Category: Conscious Film Review

Tarantino’s ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD Mines Hippie-Hate Gold

On By Ken SheetzIn Conscious Film Review, coolest meditation ever, Ken Sheetz, Meditations on TrumpLeave a comment

Join us for a look at the dirty secret behind this weekend’s $40 opening box office for ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD. Warning: Spoilers ahead.

Screen Shot 2019-07-28 at 5.22.37 PM
Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt as Hippe Hater Heros in Tarantino’s ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD

I’ve been a Quentin Tarantino fan since PULP FICTION. And I admit to taking some joy when the good guys lit up Hitler in the INGLORIOUS BASTARDS finale. But as an independent filmmaker of modest success this past 23 years and counting, albeit one who got started a too late in life at age 42 to make it big — Hollywood’s young person’s game, my friends — I have to say the unpredictable Tarantino has become, alas, as predictable with his history revisionist twist endings.

This time Tarantino feeds like a vampire on the Sharon Tate’s brutal murder and dreams of up a washed up Cowboy actor, played to perfection by Leonardo DiCaprio and his co-dependent as it gets stuntman, equally well played by Brad Pitt as Sharon’s savior from the Manson family.

Please, Quentin, if you ever read this review of a huge fan of yours depressed over the turn of your career, go back to making good noir films instead of being some kind celluloid timeline cop. What’s next for your film 10th? Uma Thurman kills Booth before he assassinates Lincoln? Samuel Jackson kills Lee Harvey Oswald from the grassy knoll to save JFK? Get back to making great stories about lowlife characters.

Now, if you were part of the establishment, AKA the Man, AKA today’s Matrix, in the 60s and 70s, you likely hated Hippies and maybe still do to this day if you have not become woke folk. I’d even go so far as to say ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD was made specifically for liberal value haters, packaged in the form of Hippies.

Indeed, what’s painfully missing from Tarantino’s 9th film’s narrative is that Mason’s cult does not in any way genuinely represent the Hippie movement anymore than Nazis represent the German people. This makes the film an intoxicating ticket for conservatives and a brainwash for unsuspecting liberals who dig Tarantino. A win-win for the Trump era’s race bating, sexist, hate based politics.

And come on Brad Pitt, not cool you playing a character who got away with killing his wife and Leonardo as the ultimate wife killing enabler. I know Tarantino loves to study the underbelly of the world but unlike PULP FICTION where Samuel Jackson’s character experiences an awakening and mending of his wicked ways, there’s none of that in ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD. Leaving the characters of Leo and Brad rendered as hopelessly sexist.

As life worked out I was, unlike my film career where I was a little too old, a little too young to be part of the Hippie movement. I was high schooler in the late 60s and a college student in early the 70s. By 1974 I was married at 22 in and having kids by the tender age of 27. Hippies were passe’ for me. I was busy being part of the Yuppie movement and became real estate millionaire who built a skyscraper and Oprah’s Harpo Studios by 38.

Tarantino, born in 1963, was all of six year old at the start of the death of Hippie movement that the Mason Family murders triggered, with some help making a connection not really there from the establishment media. Do the math, Tarantino missed the Hippie movement entirely when it gave way to the Yuppie movement by the time he was old enough to drive.

My bet is Tarantino’s only picked up on the Hippie vibe from old movies for the most part when he was a video store clerk with lots of free time on his hands. Or perhaps his parents used Hippies as some kind of parental scolding, “Do your homework, Quentin or you’ll end up a damned filthy Hippie!”

Tarantino’s connecting Hippie-hating to the most notorious commune leader, the Hippie Satan himself Charles Manson is frankly akin to making a movie about life in Oklahoma City with the heroes stopping right-wing Christian Timothy McVeigh’s bombing as a condemnation of Roman Catholics and vets.

So I say shame on Tarantino and Sony tapping into hate for liberal values of our current divided society and making a film bordering on a PSYOP.  ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLWYOOD with its all white main cast — aside from the fantasy of white guy Brad Pitt kicking  Bruce Lee’s ass — suffers from misguided Hippie hate and spoils an otherwise good movie. Even if this 9th film from Tarantino it does not come close to his mad story structure skills at his peak of 90s filmmaking.

Don’t buy my cynicism of this film as marketed to appeal to hatred for liberal values and the #metoo movement, a movement that snared Tarantino’s long time patron Harvey Weinstein? Go ahead and drive the AI that has you pigeonholed as liberal a headache and read this Breitbart review that raves about Tarantino’s “masterpiece” hating on Hippies and Wokesters.

