Kate Winslet gives an Oscar-worthy performance as Lee Miller, a war correspondent and photojournalist, in Lee. Miller explains to a journalist (Josh O'Connor) how she ended up photographing WWII for Vogue and took photos of the concentration camps during the Holocaust. She clashed with her editor, Audrey Withers (Andrea Riseborough, who refused to publish her unflinchingly graphic photos that show the true horrors of the Holocaust. Andy Samberg plays against type as David E. Scherman, her friend and colleague who worked for Life magazine and secretly pined for her, so it's no surprise when David looks dejected when she romances Roland Penrose (Alexander Skarsgård). While going off to photograph the war, she left behind two good friends, Solange (Marion Cotillard) and Nusch (Noémie Merlant).

      The screenplay by co-writers Liz Hannah, Marion Hume and John Collee covers a lot of ground, yet doesn't feel overstuffed or unfocused. To be fair, the wrap-around story involving the journalist interviewing her doesn't serve a purpose right away other than to provide excuses for the flashbacks, but, if you're patient, you'll discover its true purpose after a major twist in the third act which adds another layer of emotional depth. There's even a second twist which won't be spoiled here, but it reveals a lot about Lee's emotional pain. Kudos to the screenwriters for designing a window into Lee's heart, mind and soul and for showing her as a flawed, complex human being and mother. She's brave and strong, but also fallible and vulnerable. Her introspection makes her a more interesting character. Winslet successfully opens the window into Lee's heart, mind and soul with her emotionally generous and raw performance while finding the emotional truth of the role. Ultimately, Lee, directed by Ellen Kuras, is spellbinding. It's a captivating, provocative and engrossing biopic. At 1 hour and 56 minutes, it opens nationwide via Roadside Attractions.

 

       Megalopolis is an ambitious and visually stunning, but convoluted, tonally uneven and exhausting mess. The plot centers on an architect, Cesar (Adam Driver), who plans to change New Rome, formerly known as NYC, to a Megalopolis with a special substance he invented called Megalon despite opposition from Mayor Franklyn (Giancarlo Esposito). Oh, and he can also stop time. Set in the future, the screenplay by writer/director Francis Ford Coppola blends sci-fi, thriller, satire, romance and surrealism with very clunky results. The tone shifts so often from serious to zany to bizarre that you might end up with whiplash. Jon Voigt plays Hamilton Crassus III, Cesar's rich uncle. Aubrey Plaza plays a journalist and Cesar's love interest. Laurence Fishburne plays Cesar's assistant. Talia Shire plays Cesar's mother. Shia LaBeouf plays Hamilton's grandson. Nathalie Emmanuel plays Mayor Franklyn's daughter. The always-great Kathryn Hunter plays Mayor Franklyn's wife. Oh, and Dustin Hoffman also has a small roll. The film meanders with too many characters and underdeveloped plots. It's as though Coppolla had many ideas for a movie and threw them all together in a big pot hoping that something will stick. Very little sticks, although some of the outrageously gaudy production design and costume designs stand out. The editing feels choppy at times, and the pace moves too quickly, so Coppola doesn't trust the audience's patience except when it comes to the bloated running time. The performances range from decent to wooden with only Aubrey Plaza managing to poke fun into her role. At 2 hours and 18 minutes, Megalopolis opens nationwide via Lionsgate and Utopia.

Number of times I checked my watch: 4

      Andy (Michael Zegen), a realtor, struggles to make ends meet and faces eviction just when his estranged 10-year-old daughter, Anna (Kasey Bella Suarez), shows up out of the blue. He lets her tag along with him as he desperately tries to get the necessary money to pay his rent in Notice to Quit. The screenplay by writer/director Simon Hacker is meandering, shallow and undercooked. François Truffaut once observed that a truly great film should find the right balance between Truth and Spectacle. Notice to Quit ultimately fails to find that balance. The plot, which begins as a tragedy, could've either turned into a comedy, a thriller, a psychological character study or some combination of the three. Andy comes across as an obnoxious, unreliable and emotionally immature man who's not a very good role model for his daughter. Unfortunately, the screenplay doesn't bother to allow the audience to get inside his heart, mind and soul, so he remains at a cold distance from the audience. The attempts at humor don't land nor do the brief attempts to add poignancy. At 1 hour and 31 minutes, Notice to Quit opens in select theaters nationwide via Whiskey Creek Releasing. In a double feature with C'mon C'mon, it would be the inferior B-movie.

