Once Upon A Time...in Hollywood

           Quentin Tarantino is a genius. A self indulgent egotistical genius but a genius none the less. His ninth film runs two hours and forty minutes and he crams every cinematic trick in the book into every frame. He practically screams look how cool I am and the neat things I can do behind the camera. But despite what you may think of his style, he makes it all work and it is incredibly entertaining.

           The film is written as well as directed by Mr. Tarantino and while it's basically the story of a friendship, it is also a story of a specific time and he captures the period of 1969 Los Angeles perfectly with attention to every conceivable detail. He mixes reality and fiction into the film, much the way he has done in the past. He blends suspense, comedy, and outrageous violence together but it all makes sense if you remember the title. 

       His stars, Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt are simply terrific leads tearing up the screen as a fading TV star and his long time stuntman respectively. Their scenes together as well as independently are pure magic. The detail Mr. Tarantino puts into Rick Dalton's (Mr. DiCaprio) backstory is incredible. The research into TV commercials, billboards, radio spots and other advertising of the time is meticulous.

       Margot Robbie co-stars as real life actress, Sharon Tate. Her role may be small but her intended fate casts a large shadow over the entire film. Also in small but significant roles are Al Pacino, Emile Hirsch, Timothy Olyphant, Margaret Qualley, Damian Lewis (as a dead on Steve McQueen), Bruce Dern (the perfect crotchety old man), Kurt Russell, Mike Moh (As Bruce Lee), Dakota Fanning as "Squeaky" Fromme and Lena Dunham as "Gypsy". Tarantino regulars Michael Madsen and Zoe Bell also have cameos. It's a great cast but most of the screen time belongs to Mr. DiCaprio and Mr. Pitt and they don't waste a second of it.

         You also can't discuss a Tarantino film without mentioning the soundtrack. It is a cavalcade of late '60's songs crossing different genres but all woven perfectly into the film. One could argue the film needs editing and could have been shorter but Mr. Tarantino doesn't want you to miss a thing and you are better off for it.