Photo © A24
Nicholas Cage in ‘Dream Scenario’
Nicholas Cage in ‘Dream Scenario’
Dream Scenario
(In Theaters Nov. 22)
What if a schlubby, middle-aged stranger began appearing in your dreams, watching from the background? That’s exactly what happens when college professor Paul Matthews (Nicolas Cage) learns he’s making guest appearances in other people’s nightmares. Written by director Kristoffer Borgli, a Norwegian who delivers his English language film debut, no one knows why or how Matthews has famously become everyone’s unexpected nocturnal visitor. One opportunistic marketer (Michael Cera) offers to pay Matthews to hock clients’ wares. Cage harvests comic payola as a professor advising students that blending in constitutes our best survival strategy. Wearing cardigans, flood pants, and wire-rimmed glasses, the last thing Matthews sought was fame, but he discovers he likes being sought after. Then his dream appearances take a sinister turn, changing the perception of Matthews from that of an icon to an evil force. Julianne Nicholson, Tim Meadows, Dylan Gelula and Dylan Baker also appear as supporting players in this sharp satire about the pitfalls of believing in your own PR. (Lisa Miller)
Napoleon
(In Theaters Nov. 22)
Director Ridley Scott stages epic battle sequences, demonstrating the strategic ability and determination that propelled Napoleon and his army to numerous victories. Yet, the reason behind the commander’s conquering lust remains unfathomable. According to biographers, Napoleon’s Corsican roots made his behavior unlike that of elite Parisians, but this film skips over this challenge, diving headlong into Napoleon’s attraction to Josephine (Vanessa Kirby). Their push-me-pull-you romance tests, validates and infuriates Napoleon. When discord arises, it feels truly disruptive. Otherwise, Joaquin Phoenix’s Napoleon is a cypher. Ridley Scott takes frequent poetic license but strives to faithfully recreate six of Napoleon’s most famous battles. The two-and-a-half-hour film spans three decades, delving into Napoleon’s exile, and despite its flaws, delivers gobs of visual spectacle. (Lisa Miller)
Slava Ukraini
(Cohen Media DVD)
In 1971, when French author-philosopher Andre Malraux called on intellectuals to form a fighting brigade for the liberation of Bangladesh, only one person replied, a young student named Bernard-Henri Levy. In the decades since, Levy has sustained his role as public intellectual and activist—as opposed to weedy academic colleagues who spend their careers deconstructing the micro-aggressions of dead authors.
It's no surprise that Levy not only champions Ukraine’s battle against Putin but went to the front lines to make a film about it. In Slava Ukraini, the silver-haired philosopher dons a Kevlar vest over his trademark black suit and white shirt as he ventures into trenches and peers at Russian forces within mortar range. He visits cities littered with the rubble of war, including unburied corpses. He speaks with a general (“This Patton! This Leclerc!”) and a mother left homeless by Russian missiles. He wanders through a liberated town, largely intact but emptied of people ("under the insolently blue sky”).
Speaking to a large outdoor crowd in Kyiv, Levy proclaims, “You are not afraid, and yet the Europeans are afraid! Putin is strong only if we are weak.” In France, philosophers have the ears of politicians, not university tenure committees. Macron sent more artillery.
Filming this documentary in late 2022, Levy speaks of Ukraine’s “extraordinary counter-offensive.” But now, a year later, it has stalled. Putin remains strong, thanks to his tyrannical comrades in China and Turkey, and a hoped-for victory by his American friend in the 2024 election. We’ll see if Levy’s confident prediction of Ukrainian victory will come to pass. Slava Ukraini is a testament to the philosopher’s sense of valor and moral purpose, qualities lacked by many of his colleagues. (David Luhrssen)
Wish
(In Theaters Nov. 22nd)
Walt Disney Studios delivers this tribute to its studio theme song “When You Wish Upon a Star.” The idea is flawed due to lack of persuasive motivation for the principal character known as Magnifico (voice of Chris Pine). Only he is authorized to practice magic in the kingdom of Rosas. He pretends to care about residents who present him with their fondest wishes in hopes that he will grant them. He rarely does, storing those wishes away inside floating, clear blue bubbles. Magnifico’s process, that of largely wish-denying, is challenged by would-be apprentice, teenager Asha (intoned by Ariana DeBose). Magnifico’s response briefly melts his benevolent exterior as he plots to punish her for questioning him. Since Asha believes in the power of wishing upon a star, she goes into the forest where she does just that, prompting “Star” (a diminutive, yellow, emoji-like orb) to appear floating at her side. Star gives voice to Rosa’s animals, including to Asha’s baby goat Valentino (Alan Tudyk), the story’s comedic sidekick. The three set out to grant Asha’s grandfather’s longtime wish. Able to sense someone else harnessing magic, Magnifico (and his puffy pompadour), to obsess about finding the disobedient user. This finally publicly reveals his lust for power. Clocking in at an hour-and-a-half, the film features catchy tunes performed well by DeBose. Harkening back to earlier Disney productions, the nostalgic animation style and colors comfortably align with the film’s modern themes. (Lisa Miller)
