ONCE UPON A TIME... IN THE MIND OF QUENTIN TARANTINO

Rating: 7/10 (17 August 2019)

ONCE UPON A TIME... IN HOLLYWOOD B- (65)
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This is a 2019 Comedy, Drama film, starring; Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, and Margot Robbie, directed by; Quentin Tarantino
'A faded television actor and his stunt double strive to achieve fame and success in the film industry during the final years of Hollywood's Golden Age in 1969 Los Angeles.'
Tarantino has always been a director that's at the top of most audience's favourite directors, so obviously a new film in his career will be on a lot of Most-Anticipated lists. At first I was a bit shocked at the initial reactions being very mixed. I prefer to ignore reactions prior to viewing the project in question and that's what I did with this film.
So, let's see how it is...
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POSITIVES!
The fact that the film touches on and explores Hollywood and filmmaking is entertaining to selective audiences. As someone that enjoys the behind-the-scenes of filmmaking, this was enjoyable. This is perhaps the funniest Quentin Tarantino movie with plenty of laughs to be had by all. A lot of it was physical humour, and there were practical effects in those limited number of scenes that were vastly sturdy. A film with both Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt is seriously stimulating and the two-share strong chemistry together whilst being solid respectively. I'll admit that Brad Pitt was the more enjoyable side of the two with the comedy, physical, and other attributes. There's also a lot of other talent in the cast that will have audiences in a state of surprise. The cinematography is great, and the overall film looks gorgeous along with some entertaining editing. The costumes and other forms of makeup were all good restorations of the certain period being adapted. And there's a lot of music to tap along to.
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MIXED!
There is no denying that Quentin Tarantino has made some of the best films throughout his filmography, but this has the least Tarantino-esk atmosphere. This film had a very straightforward direction and what's so brilliant about Tarantino's vision is that it's always ahead of everyone else's. Although the recreation of the times and structures was fantastic and wonderful to observe, there seemed to be too much focus on those recreations rather than producing a significant story...
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NEGATIVES!
The story? There were components to manufacture an entertaining narrative set in a "Golden Age" of Hollywood, but they never assembled. The film was more about glorifying Hollywood, which is something that Tarantino is fascinated by, but that doesn't mean that respective audiences would be as attracted. Sharon Tate's (Margot Robbie) appearance in the film and the way the character is written in the script is very empty. She's only in the film to allude to the tragic events that occurred in her life. And these elements really effect the enjoyment of the project. If you were expecting a clever and unique story then I apologise.
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In the end, Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood is an awfully varied project in my eyes, like most critics. Whilst I enjoy the performances, comedy elements, and just the period being adapted, Tarantino made a film for HIS enjoyment and not so much yours. I'm not persecuting the director, he's phenomenal, but this could be towards the bottom of my ranking for his career.