I watched "Once Upon A Time" lastnight and I must say it wasnt quite what I expected. This is the newest(9th) film from Tarantino, tho when I look into his pedigree of work I see he has directed more than 9 feature films...so idk why they say it's his 9th.. But nonetheless, "Once Upon A Time" is not a good movie. It is a dumb movie and besides the Manson aspect, this film has absolutely no story. At all. Like honestly if there was going to be a film made with one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood wouldn't you think there would be a few more entertaining bits? I am a severe film critic and fan and am very generous and open minded when watching films. I don't care what reviews say; I make up my own mind. I watch b films, indie films, cinematic films, and Hollywood epics. I must say that the indie horror film made on a $100,000 that I watched the night before was better than this trash. I call it trash, however, I will say this was my favorite depiction of the Manson Cult on film yet. I really liked the movie "Charlie Says" and although as a whole that is a better movie, I still think "Once Upon A Time" portrays the cult in a scarier, more frightening way. This leads me to my main issue.... This movie should have been a close examination of the events from the surrounding days of the Tate murders. Yes, that has been done several times and in my opinion, done well, but I think this would have been the best depiction of the events YET and still kind of IS even for how little it showed. Basically it's a huuuge opportunity missed on Tarantino's part. Again, the Manson scenes were by far the most entertaining and even tense but there was too little of them. Right when I eased into the serious tension and started to feel a smile slide up my face the scene was over.. Too bad. The first hour could be completely cut from the movie as it feels pointless and a waste. Leo didn't do such a good acting job and it's safe to say this is his worst film in awhile. He took a serious salary cut for this film and it shows in his on screen passion. Brad Pitt did a good job even tho at times he felt wooden. I think that was just his character but idk why Tarantino would write him that way. One of the biggest faults of the film is the way it is formatted and executed. It feels like a series of vignettes all tied together. It does have that Tarantino feel to it but just barely. This is definitely Tarantino's most different film. His alien if you will. Again, this movie should have been a crime/thriller about the Manson murders and the story of Sharon Tate. NOT a movie about a dull and boring fading movie and TV actor who sucks at his job now. Overall it's a big pointless mess of a film and the praise startles me. It's clear the hype is all due to the director behind it but believe it or not, even the greats aren't perfect. Even Michael Jordan had off games