The Apprentice

 

        This new biographical drama examines the life of Donald Trump in the 1970's and 80's as he was growing his real estate empire. More than that however, it is a modern day "Frankenstein" story as the young Donald meets nefarious lawyer, Roy Cohen who mentors Donald into the man we know today. Make no mistake, this is a "horror" story in the very worst way.

         Sebastian Stan stars as Donald Trump and he is fantastic. He seamlessly captures every nuance of the man, his expressions, vocal patterns and movements. It is absolutely hysterical watching him constantly fixing his hair. Jeremy Strong completely inhabits the look and spirit of Roy Cohen, one of the most vile individuals to ever walk the earth. He teaches young Donald his three rules to live by which Donald then takes ownership of in later years.

        The other principal actors are Martin Donovan as Fred Trump Sr. and Maria Bakalova as Ivana Trump. Charlie Carrick co-stars as Fred Trump Jr. and Catherine McNally is Mary Anne Trump.

         The film follows Donald as he negotiates purchasing the abandoned Commodore Hotel, his Atlantic City casinos, Trump Plaza and more. It also charts how he met, courted, and eventually lost interest in Ivana Trump. Under Mr. Cohen's influence, he develops his rule book, "The Art of the Deal".

          Donald Trump's lawyers tried to have this film banned but it finally found a distributor and they are now calling it "election interference" due to it's content and realistic portrait of Mr. Trump. It's actually a fascinating story with brilliant performances from both Mr. Strong and Mr. Stan.

           

Megalopolis

 

        Written, produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, this is his greatest cinematic achievement since "The Godfather"...nah, not really. Instead, it is an ambitious, overstuffed, incoherent at times, mess of a movie. And yet, under all that mess, shards of Mr. Coppola's genius still shine through. 

         The film stars Adam Driver (taking everything very seriously), Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza ( having fun going way over the top), Shia LaBeouf (chewing all the scenery in his scenes), Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Talia Shire, Jason Schwartzman, and Kathryn Hunter (criminally underused). Also, in much smaller and practically wasted roles, Chloe Fineman, James Remar, D.B. Sweeney, Grace VanderWaal, Balthazar Getty, and Dustin Hoffman (who hasn't acted in years and came back for this?).

         Mr. Coppola’s vision is to merge ancient Rome with a futuristic New York and set up a confrontation between two powerful men, the visionary architect, played by Mr. Driver (with a large nod to Robert Moses) and Mr. Esposito, as the Mayor of "New Rome".  With that idea as his base, characters move through the film with dialog that ranges from non-sensical to Shakespearean and laughable to poetic. Themes are introduced and then cast aside. At times, the leads don't even seem to know what they are doing.

         While the CGI work is inconsistent, I will praise the art direction and design. Watching the film is like wandering through a moving art exhibition without a cohesive theme. There are fleeting moments of Mr. Coppola's brilliance in the rather insane look of the film and in some of the dialog but overall, the film is a slog to get through running over two hours that seem more like six gonzo hours.

           Apparently Mr. Coppola has been nurturing the idea of this film since 1977. Give the man credit for bringing his opus to fruition, and spending his own money to do it, but this is far from his greatest achievement. It is a great example of the old adage, "art is in the eye of the beholder".

WOLFS

 

       Shame on Apple using George Clooney and Brad Pitt as poster boys to sell subscriptions. This new action, crime, drama is light as air and as thin as finely sliced ham. The plot is a total cliche and makes very little sense, even when the two stars quickly explain it late in the film, when they both realize what they've been doing for nearly the past two hours.

         It begins with an interesting premise, when Amy Ryan calls for the services of a "cleaner", a professional fixer of sorts who "cleans" up illegal scenarios to protect certain types of people. Two competing "cleaners, Mr. Clooney and Mr. Pitt, show up to dispose of a body and things take off from there.

          Besides Ms. Ryan (who disappears after the initial scene), the film co-stars Austin Abrams, Zlatko Buric, and in a surreal cameo, Richard Kind as a Frank Sinatra fanatic.

