Cinemacon — which is apparently when journalists come out to help pump the product — is rolling out now. The headline should be “movies, now more than ever.” Tarantino and Leonardo DiCaprio were in the house to hype their upcoming Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, as the LA Times’ Amy Kaufman reports.
The film, which hasn’t yet begun filming, will take place in 1969, the end of the 60s and the counter-culture movement. Kind of like right now! The 70s were the lubricant that would help take culture from the era of social justice towards the era of Reagan where profit mattered over everything else. It’s a fascinating time. It’s said that the Manson murders ended the 60s as most knew them. How could they not. DiCaprio will be starring alongside Brad Pitt.
“It takes place at the time of the hippie revolution and it takes place at the height of the new Hollywood, during this summer, we will little by little, street by street and block by block, be transforming Los Angeles into the psychedelic era in 1969.”
Tarantino, like so many others in Hollywood, couldn’t leave without a rallying cry for those ready to go to war with the future:
“I love movies!” he screamed. “And I love movies in movie theaters!”
If by “future” you mean the death of Cinéma then I would gladly go to war with such a dreadful fate.
Can’t wait to see it. In a theater. Because it will play by me in one. Everyone doesn’t get their films distributed like Tarantinos and Spielbergs. But then again it’s not like the Academy thinks Tarantino is a great director or they’d have given him a directing Oscar by now. I’m starting to get confused about what this theaters vs at home thing is about.
The media has already circulated hit pieces against this film. There is already an orchestrated smear campaign and unfair backlash. Suddenly, people are acting like it is offensive for films to have any violence or be about real life events or crimes or tragedies. I hope this bandwagon mentality does not destroy the film and some critics will be fair. The film should be judged and based on its quality or merits rather than it being wrongly targeted with a misplaced agenda.