Number of times I checked my watch: 3




 

        In Saturday Night, Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle), the creator of Saturday Night Live has 90 minutes left to solve many issue with cast and crew before the first show airs on October 11th, 1975. Writer/director Jason Reitman and co-writer Gil Kenan have made a captivating, funny and taut film that captures the intensity of what it was like behind-the-scenes of the first Saturday Night Live show. Lorne deals with a lot of stressful situations that could affect the outcome of the show if he doesn't find solutions. John Belushi (Matt Wood), has yet to sign his contract and briefly goes missing. The show's writer  clashes with Joan (Catherine Curtin), NBC's censor, because of innuendos that she wants to be removed from the script. Garrett Morris (Lamorne Morris) feels like he doesn't fit in with the cast and questions why he's there. Oh, and Lorne's shirt gets accidentally stained with fake blood. Willem Dafoe plays an NBC executive who has no faith in the show and bluntly asks Lorne to explain what Saturday Night Live is actually about. His response is actually quite perceptive and even a little bit moving. There's also a briefly tender scene between Lorne and Dick Ebersol (Cooper Hoffman). For the most part though, Saturday Night maintains a light tone and escalates the tension with its camerawork and the music score that makes it feel like a thriller. Dylan O'Brien, Kaia Gerber, Rachel Sennott, Matthew Rhys, J.K. Simmons, Finn Wolfhard and Ella Hunt round out the terrific ensemble cast. At 1 hour and 49 minutes, Saturday night opens in select theaters via Columbia Pictures before expanding wide on October 11th, 2024.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1

      The Universal Theory is an exquisitely shot, but lethargic, convoluted, bloated and meandering mess. The plot involves a physics congress taking place in the Swiss Alps that Johannes (Jan Bülow), a doctoral student, attends. After meeting Karin (Olivia Ross), a pianist, a romance blossoms between them, but, soon enough, she disappears. To describe what happens afterward would ruin the surprises. However, it's worth mentioning that the plot goes bonkers with little to no exposition and a lot of confusion as the film blends mystery, thriller, sci-fi and surrealism. That's around the time that the screenplay writer/director Timm Kröger and co-writer Roderick Warich takes a steep nosedive and becomes a mindfuck that's neither fun nor suspenseful nor brilliant nor  moving. The pace moves sluggishly and the performances are mediocre at best. The only aspects that stand out are the very stylish black-and-white cinematography and the scenery, but that's not nearly enough to invigorate the film. It also overstays its welcome and doesn't justify its lengthy time. For a much smarter, entertaining, fun and bold film that also goes bonkers while being a mindfuck, see The Substance. At 1 hour and 58 minutes, The Universal Theory opens at Quad Cinema via Oscilloscope.

Number of times I checked my watch: 4

      Vindicating Trump focuses on the struggles and obstacles that Donald Trump faces as the 2024 election approaches. Director Dinesh D'Souza essentially tries to humanize Trump while, again, comparing him to Abraham Lincoln through oversimplifications. He does ask Trump deep and interesting questions, but he doesn't always get deep or interesting answers, like when he asks him how he's managing to keep going during all his legal battles and all the attempts from the Democrats to frame him, smear him and attack his character. Trump's response is essentially that he puts his blinders on and ignores all of the negativity while trekking on. It doesn't seem like Trump is capable of introspection, unfortunately. Perhaps off-camera or in his private moments he is capable of it, but D'Souza doesn't capture it through his interviews.

