuffoonish,
washed-up TV star and his laid-back former stunt double.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt excel in their respective roles.
DiCaprio in particular impresses asamerely “talented-ish”
actor, said Robbie Collin in The Daily Telegraph: he is
neurotically insecure, yet “delivers the goods, sometimesbrilliantly, when action’s called”.
Nevertheless, this “dazzling” film
“belongs” to Margot Robbie in the
smaller role of Tate, said Stephanie
Zacharek in Time. In one scene, she
pops intoacinema to watch one of
her own films, and gazes at herself in
“mystical” fascination, as if seeing “a
deer in the forest”–blissfully ignorant,
of course, of the grim fate awaiting her.“Pack patience with your popcorn,”
said Ian Freer in Empire.Once Upon a
Timeis beautifully shot and performed,
but it takes its time. It’s alsoa“less
showboat-y” Tarantino, with fewer
killer one-liners than usual. Nevertheless,Idefy anyone not to
respond to “the crazy bravura of Tarantino’s film-making”, said
Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian. The horror of the ending, in
which our two protagonists are caught up in the Manson clan’s
deranged plans, will strike some as tasteless–but that’s to “miss
the point of this bizarre Jacobean horror fantasy”. Tate’s sister
opposed the movie being made until she read the script; then she
gave it her approval, said George Simpson in the Daily Express.
Opinion will be divided as to whereOnce UponaTimestands in
theTarantinocanon, yetwithcameosfromthe like sofAlPacino
as aflamboyant agent and Damian Lewis asapitch-perfect Steve
McQueen, it’sadelight. And it goes without saying it will be a
hot contender at next year’s Oscars. “The Academy loves
nothing more thanamovie about its very own La La Land.”Once Upon aTime... in Hollywood ★★★★
Tarantino’s love letter to Tinseltown Dir: Quentin Tarantino 2hr 41mins (18)Brad Pitt excels in this “Jacobean horror fantasy”