Francis Ford Coppola’s long-in-development “Megalopolis” and the new animated feature “Wild Robot” should juice up the box office this weekend.
Here are our takes on both as well as reviews of a creepy Korean supernatural thriller and a crowd-pleasing Netflix sports drama set on a reservation.
“Megalopolis”: There are flickers of a better movie hidden in the surreal shadows of Francis Ford Coppola’s ambitious epic, a vivid but flawed imagining of the collapse of a Roman-like American empire. Even the most patient Coppola fan — of which there are rightfully many given his masterpieces such as “Apocalypse Now,” “The Godfather,” “The Godfather Part II” and “The Conversation” — will likely grow frustrated by this polemic saga’s erratic tone (does it want to be satire or not?) and numerous narrative threads that do not get stitched together at its sermonizing, not so satisfying end. Too often Coppola – who does have something quasi upbeat to impart here (which is worth celebrating in these dark, cynical times) — presents his large cast with stagy, clunky slabs of Shakespearean-brined dialogue that sometimes cribs from Roman leaders. The speeches do address salient, ageless topics: power, excessive wealth, love and the need for change. But oddly they don’t come alive with convincing fire-in-the-belly passion. In this self-proclaimed, enticingly visual fable (the production design is impeccable), enters Adam Driver — trying his darndest — as the conflicted, guilt-ridden Nobel-winning protagonist Cesar Catailina. He’s a brilliant guy who can stop time (but fails to speed it up enough when this movie lags) and is devising a huge Utopian makeover to the sinful sprawl of New Rome (a combo of New York and Vegas) by using a new cryptic material called Megalon. Not everyone is thrilled about his plan. Among the non-impressed are partisan mayor Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito) and, initially, his hard partying daughter Julia (Nathalie Emmanuel) who eventually sees a tortured artist within the chipped, bronzed soul of Cesar (perhaps a bow to Coppola himself).
One family vying to gain even more corrupt power (they have way too much) are the Crasusses: head banker Hamilton Crassus III (Jon Voight, looking appropriately befuddled throughout) and his flamboyant and conniving son Clodio (Shia LaBeouf, going all out here). On the sidelines exists Cesar’s lover and then former lover, the blunt, callous broadcast personality Wow Platinum (Aubrey Plaza, so ludicrously over the top that her character means nothing) who uses sex to crawl up the rings of power. The first 45 minutes of “Megalopolis” promises more than it delivers as Coppola tosses everything into his cinematic blender, including references to his “One From the Heart,” “The Godfather” (a good scene of shocking violence) while offering rather antiquated views on sexuality. While his striking vision can be remarkable — in the visual sense — and include morsels of ingenuity, “Megapolis” eventually crumbles like Rome itself as Coppola delivers a future that looks bright and even as if it were inspired by the work of Dale Chihuly. “Megalopolis” does have vision and go-for-broke moxie (Coppola footed much of the reported $120-million budget via his Bay Area wineries), and that’s admirable, even if the end result is worth seeing from afar. Details: 2 stars out of 4; in theaters Sept. 27.
“The Wild Robot”: During its most transcendent moments — of which there are many — DreamWorks’ animated treasure makes you feel like you’ve stepped into a painting of a natural environment that’s been unscarred by human touch. It’s an astonishing feat that takes your breath away and makes you feel like a wide-eyed child once more. It even produces a crop of goosebumps. Not a lot of recent animated films can say that. Writer/screenwriter Chris Sanders’ (he co-directed “How to Train Your Dragon” and “Lilo & Stitch”) entrancing adaptation of Peter Brown’s popular illustrated book (the first in a trilogy) takes a road traveled by artists and even Japanese animators — including Hayao Miyazaki — spiriting audiences away to a new story and to a spectacular island wonderland where humans don’t roam, but bears, beasts, critters and birds do. Into this world plunks a lone people-pleasing robot named Roz (Lupita Nyong’o, an inspired performance given the limitations of a robotic character). Rozzum Unit 7134 — as her manufacturers tag her — reluctantly becomes the foster parent of a cute but struggling gosling. With the help of a crafty fox (a perfect Pedro Pascal) and a few other woodland critters, Roz bonds with the bullied, ostracized Bluebill — she, too, feels like an outsider looking in. “The Wild Robot” transports you into an imaginative, fully realized world while creating a special kind of storytelling magic that’ll capture hearts of the young and old alike and enthrall generations to come. Details: 4 stars; in theaters Sept. 26.
“Rez Ball”: High school basketball players and best friends Jimmy Holiday (Kauchani Bratt, in his impressive acting debut) and Nataanii Jackson (Kusem Goodwind) stare at the moon some nights and dream perhaps of leaving the “rez” in Chuska, New Mexico. After a tragedy alters that course for one, Jimmy is named team captain by his coach Heather Hobbs (Jessica Matten), who is itching to get a college coaching job. The new role on the team challenges Jimmy, who works at a burger place and is being raised by a single mom (Julia Jones), a former basketball champ who has a string of damaging DUIs attached to her record. The team remains in a slump until Hobbs comes up with novel ways to get them in touch with their heritage and to bond them as a team. Director and co-screenwriter Sydney Freeland keeps the story feeling real (it’s loosely based on the book “Canyon Dreams”) as Jimmy overcomes adversity and sees hope in the game on the court and in his own life. Details: 3 stars; drops Sept. 27 on Netflix.
