Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Finally!

Finally! a movie that doesn't involve superheroes or CGI! We interrupt our Animé frenzy to review the ninth film from Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (OUTH from here on). While it is true we didn't quite like his previous film, this new entry succeeds where the other failed: Delivering interesting characters and a cohesive plot. If you've been  a reader of our reviews you know we gave up reviewing superhero films a long time ago because we felt they became derivative and sadly, swallowed all the good films that weren't about superdudes, pushing the industry into a linear cash grab that has audiences simply forgetting about what makes a film, a good film. 

However, OUTH will not be everyone's cup of tea because it simply isn't like all of Tarantino's previous films, and it's not like any modern film either. OUTH is a melancholy, slow burning, comedic love letter to an age of Hollywood that we find ourselves disconnect from nowadays. Moreover, most of the reviews from actual websites with actual experts tend to title their articles with the "a love letter to Hollywood" phrase which I think it's the most accurate way to illustrate the film in a few words.

Rick Dalton, the legend.

Cliff Booth, the stuntman.

The point of this movie isn't to be just like Pulp Fiction and tell stories that have no meaning. In fact, I would argue that Tarantino wants each and every story to have a meaning. Rick Dalton (masterfully played by Leonardo DiCaprio) is a faded action star struggling to hold onto his career and fame. Every scene he was in was enjoyable, as he internally argues with himself to be better than he is. He can't find work except for as a typecast villain, and turns down an offer to go overseas initially because he thinks it's too far a step down from his past career. Dalton's story was not as fun to me as his stunt double, Cliff Booth's (Brad Pitt in his best role to date), but I will get to that in a minute. Dalton's story, some will say, was boring, overdrawn, and pointless. I say it was the most important and interesting storyline in the movie. Rick is an alcoholic, and deals with a lot of anger towards himself, particularly in his trailer (you'll see what I mean), and the long scenes showing him act out his part as the villain in the western are extremely entertaining as DiCaprio does some brilliant work letting us see Dalton as an actor without losing touch with him by slipping into acting of his own. He finally decides to go overseas, but most of that time is spent in a montage. When he returns, he dons a new Italian wife and an entirely new fashion straight from Europe. He doesn't do much towards the end, except for burn a Manson follower alive in his pool, and then he finally becomes friends with his neighbors. I'll also get to that when I talk about Sharon Tate. Rick is representative of Hollywood at the time of 1969, and unless you are familiar with film history, that will be lost on you. In 1969 movies like Easy Rider, Bonnie and Clyde, and The Graduate were changing the face of Cinema by eroding censorship codes and finally getting the studios to hand the reigns to directors, thus entering the age of auterism. Actors like Rick were becoming obsolete in film for a number of reasons, but mainly that they hadn't had to search for work whilst under the studio system, they just signed a contract and found work immediately. Roman Polanski, his neighbor, was one of the directors that was now given a lot of free reign in this age, . Dalton's character expressed the frustration many probably felt at the time, and Tarantino built a character that was beautifully acted by DiCaprio.

Sharon Tate.

Bruce Lee.

Cliff Booth on the other hand, was the most Tarantino character in the movie. I think he'll be the fan favorite, because he requires no historical context or empathy to understand. He's a stunt double who lives much worse than his star, Dalton, and is a no-no sense badass with a muddled past. His scenes were incredibly fun, as Pitt brought a certain energy to each scene that glued you to the screen waiting for his next move. Particularly at the end, when Tex had him at gunpoint and he was tripping on acid. Obviously he had the situation under control, but we as the audience have no idea until he sicks the dog on them. Booth was a character you expect to see in a Tarantino movie. None of his storyline was used for what people will say is "pointless", mainly because he is the most involved with the Manson clan.

Interestingly, the Manson clan is hardly shown in the movie. Charles himself only shows up twice, and only says a few words. I actually like this choice, because it left a lingering thought that perhaps Manson was a danger at all times, and didn't play to the audience the way we thought it would. It wasn't a story about the Manson murders. Manson just happened to be going on at the time Dalton and Booth were having their struggles, and it intersected.

