Box Office Gold

'Give me evil, sexy Hamlet. Settle into it. Enjoy it. And cut!'

Sam Wanamakerm

I don't usually like to compare current actors with movie stars from Hollywood's past.  Usually they never measure up.  We look at Hollywood icons with a different lens, from a distant, through our memories of their movies, and how they impacted and touched our lives.  Some movies and actors hold special places for us, not because of their quality, but because of when we saw them, and what was going on in our lives.

All that being said, after seeing Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, I couldn't help but compare Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt with Paul Newman and Robert Redford.   There are many similarities, from their sex symbol status to their ability to sustain thriving careers over multiple decades. 

All four actors got their starts on television, before moving to the big screen, and all have had high profile romances, and each has put their fame to good work raising money for charities and causes that they believe in.  They're all Oscar nominee's, with both Pitt and DiCaprio nominated for Once Upon A Time in Hollywood this year.

It wasn't really any of those things however that had me compare the two pairings, it was more about the energy created by having Pitt and DiCaprio both in the same film. I never really saw any of Redford or Newman's films until I was probably in my twenties, but in watching many of their films, and reading about them, I could feel a similar energy surrounding the times they worked together in The Sting and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Both Pitt and Dicaprio can open and sell a film on their own, like many of you, I've seen most of their films, even the bad ones.  They have a quality beyond being actors, they moved into 'movie star' status, something not really that easy to do today.  Unlike when Newman and Redford were box office draws, movies are no longer made only for the big screen, and they're not the events they once were.  There are so many actors working in the film industry, and not many break through to actually be considered 'stars'.

When I first read the two actors were going to work together, I was disappointed it was a Quentin Tarantino film.  I am far from a fan of Tarantino.  I see his cinematic brilliance, and his ability to tell a story, but I usually don't enjoy the way he tells it.  To me Tarantino more often than not muddles his stories with shock and violence.  I've seen most of his films, but more for the actors and the performances.  Except for Reservoir Dogs, which I liked, I usually end up loving the performances, but hating the film.

I liked Once Upon A Time in Hollywood.  Tarantino kept his focus on the characters and story, and I enjoyed the behind the scenes look at Hollywood.  There was of course some violence, but it was only in a small section of scenes near the end.  Give the story, I was pleasantly surprised that the director actually seemed to be downplaying the violence, and for maybe the first time ever, only included what was needed without all the usual overkill.

Pitt & DiCaprio with Johnny Depp

Instead of including Pitt and DiCaprio in the actor nominations posts, they each have a section of their own.  Check out my Actors & Skin piece on DiCaprio HERE: & my salute to all thing Brad on Page 3 HERE: