MEGALOPOLIS
MEGALOPOLIS
Megalopolis[a] is a 2024 American epic science fiction drama film written, directed, and produced by Francis Ford Coppola. The film stars Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Talia Shire, Jason Schwartzman, Kathryn Hunter, Grace VanderWaal, Chloe Fineman, James Remar, D. B. Sweeney, and Dustin Hoffman. Set in an imagined modern United States, it follows visionary architect Cesar Catilina (Driver) as he clashes with the corrupt Mayor Franklyn Cicero (Esposito) in determining how to rebuild the metropolis of New Rome after a devastating disaster. The film references the characters involved in the Catilinarian conspiracy of 63 BC, including Catiline and Cicero, in addition to Caesar.
In development for decades, Megalopolis came from Coppola’s desire to make a film drawing parallels between the fall of Rome and the future of the United States by setting the events of the Catilinarian conspiracy in modern New York. He conceived the idea for the film in 1977 and actively started developing it in 1983 by assembling notes for a future script. Preparations for a film based around his initial concept came together in 1989 to be shot in Rome, but it was postponed after Coppola prioritized other projects to pay his debt to Hollywood after a string of box-office disappointments. Coppola revived the project in 2001, holding table reads with prominent actors in New York. After the September 11 attacks, an event that resembled the film’s plot and themes, Megalopolis was again abandoned. Having become disheartened working for the studio system, Coppola soon after declared his intentions to self-finance the project if it ever came to fruition.
Coppola announced his return to the film in 2019 and, two years after, sold a portion of his winery in California to spend $120 million of his own money to fund it. After a delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, casting was underway by 2021. The film reunited Coppola with past collaborators, including actors Esposito, Fishburne, Remar, Shire, and Sweeney, cinematographer Mihai Mălaimare Jr., second-unit director Roman Coppola, and composer Osvaldo Golijov. Principal photography took place from November 2022 to March 2023, in Georgia.
Premise
In a decaying metropolis called New Rome, idealist architect Cesar Catilina is granted a license by the federal government to demolish and rebuild the city as a sustainable utopia using Megalon, a material that can give him the power to control space and time.[3] His nemesis, Mayor Franklyn Cicero, remains committed to a regressive status quo. Torn between them is Franklyn’s socialite daughter and Cesar’s love interest Julia, who, tired of the influence she inherited, searches for her life’s meaning.[1][4]
Cast
- Adam Driver as Cesar Catilina, a futuristic architect and the Chairman of the Design Authority in New Rome, blessed with the ability to stop time[5]
- Giancarlo Esposito as Mayor Franklyn Cicero, the arch-conservative mayor of New Rome[5]
- Nathalie Emmanuel as Julia Cicero, Cesar’s love interest and Franklyn’s daughter[5]
- Aubrey Plaza as Wow Platinum, a TV presenter specializing in financial news who loves Cesar[1]: 12 [5]
- Shia LaBeouf as Clodio Pulcher, Cesar’s cousin who lusts for Julia[1]: 13 [5]
- Jon Voight as Hamilton Crassus III, Cesar’s wealthy uncle and the head of Crassus National Bank[5][6]
- Laurence Fishburne as Fundi Romaine (the film’s narrator), Cesar’s driver and assistant[7]
- Talia Shire as Constance Crassus Catilina, Cesar’s mother[8]
- Jason Schwartzman as Jason Zanderz, a member of Franklyn’s entourage[8]
- Kathryn Hunter as Teresa Cicero, Franklyn’s wife[8]
- Grace VanderWaal as Vesta Sweetwater, a virginal teen pop star[5]
- Chloe Fineman as Clodia Pulcher[1]: 33
- James Remar as Charles Cothope[1]: 33
- D. B. Sweeney as Commissioner Stanley Hart[1]: 33
- Isabelle Kusman as Claudine Pulcher[1]: 33
- Bailey Ives as Huey Wilkes[1]: 34
- Madeleine Gardella as Claudette Pulcher[1]: 34
- Balthazar Getty as Aram Kazanjian, Clodio’s right-hand man[8]
- Romy Mars as Girl Reporter[1]: 34
- Haley Sims as Sunny Hope Catilina[1]: 34
- Dustin Hoffman as Nush Berman, Franklyn’s fixer[8]
MEGALOPOLIS
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LEE
LEE
Lee is a 2023 British biographical drama film directed by Ellen Kuras in her feature directorial debut, from a screenplay by Liz Hannah, John Collee and Marion Hume, and story from Hume, Collee and Lem Dobbs, adapted from the 1985 biography The Lives of Lee Miller by Antony Penrose.
It stars Kate Winslet as WWII journalist Lee Miller. The cast includes Marion Cotillard, Andrea Riseborough, Andy Samberg, Noémie Merlant, Josh O’Connor and Alexander Skarsgård in supporting roles.
The movie took eight years to make and, at one point, due to precarious funding, Kate Winslet (who also produced the movie) paid the entire cast and crew’s salaries for two weeks. The film made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 9 September 2023. It was released theatrically in the United Kingdom by Sky Cinema on 13 September 2024.
