Megalopolis

[edwin drood]

Trailer:
https://youtu.be/pq6mvHZU0fc?si=LdprzC6jW9fYiTLL

Reviews are so-so, which is disappointing. Coppola comes with great expectations.

[Dicktar2023]

Trailer:
https://youtu.be/pq6mvHZU0fc?si=LdprzC6jW9fYiTLL

Reviews are so-so, which is disappointing. Coppola comes with great expectations.

Great expectations? I'm trying to think of the last FCC movie that was watchable...definitely nothing he's made this century.

[Pink Freud]

From the reviews I've read, FCC has put together an epic-scale mishmash of Howard Roark; Robert Moses; Aldous Huxley; a certain NYC developer/politician, and the Roman empire. I find Adam Driver a very odd choice to fill that role. It took Coppola decades to finally pull this off, and he put $120 mil of his own money into it, meaning he'll lose almost all of it.

But, at age 85, he's more interested in leaving his commentary on the world than he is in making more money. This film's grand scale means it absolutely begs to be seen in a movie theater, but finding a USA distributor has been a challenge.

Critics say it's an exhausting 2:18, but at least Coppola's swinging for the artistic fences, hitting the occasional homer but often striking out, rather than playing it safe and listening to studio idiots citing four-square marketing targets.

[3dender]

From the reviews I've read, FCC has put together an epic-scale mishmash of Howard Roark; Robert Moses; Aldous Huxley; a certain NYC developer/politician, and the Roman empire. I find Adam Driver a very odd choice to fill that role. It took Coppola decades to finally pull this off, and he put $120 mil of his own money into it, meaning he'll lose almost all of it.

But, at age 85, he's more interested in leaving his commentary on the world than he is in making more money. This film's grand scale means it absolutely begs to be seen in a movie theater, but finding a USA distributor has been a challenge.

Critics say it's an exhausting 2:18, but at least Coppola's swinging for the artistic fences, hitting the occasional homer but often striking out, rather than playing it safe and listening to studio idiots citing four-square marketing targets.

Thanks so much for that summary of what other people have said. Never would have known where to find such a compilation if not for your post.

I wonder if there are any extremely popular websites that do such a thing? If not there should be!

[MikoTython]

Wow. Melodramatic doesn't seem quite adequate to capture this film's (apparent) conceit, (apparently) absurd scope.

[George Zipp]

Drew Magary used to write for Deadspin and when they got broken up he went over to a site called Defector and also does a bunch of freelance stuff. He's a pop culture/sports writer, he's snarky AF so right up my alley. Anyway, he has some thoughts about this film. Not sure I have ever read a more scathing review of a movie, and I've been here 20 years reading 3D and Dicktar's reviews

https://www.sfgate.com/sf-culture/artic ... 760949.php

[Pink Freud]

From the reviews I've read, FCC has put together an epic-scale mishmash of Howard Roark; Robert Moses; Aldous Huxley; a certain NYC developer/politician, and the Roman empire. I find Adam Driver a very odd choice to fill that role. It took Coppola decades to finally pull this off, and he put $120 mil of his own money into it, meaning he'll lose almost all of it.

But, at age 85, he's more interested in leaving his commentary on the world than he is in making more money. This film's grand scale means it absolutely begs to be seen in a movie theater, but finding a USA distributor has been a challenge.

Critics say it's an exhausting 2:18, but at least Coppola's swinging for the artistic fences, hitting the occasional homer but often striking out, rather than playing it safe and listening to studio idiots citing four-square marketing targets.

Thanks so much for that summary of what other people have said. Never would have known where to find such a compilation if not for your post.

I wonder if there are any extremely popular websites that do such a thing? If not there should be!

You must have missed my first five words above.

[Pink Freud]

The New York Times has a writeup today by Sam Wasson, who has written several movie books, titled "Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Megalopolis’ Is Exactly the Risk Hollywood Needs". But no way do I link to it --- you'll just have to Google it --- under penalty of forum death from copyright violation. Since there is paywall to access the entire story, PM me and I'll send it to you in plain text.

Even you, wiseguy.

[Pink Freud]

Drew Magary used to write for Deadspin and when they got broken up he went over to a site called Defector and also does a bunch of freelance stuff. He's a pop culture/sports writer, he's snarky AF so right up my alley. Anyway, he has some thoughts about this film. Not sure I have ever read a more scathing review of a movie, and I've been here 20 years reading 3D and Dicktar's reviews

https://www.sfgate.com/sf-culture/artic ... 760949.php

OK, it's fun to read something so scathing...but....no critic --- not Leslie Halliwell, not Rex Reed, not Patricia Corrigan, not that Blueberry Hill bartender who trashed for the RFT, not John Simon --- ever became famous by praising anything.

