By Pillar of the Castle
Sep 26, 2024, 10:24 AM EDT
The Roman epic film directed by Francis Ford Coppola: “Megalopolis”. Dreamworks’ animated adaptation of the bestselling novel of the same name, written by Peter Brown: “The Wild Robot”The contemporary mystery film starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Richard Madden and Shailene Woodley: “Killer Heat”And the documentary that shows Will Ferrell and his friend of 30 years, Harper Steele, on a trip across the US after Steele announced that she is a trans woman: “Will & Harper”.
Megalopolis
Francis Ford Coppola has been working for several decades to bring to fruition this ambitious production, the idea of which he conceived in 1977. Megalopolis is defined as “a Roman epic set in an imagined modern America,” according to the film’s synopsis. This sci-fi story takes place in the city of New Rome (which closely resembles New York City), which must rebuild after a devastating disaster, sparking a conflict between Caesar Catiline (played by Adam Driver), a visionary architect looking to leap forward into an idealistic, utopian future, and his opponent, corrupt mayor Franklyn Ciceron (Giancarlo Espósito), who remains committed to a regressive status quo, perpetuating greed, crony interests, and partisan warfare. Among them is socialite Julia Cicero (Nathalie Emmanuel), the mayor’s daughter, whose love for Caesar has divided her loyalties, forcing her to discover what she truly believes humanity deserves. Could there really be parallels between the fall of the Roman Empire and the future of America?
Screens: What to watch in theaters and streaming the weekend of September 20-22
The Wild Robot
When his ship is wrecked on an uninhabited island, intelligent robot Roz must learn to adapt to the harsh environment, building relationships with the island’s animals and becoming a foster parent to an orphaned baby goose. DreamWorks Animation’s film is a new adaptation of Peter Brown’s bestselling novel of the same name. The voice cast includes Pedro Pascal, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Mark Hamill and Catherine O’Hara, among others.
Killer Heat
Private detective Nick Bali (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is an American expatriate in Greece, hired to investigate the alleged accidental death of young shipping magnate Leo Vardakis (Richard Madden) on the island of Crete. The victim’s sister-in-law (Shailene Woodley) doesn’t believe the official police report. But what really happened to Leo, and why? A contemporary mystery film in the classic film noir style that is now available on Prime Video.
Screens: What to watch in theaters and streaming the weekend of September 13-15
Will & Harper
This documentary, which Netflix releases today, shows us Will Ferrell and his friend of 30 years – and co-writer of his films – Harper Steele on a trip across the United States after Steele announced that she is a trans woman. Critics and social justice activists are applauding Ferrell for the film, which finds the actor and his friend navigating a new phase of their friendship while Harper rediscovers the country she now loves as a woman.
Lee
Starring Kate Winslet, the story of American photographer Lee Miller hits theatersfashion model who became a war correspondent for Vogue magazine during World War II.