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Megalopolis, Francis Ford Coppola (Claims it’s his best work), Adam Driver


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1 hour ago, ArtisanalLoaf said:

Starting to see reports of a great reception at Cannes.

Would be great if it makes its money back - I give the man credit for liquidating a lot of assets to make it.  Would make for a nice swan song if it does well, even though none of the major companies were willing to do it.

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Many reviews were blisteringly bad. Peter Bradshaw for The Guardian called it “megabloated and megaboring.” Tim Grierson for Screen Daily called it a “disaster” “stymied by arbitrary plotting and numbing excess.” Kevin Maher for the Times of London wrote that it’s a “head-wrecking abomination.” Critic Jessica Kiang said “Megalopolis” “is a folly of such gargantuan proportions it’s like observing the actual fall of Rome.”

But some critics responded with admiration for the film’s ambition. With fondness, New York Magazine’s Bilge Ebiri said the film “might be the craziest thing I’ve ever seen.” David Ehrlich for IndieWire praised a “creatively unbound approach” that “may not have resulted in a surplus of dramatically coherent scenes, but it undergirds the entire movie with a looseness that makes it almost impossible to look away.”

“Is it a distancing work of hubris, a gigantic folly, or a bold experiment, an imaginative bid to capture our chaotic contemporary reality, both political and social, via the kind of large-canvas, high-concept storytelling that’s seldom attempted anymore?” wrote David Rooney for The Hollywood Reporter. “The truth is it’s all those things.”

https://apnews.com/article/megalopolis-cannes-francis-ford-coppola-d965352b9f0f5d78d6c470beb801f6f8

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3 hours ago, DixonHur said:

I excited to see it, but I can't imagine it's better than Godfather I or II.

If it is, it should sweep the Oscars.

Hot take Stephen A

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4 hours ago, DixonHur said:

I excited to see it, but I can't imagine it's better than Godfather I or II.

If it is, it should sweep the Oscars.

Actors today are so much stronger and faster with their lines than the 70s. It’s apples and oranges. If they released The Godfather in the current era, it would be a lifetime movie at best. 

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11 hours ago, bolverk said:

Many reviews were blisteringly bad. Peter Bradshaw for The Guardian called it “megabloated and megaboring.” Tim Grierson for Screen Daily called it a “disaster” “stymied by arbitrary plotting and numbing excess.” Kevin Maher for the Times of London wrote that it’s a “head-wrecking abomination.” Critic Jessica Kiang said “Megalopolis” “is a folly of such gargantuan proportions it’s like observing the actual fall of Rome.”

 "This pretentious, ponderous film is enough to prompt the question, 'What day did the Lord create Megalopolis, and couldn't he have rested on that day too?'"

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11 hours ago, bolverk said:

Many reviews were blisteringly bad. Peter Bradshaw for The Guardian called it “megabloated and megaboring.” Tim Grierson for Screen Daily called it a “disaster” “stymied by arbitrary plotting and numbing excess.” Kevin Maher for the Times of London wrote that it’s a “head-wrecking abomination.” Critic Jessica Kiang said “Megalopolis” “is a folly of such gargantuan proportions it’s like observing the actual fall of Rome.”

But some critics responded with admiration for the film’s ambition. With fondness, New York Magazine’s Bilge Ebiri said the film “might be the craziest thing I’ve ever seen.” David Ehrlich for IndieWire praised a “creatively unbound approach” that “may not have resulted in a surplus of dramatically coherent scenes, but it undergirds the entire movie with a looseness that makes it almost impossible to look away.”

“Is it a distancing work of hubris, a gigantic folly, or a bold experiment, an imaginative bid to capture our chaotic contemporary reality, both political and social, via the kind of large-canvas, high-concept storytelling that’s seldom attempted anymore?” wrote David Rooney for The Hollywood Reporter. “The truth is it’s all those things.”

https://apnews.com/article/megalopolis-cannes-francis-ford-coppola-d965352b9f0f5d78d6c470beb801f6f8

This makes me want to see it more. He took a big swing, and he most likely missed, for now. I’m getting a Brazil vibe.

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17 hours ago, bolverk said:

Many reviews were blisteringly bad. Peter Bradshaw for The Guardian called it “megabloated and megaboring.” Tim Grierson for Screen Daily called it a “disaster” “stymied by arbitrary plotting and numbing excess.” Kevin Maher for the Times of London wrote that it’s a “head-wrecking abomination.” Critic Jessica Kiang said “Megalopolis” “is a folly of such gargantuan proportions it’s like observing the actual fall of Rome.”

But some critics responded with admiration for the film’s ambition. With fondness, New York Magazine’s Bilge Ebiri said the film “might be the craziest thing I’ve ever seen.” David Ehrlich for IndieWire praised a “creatively unbound approach” that “may not have resulted in a surplus of dramatically coherent scenes, but it undergirds the entire movie with a looseness that makes it almost impossible to look away.”

