Southern Bookman

Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood" a fractured fairy tale

Like many others, I went searching for the shards of my youth in Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood."

I wasn't alone: "Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood" generated a national box office of $40 million, Tarantino's best opening weekend ever. Only Disney's  recycled"The Lion King" did better.

Tarantino packs a barrage of cultural and historical references in his flashback to 1969 Los Angeles. Old TV and movie Westerns. Hopalong Cassidy coffee mugs and childhood lunch boxes. Kid Colt comics. Sharon Tate. Charles Manson. Steve McQueen.  Roman Polanksi. James Farentino. White miniskirts and go-go boots. Dean Martin as Matt Helm.

The film also evokes a film released in 1969 a month before Sharon Tate and several house guests were murdered in Tate and Polanski's Los Angeles home by members of the Manson cult.

Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper's "Easy Rider," which made Jack Nicholson a star, opened in July 1969, presenting a brutal vision of violence against a benevolent hippie culture.

In contrast, Tarantino in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" views hippie culture as malign. Echoing vintage Clint Eastwood movies, the film justifies violence against the counterculture.

But Tarantino's movie also shares "Easy Rider's" spirit of disappearing freedom. His main characters, like the questing motorcycle knights payed by Hopper, Fonda and Nicholson, embark upon a quest for the lost American dream.

Leonardo DiCaprio as a fading TV western star and Brad Pitt as his hard-luck body double represent the end of the cowboy lifestyle. Once the star of a popular TV Western similar to  McQueen's "Wanted, Dead or Alive," DiCaprio's Rick Dalton scrounges for guest roles playing the villain in TV Westerns, reaching the end of their heyday.

Pitt's Cliff Booth is the classic movie anti-hero, following his own code of honor while violating the norms of society.Pitt turns into the true western hero that Dalton can only portray on TV. In the end, Dalton revives himself through acts of violence. The movie exults in the irony that two of Hollywood's last box office attractions play characters on the movie industry's margins.

The film touches upon other themes: the end of the American frontier, the art of acting, the resonance of popular music. As in Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe novels and countless other books, movies and TV shows, Los Angeles' vintage restaurants, freeways and architectural oddities are like temples of a pagan god. 

Margot Robbie gives a memorable portrait of a sensuous, childlike Sharon Tate. Tarantino has been criticized for not giving her enough lines of dialogue, but he is a master of film as a visual medium. Robbie expresses her character fully through gestures, facial expressions and changes in her walk. Her relatively few lines of speech carry weight.

The film's montage of disjointed vignettes sink into incoherence after the thrilling start, but Tarantino keeps putting his magic bus back on the highway. The controversial ending's excessive violence doesn't overcome a shortfall of suspense.

Not matching the promise of its opening, the film is a valiant near miss. Tarantino succeeds in giving old movie fans a glimpse of the provocative, edgy, imaginative movies made Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

 

 

After Home Run Derby, on to All-Star Game

Like other curmudgeon baseball traditionalists, I'm supposed to loathe the home run derby. I confess that I found the event entertaining Monday night.

Watching Vladimir Guerrero Jr. crush home runs like a kid playing with a wiffle ball in the back yard was fun. So was Atlanta favorite Ronald Acuna Jr. swatting dingers to all fields. Sweet to see Braves manager Brian Snitker congratulate his young star on his thrilling performance.

Joc Pederson's interactions with his brother Champ were touching, as was the Paul Bunyan perseverance of the Mets' Pete Alonso, the eventual winner.

Now, the All-Star game, an anachronism in today's sports environment. I never watch the entire All-Star Game anymore, but my heart always stirs when the teams are announced at the start of the game and line up on the baselines.

When I was a kid, players like Willie Mays, Henry Aaron and Mickey Mantle tipped their hats to the crowd. The lineups changed, generation by generation. Over the years, I've witnessed the baseball life cycle spin out over and over.

Although the game's popularity has plummeted, it has a new infusion of young talent. Tonight, kids like Acuna and Alonso will take the field with established stars like Christian Yelich, Freddie Freeman and Mike Trout. Players heading toward the end of their careers, like American League starter Justin Verlander, and Clayton Kershaw, will also appear.

