Maestro (2023)
Director: Bradley Cooper
Screenwriter: Bradley Cooper, Josh Singer
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Carey Mulligan, Matt Bomer, Maya Hawke, Sarah Silverman, Sam Nivola

When On the Waterfront opened in 1954, its score gained just as much critical praise as any other element of the film – which isn’t a light feat considering it won eight Oscars. Amazingly, it would remain Leonard Bernstein’s only contribution to cinema. At least, his only contribution that was intended to be part of a film – the music he composed for West Side Story is probably some of his most iconic work, but it was composed for the stage rather than for the screen. For a character as big as Bernstein with a mark on American culture of similar stature, it’s amazing to think that it has taken this long for his second mark on cinema to be made.

Bradley Cooper writes, directs, and stars in Maestro as the man himself. Cooper’s belief in his own ability to multitask is clearly quite strong, and its strength is only matched by his ambition to make a film that spans a life as long and as rich as Bernstein’s. We meet him as an old man who has already done it all, and then we take a step back into his mid-twenties in the early 1940s.

Maestro is a rare case in which style becomes substance. Bradley Cooper’s performance as Bernstein changes to fit each historical era that the film visits – he is more stagey and theatrical in the 40s, and looser and, seemingly, more improvisational in the 70s. It’s not only Cooper’s performance that changes – the cinematography changes to suit the era it’s portraying in more ways than just the use of black and white footage for the older sequences.

As Bernstein himself ages with constantly shifting makeup and facial prosthetics, the look and feel of the world around him informs us as to when it is all taking place by becoming a part of the era it’s portraying. When it’s showing us something from the 40s, it could easily be dropped into a Charlie Chaplin film, whereas the shots that take place in the 70s could be mistaken for Deliverance. In the few glimpses we get into the 80s, it has the atmosphere of a cheesy Miami-set disposable action movie.

The only aspect that isn’t changing and reinventing itself throughout is Felicia, Bernstein’s wife portrayed by Carey Mulligan. Mulligan’s performance is in such stark contrast to Cooper’s that it accentuates both of their characters – Felicia is caring and stable while Leonard is passionate and erratic. They aren’t compatible as lovers, but they share a warmth towards each other that neither takes for granted.

Bernstein is such a flawed character that, if it wasn’t for Felicia’s stability beside him, it would be hard to empathise with why he makes such chaotic life choices at every available opportunity. Maestro never advocates for those choices or attempts to put Bernstein in a light that he isn’t worthy of – it’s as critical of him as it needs to be – but seeing how quickly his personality and his life can change does go some way to creating some relatability for how he could become so self-destructive. A kind light is encouraged by the wealth of context that we’re afforded.

Of course, Maestro isn’t breaking new ground in telling quite a personal story in contrast to an otherwise well-crafted public image. Tár even beat it to be the first one about a conductor to be released in the 2020s. The best comparison for Maestro, however, is probably in something it’s the opposite of, The Greatest Showman. They’re both films about Americans who broke new ground in their respective eras – the former as the first American to lead a symphony orchestra and the latter as the American (P. T. Barnum) who popularised the circus. What makes Maestro and The Greatest Showman so different, though, is that Maestro never attempts to glorify its subject under the pretence that his achievements should outweigh his character. It celebrates his art while retaining the integrity of his flaws.

What it all amounts to is a biopic that is long overdue but served well by its existence now that it is finally here. Bradley Cooper has managed to make Maestro a thoughtful depiction of Leonard Bernstein’s life and character, but also of the world that shaped him and the people who were around him for it all.

Score: 17/24

Written by Rob Jones

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THR – 25th Nov 2019

A sequel to Downton Abbey (2019) is in the works according to show and film producer Gareth Neame who said “we’re working on what the story is, and when we might be able to make it. But it’s the same as the first time around: We have to try to get everyone back together again. And that was very challenging”. The 2019 adaptation of the popular ITV television show grossed approximately $180million from a budget of under $20million, making it a runaway box office hit.

THR – 26th Nov 2019

A remake of The Fugitive is currently being planned at Warner Bros. with Albert Hughes (Alpha) of The Hughes Brothers (The Book of Eli) set to direct.

Deadline – 26th Nov 2019

Universal and Blumhouse are setting up a spin-off to their upcoming The Invisible Man movie with The Invisible Woman, and have hired Charlie’s Angels and Pitch Perfect 2 director Elizabeth Banks to fulfil the roles of director and star.

