Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood2026-02-04
Toronto, ON
You're out of touch, my baby
My poor discarded baby
I said, "baby, baby, baby, you're out of time"
The twilight years of the good ol' days. Not regretting that they passed us by, just celebrating the times we had. And knowing Tarantino's penchant for dismissing things, it easily could have come across as bitter, but it's absolutely not. It takes comfort in admitting that all good things come to an end. It's easily comparable to films like Boogie Nights in this regard, but what stands out here is that it exists on the precipice of a whole new era, an era the viewer is bound to be familiar with, so there's unwritten breathing room here that extrapolates to New Hollywood and beyond. But there's so much more to love here. I adore it as a buddy film. The soundtrack, as with all Tarantino films, is phenomenal. And seven years removed from its initial release, it's fun pointing out all these young stars that have gone on to become faces of the movie industry today. Whether intentional or not, it's a curious parallel to the now iconic image of Rick Dalton pointing himself out on TV.
Watched on 70mm at the Revue. Tarantino Unchained series. I don't believe this has played in Toronto since its original release, so this was quite the treat.