The Manson girls.

Charles Manson.

Which brings me to my last point, and that is of Sharon Tate (gorgeous bombshell Margot Robbie). Her role, while a tad less utilized than I expected, was Central because the real life Tate was murdered by the Manson clan. If you go in as an audience member with that knowledge, you go the whole movie waiting for something to happen to her, and it never does. Tate herself was a happy, blooming actress who spent time with friends and danced (a lot). This carefree manner was underlying a want to be famous, as she tells people who she is and is clearly disappointed when they don't recognize her. Tate plays a role in this story of showing the era of actors now replacing Rick Dalton, and also showing special to Hollywood, the silver screen's allure. As this is essentially a long love letter to Hollywood, Tarantino pens what drew him to the screen through Tate.

With all of its references, obscure or in your face, there is a delicious amount to absorb, especially for connoisseurs. Tarantino has the viewer to sit back, eat up the screen, and imagine we are right there with the characters in a wonderfully painted portrait of a Hollywood long gone. This movie will be misunderstood because of the expectations for the Manson murders, and because audiences nowadays expect action on every corner, which Tarantino's name can be attached to in some capacity. Without any crazy special effects to speak, simply a fantastic script and acting, I think this film will be enjoyed thoroughly by educated audiences, and what I mean by educated is that the more you know about the history of Hollywood & American television, the more fun you will have. Especially, if the late 50's & 60's have room in your heart. I'm a 37 year old loser who loves old movies and old TV shows as much as I like listening to vinyl records on a daily basis. However, some of you may have a connection to this long gone Hollywood through your parents or other family members. In my case, my dad is a huge fan of Westerns, he practically owns every DVD set of every cowboy TV show and has seen, and still does, hundreds of films from those decades and is a big lover of Spaghetti westerns, so thanks to him I felt home when enjoying this film in the theater. No wonder, why many retired people were there too. There's nothing more beautiful than transcending generations through the things you liked and cherished in the good old days.

The original Spider-Man baby!

Shit's about to get real.

Now, a great movie deserves  its trivia section, and we deserve to die (ring any bell?) So here's my list I probably googled before you did it yourself:

Actual Jewelry.

 

Margot Robbie, who portrays Sharon Tate, wears some of Sharon Tate's real jewelry. Sharon Tate's sister, Debra, gave Robbie the jewelry to wear. 

  

Farewell Luke.

 

This is Luke Perry's last film. Perry suffered a massive stroke in late February 2019, and died March 4th. Scott Lancer is a homage to Wayne Maunder and his role in Lancer (1968). Maunder died on November 11, 2018, ten days after filming wrapped on this movie.  

 

Party for real.

 

The party sequence at the Playboy Mansion was actually filmed there, Tarantino having been a guest of Hugh Hefner on a number of occasions. 

 

Improvise!

 

Very rare for a Quentin Tarantino film, some scenes contained improvisation, particularly when Rick Dalton forgets his lines in "Lancer" and rants to himself privately in his trailer afterwards. Leonardo DiCaprio had a very difficult time playing Dalton's roles as Dalton would, rather than how he himself would, especially since Dalton is supposed to be an actor of hidden range, so he suggested Dalton forgetting his lines mid-scene to ironically help him stay in character as Dalton. The following scene in the trailer was also unscripted. 

 
The real deal.

 

When Sharon goes to a showing of her movie The Wrecking Crew (1968) the filmmakers chose to use the actual film, rather than recreating the scenes with Robbie. The real Sharon Tate briefly appears onscreen.  

 

From TV hero to zero?

a very expensive Hollywood handshake.

 

Dynamic duo.

 

Leonardo DiCaprio & Brad Pitt got along so well during the production that they confirmed at the film's Cannes premiere that they would love to team up again on another film. 

 
Don't spoil it asshole!

