Although I wouldn't call Quentin Tarantino's latest film ONCE UPON A TIME…IN HOLLYWOOD his best movie (far from it in fact) there's nevertheless an ethereal appeal to the film. Tarantino's ode to the Golden Age of Hollywood is very much a fairytale. While brutally honest and unquestionably violent at times (particularly the finale), the Academy Award winning director presents 1969 Hollywood as a dream-like, fantastical world rather than an objective reality.
In preparation for the upcoming 92nd annual Academy Awards show, Sony Pictures just released a behind the scenes documentary shown above. The half an hour documentary, entitled ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD – A Love Letter To Making Movies, unveils numerous interviews from the cast and crew, including Tarantino himself. In addition, leads Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt are featured as well as Timothy Olyphant and the late Luke Perry. It's a true behind the scenes look at why Quentin Tarantino made this picture and why the actors were particularly attracted to this story.
Now whether or not this is a strategic move by Sony Pictures is up for debate. Actually scratch that, there's no debate. This is a blatant move by Sony to stir up support for ONCE UPON A TIME…IN HOLLYWOOD at the Oscars. If you think about it, it's kind of a brilliant move. Right now there's not a clear front-runner for Best Picture and with the preferential balloting system that the Academy employs, it's anyone's ballgame. Sony is bound and and determined to gain any advantage they can and if this helps why not do it? At the very least fans get a cool new doc to watch.
So what do you guys think of ONCE UPON A TIME…IN HOLLYWOOD's Oscar chances? Will Quentin Tarantino take home his third Oscar for Best Original Screenplay? Is the golden statue for Brad Pitt's performance in the bag? Does the film itself have a chance to win home the big prize? Sound off in the comments below!