[edwin drood]

Trailer:
https://youtu.be/pq6mvHZU0fc?si=LdprzC6jW9fYiTLL

Reviews are so-so, which is disappointing. Coppola comes with great expectations.

Great expectations? I'm trying to think of the last FCC movie that was watchable...definitely nothing he's made this century.

Whatever... When a filmmaker has The Godfather and Apocalypse Now on his resume, there has to be expectations. I didn't realize that he also made The Rainmaker, with Matt Damon, Claire Danes and Danny DeVito. Based on a John Grisham novel. Decent movie.

[Dicktar2023]

Trailer:
https://youtu.be/pq6mvHZU0fc?si=LdprzC6jW9fYiTLL

Reviews are so-so, which is disappointing. Coppola comes with great expectations.

Great expectations? I'm trying to think of the last FCC movie that was watchable...definitely nothing he's made this century.

Whatever... When a filmmaker has The Godfather and Apocalypse Now on his resume, there has to be expectations. I didn't realize that he also made The Rainmaker, with Matt Damon, Claire Danes and Danny DeVito. Based on a John Grisham novel. Decent movie.

He's made some of the greatest films of all time, for sure. But if there were ever a case to be made that sometimes artists suddenly run out of talent, it's FFC. Which is hardly a sin--Cotton Club, Jack, etc. can't erase GF or Apocalypse Now.

But he's blathered on and on the last 20 years about how he's totally free to make only the kinds of movies he wants now, and yadda yadda and this period of artistic freedom has produced what? movies like Youth Without Youth and Twixt.

[todd-parker]

Watched 'Megalopolis' this morning and, whoa boy, do I have a lot of questions. Most of them start with "why". Muddled story, questionable casting choices, and just visually unappealing. Suffice it to say that Coppola should have just kept his winery. At least that swill went down easy.

[Dicktar2023]

Watched 'Megalopolis' this morning and, whoa boy, do I have a lot of questions. Most of them start with "why". Muddled story, questionable casting choices, and just visually unappealing. Suffice it to say that Coppola should have just kept his winery. At least that swill went down easy.

I'm really on the bubble. I know if I don't see it in theaters, I'm never going to get around to it. On the other hand, it sounds like the only reason to "get around to it" is to boggle at how misguided it is.

On the third hand...I love boggling at misguided movies.

Very conflicted. But I guess Sunday afternoon isn't going to just waste itself.

[Pink Freud]

Dicktar made a great point, of checking it out just "to boggle at how misguided it is".

I used that logic to see "Cats" after all the awful reviews...and loved it! Yes, my company insurance includes mental health coverage.

FFC knew he'd lose money on this, and the NY Times said he put $140 mil of his own money ($120 mil production, $20 mil marketing & distribution) into this obvious vanity project, and the first weekend's grosses from 2,000 theaters in USA and Canada totaled only $4 mil.

Then again, opening weekend grosses are a product of marketing and critical reviews, not necessarily how ticket buyers responded to it. Kind of like attendance at a ballgame supposedly reflecting its quality, when actually fans paid their way in not knowing what they'd see.

Worse, the CinemaScore grade --- exclusively from opening night moviegoers, who are presumed to be excited about its opening --- was only D-plus.

[3dender]

From the reviews I've read, FCC has put together an epic-scale mishmash of Howard Roark; Robert Moses; Aldous Huxley; a certain NYC developer/politician, and the Roman empire. I find Adam Driver a very odd choice to fill that role. It took Coppola decades to finally pull this off, and he put $120 mil of his own money into it, meaning he'll lose almost all of it.

But, at age 85, he's more interested in leaving his commentary on the world than he is in making more money. This film's grand scale means it absolutely begs to be seen in a movie theater, but finding a USA distributor has been a challenge.

Critics say it's an exhausting 2:18, but at least Coppola's swinging for the artistic fences, hitting the occasional homer but often striking out, rather than playing it safe and listening to studio idiots citing four-square marketing targets.

Thanks so much for that summary of what other people have said. Never would have known where to find such a compilation if not for your post.

I wonder if there are any extremely popular websites that do such a thing? If not there should be!

You must have missed my first five words above.

Acknowledging being an other-peoples'-opinions compiler doesn't automatically make compiling other peoples' opinions a useful contribution to a discussion.

[Pink Freud]

Acknowledging being an other-peoples'-opinions compiler doesn't automatically make compiling other peoples' opinions a useful contribution to a discussion.

The only "useful contribution" you've made to this "discussion" is trashing MY contribution. Keep up your fine work. We can't wait for your next breathless dispatch we can etch into stone.