If you dove head first into Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis, you would get a concussion. The filmmaker’s supposed opus––a glitzy, gargantuan, long-gestating project that he conceived of in the late ‘70s, attempted to make more than once in the ‘80s, rewrote countless times over the last four decades, and eventually self-financed for $120 million due to lack of external support––has had cinephiles like myself drooling over its scope and potential for years. Alas, there is no deep end in this pool.
Don’t let that deter you though. Receive it with a healthy dose of doubt and let it reshape (and perhaps healthily lower) your expectations. Because, at the end of the day, for better and for worse, in awe and in tired confusion, Megalopolis is a garish wonder to behold.
Coppola recently said that “[his] first goal always is to make a film with all [his] heart,” and...
Don’t let that deter you though. Receive it with a healthy dose of doubt and let it reshape (and perhaps healthily lower) your expectations. Because, at the end of the day, for better and for worse, in awe and in tired confusion, Megalopolis is a garish wonder to behold.
Coppola recently said that “[his] first goal always is to make a film with all [his] heart,” and...
- 5/17/2024
- by Luke Hicks
- The Film Stage
Above: 1980 Japanese poster for Apocalypse Now. Design by Eiko Ishioka, artwork by Haruo Takino.With Francis Ford Coppola’s long-gestated Megalopolis having premiered yesterday at Cannes, it's a good time to look back at the posters from his 60-year-long career. The only problem is that many posters for his films are either too well known or nothing to write home about. Like Coppola’s career itself, there are peaks and valleys—one of my very first posts for Notebook, almost exactly fifteen years ago, was about the gorgeous design for The Rain People (1969)—but a career retrospective of his posters seems like it might result in less than the sum of its parts. Yet of all his posters there are three rare Japanese designs that have always stood out as utterly extraordinary: two for Apocalypse Now (1979) and one for Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992).I’ve always seen these posters attributed to Eiko Ishioka,...
- 5/17/2024
- MUBI
The long-awaited Cannes premiere of Francis Ford Coppola’s passion project Megalopolis has finally happened and while the audience at Cannes seemingly loved the movie, the critics are… well… polarized, to say the least. We have already seen some mixed reviews not long after the secret buyers’ screening, which did not go as planned for Coppola, and while the filmmaker has put a lot of effort into the marketing campaign, Cannes was the next important stop for the movie, which is still looking for a distributor. The movie is expected to get a limited theatrical release this year ahead of the awards season, but based on the early reactions, Megalopolis might not be as grand as the story behind it suggests.
Megalopolis is an interesting story altogether. The movie was conceived way back in 1979, while Coppola was filming Apocalypse Now, one of the greatest war movies ever made and it...
Megalopolis is an interesting story altogether. The movie was conceived way back in 1979, while Coppola was filming Apocalypse Now, one of the greatest war movies ever made and it...
- 5/17/2024
- by Arthur S. Poe
- Fiction Horizon
The premiere of Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis” was every bit the sensation people were expecting—with some critics calling the self-financed neo-Roman civic engineering drama a masterpiece and others calling it a disorganized mess.
The 85-year-old auteur, one of the few to have won the Palme D’Or twice, was sure to bring the same level of chaotic energy to his post-screening press conference. He took shots at the studios and suggested the tech companies might permanently dethrone them,
The best was when a man with a European accent, citing the film’s hope for the future, asked the writer-director if he has fears about today’s political climate when “men like Donald Trump are in charge.”
Coppola cited the worldwide trend to “neo-right, even fascist traditions, which is frightening for anyone alive during the horrors of World War II.”
He concluded that it is up to artists to shine a light on that,...
The 85-year-old auteur, one of the few to have won the Palme D’Or twice, was sure to bring the same level of chaotic energy to his post-screening press conference. He took shots at the studios and suggested the tech companies might permanently dethrone them,
The best was when a man with a European accent, citing the film’s hope for the future, asked the writer-director if he has fears about today’s political climate when “men like Donald Trump are in charge.”
Coppola cited the worldwide trend to “neo-right, even fascist traditions, which is frightening for anyone alive during the horrors of World War II.”