THR – 26th Nov 2019

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle actor Rhys Darby is set to re-team with director Taika Waititi following their collaborations on What We Do In the Shadows and Hunt for the Wilderpeople for Waititi’s latest film Next Goal Wins. More on that film here.

Deadline – 25th Nov 2019

Despite Man of Steel star Henry Cavill last week moving to confirm that he is still Warner Bros’ iconic superhero Superman, reports have surfaced that the studio have met with filmmaker J.J. Abrams and Black Panther star Michael B. Jordan about resurrecting the franchise under new guidance, though the same report suggests that any such a project is at this stage unlikely.

Variety – 26th Nov 2019

Maya Hawke, Charlie Plummer and Andrea Riseborough have signed on to star in upcoming Amanda Kramer period drama Please Baby Please which is currently being handled by Paris Film Inc. and CAA Media Finance.

THR – 25th Nov 2019

Upcoming Warner Bros. monster sequel Godzilla Vs. Kong has had its release date pushed back from March 2020 to November 2020, the film set to be directed by Death Note director Adam Wingard now set for a 20th November 2020 release.

Empire – 26th Nov 2019

Edinburgh International Film Festival artistic director Mark Adams has stepped down from his role after five years. Rod White, the director of programming for EIFF’s parent charity CMI is set to fulfil his duties ahead of the 2020 festival set to take place 17th-28th June.

EIFF – 29th Nov 2019

Vue Cinemas and Showcase pulled new release Blue Story from being exhibited at their venues following a Machete attack by a group of young people at one of their cinemas, causing controversy when it was revealed that the children involved had bought tickets for Frozen II instead. Each company has since announced that they’ll be reinstating the films at their venues following an online backlash.

Empire – 25th Nov 2019

Frozen II broke records in its first weekend at the Box Office, landing the top spot in almost every territory and being the world number one. Full box office report here.

New Star Wars film The Rise of Skywalker is set to get a day-and-date release in China, marking a first for the franchise as well as Disney’s intention to make its opening weekend box office as large as possible.

Deadline – 28th Nov 2019

Rise of Skywalker star John Boyega revealed in an interview with ‘Good Morning America’ that his version of the final Skywalker Saga script was the mysterious one that made its way onto ebay, causing panic behind the scenes at Lucasfilm and Disney.

J.J. Abrams, the director of The Force Awakens and upcoming Star Wars film Rise of Skywalker, told television host Stephen Colbert on Monday’s episode of ‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ that Carrie Fisher had written in her autobiography “a special thanks to J.J. Abrams for putting up with me twice” despite the actress having only worked with Abrams on one film, The Force Awakens, before her death in 2016, and Abrams not being announced to direct the sequel until months later.

And finally…

Disney CEO Bob Iger facilitated an early screening of the studio’s upcoming blockbuster release Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker for a terminally ill child at Rowans Hospice in the UK following a plea from the hospital that time was not on the child’s side.

On this Thanksgiving, we at @Disney are grateful to be able to share #TheRiseOfSkywalker with a patient and his family @RowansHospice. May the force be with you and with us all!

— Robert Iger (@RobertIger) November 28, 2019

Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood (2019)
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Screenwriter: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Emile Hirsch, Margaret Qualley, Timothy Olyphant, Julia Butters, Austin Butler, Dakota Fanning, Bruce Dern, Mike Moh, Al Pacino, Luke Perry, Damian Lewis, Kurt Russell, Lena Dunham, Maya Hawke, Michael Madsen

Quentin Tarantino’s long awaited 9th entry into his critically beloved directorial filmography is every bit as reminiscent of great films as his other worldwide hits are, yet with Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, the director seems to have crossed a boundary from loyal homage to self parody, this latest effort being equally an act of self-reference as it is an exploration of the filmmaker’s own ego. If the Tarantino-verse was ever a thing, this is a movie about that universe, not one set in it.

The director’s latest release was described by film critic Mark Kermode on Twitter as “one part quintessential Quentin to three parts ‘Once Upon a Time in A-“meh”-rica.’,” with this take being bang on the money.

Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood looks like movies of years and decades past and it runs smooth like a Tarantino movie always does, but it also holds a distinct lack of narrative momentum through parts of the movie that seem to be established only to serve the director’s own aspirations of fulfilling artistic tribute to those who’ve inspired his own work over the years; tributes that take the original material and soak it in a Tarantino sponge until the modern auteur has full ownership over it, the very artists he admires becoming fodder for his own egotistical exploration of their work, their use as instruments in a self-referencing narrative removing their context and reassigning it to the screenwriter/director’s own political, almost fourth-wall breaking stance.

