Movie Review – Once Upon A Time in Hollywood – Tarantino takes us for a wild ride!

Courtesy of Columbia

Going into the Press Screening for “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood” I actually had a lot riding on the film, since I know the story of the Tate murders, I have seen a B Movie about it (it was basically a slasher-thriller, of course Tarantino was not going in that direction) and have consumed so much material on Charles Manson, I know I’m weird that way. Yes, it was a Quentin Tarantino film, so you’re not really sure what to expect, I did not expect going out of the screening having so many mixed emotions. I was sad, I was happy, I was relived, I felt like I wanted to cry-The finale was a roller coaster ride of emotions! It was simply an outpouring of different kinds of feelings-well, what can you expect from Tarantino eh? All I’m saying, without spoiling anything is that all my invested feelings definitely paid off.

Tip if you plan on seeing the film, do a quick review on Sharon Tate, for you to get the whole “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood” experience; also a word of caution, folks who are not familiar with the golden Age of Hollywood may not get all the references but if you feel confident on your knowledge of pop culture and history in general during the time period, then you’re good to go.

Margot Robbie stars in ONCE UPON TIME IN HOLLYWOOD,

Once upon a time…in Hollywood…before Netflix, before IMAX (with laser) before Dolby Surround Sound, before the Internet, it was Cowboy and Spy Films (some in Black and White) there was a struggling actor named Rick Dalton (Leonardo Di Caprio), you see, he was what people would call a “has been” or when movie stars lose their popularity and the opportunity to find good work. You see, he’s been struggling with alcohol and the pressures that Hollywood can put on you. Once the star of a Western show, he is now coming to grips with being the villain in a new gig (still a Western, and which is most likely on his way out of Hollywood’s graces) he lost his driver’s license due to some unfortunate circumstances, so he has his stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) drive him around.

Dealing with his own mysterious past, Cliff is also struggling to find work and spends his days driving Rick around and doing errands for him, oh and picking up strange hippie girls.

Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio star in ONCE UOPN A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD.

Rick is neighbors with Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), an up and coming star, the wife the of the famous director Roman Polanski. One fateful night will change their lives and Hollywood as we all know it, forever.

The film takes its sweet time (about two hours and forty-five minutes) to tell its story, you may say it was indulgent of Tarantino’s ode and love letter to cinema and making movies, so make sure you have done your business in the bathroom before seeing the film, also that you are not tired or sleepy before seeing it, the film is pretty uneventful at the start but things really pick up towards the end.

And boy what a finale! Oh it was so bloody! And felt so gratifying!

BTS – Leonardo DiCaprio and Quentin Tarantino in Columbia Pictures “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

You should also check out the film’s soundtrack which also includes radio commercials and spiels for that full on ‘golden age of Hollywood’ experience. I remember a part of the film where you feel like you are watching from those old TV sets from the sixties, it was shot it such a way that the camera framed the “TV set” perfectly. It was so surreal and I guess, an experience we would

8.8/10 – It’s a blast from the past, like no other, the air is so filled of 1969 Hollywood, you could almost smell it, you could almost taste it.