The All-Star game has fewer older players these days. Hunter Pence would have been the type, but he's injured, replaced by the Red Sox' s Xander Bogaerts.

Too bad guys like the Braves' Brian McCann aren't having good enough years to be playing. I'd like to see a few more veterans, along with the youngsters. The baseball life cycle is turning faster these days.

 

 

Robinson Crusoe at 300 years

Robinson Crusoe, one of the defining books of English culture, was first published on April 25, 1719.

Daniel Defoe's ground-breaking novel was presented as the autobiography of Crusoe, a middle-class Englishman marooned on a remote island near Trinidad for 28 years.

The first edition's title page is itself a classic, giving an entertaining glimpse of 18th century London's publishing culture. The title and extensive subtitles, appearing next to a woodcut of Crusoe in animal skins, read:

The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner: Who Lived Eight and Twenty Years, All Alone in an Un-inhabited Island on the Coast of America, Near the Mouth of the Great River of Oroonoque; Having Been Cast on Shore by Shipwreck, Wherein All the Men Perished but Himself. With an Account how he was at last as Strangely Deliver’d by Pyrates.

After a series of adventures at sea, Crusoe is marooned after a shipwreck on what he calls "the island of despair." With a few tools salvaged from the ship,  including guns, Crusoe teaches himself to build a shelter, make clothes and hunt for food.

One day, he discovers a footprint in the sand. It turns out that a group of cannibals keep prisoners on the island for eating. Crusoe saves one of the prisoners, a black man he calls Friday, after the day of the week they first encounter each other.

The book has been seen as expressing British imperialism, colonialism, exploitation of indigenous people, Puritan work ethic, inventiveness, scientific curiosity, wanderlust and literary genius. Reading a Bible salvaged from the ship, his only book, Crusoe turns into a religious believer who sees his salvation as god's providence.

With all of his English righteousness, Crusoe still comes to not condemning the savages for their cannibalism. He reasons that the practice is not immoral if not considered evil by their beliefs.

Through the years, Robinson Crusoe has inspired many imitations, making up a separate genre called Robinsonades. An abridged version was a popular children's book when I was a boy. In those days, Robinson Crusoe was one of the classics still read by middle-class students.

The Robinson Crusoe story lived on in books like "The Swiss Family Robinson," made into a popular Disney film. Crusoe and Friday were also staples of cartoons and comic books. Plot elements were recycled in TV shows like "Lost in Space."

Although Robinson Crusoe continues to inspire books, poetry, films, plays and TV shows, the book is no longer taught in British schools, according to a recent Times Literary Supplement article. The book with its archaic language is difficult to read, and its themes now look oppressive.

Yet the story of a man shipwrecked on an island and using his wits to survive still registers in the human imagination.

 

Goodbye, Kevin Durant, we hardly knew ye

Why did Kevin Durant play Monday night?

After missing several games with a "strained calf," the Golden State Warriors star took the court in Toronto for the fifth game of the NBA finals. During his absence, the defending champion Warriors had fallen behind the Raptors three games to one.

After a promising first quarter, Durant's right leg again crumpled, not from a leap or a fast break, but a delicate feint and dribbling maneuver. As feared, Durant suffered a torn Achilles tendon, a career-threatening injury.

Without their sharp-shooting star, the Warriors eked out a 106-105 win over the Raptors to head back to Oakland for another game in ancient Oracle Arena, to be abandoned next year for a gilded palace in San Francisco. As the news of Durant's injury spread, the Warriors' mood turned mournful rather than joyous.

Before the game, mystery had shrouded Durant's not playing as the Warriors fell behind the Raptors and their splendid Kawhi Leonard.

Durant didn't sit on the team bench during games, remaining in the locker room. The media and fans expressed doubts about Durant's injury, questioning his courage. Even the sports media veteran Tony Kornheiser joined in, using the regrettable "Phantom of the Opera" tag on his  "Pardon the Interruption" show.