          If you are satisfied watching two movie stars going through the paces, without much thought of character or plot development, this is the perfect film for you. Enjoy it as the two make fun of themselves with aging jokes such as needing glasses, complaining about back pain, and needing aspirin.

          There is far better content (with stars) to watch on Apple, then this fluff. These wolfs don't bite. They don't even have teeth.

Lee

 

  Kate Winslet is terrific in this pretty straight forward "bio pic" of the celebrated World War Two photojournalist, Lee Miller.

   Framed by an interview session in 1977, we are transported back to 1938 when Ms. Miller was working as a photographer for the British edition of Vogue magazine. We then follow her  as a wartime photojournalist during the war in France. The framing device is clever especially as the film returns to 1977.

   Ms. Winslet is fearless in a strong performance that rises above the dark and dour backdrop of the later days of the war. She is joined by Andy Samberg (in his first serious role) as Look Magazine, photojournalist, David Scherman. The two had a great friendship that lasted well after the war and through the chemistry of the two actors, that friendship and bond is very apparent.

    The film co-stars Andrea Riseborough as Audrey Withers, the editor at Vogue, Alexander Skarsgard as Lee's husband, Roland and Josh O'Conner as Antony. It also features Marion Cotillard, Noemie Merlant, and Vincent Colombe.

     Lee Miller's actual photographs are showcased in the film and many scenes are hard to watch as she brilliantly captures the horror of war as well as moments of meditation and even surprise.

      During the credits, we learn the fate (and see the actual photos) of the  people featured in the film. It's a tribute to Lee Miller, David Scherman and others like them that brought all the aspects of war home through their work. A grim reminder that no one really wins.

The Wild Robot

 

    With a screenplay and direction by Chris Sanders, this new film is a joy on every level. It is based on the book by Peter Brown and Mr. Sanders and his terrific team bring it to animated life.

      The animation is wonderful combining familiar animation techniques for the action and foreground but with a vibrant hand painted feel for the background creating a completely new look. The simple story is filled with humor, suspense, action and a surprising emotional core. It's a treat for the eyes and touches your heart as well.

       The film features the vocal talents of Lupita Nyong'o as "the Robot", Pedro Pascal as Fink, the fox,  Kit Connor as Brightbill the goose, Catherine O'Hara as Pinktail the opossum, Bill Nighy as Longneck the goose, Mark Hamill as Thorn the grizzly bear, Matt Berry as Paddler the beaver, and Ving Rhames as Thunderbolt the falcon.

        I would recommend it for children and adults as well, although there are a few scenes that younger viewers may find frightening. It's a perfect family film, filled with life lessons and a strong moral center. Try to see it in a theater where the big screen and sound really make the film "pop".

The Substance

 

    Written and directed by Coralie Fargeat, this satirical body horror film has a lot to say about a woman's self image, vanity, celebrity, and ageism. And Ms. Fargeat is not subtle about delivering those themes literally into the face of the audience.  Her use of extreme closeups drive home her points.

     The film itself, is as if David Cronenberg directed Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. As it builds to a crescendo of an all out gonzo gross out, we watch as stars Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley battle it out for sole possession of the same person.

     Ms. Moore is fantastic in one of her best roles, fearlessly making fun of her own self image. Ms. Qualley is equally as good as she seeks to control her own destiny. The film co-stars Dennis Quaid as a sleezy TV executive and he plays it well as a walking parody.

     At the onset, the story is simple enough. An aging celebrity fearful of becoming obsolete, discovers "The Substance", a drug that promises a return to youth and beauty. But as we all know, there are always consequences when wishes come true and, in this case, things get crazier and crazier as Ms. Moore and her younger self compete for control.

     Be warned that the last third of the film is so off the wall, it may make some viewers physically sick and can be hard to watch but in it's own way, it's also kind of brilliant. Nothing will prepare you for this controversial new film.

