When their evil enemy resurfaces after 16 years, a group of ex-revolutionaries reunites to rescue one of their own’s daughter.

Anderson, or PTA as cinephiles affectionately know him, has carved out a singular place in modern cinema. Over nearly three decades, he’s proven himself unclassifiable, constantly pushing the medium in unexpected directions. From the combustible rise-and-fall of Boogie Nights, to the sprawling humanism of Magnolia, to the monumental, earth-shaking intensity of There Will Be Blood, Anderson is a filmmaker who defies convention. You can’t box him in by genre or formula. And now, with One Battle After Another, he’s delivered his most daring, incendiary, and ambitious work yet, a film that detonates off the screen with audacity.

Loosely inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s Vineland, Anderson plunges audiences into the firestorm of late-20th-century radicalism and the fallout of unchecked revolution. This is a story about chaos, consequence, and the ripple effects of violence, refracted through the cracked mirror of today’s cultural moment. In tapping into the anger, unrest, and volatility of our current political climate, Anderson has crafted a work that doesn’t just speak to the present — it practically screams.

The film’s narrative unfolds around the shadowy left-wing collective known as The French 75 and one of its most infamous founding members, “Ghetto” Pat Calhoun, better known by his moniker, The Rocket Man (Leonardo DiCaprio). A radical-turned-fugitive, Pat is forced to abandon his cause after a violent incident with both his lover and the group’s leader, Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor). Now living under the name Bob Ferguson, he’s raising his infant daughter while staying one step ahead of his past. Fifteen years later, that past comes roaring back. Bob is now a washed-up burnout, self-medicating his way through life with a teenage daughter, Willa, whose rebellious streak drags them both into a deadly kidnapping plot. To save her, Bob has to step back into the flames he thought he’d escaped.

That’s just the surface of One Battle After Another. Beneath it lies a maelstrom of betrayal, ideology, violence, and identity, each moment escalating into the next with delirious unpredictability. Watching this film is like being strapped into a rollercoaster blindfolded — you never know which way it’s going to turn, but the ride is electric.

At the heart of it all is Leonardo DiCaprio, delivering one of the finest performances of his storied career. As Bob Ferguson, he’s a man torn between past and present, idealism and disillusionment, fatherhood and failure. DiCaprio sheds every trace of movie star sheen, fully embodying a tragicomic figure who is both pitiful and heroic in equal measure. His performance swings between slapstick mania, simmering tension, and raw vulnerability, often in the same scene. Under Anderson’s direction, DiCaprio gives a performance that’s impossible to pin down and utterly captivating to watch. It’s a live wire of a role, and DiCaprio doesn’t just rise to the occasion — he burns the house down. Give him the Oscar now.

As always with Anderson, the supporting cast is equally stacked and equally committed. Sean Penn is terrifying as Col. Steven J. Lockjaw, the embodiment of militant right-wing rage, a clenched-jawed crusader of xenophobic hate who will stop at nothing to wipe out The French 75. It’s a feral, unflinching performance that chills to the bone. Benicio del Toro, meanwhile, steals every scene as Sergio St. Carlos, a martial arts master who straddles the line between comic relief and spiritual guide. His presence injects the film with eccentric vitality and unexpected pathos. And then there’s Teyana Taylor as Perfidia Beverly Hills—Bob’s ex, Willa’s mother, and the militant flame still burning at the heart of The French 75. Taylor is magnetic, embodying a revolutionary fervor that’s equal parts seductive and terrifying. Her turn cements her as one of the film’s breakout forces, and she’s bound to draw major awards attention.

Visually, One Battle After Another is nothing short of breathtaking. Cinematographer Michael Bauman shoots the film with an anarchic energy that mirrors its story, lacing together frantic handheld grit with moments of surreal, painterly beauty. The action sequences hit like Molotov cocktails: fiery, unpredictable, and explosive. The first act, in particular, is a masterclass in chaos, an extended stretch of bravura filmmaking that leaves you slack-jawed. But Anderson isn’t just staging action for spectacle; every frame is loaded with tension, symbolism, and thematic resonance. The result is a sensory onslaught that demands to be seen on the biggest screen possible.