The media-sensitive Durant likely heard the criticism before deciding to play. The Warriors' medical staff and management apparently pushed him into taking the court. The Warriors' Klay Thompson, DeMarcus Cousins and Kevon Looney had returned to competition after being sidelined by injuries.

Cousins, who had come back from an Achilles injury similar to Durant's and then a thigh injury, appeared particularly upset by Durant's loss.

Toronto's increasingly boorish fans initially applauded when Durant left the court. Raptors guard Kyle Lowry, who kept a cool head earlier in the series when pushed by an idiot Warriors fan seated courtside in Oakland, quieted the fans, who then gave their support to the crippled foe.

Once again, sports echoes the society at large. Durant makes millions a year, but now looks like another exploited worker. The Warriors' lack of transparency added to the media pressure for Durant to play, even if he wasn't ready. 

One of the most fragile looking of sports stars, Durant felt compelled to carry out masculine expectations of courage and performance. The specter of white fans taking pleasure at a black player's injury presented a disturbing image.

The Warriors' Steph Curry and the Raptors' Lowry and Serge Ibaka displayed grace. These days, that seems rarer and rarer.

 

 

 

Those who served at D-Day

D-Day's 75th anniversary brings a gallery of stories.

Most who served and died in the Normandy invasion of June 6, 1944 remain unknown heroes.

Those who survived to remember make up a distinguished gallery.

Some were already famous: Henry Fonda. Atlanta golfer Robert Tyre "Bobby" Jones, at age 44 one of the oldest men who served on that long and violent day.

New Yorker writer A.J. Liebling gave the magazine's readers a three-part account of the invasion. The United Press's Walter Cronkite landed in a glider behind German lines with the 101st Airborne. Later, he joined Edward R. Morrow's CBS News. Robert Capa took famous photos of the invasion's early moments.

Some found fame after the war. Soldier J.D. Salinger carried parts of "The Catcher in the Rye" in his backpack when he hit the beach. He later joined Liebling in the club of famous New Yorker writers.

Lawrence Ferlinghetti's experience made him a pacifist poet and publisher. He recently celebrated his 100th birthday.

Andy Rooney joined Cronkite at CBS News and delivered acerbic commentaries for "60 Minutes."  Charles Durning, David Niven and Alec Guinness went on to stellar acting careers.

Larry "Yogi" Berra led the New York Yankees to 10 World Series championships.

All remembered D-Day as the most memorable experience of their lives.

 

In praise of DeMarcus Cousins

I'm rooting for DeMarcus Cousins and the Golden State Warriors.

Before Cousins came to the New Orleans Pelicans a couple of years ago, I knew little about him other than that he was a troubled player for the Sacramento Kings, known for feuding with coaches, drawing technical fouls, and jostling with opposing players. I didn't remember that he'd played a year for John Calipieri's hated Kentucky Wildcats.

But Cousins was a model player for the Pelicans, complementing Anthony Davis and sparking the bedraggled team toward the playoffs.

I found myself upset when Cousins' season ended with a horrible ankle injury, received as he was running down court. I saw the injury as a tragic reminder of the fragility of athletic glory.

Cousins underwent months of grueling rehabilition, and some thought he'd never play again. The Pels refused to re-sign him. But then, showing why they have won so many championships, the Warriors signed the big center, who can rumble inside and shoot three pointers. He joined the Warriors in midseason this year, and played well until suffering yet another injury in the first game of the playoffs.

I was happy for the man known as Boogie when he played a few moments in the Warriors' loss to the Toronto Raptors in the first game of the NBA finals. Looking at how the splendid splinter Pascal Saikam had torched the Warriors inside, I thought, man, I need to get in touch with Steve Kerr and tell him to put Cousins in the starting lineup. I thought the former all-star and Olympian would give the Warriors a shot of adrenaline to overcome the continued absence of Kevin Durant.

Great minds think alike, as they say. Kerr put Cousins in the starting lineup Sunday, and he came through with a masterful performance, reminiscent of Bill Walton's Portland days, to lead the Warriors to a second-game victory. With 11 points and 10 rebounds, Cousins also channeled Walton as a high-post passer, dishing out six assists.