With a $40 million take at the box office, hate targeted filmmaking has sadly become commercially viable. What will follow after the success of this film is scary as Hollywood is copycat industry.

Want to help me make an uplifting film that protests the horrific treatment of refugee kids at the border where the hero is a Republican/Christian social worker? Click this link to be whisked away to the crowd funder for SOAP & TOOTHBRUSHES.

My Totally Biased Film Review of THE FLANAGAN EXPERIMENTS – Theatrical Version

On By Ken SheetzIn Conscious Film Review, coolest meditation everLeave a comment

As some of you know, I am film producer/director when I am not meditating or blogging about meditating. And using a blend of those skills I like to review conscious film for its mainstream insights and mainstream films for conscious insights.

What I am getting at is I am about to make review of a new film THE FLANAGAN EXPERIMENTS that had its world premiere January 17, 2019 as a special screening of the Sedona Film Festival to a sold out crowd. A film, it so happens I directed, produced, edited, color corrected, SFXed, scored, etc. myself, with some great notes from my love and associate post producer Elizabeth England.

So heads up, I have huge blind spot in this review of my passion project about a subject, who over the 6 years it took to make this 5 star film (I’m biased remember?), would become one of my best clients and friends, Dr. Patrick Flanagan, alongside his love Stephanie Sutton. Here’s my totally biased review:

A 5 star must see! Patrick Flanagan lights up the screen in THE FLANAGAN EXPERIMENTS with a Tesla-like magnetism that makes science cool again. Longtime friend and admirer Deepak Chopra’s interview of Patrick frames this compilation of the best of 50 interviews that garnered over 25 million views on the web.

See? I told you I was biased.  But at the after party I did hear nothing but raves. Watch for and review the film yourself use promo code PHI when prompted to buy. But don’t wait too long to view. The promo code expires February 19th!

 

What Would Mr. Rogers Think of President Trump?

On By Ken SheetzIn Conscious Film Review, coolest meditation ever, Meditations on Trump, PoliticsLeave a comment

Place them side by side and the philosophies of  Mr. Rogers and President Trump are nothing less than the forces love versus hate.

Nice guys versus tough guys are heavy on my mind today because last night my love Elizabeth wanted, well more like demanded, we watch a documentary about the life and work of Mr. Fred Rogers, host of the beloved PBS show MISTER ROGERS NEIGHBORHOOD, now on Amazon.

I was reluctant to watch it because I am 50s kid. So Mr. Rogers’ PBS show was not part of my childhood. Digging deeper in my reluctance, I recalled a lot of rumors back in the Nixon years of Mr. Rogers being a Gay. Worse, a pedophile.

Finally, after some gentle scolding from Elizabeth for buying into the rumor mill, I watched WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR. The film erased decades of horrible Matrix programming. In the masterful film I simply saw a gentle family man with children and wife who dedicated himself to teaching kids that love and kindness is a powerful way to live.

The Sun-Times called it the feel good film of the year. But I’d call WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR one of the most important films my lifetime.  Why?  You see, my Dad was a blue collar welder who came to maturity as a US Army drill sergeant. Dad never understood the fact I could be an an artist and nice person and not be Gay, much like Fred Rogers.

I can’t help but wonder what he would have thought of Trump’s disrespect of a man far his moral superior, Senator John McCain, this past week.

As devoted Christian, Mr. Rodgers had to be rolling over in his grave this week as the ever self-serving Donald Trump, fearing impeachment, told a gathering evangelical leaders that there will be violence if the Democrats retake the House and Senate come November 2018. Violence? Only if he’s the one making it happen by continuing to demonize Democrats.

If Trump lasts in office until 2020, it’s going to be the three generations of the WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR students of love and kindness of Mister Rogers that sweep him from office.

Thanks for the 5 star Mister Rogers enlightenment Elizabeth. As always, you lift me higher.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

On By Ken SheetzIn Conscious Film Review, Conscious Media Reviews, coolest meditation everLeave a comment

A movie whose message that anger begets more anger is so beautifully expressed it transcends its theme. I was deeply moved by this masterfully told human tragedy that has some hard won laughs at the absurdity of white male privaledge.

5 stars and the likely best actress Oscar wins for Frances McDormand, best supporting for Woody Harrelson and best actor for Sam Rockwell.

Highly recommended THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI as antidote to a Hollywood season filled with Hollywood remakes for dealing with actual human grief and rage and giving us a female hero in Frances’ Mildred willing to stand up to the world of men.