 

Before the film's world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, Quentin Tarantino begged of Cannes crowds to avoid spoilers for later audiences in a statement made on social media; "I love cinema, You love cinema. It's the journey of discovering a story for the first time. I'm thrilled to be here in Cannes to share 'Once Upon A Time...in Hollywood' with the festival audience. The cast and crew have worked so hard to create something original, and I only ask that everyone avoids revealing anything that would prevent later audiences from experiencing the film in the same way. Thank you."  

 

Good ol' TV.

 
On Sunday night, Rick and Cliff sit down to watch "Rick's episode" of The F.B.I. (1965). The audience is later told that the episode is The F.B.I.: All the Streets Are Silent (1965). That is a real episode of the television show, and the ensuing clip is the actual opening to that episode, with one important difference - Rick Dalton has been edited into the place of the guest star villain, "Michael Murtaugh." In reality, the role of Murtaugh in the episode was played by Burt Reynolds (likely explaining why Rick and Cliff refer to the gum chewing as "strong"). Knowing Quentin Tarantino's penchant for making obscure references, it may not have been coincidence that Burt Reynolds was actually set to play the part of George Spahn in the movie, but he unfortunately died before he could take the part, which was then given to Bruce Dern. 

 

What's not to love about her!

♥♥♥.

This is a tribute.

 

The title is an homage to Sergio Leone, who directed both Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) and Once Upon a Time in America (1984). Quentin Tarantino has cited Leone as one of his favorite filmmakers and an influence throughout his career.  

 
Masterpiece.

 

According to Quentin Tarantino, whenever he referred to the project of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, he referred to it as his "Magnum Opus". 

Stuntman & Stuntwoman.

 

The casting of Kurt Russell and Zoe Bell as the man and wife stunt coordinators on The Green Hornet is a double inside joke to Tarantino's films. Russell previously played "Stuntman Mike" in Death Proof, in which Bell, a real-life stunt performer, also appeared playing herself. Zoe Bell served as Uma Thurman's stunt double in the Kill Bill series. 

 

Michael's ride.

 

The Cadillac in this movie belongs to Michael Madsen. It also appeared in Reservoir Dogs written by Quentin Tarantino and driven by Madsen.  

Quentin's multiverse.

One of the Italian films that Rick stars in is directed by Antonio Margheriti; in Inglourious Basterds (2009), "Antonio Margheriti" is the alias used by Donny Donowitz to sneak into the premiere of "Nation's Pride".

 

Everyone's new favorite character.

Everyone's new favorite heroine.

 
Your friendly neighbor. 

 

Actor Nicholas Hammond, who plays Rick's director Sam Wanamaker on his episode of Lancer, played Spider-Man/Peter Parker on the The Amazing Spider-Man television series (1977-1979). 

Italy's tough guy.

 

When Sharon goes to the Bruin theatre to see the film she is in, a poster of "The Mercenary" can be seen. "The Mercenary" starred Franco Nero who sat alongside Jamie Foxx at the bartop in Django Unchained. Franco Nero was the original Django.  

  

Like mother, like daughter.

 

Maya Hawke's mother, Uma Thurman, has starred in three movies directed by Quentin Tarantino: Pulp Fiction (1994), Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003), and Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004). 

 

Surrender the city to Tarantino.

 

In an unprecedented film production move, a section of L.A.'s Hollywood Freeway (US-101) was completely shut down from 12pm to 2pm for a sequence populated with period cars. No VFX were used to create this sequence.  

The bandit.

Burt Reynolds was originally cast as George Spahn, the ranch owner, but he died before he was scheduled to shoot his scenes. Bruce Dern replaced him in the role.

The teaser.

The heroine.