Although commentator Mark Jackson kept muttering something about Cousins' defensive liabilities on the "pick and roll,", he helped Draymond Green stiflle Siakam, and kept pulling down rebounds against the rugged offensive board king Kawhi Leonard.

When the refs called a technical foul and the camera alighted on Cousins, I said oh, no, he's reverting to his old ways. No worries. The foul was called on the ailing Steph Curry for throwing the ball up into the air for some reason.

Like the wise old veterans the New York Yankees used to pick up back in the day, Cousins now displays a calm maturity, although he's only 28 years old.

Fine Raptors coach Nick Nurse only used eight players, while Kerr reached deep into his bench, receiving strong contributions from the burly Andrew Bogut and World B Free incarnation Quin Cook.

Old pro Andre Iguodala, his legs aching, hit a late three pointer to secure the Warriors win after Nurse had done something unprecedented: Use the old box-and-1 in the NBA.

Jeff Van Gundy was aghast at the zone defense. Van Gundy also castigated Iguodala for shooting the wide open shot. Easy to see why Jackson and Van Gundy are no longer coaching in the NBA.

I really don't like pulling for the Warriors. The Raptors look like a nice enough team, displaying Cleveland's community spirit from the LeBron glory days. The Warriors are leaving blue-collar, blues-guitar Oakland, which supported them through many bad years, for a new palace in San Francisco that will cater to Silicon Valley billionaires.

But because of DeMarcus Cousins, I'll pull for the Warriors to win yet another championship.

 

From "Game of Thrones" to "Game of Barstools": David Lynch revisits "Deadwood" in HBO film

After the fraught finale of "Game of Thrones," some of us are looking forward to the next HBO event, the "Deadwood" movie.

The May 31 film won't set off a cultural earthquake like "GOT," but it likely will generate debate among its small but passionate fan base.

David Milch's Western about the late 19th century gold mining town was abruptly ended in 2006 after three seasons. HBO promised a concluding two-part movie, but it never materialized. Then HBO announced a couple of years ago that it would produce a film showing "Deadwood's" characters 10 years after the show's last episode.

Milch finished the script while suffering from early stages of Alzheimer's disease, as detailed in an article by New Yorker writer Mark Singer in the magazine's current issue. While his mental and physical faculties decline, Milch continues to write each day with the help of various assistants. Singer also profiled Milch when "Deadwood" was first shown on HBO.

Singer doesn't give an assessment of the movie itself. The original show was known for the characters' profane but eloquent dialogue.

That touched off a debate whether people in the old West really cursed as they did on the show. Milch claimed that he did research that showed that words like "cocksucker" and "fuck" were commonly used in 19th century South Dakota. It'll be interesting to see whether Milch's film dialogue matches the show's brilliance.

As Singer notes, Milch studied with Robert Penn Warren at Yale, and compiled an American literature anthology with Warren and Cleanth Brooks. Milch also received an MFA at the famed Iowa Writing Workshop, then brought his literary training to TV writing, first on Steve Bochco's "Hill Street Blues." Then he and Bochco created the innovative "NYPD Blue" and "L.A. Law."

Many of "Deadwood's" original sets were found for the making of the movie, and others had to be rebuilt. Previews show familiar characters looking much older, although Ian McShane's Al Swearengen appears about the same. A couple of actors have died since the original series ended, most prominently Powers Boothe as Swearengen's saloon-owner rival. Boothe was last seen in the ABC show "Nashville."

Since the show's demise, cast members have enjoyed busy careers. McShane is the lead in Starz's "American Gods," appears in the "John Wick" films and had a brief role in "Game of Thrones."

Tim Olyphant, who'll return as Sheriff Seth Bullock, starred in FX's "Justified" and has appeared in several movies.

After playing the kindly dcctor who delivered two of the children on NBC's hit weeper "This Is Us," Gerald McRaney returns to "Deadwood" as mining magnate and Senatorial candidate George Hearst.

Also back in "Deadwood" are Molly Parker, Kim Dickens ("Treme" and "Friday Night Lights"), Robin Weigert and Paula Malcomson as the good-hearted prostitute Trixie.

