Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood is one of those few films that comes around every decade or so, that will go down in history as a game changer to many films in the coming future. A film that could only be told by the mastermind himself Quentin Tarantino. Imagine being transported to a time in Hollywood where there were no rules, movies were made with such a smaller budget, and sometimes even the biggest stars had to fight for a role when life throws challenges in front of them. However in this time, 1969 to be exact, evil was a foot in the Hollywood Hills. Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood, a loosely based historical fictional film tells the tale of our main Hollywood actor Rick Dalton, played by Leonardo DiCaprio in his first film in the last four years, an aging Hollywood star that was once a big name in the industry, who has been reduce to guest starring roles on TV Pilots. Beside him throughout the film is his best friend and stuntman Cliff Booth played by Brad Pitt. Throughout the story while the two friends are living their life, we experience the life of the former actress Sharon Tate, played Margot Robbie, most famous for being a victim of Charles Manson. Along the way, without spoiling the film, Rick deals with finding a new stride in Hollywood with dealing with the fact that he is a "has-been", Cliff encounters members of the legendary Manson Family, and Sharon is living her life in Hollywood as a new actress. This movie, in the simplest terms was incredible. As a fan of Tarantino, you always need to walk into his films with the highest of expectations, and somehow he always finds a way to exceed those expectations and deliver an all time classic for the future. Although we have seen films that have taken place in the late 60s of Hollywood, he somehow finds a way to make his standout among the others and prove to be the best in the business. The performances in this film given by Leo and Brad were excellent. Both should be nominated and given Oscars for their roles, they killed every scene they had in the film and brought life to these fictional characters that made feel historical and legendary. The ensemble of the cast was even excellent ranging from fictional characters to real life old school actors and members of the Manson family. It was fun to see all the interactions with everyone, giving it a feel that some of these interactions were real, and were beautifully recreated. The film itself as whole was beautifully crafted. Some of my favorite scenes included when one of the characters would drive around Hollywood and seeing the old historic locations in LA were truly jaw-dropping and beautiful with brilliant music playing in the background. Especially with someone such as Tarantino who appreciates the culture of old school Hollywood by honoring it's beauty and style, making sure it is honored correctly. Shot and edited perfectly it feels as if the audience are watching a documentary rather than a film itself. Key moments included time jumping and using old "film footage" of Rick to showcase/bring out character development in each scene. Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood is a well crafted homage to Tarantino's favorite years of Hollywood that is perfectly executed, and just in time as Oscar season approaches.
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