He concluded that it is up to artists to shine a light on that,...
- 5/17/2024
- by Jordan Hoffman
- Gold Derby
Francis Ford Coppola has done well at Cannes, winning the Palme d’Or twice, for “The Conversation” (1974) and “Apocalypse Now” (1979), another film mired in controversy during production that sailed into release as a critical and box office success ($85 million worldwide), nominated for eight Oscars and winning two. Now the winemaker is back in Cannes with controversial “Megalopolis,” a 2 hour, 18 minute movie which he debuted at a gala premiere Thursday night to the usual sustained standing ovation (measured between seven and 10 minutes). There were a few boos at the press screening. He had dreamed of making the overstuffed extravaganza for 40 years since he wrote early versions of it in the ‘80s, but finally spent $120 million of his own money to produce and direct it.
Coppola faced drama on the set. He replaced VFX and art department members over clashes in filmmaking methods. Adam Driver, who plays a Robert Moses-style builder who...
Coppola faced drama on the set. He replaced VFX and art department members over clashes in filmmaking methods. Adam Driver, who plays a Robert Moses-style builder who...
- 5/17/2024
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
What makes for a Cannes Palme d’Or winner? Ignore the critics, because it’s up to the jury, this year led by president Greta Gerwig, to decide.
While far-flung prognosticators might consult the ever-updating Screen Daily international critics’ grid for the writing on the walls, predicting winners is more about assessing the makeup and tastes of the jury. Screening 22 films are filmmakers like J.A. Bayona, Nadine Labaki, and Hirokazu Kore-eda, plus actors like Lily Gladstone, Ebru Ceylan, Eva Green, and Omar Sy. Though past Palme d’Or winners indicate jurors respond to emotion, more recent winners have been less typically audience-pleasing. Last year’s Palme d’Or recipient, “Anatomy of a Fall,” was hardly an overwhelmingly emotional movie, but its smart screenplay and great performances took it beyond Cannes all the way to a Best Original Screenplay Oscar win (for director Justine Triet and her partner and co-writer Arthur Harari...
While far-flung prognosticators might consult the ever-updating Screen Daily international critics’ grid for the writing on the walls, predicting winners is more about assessing the makeup and tastes of the jury. Screening 22 films are filmmakers like J.A. Bayona, Nadine Labaki, and Hirokazu Kore-eda, plus actors like Lily Gladstone, Ebru Ceylan, Eva Green, and Omar Sy. Though past Palme d’Or winners indicate jurors respond to emotion, more recent winners have been less typically audience-pleasing. Last year’s Palme d’Or recipient, “Anatomy of a Fall,” was hardly an overwhelmingly emotional movie, but its smart screenplay and great performances took it beyond Cannes all the way to a Best Original Screenplay Oscar win (for director Justine Triet and her partner and co-writer Arthur Harari...
- 5/17/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
On Friday afternoon, at the most anticipated press conference of the 77th Cannes Film Festival, legendary filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola fielded questions about his latest work, Megalopolis, which had its world premiere at the fest in competition on Thursday night, deeply diving critics and audience members. The presser started more than half an hour late, a little unusual for Cannes, which unlike Hollywood events, generally run on time. But the filmmaker arrived in high spirits, stating that hearing applause at the premiere gave him feelings of “relief and joy.”
Coppola, 85, spent decades — and $120 million of his own money — trying to get the sci-fi epic across the finish line. The shoot was chaotic, THR reported in real time, with key creative talent quitting or being fired along the way; and this week The Guardian quoted sources from the set who suggested that Coppola made unwanted advances towards actresses.
Coppola was not...
Coppola, 85, spent decades — and $120 million of his own money — trying to get the sci-fi epic across the finish line. The shoot was chaotic, THR reported in real time, with key creative talent quitting or being fired along the way; and this week The Guardian quoted sources from the set who suggested that Coppola made unwanted advances towards actresses.
Coppola was not...
- 5/17/2024
- by Scott Feinberg and Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Francis Ford Coppola, the fabled director behind classics like The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, has poured 40 years of his life and $120 million of his own money into his latest passion project, Megalopolis. This self-funded sci-fi epic follows an architect with the power to stop time as he attempts to rebuild a devastated metropolis as a utopia, despite facing opposition from the corrupt Mayor.
Francis Ford Coppola | Source: Wikimedia Commons/Gerald Geronimo
With a star-studded cast including Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, and Aubrey Plaza, expectations are definitely high for this long-awaited film. Making Megalopolis was an expensive and laborious procedure; thus, its box office performance will have a significant influence on Coppola’s legacy in the future.
Since the movie’s May 16, 2024, Cannes Film Festival premiere, initial reviews have been released, and they are polarizing.
Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis: A Cinematic Revolution or a Misfire?
At its Cannes Film Festival premiere on Thursday,...
Francis Ford Coppola | Source: Wikimedia Commons/Gerald Geronimo
With a star-studded cast including Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, and Aubrey Plaza, expectations are definitely high for this long-awaited film. Making Megalopolis was an expensive and laborious procedure; thus, its box office performance will have a significant influence on Coppola’s legacy in the future.
Since the movie’s May 16, 2024, Cannes Film Festival premiere, initial reviews have been released, and they are polarizing.
Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis: A Cinematic Revolution or a Misfire?
At its Cannes Film Festival premiere on Thursday,...
- 5/17/2024
- by Siddhika Prajapati
- FandomWire
Who is Francis Ford Coppola? A wondrous madman? A delicate tyrant? It’s clear he loves chaos and knows you love it too. Is this why he’s so attracted to working with actors who have their own chaotic (often despicable) public personas? Is he drawn to working with and capturing them because he believes they’ll understand him and his process more than others or is he trying to understand something about himself? Maybe both. Filmmaking is his art and art is his way of reckoning with the world around him. It’s why his re-edits are often better than the originals. Time has granted him more understanding and he does his best to transmute that back into the work. Time is also an obsession of his, so much so that to view any of his work without also contextualizing where it sits within his personal history is a...
- 5/17/2024
- by Harrison Richlin
- Indiewire
When news first began circulating that distributors found Francis Ford Coppola’s long-awaited passion project “Megalopolis” tough to market, people were quick to shrug their shoulders in response. How could a film by the legendary “The Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now” director be hard to market? Well, those who shrugged their shoulders had not yet seen “Megalopolis.”
What is “Megalopolis”?
Continue reading ‘Megalopolis’ Review: Francis Ford Coppola’s Epic Is A Madman’s Fever Dream [Cannes] at The Playlist.
What is “Megalopolis”?
Continue reading ‘Megalopolis’ Review: Francis Ford Coppola’s Epic Is A Madman’s Fever Dream [Cannes] at The Playlist.
- 5/16/2024
- by Rafa Sales Ross
- The Playlist
Atlas Farted: Coppola’s Labor of Love a Lackluster Saga
While he’s one of the greatest film directors of all time, mostly thanks to a handful of films he delivered during the 1970s New American Cinema movement, Francis Ford Coppola’s long-gestating, wholly self-financed Megalopolis is an unfortunate dud rife with archaic tendencies and stillborn ideas. Out of touch in almost every conceivable way, it’s the riskiest endeavor of his career, which is saying something considering the innovative risks taken with some of his greatest achievements and formidable financial misfires.…...
While he’s one of the greatest film directors of all time, mostly thanks to a handful of films he delivered during the 1970s New American Cinema movement, Francis Ford Coppola’s long-gestating, wholly self-financed Megalopolis is an unfortunate dud rife with archaic tendencies and stillborn ideas. Out of touch in almost every conceivable way, it’s the riskiest endeavor of his career, which is saying something considering the innovative risks taken with some of his greatest achievements and formidable financial misfires.…...
- 5/16/2024
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Is Francis Ford Coppola’s controversial magnum opus “Megalopolis” any good?
The two hour and 20 minute dystopian drama certainly divided the audience at the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday night with its collision course of shocking scenes: a doctored sex tape featuring Adam Driver, Shia Labeouf in drag playing a Trumpian figure and Aubrey Plaza dominating her way through a slew of men.