Before we close our review with the usual video section, let me go back to what I said in the first paragraph. OUTH comes with a variety of characters that are both equally interesting and connected to the main plot. While The Hateful Eight (2015) took 168 minutes to state its point, it failed to offer a connection between the viewer and the 10 or 12 characters that movie had. Sure, there were plenty of quality dialogs and the usual graphic violence at the very end but, did we care about the plot?, the bounty hunter? his prey? or any of the remaining characters? No, we didn't, and I'm sure Tarantino learned the lesson and went for a more less is more approach that works wonders this time.

Music wise, and curated by Tarantino himself, the soundtrack’s a love letter to the music of 1960s-era Hollywood, and features everyone from Paul Revere & The Raiders, to Deep Purple, to Simon and Garfunkel, to Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels. It’s a wild ride, alright. Also included are a number of jingles that should send you straight back into the picture. By the way, the album was released today in digital & CD. The vinyl is coming later this fall. However, some very limited edition vinyl will be on sale at Amoeba Records & Tarantino's New Beverly Cinema along with several indie vinyl stores.

Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Tracklist:
01. Roy Head & The Traits – “Treat Her Right”
02. The Bob Seger System – “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man”
Boss Radio feat. Humble Harve:
03. Deep Purple – “Hush”
04. Mug Root Beer Advertisement
05. The Village Callers – “Hector”
06. Buchanan Brothers – “Son of a Lovin’ Man”
07. Chad & Jeremy – “Paxton Quigley’s Had the Course” (from the MGM film Three in the Attic)
08. Tanya Tanning Butter Advertisement
09. Paul Revere & The Raiders – “Good Thing”
10. Paul Revere & the Raiders – “Hungry”
11. The Box Tops – “Choo Choo Train”
12. Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels – “Jenny Take a Ride”
13. Deep Purple – “Kentucky Woman”
14. Buffy Sainte-Marie – “The Circle Game”
Boss Radio feat. The Real Don Steele:
15. Simon & Garfunkel – “Mrs. Robinson”
16. Numero Uno Advertisement
17. Los Bravos – “Bring a Little Lovin’”
18. Suddenly / Heaven Sent Advertisement
19. Vagabond High School Reunion
20. KHJ Los Angeles Weather Report
21. The Illustrated Man Advertisement / Ready For Action
22. Dee Clark – “Hey Little Girl”
23. Summer Blonde Advertisement
24. Neil Diamond – “Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show”
25. Robert Corff – “Don’t Chase Me Around” (from the MGM film GAS-S-S-S)
26. Paul Revere & the Raiders (feat. Mark Lindsay) – “Mr. Sun, Mr. Moon”
27. Jose Feliciano – “California Dreamin’”
28. I Cantori Moderni di Alessandroni – “Dinamite Jim (English Version)”
29. Vanilla Fudge – “You Keep Me Hangin’ On (Quentin Tarantino Edit)”
30. Maurice Jarre – “Miss Lily Langtry (cue from The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean)”
31. KHJ Batman Promotion.

  

The soundtrack album cover art.

"I'm not falling for that shit kiddo".

One more thing before I go, there has also been some criticism towards the depiction of Bruce Lee in this film. The thing is, with every Tarantino movie, you need to look under water before saying he made a mistake. While I won't spoil what happens specifically, When Cliff Booth meets Bruce Lee, he refers to Lee as a dancer. This is probably a reference to the fact that in addition to his martial arts prowess, Bruce Lee was an accomplished dancer, and was the Cha Cha champion of Hong Kong in 1958. So, once again the internet has got it wrong by thinking "Tarantino mocked the martial arts legend". The internet can do a lot of good, just make sure you use it before giving your misinformed opinion.Nevertheless, Shannon Lee, daughter of legend Bruce Lee, was most disappointed with the way her father was portrayed by actor Mike Moh under Quentin Tarantino's direction. She felt he was sorely misrepresented as an arrogant blowhard who was full of hot air. To each his own.

Overall, a unique film in times where disposable is the new trend.

Here's the teaser trailer:

Here's the first trailer:

Here's the second trailer:

Here's the international trailer:

a full interview with the cast & director:

 Quentin Tarantino on "mocking" Bruce Lee: