Photo © Lions Gate Entertainment
Adam Driver and Nathalie Emmanuel in ‘Megalopolis’
Adam Driver and Nathalie Emmanuel in ‘Megalopolis’
The Escort
(IndiePix DVD/Digital)
During Miro’s drunken dinner with fellow advertising execs, the conversation inevitably turns to male sexual prowess fantasies and the libations turn to coke snorted in the lavatory. When Miro retires to his hotel room, a sex worker appears at the door—apparently, one of his buddies paid her to come. He eventually succumbs to her charms, only to find her dead in the bathroom when he awakens.
Croatian director Lukas Nola shows a touch of David Lynch with The Escort’s lurid interior lighting and unusually apt use of music to set an uncanny mood. Nothing transpires as expected. The hotel staff refuses to call the police and agrees to quiely dispose of the dead woman—but the matter doesn’t end there. The Escort was Nola’s final film before his death in 2022. (David Luhrssen)
Megalopolis
(In Theaters Sept. 27)
Now 85, Director Francis Ford Coppola self-financed this R-rated epic. He sets his fable in fictional “New Rome” (recognizable as New York City), where modern-day elites wear Roman hairstyles, togas and capes. Adam Driver appears as visionary architect Cesar. He’s invented a virtually indestructible material named Megalon and seeks to use it to rebuild new Rome for the betterment of ordinary citizens. Cesar’s idea is opposed by the city’s mayor (Giancarlo Esposito) and other elites who profit handsomely from the city’s decay. Into this power-struggle, Coppola inserts a central love-triangle and adds characters played by Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Talia Shire, Jason Schwartzman, Dustin Hoffman and others. The director transforms Madison Square Gardens into a Colosseum featuring gladiatorial contests. His overstuffed, 2-hour-20-minute saga quotes the likes of Shakespeare and other greats, but frequently veers into high camp. Remaining engaged with the rambling storytelling, is challenging. (Lisa Miller)
The Wild Robot
(In Theaters Sept. 27)
After becoming isolated on an island without humans, newly minted robot Roz (voice of Lupita Nyong’o), searches to find her place amongst its wildlife. Built to serve, she offers to assist the island’s bears, foxes, beavers and birds. There are no takers, just skeptics. Then the robot imprints on an orphaned gosling as “Mother.” She names the hatchling Brightbill (Kit Connor), and reluctantly takes on the task of raising it. This selfless act gains Roz acceptance from the animals whose help she requires when an army of robots arrive to forcibly retrieve Roz. Directed by Chris Sanders, who adapted the story from Peter Brown’s trilogy of the same name, this PG-rated film infuses painterly backgrounds with enhanced animal characters and industrialized robots. The satisfying result is bolstered by a well-tuned voice cast that includes Pedro Pascal, Catherine O’Hara, Bill Nighy, Ving Rhames, Mark Hamill, Stephanie Hsu and Matt Berry. (Lisa Miller)