For the first time in Tarantino’s career, one of his releases has felt removed from its intention of putting the story first, the director’s latest efforts at some stages only working for those familiar with his work and his behind-the-scenes politics, beliefs, trials and tribulations. In fact, the very best moment of the film (which itself has proven to be divisive in recent weeks and months) is the filmmaker’s in-your-face response to recent criticisms regarding his use of violence, particularly that of violence towards women, and the defiance he shows to critics in a rip-roaring finale that is some of the director’s best ever work. Its inclusion, however, does emphasise the issue at hand; that to enjoy Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, one must not only understand where the filmmaker gathers inspiration, but must more importantly understand the director’s very loud voice, both as a filmmaker and as a human being, the latter being distinctly harder to establish for anyone relatively unfamiliar with the man or with film as an industry.

Indeed, there are many moments in the movie where Tarantino quite literally points a finger at his own cinematic tropes, the bright flashing lights of self-homage blurring the otherwise beautifully, classically shot aesthetic of a film that looks like simply no other. Should it have been Tarantino’s intention to wave goodbye to the industry with one self-analytical look at himself, it seems the director may have lost his final assignment’s focus, the throughline of the much more interesting and powerful Charlie Manson murders narrative lost to indulgence.

Ironically, Once Upon a Time… in America doesn’t feature a cameo from the director himself, nor routine appearances from Tarantino regulars Tim Roth and Samuel L. Jackson. Instead, the filmmaker develops the story around two of his most successful leading men from movies this century, Django Unchained star Leonardo DiCaprio and Inglourious Basterds star Brad Pitt, with each man being given the freedom to create interesting characters worthy of investment, DiCaprio even being allowed the rare opportunity to improvise an outburst for what was one of the film’s most raw and insightful scenes.

Both DiCaprio and co-star Pitt offer stellar work, their bond at the heart of the film coming across as legitimate and hearty. In almost every way, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood is more a buddy movie than it is about the Manson murders, Tarantino borrowing beats and tropes from Hollywood’s Western factory to dig the pallyness into a deep pit of Western-like tension, the result meeting expectations as being both tense and offering catharsis, even through moments of self-indulgent downtime.

The Manson murders, and even the inclusion of Charlie Manson himself, are included for the same reason, the screenwriter-director taking the Basterds approach of re-telling history in a manner that suits the popular consensus, his work in this case partnering the Manson Family’s acts and defining mentality with those of Tarantino’s creative opposition, the very people who attack the filmmaker for being the root cause of violent teenagers and/or encouraging racist or sexist behaviour.

As problematic as this point is, and it most certainly is problematic, there remains a level of respect that Tarantino requires for offering such a bold and frankly cinematic statement of defiance, and even more respect for how he leads his band of merry men and women into the firing line. DiCaprio, himself a problematic figure to some portions of the audience, clearly believes in the project, as does Pitt on the cusp of his acting career’s resurgence. Everyone seems invested, and Tarantino rightfully celebrates it on the screen, grounding his flashy, nostalgic Hollywood take in the real personalities portrayed by his phenomenally talented cast.

As a 2 hour movie, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood may have been a much more sleek effort, the phenomenal photography and strong narrative base potentially freed of the filmmaker’s insistence upon barking as loudly as possible. But, it wasn’t a 2 hour movie, it was 2 hours and 41 minutes (sleek in comparison to the original 4 and a half hour original final edit), and the result was one of disjointedness, a lack of emotional impact or interest in some sections of the film, and perhaps the first of the director’s films to feel overly long.

Though everything about Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood screams of a traditional form of cinema that will likely be analysed over and over again in film school for the next 100 years, and though in a lot of its aspects – visual, performance, base narrative, editing techniques during times of tension, etc. – the film excels in offering something quite remarkable, this Tarantino release is the most Tarantino of all of his releases for better or worse.

It is said that once a genre begins to include movies of self-parody, the genre has already become tiresome. Willfully or not, through paying self-indulgent homage to himself, Quentin Tarantino has finally offered something resembling his first self-parody; an effort that seems to lack the focus of his all-time great earlier works and is instead, perhaps, the precise moment we can pinpoint as Tarantino signing his career’s own death warrant.

15/24

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