Popcorn Empire: ONCE UPON A TIME... IN HOLLYWOOD - MOVIE REVIEW

Rating: 9/10 (4 August 2019)

With Hollywood, Tarantino dives in to many previous genres he's explored, while also painting a vivid picture of late 60's California... 9/10
Hollywood is Quentin Tarantino's 9th feature film. Tarantino has become one of the most hightly regarded auteur filmmakers of this generation. Known for his sharply written dialogue, explosive ultra-violent action, and masterful use of tension and suspense, Tarantino is a one-of-a-kind writer/director. With Hollywood, Tarantino dives in to many previous genres he's explored, while also painting a vivid picture of late 60's California.
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD
Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) have worked together in the film industry for many years. Rick is an actor known for his role in a western TV show, and Cliff is his stunt double. The film blends the story of our fictional protagonists with historical events which are altered in the script. Rick and Cliff are next-door neighbors to Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) and Roman Polanski (Rafal Zawierucha), and this comes into play in a major way at the climax of the film.
Tarantino takes a meandering approach to this story, but in doing so, he sheds light on many different aspects of the setting and the characters. We experience Rick's existential crisis and eventual redemption regarding his career, we learn a lot about Cliff Booth and his history, and we spend a lot of downtime with Sharon Tate. Sharon and Rick parallel each other in interesting ways, with Rick on the decline and Sharon steadily rising as a budding Hollywood star. We see both characters revel in their work in different ways. The film often dwells on various aspects of filmmaking and the general culture and lifestyle of late 60's.
As the film moves along, the various subplots slowly click into place, and the focus becomes clear: the Manson Family murders. It's obvious that Tarantino is outraged by what happened to Sharon Tate and company, as many were. He intervenes through Rick and Cliff in this fictional version of the story, saving their lives and giving the Manson family some frontier justice in classic Tarantino fashion.
This is Tarantino's most personal film to date, which is shown in the tender, sympathetic way that he handles the main characters. In a sense, Rick and Cliff both are representative of Tarantino in different ways. He's dreading an eventual obsolescence as a filmmaker, and is coming to terms with his career eventually ending. But like Cliff, he's not here for the fame; he simply wants to do his work and be content with that. The interplay between the two characters seems to reconcile these concerns in a way, and things end on a bittersweet note.
The cast all around give excellent performances, with nuanced characterization and lots of charm. Hollywood is essentially a buddy comedy with a dark streak, packed with gallows humor and hilarious dialogue. There's a lot of laughs, especially in the explosive third act where things get downright gruesome (in a very satisfying way). The action is sparse, but extremely fun when it kicks in, and all of the faux TV and movie clips are very entertaining.
Clocking in at almost 3 hours, Hollywood is slow but never boring. If you're willing to sit back and soak in all of the small details that make this film so rich and entertaining, it's very much worth your time, despite being a tad overlong. It's not Tarantino's best, but that's hardly a criticism. If you've remotely enjoyed any of Tarantino's previous work, definitely catch this one in theaters.
9/10