Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood

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Best Picture, Director, Actors, Writing, Costume, Screenplay, Score, Production Design and on and on and on! All movies from this point forward will be compared/judged against this film. Don't miss this one.

I don't know why critics are being so harsh on the ending. For me, and for most people/fans I feel, it was awesome! Tarantino's always been a collage artist, a man cobbling together new stories from shards of the odd bit of cult culture here and there, and Hollywood sees him fully embracing that mode. This approach lets Tarantino cut loose, which is probably to the film's benefit, especially as we center on DiCaprio and Pitt as his leads. It's a bizarre thing to see former teen heartthrobs like these two suffer and flail about their closing careers, or to hear so many people call Pitt's character "old." (As one shirtless scene shows us, even old Pitt can still get it.) Of the two, Dalton has a harder time with it, his ego comically wrapped around the idea of his career fading. In one of his latest guest stints as a heavy on a Western, he connects briefly with his precocious eight-year-old co-star (an unstoppable Julia Butters) who reinvigorates his confidence as an actor, especially after an explosive breakdown in his trailer. DiCaprio is having particularly garish fun here, ripping into his signature Jordan Belfort-era intensity and turning his washed-up TV star into a petulant, gurning child, as you do when you're forced to contemplate cranking out spaghetti Westerns in Rome to keep your career afloat. On the other end of the spectrum is Pitt, all Southern drawl and stoicism, the kind of unstoppable Billy Jack figure who can fight to a draw with Bruce Lee (Mike Moh) and even hold his own in some tense confrontations with the Manson family. The two are gangbusters together, evincing even in their quiet moments the camaraderie of two men who've spent their lives together, Cliff being "more than a best friend and a little less than a wife" to Rick. They shine even when they split apart for their separate stories - Rick's guest spot on Lancer and Cliff's unexpected detour to the Manson Ranch - but each feels of a piece with the other. As for the Mansons themselves, they play a much more peripheral part in Hollywood than one might expect from a gore-lover like Tarantino. Instead, they're another layer to the gonzo tapestry he's woven, a group of young nutcases who've taken over Spahn Ranch (where the fictional Bounty Law was shot) and who give the older Cliff no amount of discomfort. They're a group of kids resentful of the largesse of Hollywood, who want to "kill the people who taught us to kill" through violent TV shows and movies; as one of cinema's foremost purveyors of bloodshed, it's a bold move for Tarantino to take. And yet, that self-reflexivity beats at the heart of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, a film made by a man who sees his own obsolescence coming. Just as Cliff and Rick barrel inexorably toward the "end of the trail" for their partnership and the era of Hollywood that would take them in, so too does Tarantino see the same for himself. It's tempting to read it as an "old man yells at cloud" feature, with its characters' many resentments toward young bucks taking their jobs. But it's just as easy to imagine Tarantino owning up to the limitations of your age and range, instead tipping his hat and riding off into the sunset. He's got one more film in him, but even if this were Tarantino's swan song, it wouldn't be a bad note to go out on.

Believe the hype. Believe the 10 star reviews. OUATIH exceeds every expectation with its mind-blowing attention to detail, superb dialogue, incredible performances and, most of all, its overwhelming love for the movies. Tarantino's illustrious career has culminated in this stylishly nostalgic journey that takes us back to everything great about the 60s. Every detail of this period is done to a tee; and it's in all the most minute aspects, whether it be a can of dog food or a radio station, where this film is elevated to masterpiece status. Remember when Jules and Vincent instantly became one of cinemas classic duos in Pulp Fiction? You can now confidently say the same thing about Rick Dalton and Cliff Booth - Leo and Brad give performances of a lifetime as these endearing, hilarious and, at times, even heart-rending characters. They're joined by a beyond stellar supporting group that's filled beautifully by the likes of Margot Robbie, Timothy Oliphant, Al Pacino, (the late) Luke Perry, Emile Hirsch and many more who all breathe life into this wonderfully unique and engaging story. All in all, it's a fantastic dive into the Golden Age that's fulls of twists at every turn and shines even brighter in its quieter moments when it's love for everything old cinema is at the forefront of its telling. At its core, it's invigorated by a guy whose talent as a storyteller is exceeded only by his sheer love for film and that is Mr. Quentin Tarantino. And for anyone who thinks the runtime could/should have been shorter, remember that QT was trying to make many of us who had never grown up/experienced that era (like myself) feel close to it. This meant every seemingly trivial scene/moment's sole purpose was to create as authentic an atmosphere as he could've conjured up. It's as ambitious a vision as one could muster and he truly nailed it with flying colors, creating a fairytale that enthrals you in ways you never knew were possible. I hope he's lying when he says he's ready to call it quits but I'll be damned if this isn't the best way possible to go out. It's official ol buddy... we got a darn frickin classic on our hands!

It started with nothing and went nowhere, touched on all sorts of random tidbits and did nothing at all with any of them. Huge waste of time.

Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood has been receiving some great reviews (it's currently rated 8.3 here on IMDb), but I think it's one of Tarantino's weakest movies. For well over two hours, virtually nothing of interest happens: as much as I didn't particularly enjoy Kill Bill Pt 2, Death Proof or Jackie Brown, I can't say I was bored, but OUATIH is just that -- boring! There's none of Tarantino's sparkling dialogue, no iconic scenes, and the ending simply pulls off the same trick that the director employed in Inglourious Basterds -- changing history (only in this instance, it all seems to be in questionable taste given what really happened fifty years ago). As a fan of cult movies, Italian westerns, Bruce Lee and old TV shows, and as someone with an interest in the Manson murders, I fully expected to be enthralled by Tarantino's re-creation of 60s Hollywood, its colourful characters, and one of the darkest moments in its history, but was totally taken aback by how mundane this movie is. If you want to watch Brad Pitt feed his dog, mend a TV aerial and drive a car, then this is the movie for you; if you want to see Leonardo DiCaprio talk about books to an 8 year old and record an episode of a dull TV western (a scene that went on way too long) then have at it. I think that if this is the standard of movie that Tarantino is dishing up, he should call it quits at nine. 4/10 for the face-smashing, dog-biting, flame-throwing finalé, which actually perked me up. But that's being generous.