But there was still a huge amount of respect for iconic director Coppola, who received a four-minute standing ovation upon entering the room. After the credits rolled — which included a tribute to his late wife Eleanor — and the standing ovation began, Coppola hugged Driver and Giancarlo Esposito and got emotional as he made a speech dedicating the film to hope and family.
“Thank you all so much. It is so impossible to find words to tell you how I feel,” Coppola said, then introducing his family members in the audience.
The two hour and 20 minute dystopian drama certainly divided the audience at the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday night with its collision course of shocking scenes: a doctored sex tape featuring Adam Driver, Shia Labeouf in drag playing a Trumpian figure and Aubrey Plaza dominating her way through a slew of men.
But there was still a huge amount of respect for iconic director Coppola, who received a four-minute standing ovation upon entering the room. After the credits rolled — which included a tribute to his late wife Eleanor — and the standing ovation began, Coppola hugged Driver and Giancarlo Esposito and got emotional as he made a speech dedicating the film to hope and family.
“Thank you all so much. It is so impossible to find words to tell you how I feel,” Coppola said, then introducing his family members in the audience.
- 5/16/2024
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
The most awaited film this year at the Cannes Film Festival, Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis, had its world premiere Thursday night, with the dystopian epic decades in the making landing a seven-minute standing ovation.
Coppola, the 85-year-old director and five-time Oscar winners, bowed as the lights came up inside the Grand Theatre Lumiere. He was congratulated by his Cotton Club star Richard Gere and got a hug from Cannes boss Thierry Fremaux as the ovation carried on.
Said Coppola to the crowd finally: “Thank you all so much — it is impossible to find words how I feel.” He then introduced those around him — including his granddaughter and son and collaborator Roman Coppola and sister Talia Shire. He called his cast “family” and emphasized the movie’s end message: “We should pledge allegiance to our families…that children should inherit a beautiful world from us.”
Coppola gives a speech after...
Coppola, the 85-year-old director and five-time Oscar winners, bowed as the lights came up inside the Grand Theatre Lumiere. He was congratulated by his Cotton Club star Richard Gere and got a hug from Cannes boss Thierry Fremaux as the ovation carried on.
Said Coppola to the crowd finally: “Thank you all so much — it is impossible to find words how I feel.” He then introduced those around him — including his granddaughter and son and collaborator Roman Coppola and sister Talia Shire. He called his cast “family” and emphasized the movie’s end message: “We should pledge allegiance to our families…that children should inherit a beautiful world from us.”
Coppola gives a speech after...
- 5/16/2024
- by Nancy Tartaglione, Anthony D'Alessandro and Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
Francis Ford Coppola’s long-gestating and much-discussed sci-fi epic Megalopolis had its world premiere on Thursday night at the Cannes Film Festival, and was greeted with a 10-minute standing ovation inside the Grand Lumiere Theatre, as he gave a hug to each of his his principal stars — among them Nathalie Emmanuel, Adam Driver, Aubrey Plaza and Giancarlo Esposito — and threw his hat into the cheering crowd.
Coppola, who lost his wife Eleanor last month, eventually interrupted the applause to take a microphone and introduce the members of his family who were with him, including his son, Roman Coppola, and sister, Talia Shire, both of whom worked on the film. He then said of his other collaborators on the film: “They were all my family. And in fact, as [Driver’s character] Cesar says [in the film], ‘We are all one family.'”
Added the filmmaker: “The most important thing we have, the most...
Coppola, who lost his wife Eleanor last month, eventually interrupted the applause to take a microphone and introduce the members of his family who were with him, including his son, Roman Coppola, and sister, Talia Shire, both of whom worked on the film. He then said of his other collaborators on the film: “They were all my family. And in fact, as [Driver’s character] Cesar says [in the film], ‘We are all one family.'”
Added the filmmaker: “The most important thing we have, the most...
- 5/16/2024
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In the long-gestating, career-encompassing allegory that is “Megalopolis,” director Francis Ford Coppola puts his name above the title and, in the film’s lone act of modesty, the words “A Fable” beneath it. To call this garish, idea-bloated monstrosity a mere “fable” is to grossly undersell the project’s expansive insights into art, life and legacy. Here, backed by an estimated $120 million of the “Godfather” director’s own money, is the sort of big swing audiences and critics have come to adore him for: a recklessly ambitious, ginormous epic in which humanity’s eternal themes — greed, corruption, loyalty and power — threaten to suffocate a more intimate personal crisis. In this case, a conservative politician and a forward-thinking urban designer clash over a mythic city’s future.
It’s Coppola’s fortune, and he can spend it as he likes, but grandiose title aside, it’s not at all clear why...
It’s Coppola’s fortune, and he can spend it as he likes, but grandiose title aside, it’s not at all clear why...
- 5/16/2024
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
The character in Megalopolis played by Adam Driver with idealistic passion, Cesar Catilina, is a visionary genius intent on saving New York City by building a utopian future, dislodging the elite ruling class in the process. In many ways, Cesar’s mission, both noble and egomaniacal, seems a direct reflection of the dogged determination of Francis Ford Coppola to get this movie made at any cost. The “fable” could almost be an allegory for the pursuit of a dream in which an auteur can still make a monumental epic without compromise in a Hollywood that marginalizes art to focus purely on economics.
The first sparks of the idea came to Coppola in the early 1980s and he’s been developing it on and off ever since — doing table reads with major-name actors, shooting 30 hours of second unit footage in Manhattan in 2001 and then almost abandoning the project six years later when funding proved elusive.
The first sparks of the idea came to Coppola in the early 1980s and he’s been developing it on and off ever since — doing table reads with major-name actors, shooting 30 hours of second unit footage in Manhattan in 2001 and then almost abandoning the project six years later when funding proved elusive.
- 5/16/2024
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Some 45 years ago, the Cannes Film Festival invited Francis Ford Coppola to bring his latest project to the French Riviera for a special “work-in-progress” screening. The movie’s production had already achieved a mythic status as an example of Murphy’s Law made manifest, from last-minute actor replacements to monsoons to storylines being added, subtracted and rewritten on the fly. Coppola had sunk a lot of his own money into the project, since the studios had been reluctant to finance what seemed like a huge folly. The director had staked...
- 5/16/2024
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
Francis Ford Coppola has fought many battles in his filmmaking career, but none is probably as intense as his production of the Vietnam War film Apocalypse Now. Based on Joseph Conrad’s novella Heart of Darkness, the filmmaker reportedly faced a chaotic shoot that involved lead actor Martin Sheen having a heart attack and built sets being destroyed.
Many behind-the-scenes stories have been shared about the movie in the past and it was also the subject of a documentary Hearts of Darkness – A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse. One interesting but sad trivia about the film was the butchering of a water buffalo at the climax of the film. The buffalo was reportedly slaughtered for real and was part of the local tribes’ custom, though Coppola refused to slay an animal for a movie.
Francis Ford Coppola Initially Refused To Harm An Animal For Apocalypse Now Martin Sheen in Apocalypse Now
After...
Many behind-the-scenes stories have been shared about the movie in the past and it was also the subject of a documentary Hearts of Darkness – A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse. One interesting but sad trivia about the film was the butchering of a water buffalo at the climax of the film. The buffalo was reportedly slaughtered for real and was part of the local tribes’ custom, though Coppola refused to slay an animal for a movie.
Francis Ford Coppola Initially Refused To Harm An Animal For Apocalypse Now Martin Sheen in Apocalypse Now
After...
- 5/16/2024
- by Nishanth A
- FandomWire
The Cannes Film Festival hosted the world premiere of Megalopolis, the latest film from director Francis Ford Coppola. This star-studded ensemble cast marks Coppola’s return to the Croisette, where he previously premiered both Apocalypse Now (1979) and The Conversation (1974), winning the prestigious Palme d’Or for each film.
