This week, I couldn’t have reviewed two more different movies. One about a family dealing with a cancer diagnosis, and the other about aging Hollywood performers trying to stay afloat amidst a changing industry.

Quentin Tarantino’s latest film, Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood, captured the glory days of 1969 in Hollywood, showcasing a former television star (Leonard DiCaprio’s Rick Dalton) and his best friend/stunt man, Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), trying to stay in the game. Lurking behind this fictional story was the infamous Charles Manson-orchestrated murders of Sharon Tate and her friends on a hot August evening later that year. The result of this ambition was one of Tarantino’s finest achievements as a filmmaker.

OUATIH is something else, combining the loyalty between friends that takes them on a number of adventures, including business and personal. Pitt was tremendous and DiCaprio added another dual-faceted character to his repertoire.

The Farewell, starring Awkwafina, blended comedy and drama in a sublime manner to elicit real emotion. Lulu Wang wrote this one straight from the chest, finding laughs in one of the world’s biggest foes in cancer. I had a good time with this one, even if the lasting power of the film wasn’t as strong.

For the entire segment, which included the usual hijinks of a Frank O. Pinion segment, here’s the link to listen.