Into this world of titans, steps Barry Levinson with The Alto Knights and frankly it’s all a bit of a mess. Some of the calamities come from concepts that don’t connect and storytelling that lacks that visceral edge. Concept-wise having Robert De Niro play the two main leads with only bad make-up to distinguish between the two doesn’t work at all. It also causes a bit of confusion as to who is whom.

Storytelling-wise, even though it is based on a true story and real people, it waters down the gangster life to be one filled with domestic bliss (and boredom) and detunes their barbaric behaviour to a glimmer of the true savagery they were capable of. It also portrays a number of them as bumbling fools, they were most certainly not. Pacing is also a problem as the films build to a climax that just never happens.

It takes a convergence of many mistakes to make a gangster film as uninteresting as The Alto Knights. There are however a few moments to saviour. If you are a fan of nineteen-fifties Detroit Iron there are some absolutely classic examples of that automotive art on display and there is a scene of gastronomic excess that will make you so hungry for Italian food, that you should see an early screening so the restaurants will be open on your way home.
Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/WarnerBrosAU/

His new film is another period piece (that makes three in a row) and plays out like a longhand love letter to his past. The Western is set almost exclusively in one room and is dialogue heavy to the extreme. That it works so effectively at it’s almost three hour running time is a testament to his skill with words and his utilization of the right mix of actors and actions. The violence is extreme in the few moments that it occurs and gives the film its rightfully earned R rating.

Tarantino’s films have always rewarded fans of the medium and the new work is rife with references to his earlier films (Red Apple anyone?) and nods to directors he appreciates (Alfred Hitchcock is first to spring to mind). He also revels is doing things his way, so I can’t see even a power couple like Bob and Harvey having the ability to pare back the extended running time.

Investing time in a QT film is always a safe bet because even if you don’t like his work, he creates film dialogue like no other. Discussing his films with your friends after the screening can be almost as much fun as the viewing itself, so sort yourself out after your mandatory trip to spend time with the Part 4 repeat and settle in for a generous treat of a film both time and content wise.

Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/roadshow

When the rumours of Tarantino tackling the Western genre first surfaced, what a hundred years ago, it provided a number of great movie conservationist’s topics. Could his make cowboys look and sound cool? Could he recharge careers and get superlative performances from his regulars? Could he make an increasingly jaded audience stand up and cheer? In almost all categories the answer is a resounding yes.

Few are unaware of the film’s basic synopsis after another nuanced series of trailers but suffice to say Tarantion molds both history and a take on slavery into a very modern tale. Jamie Foxx gets to become the ultra badass he always seemed capable of, Christoph Waltz continues to place focus on how criminally underrated actors from anywhere other than America actually are in big budget bonanzas and Leonardo DiCaprio chews up and spits out every line of his dialogue, which culminates in a ferociousness not seen from him in a long time.

Django is a long, wordy trip down the memory lane of one of modern cinema’s most iconoclastic auteur and it’s a joy to behold. One wonders where Tarantino will go next but rest assured we will have a long time to ponder it.

Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/SonyPicturesAUS

The characters that inhabit this world are somehow softer, less hyper cool, more down to earth and less criminal. For those expecting the histrionics that QT usually fires out, this time that intensity is set to slow burn. The film’s final reel is classic violence overkill (quite literally) and will satiate those with a taste for the big red.

Most of the salacious appeal of the film is its connection to Charles Mason and his disciples and while they play a part, they are not the central theme. That belongs to the world of Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), an old school television actor speeding towards his use by date and his stunt-double buddy, Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt). It’s the relationship between these two old warhorses that really drives the story.

Some may feel that Once Upon A Time … In Hollywood might be too soft or not hip enough but nine films into his career (not counting the numerous guest spots) it’s fitting that Tarantino would want to do something a little different. When and if he indeed retires after ten, this work will make a fine addition to the canon. In the now, it’s still unlike anyone else’s work and should be seen and enjoyed.

Rob Hudson
www.facebook.com/SonyPicturesAUS

In the 6th film by Quentin Tarantino, Shosanna Dreyfus (Melanie Laurent) witnesses the execution of her family at the hand of Nazi Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) in the first year of the German occupation of France. Shosanna flees to Paris, where she forges a new identity as the owner and operator of a cinema.

Elsewhere in Europe, Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) leads a group of Jewish American soldiers on a campaign of terror against the Nazis. Raine’s squad joins German actress Bridget Von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) and undercover British agent Archie Hilcox (Michael Fassbender) on a mission to take down Hitler himself. Fates converge under a cinema marquee, where Shosanna is poised to carry out a revenge plan of her own…

Bursting with “action, hair-trigger suspense and a machine-gun spray of killer dialogue” (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone), Inglourious Basterds is “another Tarantino masterpiece”.

Inglourious Basterds – 10th Anniversary Screenings
9 – 10 August 2019
Dendy Coorparoo and Dendy Portside
www.dendy.com.au

The ninth film from the writer-director Quentin Tarantino features a large ensemble cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie and multiple storylines in a tribute to the final moments of Hollywood’s golden age.

Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood is in Australian cinemas August 15!
www.facebook.com/SonyPicturesAUS

The ninth film from the writer-director features a large ensemble cast and multiple storylines in a tribute to the final moments of Hollywood’s golden age.

Written and Directed by Quentin Tarantino, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood is in Australian cinemas August 15.

www.facebook.com/SonyPicturesAUS

Written by the co-creator of the international comedy sensation The Naked Magicians, Brisbane’s own Christopher Wayne, the national premiere season of Two Man Tarantino in Brisbane promises to be an hilarious and nostalgic theatrical experience for anyone who ever stepped inside a video store. And for anyone who loves a good Quentin Tarantino epic!

So, what’s it all about??
Two people. One video store. Every cult classic.
Set in a video store on the last night of video stores, one staff member and one customer have a crazy idea: in one hilarious hour, re-create the entire Quentin Tarantino filmography in the most creative ways – from Reservoir Dogs to The Hateful Eight, and everything in between.
Every item is a prop, every audience member is a cast member, and every film is covered!

Two Man Tarantino makes its national debut at the Brisbane Powerhouse from November 29 to December 2 as part of the Wonderland Festival, and Wayne promises one hell of a ride! “The show recreates every Quentin Tarantino film in 60 minutes, it’s set in a video store on the final day for video stores and stars an ALL Brisbane cast and creative team including Emily Kristopher as “The Customer”, Stephen Hirst as “The Employee” and we are thrilled to have one of the best stage-storytellers in country in Maureen Bowra directing,” said Wayne.

Wayne said Tarantino was a modern genius. “Once described as a video store punk with an overly voracious appetite for pop culture, he is now acknowledged as one of the most exciting film makers in the world, with an incredible wit and mastery over the black noir genre, character development and storytelling, backed by killer soundtracks and serious twists. He creates gobsmacking content, and that’s why Two Man Tarantino was created – to pay homage to the master – while also lamenting the day that video stores died.”

“The show is also my love letter to the relationship that we all had with video stores.  Trying to pick the right movie, the snacks, ringing up ahead to find out if the movie you want was there… all of those memories are special, and this show brings that experience back to life.”

Of the two-person cast Wayne said it may be the last time Brisbane audiences had to see them live and on stage before they launched into the stage stratosphere with their careers.  “Emily is a comedy actress from Brisbane, who won the RAW stand-up comedy contest in 2016 at her very first time doing stand-up comedy! Stephen is an exceptionally talented Brisbane based actor who starred alongside John English in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.”

“I decided to launch this show at the Brisbane Powerhouse because it was this venue that supported The Naked Magicians when we originally had that spark of an idea. The Naked Magicians has since played in 300 cities around the world, including a run on London’s West End – something we are incredibly proud of. My success as a performer and producer came from The Naked Magicians – and that all began at the Brisbane Powerhouse.  I’m so thankful to be able to come back to where it all began and launch a new show with some of Brisbane’s best talent.”

Two Man Tarantino
November 29 to December 2
Visy Theatre, Brisbane Powerhouse
Part of the 2018 Wonderland Festival
www.brisbanepowerhouse.org

An assassin is shot at the altar by her ruthless employer, Bill and other members of their assassination circle – but ‘The Bride’ lives to plot her vengeance. Setting out for some payback, she makes a death list and hunts down those who wronged her, saving Bill for last.

“Tarantino empowers women as no action-genre director before him ever has.” – New York Observer

“Strange, fun and densely textured work that gets better as it goes.” – Variety

“Brings delicious sin back to movies — the thrill you get from something down, dirty and dangerous.” – Rolling Stone

Kill Bill Double Feature
Dendy Coorparoo (also showing at Canberra and Newtown)
Monday March 26 2018 at 6.30pm
www.dendy.com.au

When the rumours of Tarantino tackling the Western genre first surfaced, what a hundred years ago, it provided a number of great movie conservationist’s topics. Could his make cowboys look and sound cool? Could he recharge careers and get superlative performances from his regulars? Could he make an increasingly jaded audience stand up and cheer? In almost all categories the answer is a resounding yes.

Few are unaware of the film’s basic synopsis after another nuanced series of trailers but suffice to say Tarantion molds both history and a take on slavery into a very modern tale. Jamie Foxx gets to become the ultra badass he always seemed capable of, Christoph Waltz continues to place focus on how criminally underrated actors from anywhere other than America actually are in big budget bonanzas and Leonardo DiCaprio chews up and spits out every line of his dialogue, which culminates in a ferociousness not seen from him in a long time.

Django is a long, wordy trip down the memory lane of one of modern cinema’s most iconoclastic auteur and it’s a joy to behold. One wonders where Tarantino will go next but rest assured we will have a long time to ponder it.

Rob Hudson
www.unchainedmovie.com