In “Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood,” Tarantino Takes the Piss out of Charles Manson

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The Following Article contains massive spoilers to “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood.”

In 1969, America was forever rocked by the vicious Tate-LaBianca murders which saw the Charles Manson family convicted for murdering five people including up and coming actress Sharon Tate. Decades later, Hollywood and many artists are still considerably fascinated not just by Charles Manson, but the Manson Family. On the anniversary of Sharon Tate’s murder, a lot of Hollywood jumped on the band wagon to find a way to highlight or explore the events leading up to her terrible murder. Except for Quentin Tarantino. “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” has managed to become yet another Tarantino masterpiece that has sparked endless discussion and arguments.

Despite the fact that Tarantino stages another alternate reality where the bad guys endured horrible deaths, “Once Upon a Time…” still managed to get approval from Sharon Tate’s family. And that’s probably because, refreshingly, Tarantino takes the piss out of Charles Manson and the Manson Family.

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Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood (2019)

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Quentin Tarantino has always been a connoisseur of Hollywood and the concept of filmmaking and storytelling. There’s a certain peculiar magic that comes with creating a narrative and how it allows the creator to do whatever they want. With all of Tarantino’s movies, he’s paid tribute to ideas like Chopsocky cinema, gangster pictures, blaxploitation, and with “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” he pays tribute to Hollywood and the one and only Sharon Tate.

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The Bootleg Files: Snack Boy

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BOOTLEG FILES 711: “Snack Boy” (1998-2001 online video series starring Terry Crummitt).

LAST SEEN: On YouTube.

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.

REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Long-forgotten pioneering production of online-exclusive entertainment.

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Not likely at all.

Did you ever stop and ask yourself: where did the concept of an online video star begin? After all, we are currently overburdened with characters who have become rich and famous by making wacky videos for YouTube. But there had to be a time and place where this show business phenomenon actually took root, yes?
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The Fly Collection [Blu-Ray]

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There’s an embarrassment of riches in the new set from Shout! Factory that manages to combine all of “The Fly” films in to a rich anthology. It’s a great opportunity to expose new fans to the classic monster movies and contemporary versions of George Langelaam’s original short story. This series and “The Thing” share a lot in common, as both are short stories adapted in to two vastly different versions by genius artists. Meanwhile the contemporary versions’ drastic re-imaginings are still considered iconic cinematic horror and science fiction that set a high bar. 

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Fifteen Years Later, “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow” is Still a Marvel

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I was always such a big fan of movie serials and pulp superheroes even before my initiation in to comic books. I loved characters like Superman and The X-Men, but I also loved The Shadow, Commander Cody, and the Green Hornet. Some of those heroes made up some of my most entertaining fantasies, and it wasn’t a big adjustment considering most of the nineties’ superhero movies were mainly adaptations of pulp heroes like “The Phantom” and “The Rocketeer.” Kerry Conran remains one of the most prophetic filmmakers of all time.

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The Elvis Movies

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Elvis Presley was the king of rock ‘n’ roll, but he was also one of the most popular film stars from the mid-1950s through the late 1960s. In this episode of “The Online Movie Show,” film historian James L. Neibaur, author of “The Elvis Movies,” considers Elvis’ cinema output and place in film history.

The episode can be heard here.

Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019)

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No one loves Kevin Smith more than Kevin Smith. He’s a fan of not just building this façade of an extended universe with his films, but the smug idea that he ultimately rejected Hollywood when all is said and done. After endless efforts to hit the mainstream vein, and re-invent himself as a horror director, Smith has come back to doing what he does best: Repeating himself, repeating the same old jokes, and giving his hardcore fans a ton of weed jokes, and near endless pop culture references about “Star Wars” and “Batman.”

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