Thursday, September 26, 2024

Movie review - "Megalopolis" (2024) **

 Too many thoughts to put down in a coherent form so I'll do dot points:

- this didn't have to cost $120 million, at heart it's people in rooms talking

- props to a boomer blowing his fortune on an indulgent movie

- it feels like a third year drama school play - a verse drama, cobbled off Roman history, lots of "wisdom" and pretension, lousy female roles

- occasionally some genuine emotion comes through like Talia Shire giving son Adam Driver a serve

- the cast all commit - Nathalie Emmanuel does as well as she can, Driver goes for it, Aubrey Plaza really goes for it, Jon Voight excellent and Shia LeBouf absolutely nails it - whatever the film is, Shia is it

- the adaptation of Rome doesn't work - there's lots of newspapers, and people smoking - also rich families tend not to run for elected office these days it's easier to buy politicians - so there was a level of non reality about it (I know it was expressionistic but things clunked - it was set in our world but also had a 1980s vibe) - I wish he'd just set this in Ancient Rome or gone fully sci fi and set it in the future

- I couldn't follow what was happening (Driver builds things I think and there's elections and... something) and at two horus 15 minutes it was hard

- Coppola can still do violence well as shown with the assassination attempt on Driver

- DB Sweeney and James Remar have small roles! Bless

- obviously very personal about Coppola with his love for a princess daughter and Driver thanking Emmanuel "for making him work" (gotta love those behind the scenes women), and blonde female sex objects

- why was Dustin Hoffman in this film?

Look, he had a go. He really did.

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