“All Shall Be Well”: When a partner dies, a big part of yourself withers away forever. That’s what grief-stricken Angie (Patra Au, in a performance to remember around awards time) experiences once Pat (Lin-Lin Li), her lover and companion of 40 years, passes away in Hong Kong. Angie’s grief turns even more mournful when Pat’s family members decline to honor their relationship and start taking what is emotionally and tangibly Angie’s. Ray Yeung’s near-perfect drama takes a calm but piercing overview on how one family’s repressed, unspoken biases about queer love lead them to treat someone they once invited into their homes as if she were an incidental outsider. Yeung’s film is a beauty in every way, and even finds hope for Angie in the comforting arms of others. Details: 3½ stars; opens Sept. 27 in select theaters.
“Sleep”: Recently married couple Hyun-su (Lee Sun-kyun of “Parasite”) and Soo-jin (Jung Yu-mi) remain committed to each other and in love and are starting to want to create a family in South Korea. But they have a big hurdle to overcome. Every night struggling actor Hyun-su goes to bed in their apartment and rises unbeknownst to him as someone else and engages in disturbing behavior, scratching his face till the blood flows all over the place to raiding the refrigerator and devouring uncooked meat. His nighttime activities grow more and more bizarre and dangerous in screenwriter and director Jason Yu’s debut horror feature, a hit with this year’s Cannes Film Festival crowd. Revolving around two good performances, “Sleep” tests this young couple’s love to a terrible breaking point, and makes us wonder if all this is actually tied to buried problems in their relationship or perhaps due to the roadblocks thrown in front of their path to happiness by those conspiring around them. As a scary film, “Sleep” works, and as a commentary, it’s just as satisfying. Details: 3 stars; opens Sept. 27 at the Alamo Drafthouse and the Opera Plaza, both in San Francisco; also available to rent and stream online starting Sept. 27.
“Apartment 7A”: Know of anyone clamoring for a prequel to Roman Polanski’s horror classic “Rosemary’s Baby”? Thought not. But we’ve got one, and the good news is that in its first hour director/co-screenwriter Natalie Erika James’s 1965-set preshow to the Mia Farrow main event is effective, even chilling as a new chew toy for the oh-so seemingly nice devil-worshiping neighbors enters the lair of a New York apartment building. This time, it’s the ambitious and injured stage dancer/performer Terry Gionoffrio (“Ozark’s” Julia Garner) who dances with the devil – rent free – in a vacant apartment owned by the awfully sweet, filthy rich couple (Dianne Wiest and Kevin McNally). It’s also the dwelling for a cruel producer (Jim Sturgess) who takes a shine to Terry and gives her a job after humiliating during an audition. A few freaky moments – a laundry room episode that’s a flash of pure horror – as well as a fully invested performance from Garner – keep you watching. But the problem is that if you’ve seen Polanski’s 1968 classic – a much better film than this one – you know nothing’s going to go right for dear Terry and that tosses water on the suspense and leads the film right to an expected conclusion. But I did like the implication of that final scene. Details: 2½ stars; both streaming (on Paramount+;) available to rent and purchase on Sept. 27.
“Lee”: Lee Miller’s colorful life and landmark career as a U.S. WWII correspondent and photographer does have all the fixings for a good movie. But director Ellen Kuras’s dramatization takes an unconventional figure and force fits her into an ordinary biopic. While that serves this feature well sometimes — when Miller photographed a train car filled with dead, rotting bodies it hits you in the gut – there’s a sense that if it dug a bit deeper Oscar winner Kate Winslet could have slammed this one to the rafters. But she’s muffled here. On the plus side, it does show the sacrifices Miller made to get the photos and the toll it took on her and there’s no lack of talent involved, including Josh O’Connor, Andrea Riseborough as her Vogue editor, Alexander Skarsgard as her poet/artist lover/husband and Andy Samberg (a standout) as her friend and photographer David Scherman. But Lee is an unforgettable figure and Winslet sadly is in a forgettable film. Details: 2½ stars; in theaters Sept. 27.
“Azrael”: Seeped in biblical symbols and references and reminiscent to its own detriment to the “A Quiet Place” franchise, director E.L. Katz’s virtually dialogue-less horror film is watchable but would have benefited from more context and expository narrative resources. What we get instead is a voiceless Samara Weaving running from here to there to everywhere in a dark forest so she can escape a pack of weirdos who want to sacrifice her to demons who look like they got caught up in an oil slick. Set post Rapture, there are definitely a few creepy and gory moments including a nod to “Rosemary’s Baby” that made me smile, but a lot more background could have built on that horrific storyline and made it more potent. Weaving goes all out, though, and deserves props. Details: 2 stars; in theaters Sept. 27.
Contact Randy Myers at soitsrandy@gmail.com.