Related: ‘Megalopolis’ Review: Francis Ford Coppola’s Mad Modern Masterwork Reinvents The Possibilities Of Cinema – Cannes Film Festival
Coppola was joined by the stars of the film including Adam Driver, Shia Labeouf, Aubrey Plaza, Laurence Fishburne, Grace Van der Waal, Chloe Fineman and Giancarlo Esposito who all walked the red carpet at the Grand Théâtre Lumière, Thursday, May 16.
Related: ‘Megalopolis’ Debuts At Cannes With 7-Minute Standing Ovation
Other guests who attended the gala included Jury Members Omar Sy, Nadine Labaki and President of the Jury Greta Gerwig, Teyana Taylor, Zaho de Sagazan, Sergei Loznitsa, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Yseult, and Irène Jacob.
Related: Cannes 2024 in Photos: Parties,...
Related: ‘Megalopolis’ Review: Francis Ford Coppola’s Mad Modern Masterwork Reinvents The Possibilities Of Cinema – Cannes Film Festival
Coppola was joined by the stars of the film including Adam Driver, Shia Labeouf, Aubrey Plaza, Laurence Fishburne, Grace Van der Waal, Chloe Fineman and Giancarlo Esposito who all walked the red carpet at the Grand Théâtre Lumière, Thursday, May 16.
Related: ‘Megalopolis’ Debuts At Cannes With 7-Minute Standing Ovation
Other guests who attended the gala included Jury Members Omar Sy, Nadine Labaki and President of the Jury Greta Gerwig, Teyana Taylor, Zaho de Sagazan, Sergei Loznitsa, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Yseult, and Irène Jacob.
Related: Cannes 2024 in Photos: Parties,...
- 5/16/2024
- by Robert Lang
- Deadline Film + TV
Many questions abound as Francis Ford Coppola‘s self-budgeted epic “Megalopolis” heads into its Cannes debut. Will the film be received more generously than its LA industry screening in March? Will Coppola find a distributor for it on the Croisette? And will “Megalopolis” survive controversy and be a smash success at the festival much like Coppola’s 1979 masterwork “Apocalypse Now“?
Read More: ‘Megalopolis’ Teaser: One Man Wants To Create A Utopia In Francis Ford Coppola’s Passion Project
IMAX is banking on “Megalopolis” no matter what happens after its premiere.
Continue reading ‘Megalopolis’: IMAX Commits To Limited Release Of Francis Ford Coppola’s Latest As Director Still Searches For Domestic Distributor at The Playlist.
Read More: ‘Megalopolis’ Teaser: One Man Wants To Create A Utopia In Francis Ford Coppola’s Passion Project
IMAX is banking on “Megalopolis” no matter what happens after its premiere.
Continue reading ‘Megalopolis’: IMAX Commits To Limited Release Of Francis Ford Coppola’s Latest As Director Still Searches For Domestic Distributor at The Playlist.
- 5/16/2024
- by Ned Booth
- The Playlist
Whether you like Quentin Tarantino's wild and idiosyncratic approach to filmmaking or not, it's hard to deny that his work has made an immeasurable contribution to the development of pop culture as we know it today. But none of this would be the case if Tarantino weren't arguably one of the biggest movie buffs in the modern film industry. So if you haven't seen these 20 movies personally recommended by Quentin Tarantino, we suggest you do so as soon as possible!
20 Great Movies Tarantino Recommends Watching
20. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
19. Apocalypse Now
18. The Bad News Bears
17. Black Sabbath
16. Dazed and Confused
15. Deep Red
14. Easy Rider
13. Enter the Void
12. Frances Ha
11. The Great Escape
10. Mad Max: Fury Road
9. Rio Bravo
8. The Skin I Live In
7. The Social Network
6. Sorcerer
5. There Will Be Blood
4. Top Gun: Maverick
3. Toy Story 3
2. Unfaithfully Yours
1. West Side Story
The filmmaker's oeuvre is characterized by...
