Once Upon a Time in Hollywood... A Dream Come True

Speechless.

If I had to write one word to sum up this nearly perfect film, speechless would be that word.

Why is this a nearly perfect movie?

Well for starters, the movie is about a faded TV actor and his stunt double who strive to achieve fame and success in the film industry during the final years of Hollywood's Golden Age in 1969 Los Angeles.

The style, the feel, the writing, the cinematography, but most of all the acting is impeccable.

A lot of the people who have seen the movie complain about it not having a story or any meaning at all, but that is what makes it that much better, for me. The characters and the way they deliver their performances makes this movie amazing and you want to get to know the characters and just hang out with them. Like who cares about the story.

Quentin Tarantino made this movie to pay homage to his childhood and their isn't supposed to be a story. It is just about what life was like, in 1969, in Hollywood. Following three people, one being Sharon Tate, (Margot Robbie) was fantastic with the little screen time she had.

The style is obviously a retro, early 70s feel, the costumes were spot-on. The feel was as if I was actually in 1969 and living in the same time period as Sharon Tate and Charles Manson.

BUT...

My favorite thing about movies is the cinematography. The shot sequences in Tarantino's movies are second to no one. The editing is great and he knows how to capture the big moment in the scene.

When you spend 5 years writing a movie and making the characters have so much back story to them you better believe the final product will be fantastic. That's exactly what Tarantino did. He spent 5 years writing this masterpiece and DiCaprio was in love with the role and it showed that he loved the role. This was DiCaprio's best performance PERIOD.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt nailed every scene they were in. Most of the dialogue in the film is unscripted and improvised. Quentin Tarantino, brought a duo on-screen that we didn't know we needed and are now foaming at the mouth, because we want more of the two best friends on the big screen. The chemistry between DiCaprio and Pitt is mesmerizing. The best part too is that even off-screen they have a great connection.

The scene when they are both watching FBI and just having little chit-chat in the back is so funny and just great.

However, the best scene for me is not what you would probably expect. If you have seen the movie. It's the scene when Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), is back in his trailer after filming the scene in the saloon-- where he is struggling to remember his lines and has to keep getting them read back to him. He goes off on this rant about being a drunk and a loser, then all of a sudden he is in hysterics and throwing stuff around in his trailer and breaking glass, etc.

Now, why is this my favorite scene?

Simply, because that WHOLE scene was unscripted. IT WAS IMPROVISED! LIKE BRUH?! Such a powerful scene that brings the viewer in even more. It wasn't even supposed to be filmed, but DiCaprio thought it would bring more emotion and character to Rick Dalton. Well he was right. This was the best acting I've ever seen in my entire life and he did it in one take and it wasn't even supposed to happen. That scene alone, in my opinion, secured DiCaprio's second Oscar for Best Lead Actor. Then, when he goes back to film the rest of that scene in the saloon, he kills it, and the little girl, who was a great actor herself, tells him that was the best acting she had ever seen. It's GENIUS!

To move on from the acting and into more of the style and cinematography I want to talk about how tedious Tarantino's films are. I say tedious in a positive context, because the amount of detail he puts into each scene is amazing. For example, when Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) gets to his trailer and is making food, you just see all the little detail and effort Tarantino put into it and really for no reason... so you think.

Essentially, the point of that scene is to just tell us that Cliff's dog is well-trained and will come into play later, in a big way, and we don't even know it.

Overall the movie for me is 97/100 and it is my favorite film of the year, so far. The writing is excellent, because its built around the characters, not a story or plot. It's just a day in the life. I want to see more films follow this style of making movies. The acting is the best I've seen this year, especially from DiCaprio and Pitt. Stylistically and the way it was shot is simple, yet powerful with each scene.

Let me know what movie I should review next!

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