Megalopolis: I have to admit that this is a difficult review. I had watched this movie months ago now, and it didn’t resonate with me. I didn’t like it, that is the ultimate memory that I had about it. Maybe it got sucked up into the vortex of unreasonable expectations since this is a new film from Francis Ford Coppola, the legendary director who had brought forward The Godfather (I and II) and Apocalypse Now. This movie had been many years in the making, and it starred Adam Driver, Giancarlo Espositio, Aubrey Plaza, Laurence Fishburne and Jon Voight to name a few.
What I mostly remember is that this movie took a modern day fable approach using New York City to address characters that are from ancient Rome. The main character (Adam Driver as Cesar Catilina) is brilliant and a visionary architect but he is battling against the Mayor of the City (Esposito). But it was messy in plot and disjointed in execution.
Without going too deep into this plot, Cesar has the ability to stop time and then restart it. This ability threatens the existing order of power within the city, as he has a vision to transform the city into a utopia of sorts. This naturally flies directly in the face of the existing hierarchy. The mayor’s daughter, named Julia, seems to be able to watch Cesar’s abilities (stopping time) but she is intrigued by him. She seeks him out and then understands his vision. Things happen. Cesar’s ability leaves him temporarily and then returns. Julia helps him while seeing what her father is really all about.
One of the more curious characters in this mess is played by Shia LaBoeuf (named Clodio) who is looking to discredit Cesar with the people. The make up and acting on LaBoeuf are disconcerting and the character is wholly dispicable. This is reflective of the story all around with characters who aren’t fully formed do things which seem simple without much explanation beyond the most basic. Stupid and silly turns take place which become increasingly ridiculous to the point where I couldn’t care any further. Ultimately I didn’t care about the people, nor the relationships. I was not invested in it or cheering on a particular faction. I cannot recommend this, and would add my name to many who have been disappointed in this effort. A hard pass for me.
May 19th update: Over the weekend I visited Napa California and went to the Coppola vineyard located in Geyserville. While there I saw some fine memorabilia from Coppola films like The Godfather I and II, Tucker: The Man and His Dream, Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Apocalypse Now. But they also had the following display below:
It was further noted on the luxurious property spanning 1400 acres that he in 2021 sold 75% of his interest in this property for $500M in order to fund the making of this movie. One would argue that it was not money well spent. The property still has some really cool items and history of the legendary filmmaker. The food at the restaurant Rustic was very good.
The Last of Us: Season 2 – Episode 4 (Day One): This episode released last Sunday shows the updated journey of Ellie and Dina as they reach Seattle. There was plenty that transpired between them. But before those details, we are introduced to Jeffrey Wright who a number of years before the present time was a soldier leading a troop into a combative zone and then meets up with the leader of a group in that city. Something dramatic and surprising takes place with his soldiers and we learn where his loyalties lie. Fast forward to the present day and Ellie is still seeking revenge tracking down the perpetrators.
Part of me is wondering where the idea of finding a cure for the disease that turns people into “the infected” has been lost. The whole point earlier in Season 1 was that Ellie COULD be a potential source for a cure because she has been bitten and survived means that she could be used medically. Instead, the battles seem to be between different factions of humans who aren’t infected. One would surmise that if the healthy humans banded together, that they could have a better chance against the infected. One of the things that these two young women do which is surprising is in having a lack (at least initially) with moving around hostile territory, by for example wandering through unknown streets in the middle of the day and in the open. They seems to have no sense of trying to hide or staying hidden. Ultimately the budding relationship between these characters is overplayed, all the while there is a serious unexpected encounter with more infected than expected. Ellie needs to reveal something to Dina which one can expect will have lasting impact. We further learn something about Dina which gives Ellie a new perspective on the whole enterprise and the reason for being in Seattle in the first place. At the same time, Ellie is more powerful now and has shown herself to be able to withstand infected attacks. This is a superpower in this world, and it will need to be further explored.
I enjoyed this episode more than the previous episode. I do think that it was unnecessary to get deeper into the relationship and the musical interlude, but overall this was good. I will continue to watch.
Mondays With Robbie 