Film Friday: Will the Discourse Around "Megalopolis," Overshadow the Zany Film Itself?

Francis Ford Coppola has created some of the most revered films of all time. I'm talking, "Godfather," "Apocalypse Now," and the like. He's 85 now and still making movies, with, "Megalopolis," getting lots of attention, but not for reasons relating to the movie itself--which is a weird alternate-history sci-fi epic kind of thing, from what I understand of the plot.

All the talk about, "Megalopolis," has focused on the massive budget Coppola sold some of his own winery to secure funds for, how the movie couldn't even find a distributor for a bit because it seemed so strange, and allegations about Coppola being inappropriate plus a trailer that made-up mean quotes about his previous movies to show critics don't, "Get it," when it comes to his work. In regards to that, reviews have ranged from loving the flick to thinking it is an utter disaster. Some folks think it is a bit of both. I mean, the movie is supposed to somehow have a live-action element where a person in the audience asks the character played by Adam Driver a question that he responds to within the movie. How that can work for viewers at home when this hits streaming is something I cannot fathom. 

All the discourse around, "Megalopolis" has overshadowed the question of whether it is worth seeing. It sounds like it isn't going to make much money at all but it could become a cult classic once all the hype dissipates and people look at it as a movie and not a weird media spectacle because it does sound intriguingly strange. I'd watch it if no other reason than there are some solid members of the cast including the aforementioned Adam Driver as well as Aubrey Plaza, Giancarlo Esposito, Grace VanderWaal, Laurence Fishburne, and more. I don't think it'll take too long for, "Megalopolis," to move from theatres to streaming if it bombs as hard as some have predicted. Time will tell what the overall critical and popular consensus ends up being once the metaphorical dust has settled.

Television Tuesday: The First Two Episodes of, "Clipped," Build Suspense Expertly

"Clipped," is a six-episode series by FX on Hulu and is based on a real event when audio was leaked of the owner of the L.A. Clippers, Donald Sterling, saying a whole lot of racist stuff. The show is based on the ESPN 30 for 30 podcast, "The Sterling Affairs," and as it is a dramatized version of events that means some parts are a bit fictionalized of the 2014 event but other aspects are disturbingly true. Episodes drop early in the morning on Tuesdays, so the third one is actually viewable now but I have not yet seen it. That said, I am excited to watch it as the first two entries are superb at building suspense and setting up the messy downfall of Donald Sterling.

To summarize what happened, Donald Sterling had an assistant (known as V) whom he had some sort of relationship with (not exactly even sexual, but more almost like he was coddling and infantilizing her) and when things went sour she leaked a lot of audio of him saying some really racist and otherwise offensive things. There was a ton of fallout and episodes 3-6 will clearly cover that. Such a short summary does a disservice to a number of complexities the podcast and now show dig into, however.

The primary cast is fantastic. V is portrayed by Cleopatra Coleman and comes across less as the evil opportunist some tried to paint her as and instead seems a bit scared, worried about her own livelihood, and dangerous enough to cause a lot of trouble if she feels threatened. Jacki Weaver plays Sterling's wife, Shelly, and is superb in showcasing a mix of rage, sadness, and abject terror at what will happen if the things her husband has said on tape are revealed. Ed O'Neill portrays Sterling and nails a solid blend of seeming a bit like a buffon but also having a scary and nefarious edge lurking below his aloof surface. 

 Laurence Fishburne absolutely kills it as Doc Rivers, however. Everyone has praised his portrayal as the coach of the Clippers, and he puts in work. With the way he walks, gestures, and does the voice he truly is showcasing some acting chops. That said, some of the actors portraying athletes have had it noted they don't look much like the people they are meant to represent. It isn't too distracting, but Blake Griffin really does not look like Blake Griffin.

"Clipped," and its first two episodes build a bundle of suspense while moving at a nice breezy speed putting the pieces in place for the infamous P.R. fiasco. There is a bit of a trashy soap opera feel to it all, but the show leans into that vibe with little Instagram montages and such between scenes. This was a social media event right as social media really began taking off a decade ago, and, "Clipped," doesn't show away from that. I am excited to watch the next four episodes of this series as I only vaguely recall just how messy everything got and taking a deeper dive into what occurred should be interesting and entertaining!

5 out of 5 stars (for the first two episodes).

"The Matrix Resurrections," Looks Like it Might Actually be Quite Cool

I adored the first, "Matrix," movie. Directed by Lana and Lilly Wachowski, it was a mind-bending experience full of philosophy, kung-fu, wild special effects, and it was just a delight. The two sequels were alright but admittedly let me way down compared to the first flick. Looking at everything now with some distance they hold up fine, but that first movie is still the best of the three by far. Now here we are almost two decades later and a new, "Matrix," movie is on the way. Titled, "The Matrix Resurrections," this one is directed solely by Lana with her as a writer of the script along with Aleksandar Hemon and author David Mitchell (of, "Cloud Atlas," fame, for better or worse). Here's the trailer:

The trailer actually looks pretty good and makes me wonder if this new entry could be a damn good flick. It looks like Neo (although now he doesn't even know he's Neo) is in our new modern era, possibly being monitored and kept relatively sedated (perhaps he didn't truly die at the end of the last flick and is trapped in a new Matrix). Keanu Reeves has had a career renaissance as of late and it's fun to see him return as Neo as you couldn't callback to a more classic role Reeves has played besides if you did another, "Bill and Ted," movie...which I recall now they actually did. Carrie-Ann Moss is back, Laurence Fishburne isn't but a man who looks and acts suspiciously like him is, and we get a healthy dose of Neal Patrick Harris in the preview, and I always enjoy some NPH in my flicks.

It isn't all moody talking and atmosphere, however, there is plenty of kicking, jumping, and slow-mo guns that are this franchise's hallmark. In some ways, "The Matrix," feels even more relevant with its concept of humanity becoming trapped in our own technology--a point that is driven home in a clip during the trailer where Reeve enters an elevator and everyone is obsessing over their phones and tablets. That may very well help, "The Matrix Ressurctions," be deliciously topical as well as packed full of exciting action scenes. Come December 22nd anyone who wants to go to a theater or watch it on HBO Max will be able to judge for themselves if this is all empty hype that is going to be more like the deflated sequels or a new entry that will hit as hard as the first movie. All I know is this preview got me a lot more intrigued than I had been.