      

Speak No Evil

 

       With a screenplay written and directed by James Watkins, this is an American remake of a 2022 Danish thriller.

        An American couple and their young daughter meet a British couple and their son while on holiday in Tuscany. They all hit it off and the "Brits", Paddy and his wife Ciara invite Louise, Ben and their daughter, Agnes to visit them at their farm in the English countryside. Once they arrive, all is not what it seems.

        Paddy is played by James McAvoy and he is incredible. Friendly and inviting one second, he turns sinister with just a simple raised eyebrow, slight twist of a lip or simply a sneering smile. His wife is played by Aisling Franciosi and their son is played by Dan Hough. The American couple are well played by Mackenzie Davis and Scoot McNairy (who were both terrific in the great AMC show "Halt & Catch Fire"). Alix West Lefler plays Agnes, wise beyond her years. The film also co-stars Kris Hichen as Mike and Motaz Mulhees as Muhjid.

        Mr. Watkins builds the suspense  slowly as little cracks start to appear in Paddy and Ciara's behavior. His screenplay alternates between suspense, touches of humor and eventually horror, as the truth is revealed.  At that point, the tension becomes palatable as things escalate into a life and death situation. 

         It's a rollercoaster of a film, touching all the right buttons of it's audience.  If you are looking for a much darker and even more sinister version of the story, check out the original Danish film, now streaming.

          

Caveat

 

        Directed and written by Damian McCarthy, "Caveat" is Mr. McCarthy's directorial debut and the predecessor to "Oddity", a terrific horror film, I recently reviewed.

        While I didn't find this film quite as scary as "Oddity", it certainly has it's moments. The story itself, is strange to begin with and only gets stranger as it goes on. Mr. McCarthy is an original voice in horror and creates stories and situations that can totally give you nightmares.

         Amnesiac drifter Isaac is hired by one Moe Barrett to watch over his niece, Olga, who lives alone and is prone to sudden fits of catatonic states. What Moe doesn't reveal to Isaac is the job's caveat and thus sets off  Isaac's descent into near madness.

         The film stars Johnny French as Isaac, Leila Sykes as Olga, and Ben Caplan as Moe Barrett. The film also stars the scariest toy rabbit I've ever seen. 

          Currently streaming, it's a film that may haunt you for days.

Reagan

 

         What a great love story between Ron and Nancy Reagan and what a great love story for all Republicans. And released close to Election Day, coincidence? Although in fairness, it does instill a bit of patriotic pride, the way President Reagan stood up to the Soviet Union.

          Dennis Quaid does a fairly good impression of President Reagan but it's Penelope Ann Miller who steals the film as Nancy Reagan. She is spot on and the chemistry between the two is wonderful. They do a great job conveying the love "Ronnie" and Nancy Pants"  had for each other.

           The film is framed by a Russian "spy" narrator, played by Jon Voight explaining to an unnamed Russian official how Ronald Reagan came to power. He claims to have studied everything about Reagan going back to when he was a boy, which we then see as the story unfold in flashbacks.

            Co-starring are C. Thomas Howell, Kevin Dillion, Mena Suvari, Lesley -Anne Down, Alesksander Krupa, Robert Davi, Xander Berkeley, and Dan Lauria among others.

            The film covers a lot of ground but many significant events are glossed over as the writer, Howard Klausner's main focus is on communism and how President Reagan was instrumental in the fall of the Soviet Union. His screenplay is based on the book, "The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism" by Paul Kengor so it makes sense that the screenplay is heavy on the subject. Of course little mention of the Iran-Contra scandal, the invasion of Grenada, the bombing of Libya, his lack of response to the AIDS epidemic, and “Reaganomics” while focusing on primary standing up to the Russians paints an unequal weight on his legacy. 

             No president has ever been perfect but Ronald Reagan's legacy will stand the test of time. The film is entertaining and provides some insight into the man. But if you are more interested in a complete picture (and not just all this flag waving), hit the history books.