      When D'Souza interviews Lara Trump, she tells him about how funny Donald Trump is and how he entertains his family with stories when they have dinner together. So what? What the hell does that have to do with his qualifications as a President? It's irrelevant, unless he's running for Comedian of the United States or Storyteller of the United States. Even the most toxic people can be very funny and great storytellers. Lara goes on to say that Trump cares about the working class, cares about America and hasn't been bought by anyone. She says nothing truly revealing or surprising about Trump. Ultimately, Vindicating Trump is a well-edited and provocative, but often hagiographic and unsurprising documentary. It fails to prove that Donald Trump has a vital tool that any emotionally stable and decent human being should have: introspection. At 1 hour and 36 minutes, Vindicating Trump opens in select theaters nationwide via SDG Releasing.

Number of times I checked my watch: 2

      Whale Restaurant: Inconvenient Food is a bold, eye-opening and provocative documentary for open-minded audiences. It's about the whale meat industry, the effects that the industry has on the environment, and a restaurant in Japan that serves whale meat. Director Keiko Yagi interviews a wide range of people from experts like scientists to people who consume the meat at the restaurant, referred to as a "whale bistro." Who would imagine that Shinji Higuchi, the co-director of Shin Godzilla eats there and raves about the whale meat after trying it out of curiosity one day? One of Michael Jackson's former break dancers also eats whale meat, as it turns out. Did Michael Jackson eat it, too? You'll have to watch this documentary to find out.

      Whale Restaurant: Inconvenient Food isn't entirely pro-whale meat, but it does try hard to convince the audience to at least try it. An argument one expert makes when he compares the killing of pregnant whales to breaking an egg to make scrambled eggs isn't very convincing. Also, does the camera really need to briefly cut to someone cooking scrambled eggs during that interview? Most if not all audience members probably know what scrambled eggs are. Despite those minor flaws, Whale Restaurant: Inconvenient Food is nonetheless a refreshing perspective on a controversial topic. It'll change the way you look at whale meat forever. Bravo to director Keiko Yagi keeping the running time brief and the editing brisk. At merely 1 hour and 17 minutes, Whale Restaurant: Inconvenient Food opens at Village East by Angelika via Yagi Film.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1

      In The Wild Robot, Rozzum Unit 7134, a.k.a. Roz (voice of Lupita Nyong'o), a robot, ends up stranded on an island after a shipwreck and believes that her directive is to teach a young orphaned goose, Brightbill (voice of Kit Connor) how to eat, swim and fly. Fink (voice of Pedro Pascal), a fox, helps her to complete her tasks. Writer/director Chris Sanders has managed to create an exhilarating, wise, funny, poignant and uplifting adventure well worth taking. The first fifteen minutes or so are hilarious as you're introduced to Roz who's searching for the one who requested her services only to be rejected by every animal including a squirrel. An egg hatches, Brightbill emerges, and now she has a client. Teaching him how to eat, swim and fly becomes difficult tasks, though.

      The Wild Robot, based on the book by Peter Brown, has a deceptively simple, easy-to-follow plot, but that's just on the surface. Beneath the surface, there's a warm, beating heart and profound, inspirational messages that might remind you of animated classics like The Iron Giant and Wall-E. It avoids turning into a schmaltzy, preachy, heavy-handed, tedious or dull experience, though. The dialogue and even some of the sight gags sparkle with wit without catering to the lowest common denominator or pandering to younger audiences. In other words, The Wild Robot entertains adults and children equally. Interestingly, the animation style appears to be a combo of photo-realistic CGI and painted CGI, like in the character design of Fink the fox. The use of music is also worth mentioning, especially the song "Kiss the Sky" by Maren Morris which deserves to be nominated for Best Original Song. At a running time of 1 hours and 41 minutes, The Wild Robot is destined to become an animated classic. It opens nationwide via Universal Pictures.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1