Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood
First screened in July 2019 / Most recently screened in February 2020
Director: Quentin Tarantino. Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Timothy Olyphant, Margaret Qualley, Austin Butler, Madisen Beaty, Mikey Madison, Dakota Fanning, Bruce Dern, Lena Dunham, Lorenza Izzo, Julia Butters, Al Pacino, Kurt Russell, Mike Moh, Nicholas Hammond, Damon Herriman, Emile Hirsch, Damian Lewis, Michael Madsen, Scoot McNairy, Luke Perry, Zoë Bell, James Landry Hébert, Costa Ronin, Rafal Zawierucha. Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino.

Twitter Capsule: Everything one might credit as smart about this movie also seems, from a nearby angle, kinda dumb.

Second Capsule: I'm not in the "it's great till it isn't" camp. The whole feels of a piece: dreamy and messy, complicated and crass, tender and off-putting.

VOR:   Especially once the movie's over, reverberations among its seemingly freestanding parts get more interesting. Certainly bears contemplation.



Photo © 2019 Sony Pictures/Columbia Pictures/Heyday Films

Not yet reviewed in full. Grade: B–


Academy Award Nominations and Winners:
Best Picture
Best Director: Quentin Tarantino
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio
Best Supporting Actor: Brad Pitt
Best Original Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino
Best Cinematography: Robert Richardson
Best Production Design: Barbara Ling and Nancy Haigh
Best Costume Design: Arianne Phillips
Best Sound Mixing: Michael Minkler, Christian P. Minkler, and Mark Ulano
Best Sound Editing: Wylie Stateman

Golden Globe Nominations and Winners:
Best Picture (Musical/Comedy)
Best Director: Quentin Tarantino
Best Actor (Musical/Comedy): Leonardo DiCaprio
Best Supporting Actor: Brad Pitt
Best Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino

Other Awards:
Screen Actors Guild: Best Supporting Actor (Pitt)
New York Film Critics Circle: Best Screenplay
Los Angeles Film Critics Association: Best Production Design
National Society of Film Critics: Best Supporting Actor (Pitt)
Boston Society of Film Critics: Best Supporting Actor (Pitt); Best Screenplay
Chicago Film Critics Association: Best Supporting Actor (Pitt); Best Art Direction/Production Design
National Board of Review: Best Director; Best Supporting Actor (Pitt)
British Academy Awards (BAFTAs): Best Supporting Actor (Pitt)

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