“Is it a distancing work of hubris, a gigantic folly, or a bold experiment, an imaginative bid to capture our chaotic contemporary reality, both political and social, via the kind of large-canvas, high-concept storytelling that’s seldom attempted anymore?” wrote David Rooney for The Hollywood Reporter. “The truth is it’s all those things.”

https://apnews.com/article/megalopolis-cannes-francis-ford-coppola-d965352b9f0f5d78d6c470beb801f6f8

Bilge is a great critic, and we share a lot of similar opinions, but I wouldn’t say that sounds like a ringing endorsement.

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14 hours ago, Gene Parmesan said:

Actors today are so much stronger and faster with their lines than the 70s. It’s apples and oranges. If they released The Godfather in the current era, it would be a lifetime movie at best. 

big GIF

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https://variety.com/2024/film/news/megalopolis-craziest-moments-francis-ford-coppola-1236006842/

WARNING -- the below includes spoilers.

Quote

SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers for Francis Ford Coppola‘s “Megalopolis,” which premiered at Cannes Film Festival on May 16.

The wait is over: Francis Ford Coppola’s sci-fi drama “Megalopolis” has finally premiered at Cannes Film Festival, shocking and dividing critics.

The film, a $120 million epic starring Adam Driver, Aubrey Plaza, Giancarlo Esposito and Shia LaBeouf, was financed by Coppola himself — and has yet to secure a distributor in the United States. Regardless, the movie earned a 7-minute standing ovation from Cannes, as Coppola hugged Driver and Esposito and delivered an emotional speech dedicating the film to hope and family.

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Variety chief film critic Peter Debruge wrote in his review that the film “is positively awe-inspiring in some places and an absolute eyesore in others, until you pull back and try to take it all in.” Though reactions have been mixed, the film was undoubtedly jam-packed with scenes that ranged from visionary to just plain puzzling.

Popular on Variety

02:41

09:46

Below, read about the five craziest moments in “Megalopolis.”

MAGA LaBeouf

In “Megalopolis,” LaBeouf plays Clodio Crassus, the enfant terrible of a banking dynasty — one who sleeps with his relatives, galvanizes the 99% with fear and takes pride in his superficiality. Imagine young Connor Roy with a rattail and Kendall’s love of drugs. In the end, the rebellious poor population of Coppola’s fictional city expose him for the false god he is. Literally strung up by his toes in his final moments on screen, an angry mob pelts him with anything they can find. The last object hits him in the gut. It’s a red baseball cap which reads “Make America Great Again.”

City of Sisterly Love

For some reason, the children of bank overlord Hamilton Crassus III (Jon Voight) have a penchant for incest. LaBeouf’s Clodio and his sisters, one of whom is played by Chloe Fineman, allude to having sexual relations with each other and even demonstrate some of this during their father’s wild circus-themed wedding to Wow Platinum (Aubrey Plaza). How this serves the plot remains unclear.

Sexy Auntie Wow

After Wow marries into the Crassus fortune, she makes it her goal to take over the bank and give it to her true love, Driver’s Cesar. But in order to do that, she seduces LaBeouf’s Clodio, insisting he call her “Auntie Wow” as they do the deed. This leads into a several minute scene in which Clodio performs cunnilingus on Auntie Wow as she cuts off his rattail. Romantic!

Virgin Suicide

Coppola grounds his mind-numbing plot with something any American relate to — a monolithic pop girlie. Viral “America’s Got Talent” winner Grace VanderWaal, who won that competition with sweet ukulele songs at age 12, plays Vesta Sweetwater. A culture-dominating singer who also plucks a small string instrument, this character is all grown up and has an insidious gimmick: she’s a virgin saving herself for marriage, and the nation gets behind her purity. Funny, because that’s the name of the hit single she performs at the “Megalopolis” version of ancient Rome’s Colosseum. The rich donate hundreds of millions on the spot to “help support her pledge.” Except after her performance of “Purity,” LaBeouf’s character arranges the broadcast of a deepfake sex tape starring VanderWaal and Driver’s character. She is shamed and ripped off stage as Driver’s character is arrested for statutory rape. Not the best era in her career.

Hard Times for Jon Voight

Variety previously reported that one of the most jaw-dropping moments at an early buyers screening was a scene involving Voight, Plaza, LaBeouf and a hospital bed erection. We can confidently report the same was true for the Cannes premiere. Clad in a leopard blanket, Voight indeed shows off what looks to be an unseemly “boner,” in his own words. It’s revealed to be a miniature bow and arrow, which has fatal consequences for one of his scene partners. The other gets an arrow in each ass cheek: Beware the side effects of Viagra in the Coppola Cinematic Universe.  

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1 hour ago, C-Man said:

Clad in a leopard blanket, Voight indeed shows off what looks to be an unseemly “boner,” in his own words. It’s revealed to be a miniature bow and arrow, which has fatal consequences for one of his scene partners. The other gets an arrow in each ass cheek: Beware the side effects of Viagra in the Coppola Cinematic Universe.  

giphy.gif?cid=6c09b952t5kg51v5pmq7ogndap

 

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