What makes One Battle After Another so compelling isn’t just its breakneck pace or its jaw-dropping performances; it’s the way Anderson taps directly into the cultural pulse. This is a movie about America at its boiling point, about the combustible intersection of politics, ideology, and violence. It’s not a film of speeches and slogans; it’s a film of fists, firebombs, and fury. And in that way, it feels eerily and uncomfortably close to home. In a moment where political discourse has turned toxic and violent outbursts feel ever more common, Anderson’s film isn’t just relevant: it’s urgent.

As the narrative barrels forward, One Battle After Another becomes something more than just a political thriller. It’s an exploration of generational inheritance, of the scars parents leave on children, of the ways idealism curdles into disillusionment. At its core, it’s a story about Bob and Willa — a father trying, and failing, to escape the wreckage of his past, and a daughter trying to carve out her own path in the shadow of it. That intimate thread grounds the larger spectacle, giving the film a heartbeat beneath the chaos.

By the time the credits roll, audiences are left breathless, shaken, and exhilarated. This is cinema that demands to be felt as much as understood. It doesn’t just entertain: it provokes, it unsettles, it makes you reckon with the world outside the theatre. Anderson has always been a master of crafting narratives that burn themselves into your brain, and One Battle After Another might be his most searing achievement yet.

In a year already brimming with cinematic heavyweights, this film towers above the rest. One Battle After Another is big, brash, and utterly uncompromising, the kind of movie that reminds you what the big screen is for. It’s exhilarating, exhausting, and extraordinary all at once. Movies don’t get much better than this.

This is not just one of the best films of 2025. It’s one of the defining films of the decade.

Image: Warner Brothers Pictures

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Watch the first teaser trailer below:

Here’s the official synopsis:

Based on David Grann’s broadly lauded best-selling book, Killers of the Flower Moon is set in 1920s Oklahoma and depicts the serial murder of members of the oil-wealthy Osage Nation, a string of brutal crimes that came to be known as the Reign of Terror.

With grand themes of love, tragedy, greed and murder, Killers of the Flower Moon is Academy Award winner Martin Scorsese’s epic feature of the American West and how change and corruption ate away at its soul. Centred on returned WWI veteran Ernest Burkhart (DiCaprio) who returns from the war with little prospects soon finds himself in service to his ruthless uncle and cattle baron William Hale (DeNiro) whose own interests extend to Ernest’s wife, Mollie Burkhart (Lily Gladstone), a member of the local Osage Nation, whose own position in society soon places her in extreme danger.

With a production budget of $200 million and a running time of 206 minutes, Killers of the Flower Moon is an epic in the grand sense of the world and this is a truly cinematic work of art. This first footage and narrative mood that we are treated to in this opening teaser trailer sets the stage for a picture of immense scope and gigantic scale. This footage and its evocative narrative are a tribute to Scorsese’s immense talent as a filmmaker and we see all of his passion and focus in the resulting picture.

What audiences get with this picture is a narrative that delves into the malice and corruption that can eb brought to the American frontier and the very spirit of the American Dream at times. It appears to be a haunting picture of immense power and drama and audiences will feel their emotions move this grand cinematic experience.

Killers of the Flower Moon is set to have its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and there is much speculation and anticipation for its debut ahead of its global release in cinemas on October 17.

Image: Paramount Pictures

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Now in a bold new 28 minute featurette, Tarantino takes audiences behind-the-scenes of the making of Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood in incredible and intricate detail.

Watch the new featurette below:

Having already won a host of awards for its production, and especially for Brad Pitt’s laid back portrayal of ultra cool stuntman badass Cliff Booth, Once Upon A Time….In Hollywood is being given serious spotlight at this year’s Academy Awards and could well come out the winner here.

The post Quentin Tarantino offers up love letter to ‘Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood’ appeared first on SpicyPulp.

Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood visits 1969 Los Angeles, where everything is changing, as TV star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his longtime stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) make their way around an industry they hardly recognize anymore. The ninth film from the writer-director features a large ensemble cast and multiple storylines in a tribute to the final moments of Hollywood’s golden age.

As a piece of work, Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood feels like it’s the culmination of everything that Quentin Tarantino has done in his career. All of his previous cinematic titles have led to this monumental work, Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood and it undoubtedly reigns as QT’s masterpiece wrapping its audience fully into its director’s story.

Conceived as Tarantino’s love letter to the end of the Golden Age of Hollywood and Los Angeles, Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood takes its audience for a ride. Shot with a fairy tale motif, this multi-arched story pulls audiences into its diverse group of characters and setting, and it’s an utterly marvellous experience. Tarantino has always said that he wants to get a reaction out of his audience and he does here with Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood.

Taking the lead in Tarantino’s 9th film is none other than supreme acting talent and Academy Award winner Leonardo DiCaprio. Starring as fading TV actor Rick Dalton, a man who at one point had a good measure of success in his life, but whom now is starting to fear that his career and life are at an end. And let it be heard that DiCaprio is absolutely brilliant in his portrayal of Rick. DiCaprio’s Rick is the ultimate prima donna and is constantly plagued by and expressive of ego, anxiety, narcissism and a severe self-loathing and all of it is incredibly captivating to watch.

As a character Rick is obsessed with his fading star power and how this weighs on him, in several astoundingly realised scenes, is incredible to witness as we get to see Tarantino’s hand in shaping DiCaprio’s performance. You really feel for Rick throughout the entire story and this all comes back to the performance on DiCaprio’s part who steps out of himself and fully into the role of Rick. Performances don’t come much better than this and it’s a credit to both the star and his director.

Standing beside DiCaprio is Hollywood superstar Brad Pitt as Cliff Booth, Rick’s longtime stunt double and best friend and Pitt brings the cool factor here. While Rick might be on the ropes, Cliff is flat out on the canvas and this dynamic between these two men, and their place in this changing Hollywood landscape is extremely fun to watch.

In terms of characterization, Cliff is a straight-up cowboy. Tough, strong-willed and capable, Cliff has a real sense of calm about him and the ability to handle any situation. Which leads into some very interesting moments up on the screen. Pitt’s portrait of Cliff is that of the heroic figure of another time and he brings plenty of strength to this badass stuntman. Pitt also fits in well with the relationship dynamic that exists between himself and DiCaprio’s Rick, and he offers Rick a solid foundation and a credible anchor in his crazy and hectic life. Both performers share a great back and forth between one another and each of them adds to the other’s performance and this partnership is what makes for the success of the film.

Balancing out the presence of DiCaprio and Pitt is Margot Robbie in the role of Sharon Tate, the glowing Hollywood beauty of the moment whose mark on Tinseltown was filled by shocking infamy. Here in Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood, Robbie’s Sharon is the sunny glow of the picture and she fills every frame with a beautiful sense of light and love. The actress is perfectly cast as this 1960s It Girl and she effortlessly merges herself into the character that Tarantino has written.

In regards to the film’s narrative, Sharon Tate occupies a unique place within the director’s narrative and her presence directs the audience’s focus. On her behalf, Robbie’s performance takes on a very physical presence and she communicates her role via action over dialogue and her very physical performance leaves its mark on her audience.

If you desire to feel that QT feeling, well, you’re in luck because Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood is a film jam-packed full of the director’s trademark energy and style and it’s a piece of cinema that’s easy to get lost in. Everything, from cinematography to wardrobe, hair and make-up and the incredible set design fully resurrects the landscape of Hollywood, 1969, and Tarantino fully captures that feeling of change that is present in the air. Here the slick cool of the earlier part of the decade clashes with the ensuing sense of free love that is circulating through the streets of Hollywood Boulevard and it makes the film’s narrative pop. The groove factor is dialled up here and it doesn’t get much cooler than the crisp images that are presented up on the screen, all of which are captured in beautiful detail thanks to the lens of cinematographer Robert Richardson.

Alongside his stylistic portrait of the era, Tarantino also captures the very essence of Hollywood at that time. This was an era where huge change was occurring. The classic studio system was beginning to crumble, and the New Hollywood wave was breaking all the rules and the rise of the international market, particularly the Spaghetti Western, was spearheading what cinema was going to look like in the future.

