As you get older you come to TERMS with many things. One, getting older; Two, time is running out to leave a mark on the world; and maybe even three is the fact that people are simply waiting in the wings to call you out for being a hack or completely undeserving of your success.
For all intents and purposes, I'm talking about Quentin Tarantino's newest film, "Once Upon a Time in...Hollywood," and while I might have more quibbles with this film more than his pervious eight (or nine if you include the damn near perfect "Death Proof") "Hollywood" is a film about a Hollywood in which Tarantino fell in love with in a time where America was, perhaps, as fractured as it is right now.
As in many of QT's later films, starting with "Inglourious Basterds," he subverts expectations and creates a world he wants to live in on his own TERMS.
Top to bottom, the performances are great but the pacing drags in parts. We get some fresh foot shots that have been missing from his last couple of films, and you have to love that QT still loves him some feet.
Ultimately, where does this film fall in the Tarantino filmography. We critics love this, we live for these moments where we can tell YOU how good this film is! Sure, lists are super fun, and while I personally put this in my lower 3rd of his filmography, the fact remains that even with his being what I might think one of his "weakest" entires, it's still better than 98% of films being released on a weekly basis.