Premise
Lee Miller goes from a career as a model to enlisting as a photographer to chronicle the events of World War II for Vogue magazine.
Cast
- Kate Winslet as Lee Miller
- Marion Cotillard as Solange d’Ayen
- Andrea Riseborough as Audrey Withers
- Andy Samberg as David Scherman
- Noémie Merlant as Nusch Éluard
- Josh O’Connor as Antony Penrose
- Alexander Skarsgård as Roland Penrose
- Arinzé Kene as Major Jonesy
- Vincent Colombe as Paul Éluard
- Patrick Mille as Jean D’Ayen
- Samuel Barnett as Cecil Beaton
- Zita Hanrot as Ady Fidelin
- James Murray as Colonel Spencer
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THE WILD ROBOT
THE WILD ROBOT
The Wild Robot is a 2024 American animated science fiction survival film based on the book series of the same name by Peter Brown, produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures. The film was written and directed by Chris Sanders, produced by Jeff Hermann, and executive-produced by Sanders’ longtime collaborative partner Dean DeBlois. It stars Lupita Nyong’o as Roz, the title character, alongside an ensemble voice cast including Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Mark Hamill, Catherine O’Hara, Matt Berry, and Ving Rhames.
DreamWorks announced an animated film adaptation of the book series The Wild Robot in September 2023, with Sanders, Hermann, and DeBlois attached. Sanders took inspiration from Disney animated classic films and the works of Hayao Miyazaki. It would be the final film to be animated entirely in-house at DreamWorks, as it was reported in October 2023 that the studio would be shifting away from producing films in-house to relying more heavily on outside studios after 2024. Kris Bowers composed the film’s score, marking his first score for an animated film.
The Wild Robot premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2024, and is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States on September 27, 2024. The film received critical acclaim.
Plot
In a future Earth, a Universal Dynamics cargo ship runs aground on an uninhabited island. The only one of the ROZZUM utilitarian robots still whole, unit 7134, who calls herself “Roz” for short, is activated by the local wildlife, and after repeated misunderstandings between it and her, Roz decides to enter a learning safe mode observing nature, emerging days later fluent in all animal language. Roz decides to leave for having no assignment, but after a failed attempt to contact her manufacturer, Roz accidentally destroys a goose nest, aside from a single egg. Roz stops a fox from eating the egg and it then hatches, and the gosling imprints itself onto Roz, eventually breaking the robot’s communication module. A discussion with Pinktail, a mother opossum, ends up setting up a mission on Roz regarding raising the gosling before it needs to leave the island for its winter migration. Roz asks the help of the fox, Fink, and a conversation between them while building a shelter leads the bird to be named Brightbill.
Once Brightbill has grown, Roz tries teaching him to swim, and Brightbill meets other geese, being bullied for his short stature and awkward social manners. Once Brightbill discovers Roz caused the death of his family, making him grow alone and unadjusted, he gets resentful and decides to get away from her. After learning more about her purpose and getting another communication module from the wreckage containing the destroyed ROZZUM robots, the elder goose Longneck encourages Roz to make Brightbill learn to fly. Once he is capable and flies away with the other geese, Roz is unnerved at how she challenged her programming, became attached to the bird and is sad that he left. She activates her communication module, but as soon as the beacon shows up at the Universal Dynamics headquarters Roz shuts it off again.
Voice cast
- Lupita Nyong’o as ROZZUM unit 7134 (“Roz”), an abandoned robot that was washed onto a forest island and learns to adapt to the new environment, partially by using her processing ability to learn how to communicate with the native animals, and becomes the adoptive mother of Brightbill.[3] The name of her product line, ROZZUM, and her manufacturer, Universal Dynamics, are references to Rossum’s Universal Robots, the play that created the term “robot”.[4]
- Pedro Pascal as Fink, a mischievous red fox who is the first animal that Roz helps and befriends.[3]
- Kit Connor as Brightbill, an orphaned runt Barnacle goose who is raised by Roz as her own son.[3]
- Boone Storme as Baby Brightbill.[5]
- Catherine O’Hara as Pinktail, a mother opossum who gives Roz some advice on raising Brightbill.[3]
- Bill Nighy as Longneck, a wise elder goose who helps Roz understand teaching Brightbill how to fly.[3]
- Stephanie Hsu as Vontra, an evil robot of Roz’s race who has been sent to retrieve Roz.[3]
- Mark Hamill as Thorn, a grizzly bear.
- Matt Berry as Paddler, a beaver.
- Ving Rhames as Thunderbolt, a falcon who helps Brightbill learn to fly.[3][6]
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AMBER ALERT
AMBER ALERT
An ordinary rideshare becomes a high-stakes game of cat and mouse when Jaq (Hayden Panettiere) and Shane (Tyler James Williams) receive an alert of a child abduction on their phones. Quickly realizing they are behind a car that matches the description of the kidnappers, Jaq and Shane desperately race against time to save the child’s life.
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9/24/2024 #MEGALOPOLIS #LEE #THE WILD ROBOT #AMBER ALERT