Tarantino explores all of this in considerable depth within his film, and he does so in an extremely clever and articulate way that makes audiences sit up and take notice. As a cinematic artist, Tarantino has always been lauded for his extensive knowledge of all things pop culture and this knowledge finds good use here as he takes us into Rick Dalton’s world within the space of 1960s television. The writer-director presents all of this to his audience with incredible detail and spot-on knowledge and it is something incredible to witness.

In terms of genre and character, Tarantino goes to town here with his film and the finished print is something quite extraordinary. While Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood is very much a fairy tale story of Los Angeles and Hollywood of yesteryear, the director also pulls together a collection of different genres within the film. Everything from your classic drama and comedy troupes to the presence of the car movie, the buddy movie and even certain documentary filmmaking stylings making their way into Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood. Tarantino’s favourite genre, the western, is also a significant part of the make-up of this film, and its presence is felt in structure, craft, characterization and narrative plot elements. All of these genre musings twist together to capture the audience’s attention thanks to the beautiful respect for the art of filmmaking that Tarantino pays homage to here.

For those seeking a cinematic experience with Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood, well you can be damn sure that Tarantino delivers it here. This is a director who has always prided himself on delivering something different for his audience with every single one of his movies and he doesn’t disappoint in his 9th film.

While I’ve avoided any kind of narrative description of Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood, I will say that this film simply put is a ‘Tarantino Film’. And it delivers to this description. As previously stated, Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood is the ultimate example of Tarantino’s work as a filmmaker and he takes his audience for one very original ride. You never know which corner the director is going to take and the result is simply marvellous to look upon.

Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood is Quentin Tarantino’s ultimate love letter to the craft of filmmaking and the power of cinema. It is the culmination of a thirty-year career and all of the cinematic choices and rule-breaking that this maverick filmmaker has made through it and the result is utterly brilliant to look upon. Powerful in its originality and captured with perfect vision, this is a piece of cinema to be studied, lauded and loved. The cinema was made for a film like Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood and it is the exact reason why we go to the movies.

Image: Sony Pictures

The post ‘Once Upon A Time In… Hollywood’ – Review appeared first on SpicyPulp.

Watch the brand new trailer below:

Here’s the official synopsis:

Quentin Tarantino’s ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD visits 1969 Los Angeles, where everything is changing, as TV star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his longtime stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) make their way around an industry they hardly recognize anymore. The ninth film from the writer-director features a large ensemble cast and multiple storylines in a tribute to the final moments of Hollywood’s golden age.

Building on the energy of the first teaser trailer, this new trailer focuses in on the life of Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), an ambitious-yet has been actor and his student double and best friend Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), who find themselves in the rapidly changing Hollywood of 1969. Desperate for a break, and looking for any chance of success, Rick and Cliff find themselves in a strange place that involves glowing new starlet Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), along with Charles Manson (Damon Herriman) and his strange ‘family’, and will weave in events that changed the summer of love and the history of Hollywood forever.

Just exactly what Tarantino has planned up his sleeve remains to be seen, but this new footage from the trailer looks absolutely stunning! Narrative, setting, costuming, location, cinematography and music are all brought together in a very magical way and it’s clear that we’ll be witnessing something extraordinary here.

As his first film since returning to the big screen following his Academy Award winning performance in The Revenant, DiCaprio really shines as faded-actor Rick Dalton and his desperation and desire to succeed are going to make for a compelling and very interesting performance. Added to this is Brad Pitt’s laid-back and ultra masculine performance as Dalton’s best-friend and stunt double Rick Booth and you have a combination of talent and power on screen that we haven’t seen on screen since the appearance of Paul Newman and Robert Redford.

This new trailer for Once Upon A Time In Hollywood shines with ultra cool and plenty of sex appeal, and effortlessly captures the wild energy and flower power love of the late 1960s. Set against the thumping tune of ‘Good Thing’ by Paul Revere and the Raiders, the trailer vibrates with QT’s quintessential cool and the audiences are going to be in for one very groovy time here.

Get ready for an incredible, amazing and phenomenal piece of cinema when Once Upon A Time In Hollywood arrives in cinemas on August 15.

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Here’s the full teaser trailer:

Taking place in Los Angeles in 1969, at the height of hippy Hollywood, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood follows the adventures of Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), former star of western TV series Bounty Law, and his longtime stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt). Both are struggling to make it in a Hollywood they don’t recognize anymore. But Rick has a very famous next-door neighbor…Sharon Tate (Margo Robbie).