The wonderful John Hawkes, memorable in several independent films, also returns, as does Anna Gunn, who after playing Bullock's estranged wife in "Deadwood" stirred fan hostility as Walter White's estranged wife, Skylar, in "Breaking Bad."

And then there are "Deadwood's"  great character actors like Brad Dourif, W. Earl Brown and Willliam Sanderson.

"Deadwood" fans hope the movie delivers a more satisfying conclusion than the final episodes of "Game of Thrones," which spurred a million angry fans to petition for a rewrite. Perhaps Al's fate will be happier than the Dragon Queen's.

 

 

The PGA springs forward with move to May

Basketballs are bouncing, bouncing, bouncing on the rim. Pucks are flying down the ice, and baseball fans still wearing winter coats to the ballpark.

And for the first time since 1949, the PGA golf tournament is being played in May, not August.

After years unfolding in brutal summer heat, the lesser of golf's four majors begins its new springtime schedule Thursday at Long Island's Bethpage Black, the tough municipal course where two U.S. Opens have been held. With cool weather rather than the traditional sweat-fest, the tournament will seem more like the British Open.

The PGA and TV carrier CBS believe the move will boost the tournament's standing. Or perhaps announcer Jim Nance wanted a longer vacation before calling NFL games. That transition from Nick Faldo to Tony Romo can be jarring without a sojourn on the beach.

While the move means the PGA won't compete with the always popular NFL exhibition games, the tournament still will have to contend with the NBA and NHL playoffs and Major League baseball games.

With no spring and early summer sports offerings after the Masters and NCAA basketball tournament, CBS saw the PGA move as a profitable entry into the season's sports market. Even preseason football rules the sports world, and as a major football broadcaster, CBS wanted to move away from late summer golf.

CBS hopes that Tiger Woods follows his comeback win in the Masters with a strong PGA performance. If Woods is in contention for a second straight majors victory, ratings will soar. In his prime, Woods won a U.S. Open at Bethpage Black.

The Long Island venue marks a historic return for the tournament, as The New York Times noted in a compelling feature Wednesday. Running photos of old-time champions Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen and Tommy Armour, the newspaper noted that the tournament was first played in the early 20th century on Long Island courses. Those were some of America's first exclusive country clubs, unlike the public Bethpage Black.

The PGA's old August arrival marked the end of the season, the coming of autumn. Now the tournament will be the second step of a truncated majors season. With the Masters in April, the PGA in May, the U.S. Open in June and the British Open in July, winning the grand slam looks even more challenging.

 

 

Farewell, Doris Day

Were Doris Day and Marilyn Monroe really so different?

Day, who died Monday at age 97, presented a wholesome, virginal image that contrasted with Monroe's smoldering sexuality, according to The New York Times' front-page obituary.

Times film critic A.O. Scott gave a shrewder assessment of Day's movie persona in the essay, "Hip Sex Goddess Disguised as the Girl Next Door." An accompanying photo shows Day in "Pillow Talk," sitting on the side of a bed wearing a slip and showing off her million-dollar legs. As Scott pointed out, Day in another movie with Rock Hudson sang a swinging number with an all-black group.

Monroe played the girl next door disguised as the hip sex goddess. Day and Monroe could have been sisters, Monroe wilder, Day the studious one who might binge on drinks during a crazy date.

Like Day, Monroe rose from meager beginnings. Both showed their greatest acting in conforming to manufactured personal lives. Both of their images were defined by made-up alliterative names.

The photo with the Times obituary shows Day with Hudson, whose gay sexuality the studios hid. Day wears elbow-length white gloves and a seductive white dress, as sultry and unapproachable as Monroe.

We could never imagine the Kennedy brothers having affairs with Day, but we could imagine Day dazzling JFK with a rendition of "Happy Birthday."

Monroe died young, a victim of drugs, her last movie made with Clark Gable, who also played the older man in a film with Day. Day lived for years in retirement, like Donna Reed rendered sexless and matronly by TV.