This first teaser for Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is packed full of 1960s Hollywood class and you can see Tarantino’s extensive skills at work here as he paints a portrait of this Golden Age of moviemaking and the characters that made it what it was.

Leonardo DiCaprio is all sorts of slick-back cool as the film’s central protagonist Rick Dalton, former star of Bounty Law, who in 1969 is desperate for a hit and trying to do everything with his last shot at fame. Then there’s Brad Pitt’s Cliff Booth, a laid-back stunt double who definitely brings the funny here, and the two co-stars have a perfect vibe that really sits well in the Paul Newman/Robert Redford space.

Providing the film with it’s flower power love is Margot Robbie who is taking up the prominent role of the ill-fated Sharon Tate. Robbie is a ringer for Tate’s soft beauty and groovy swing and she has an important role to play in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood as she becomes Rick’s key to success as they are next door neighbours, and I can’t wait to see how this all unfolds.

My excitement for Once Upon A Time In Hollywood has been building for some time ever since we got our first look into it, and following on from the release of it’s beautiful images, this new teaser footage is just amazing! Not only does it spotlight the film’s broad setting of the late 1960s and a Hollywood which is going through rapid change, but you can just feel the excitement, hype and energy that Tarantino has directed up on screen and it is simply incredible.

Get ready to experience all the classic cool and retro styling of a cinematic genius at work when Once Upon A Time In Hollywood arrives in cinemas on August 15.

Images: Sony Pictures.

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In an 1823 expedition of the uncharted American wilderness, explorer and fur trapper Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) is mauled by a bear and left for dead by members of his hunting team. Surviving his ordeal, Glass sets out to get revenge on the men who murdered his son, and left him for dead.

With a few Golden Globe nominations under its belt, The Revenant is set for a very successful awards season in 2016. Here’s five reasons to watch this cinematic masterpiece:

5. Symphony of the wild

The Revenant is powered forward by a wondrous, and often dreamlike score from the talents who are at the top of their game: Bryce Dessner, Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto. The musical palettes of these three composers help craft a score that moves from an ethereal dream-like quality to an adrenaline charging heavy sound that propels Glass’s quest for survival.

4. Tom Hardy – a portrait of humanity at its worst

Drenched in mud and blood, and bearing the scars of many failed wilderness campaigns is Tom Hardy’s John Fitzgerald – a character that dispels the worse sides of human nature. Miserly, cowardly, and without remorse for his actions, Hardy’s Fitzgerald is a direct contrast to DiCaprio’s stalwart, man of action, and their inevitable showdown is a bloody, nasty mess of two foes who have nothing left to lose.

3. Eye of the creator

Cinematographer Emmanual Lubezki demonstrates his masterful eye for beauty, capturing the wild landscape in such a way that audiences will become lost in its mesmerising imagery. The changing landscapes and seasonal shift from a rain clogged autumn to the snow laden winter effortlessly finds its way on screen, ensuring students of cinema and photography will come to hold The Revenant as one of the most beautifully captured films of 2015.

2. Cinema in its rawest form

Director Alejandro González Iñárritu has captured a rough and raw world completely bereft of civilisation, where man can only survive by his wits and willpower. Iñárritu spares his audience none of the brutality of this epic story, from the opening attack on a fur trading camp by Arikara warriors, which erupts in a hail of arrows and gunpowder, to the horrendous plight of Hugh Glass as he is mauled within an inch of his life by a Grizzly Bear. Iñárritu’s vision is large, but thankfully he had the heart, talent and experience to turn The Revenant into a watchable feast for the eyes.

1. Leonardo DiCaprio – a savage performance

At the heart of The Revenant is Leonardo DiCaprio, who gives his most savage and transformative performance yet. Though the role of Hugh Glass is a largely silent, there’s not one moment that the audience won’t be transfixed by DiCaprio and his impressive and convincing performance. There’s no doubt he will be a front runner during next year’s Oscar race, having already secured a Golden Globe nomination that’s his to lose.

Image source: 20th Century Fox.

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