But before Hollywood created Day's virginal image, she was a dazzling sex star, bringing the movies a new type of independent woman, not as ethereal and purely sensual as the 1930s'  Jean Harlow. Day was the model for the blond Hollywood stars who followed, who displayed different aspects of her persona.

The 1950s and 1960s blondes appear on a spectrum of glamour, sexual promise, all-American fun and unattainability. Grace Kelly. Kim Novak. Jayne Mansfield, Doris Day.

The kaleidoscope shifts to Faye Dunaway and Jane Fonda. But they were not that far removed from Day. Fonda's Barbarella and Dunaway's Bonnie Barrow kept a touch of innocence.

The movie "Young at Heart" with Frank Sinatra, Gig Young, Ethel Barrymore and Dorothy Malone revealed Day's greatness as an actress. I never cared much for her work with Hudson, but Day gave an Oscar-worthy performance as the life-affirming young woman perplexed and attracted by the cynical loser played by Sinatra.

Day was also one of the last links to the great World War II generation of singers who could unite the nation with a song like "Sentimental Journey," recorded with Les Brown and His Band of Renown. As a 1940s pop star, Day was the female incarnation of Sinatra.

Her postwar recordings of classics such as "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" and "It's Been a Long, Long Time" display flawless diction and phrasing. While the productions are over-orchestrated with lush strings and background singers, she raises them to the highest artistic level. Her vocal inflections explore the lyrics' full emotional register.

Day's "Que Sera Sera" was one of the last 1940s-'50s style of pop songs that became a hit in the heady days of rock and teen angst. Again, she overcomes the sickly sweet arrangement, her expressive singing bringing out the timeless truth in the simple lyrics.

The countercultural era that pushed Day into retirement produced Peggy Lipton, who died just before Day. Lipton presented a different kind of TV blonde on "Mod Squad," young and hip, and eager to hook up, or so we imagined.

But she too, like all of the Hollywood blondes, had to retain an element of the girl next door.

 

White walkers, assassins, Rockets and Warriors, oh my.....

Thoughts while recovering from "Game of Thrones" eye strain:

With the sad demise of the beautiful and stalwart Lyanna Mormont, Daenerys and Jon Snow should recruit that crazy karate girl from "Barry." The kid who bloodied Barry and Fuchs would make a lethal team with Arya Stark.

Following the Houston Rockets, the White Walkers are complaining to the NBA that not enough fouls were called against the Winterfell team.

After all the buildup, Winter Is Coming turns into a few ice cubes?

Who's the biggest flopper, James Harden or the Night King?

Disappointing that after receiving her knighthood the episode before, Brienne of Tarth didn't receive a closeup moment of heroism slaying a wight or two.

Really, Tyrion? As the Long Night raged, you're spooning in the crypt with Sansa?

If Sansa didn't know what end of the dagger to use, I suppose it's too much to ask her to ride a dragon or battle zombies. Sansa's reverting back to helpless female was another of the Long Night's wrenching off notes. Daenerys' heroism, more effective than Jon Snow's, makes her the favorite to take the throne. (Except Cersei saved her army).

What's with Jon Snow cowering beneath the blue ice dragon? Couldn't Snow have stabbed the icy beast with his sword?

Note to Theon: Yes, you redeemed yourself, as Bran noted. But never run straight ahead with the spear. Even Barry knows better than that.

Jorah, another memorable secondary character, also will be remembered for his heroic final moments. But I thought Sam had given him the sword that kills wights.

As a Deadspin pointed out, Cersei was smart not to send her army to Winterfell. Now, the Lannister lass will be the No. 1 seed for the Game of Thrones Final Four. But you've got to like those flame-spitting dragons.

Who had the best clinching shot, Steph Curry or Arya Stark?

I kept expecting Varys to go "wooo, woo, woo," like the Three Stooges' Curly.

Who got the most boos, Roger Goodell at the NFL draft or the Night King?

"Godfather" fans remembering the death of Moe Green weren't shocked that the Giant got it in the eye.

Melisandre would be good to have around when you have a tough time lighting the grill at the barbecue.

I can see the commercial: When Melisandre lights the Dothraki's swords, they turn and say, "but we asked for a Bud Light."