20 Great Movies Tarantino Recommends Watching
20. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
19. Apocalypse Now
18. The Bad News Bears
17. Black Sabbath
16. Dazed and Confused
15. Deep Red
14. Easy Rider
13. Enter the Void
12. Frances Ha
11. The Great Escape
10. Mad Max: Fury Road
9. Rio Bravo
8. The Skin I Live In
7. The Social Network
6. Sorcerer
5. There Will Be Blood
4. Top Gun: Maverick
3. Toy Story 3
2. Unfaithfully Yours
1. West Side Story
The filmmaker's oeuvre is characterized by...
- 5/16/2024
- by louise.everitt@startefacts.com (Louise Everitt)
- STartefacts.com
It had been reported earlier that Francis Ford Coppola’s newest movie, Megalopolis, was going to be a tricky sell for distributors because, even though there is a definite commercial appeal, there was also an artsy quality to it that might make it seem less accessible to sell to general audiences. However, as the first clip and the teaser trailer have shown, the new film from the Apocalypse Now director has stunningly dynamic cinematography and some very cinematic special effects sequences. It has the look of a grand sci-fi epic, and The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that it will be getting the treatment of a grand cinema epic as the film will be screening in IMAX globally.
IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond addressed the press Thursday as Cannes about Megalopolis. He stated, “The film is going to get an IMAX release. One of the things that we pride ourselves on is being filmmaker-friendly.
IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond addressed the press Thursday as Cannes about Megalopolis. He stated, “The film is going to get an IMAX release. One of the things that we pride ourselves on is being filmmaker-friendly.
- 5/16/2024
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
Imax has committed screens around the world to show Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis,” the company’s CEO Richard Gelfond confirmed at a Cannes Film Festival event on Thursday.
The film’s trailer, which debuted on Tuesday, said that “Megalopolis” would be coming to Imax theaters this year — but it was not specified that the release would be global.
The run-up to the premiere of Francis Ford Coppola’s self-financed epic at Cannes on Friday has been filled with anticipation and controversy, partly because “Megalopolis” has yet to secure a U.S. distributor — though a global release with Imax may help sweeten the pot. The film has found distribution in France and other international territories, including the U.K., Spain and Italy.
“Megalopolis” follows architect Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver), who after an accident destroys a New York City-esque metropolis, works to rebuild it as a sustainable utopia. Corrupt mayor Franklyn...
The film’s trailer, which debuted on Tuesday, said that “Megalopolis” would be coming to Imax theaters this year — but it was not specified that the release would be global.
The run-up to the premiere of Francis Ford Coppola’s self-financed epic at Cannes on Friday has been filled with anticipation and controversy, partly because “Megalopolis” has yet to secure a U.S. distributor — though a global release with Imax may help sweeten the pot. The film has found distribution in France and other international territories, including the U.K., Spain and Italy.
“Megalopolis” follows architect Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver), who after an accident destroys a New York City-esque metropolis, works to rebuild it as a sustainable utopia. Corrupt mayor Franklyn...
- 5/16/2024
- by Ellise Shafer and Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Marlon Brando is among the pantheon of the greatest actors to have ever graced the silver screen. He popularized the art of method acting and maintaining the intensity of his characters throughout production. His award-winning and acclaimed performances in A Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront, and The Godfather continued to be analyzed and admired by current actors.
Marlon Brando as Colonel Walter Kurtz in Apocalypse Now
One of his most recognizable antagonistic performances was in Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now, Brando has had an infamous reputation for being difficult to work with. During the film, Brando and his co-star Dennis Hopper had a misunderstanding, where Brando threw a tantrum, resulting in a feud that almost turned physical.
Dennis Hopper Got Pissed With Marlon Brando’s Insults and Almost Fought Him
Marlon Brando requested his scenes to be shot separately from Dennis Hopper in Apocalypse Now
By the late 70s,...
Marlon Brando as Colonel Walter Kurtz in Apocalypse Now
One of his most recognizable antagonistic performances was in Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now, Brando has had an infamous reputation for being difficult to work with. During the film, Brando and his co-star Dennis Hopper had a misunderstanding, where Brando threw a tantrum, resulting in a feud that almost turned physical.
Dennis Hopper Got Pissed With Marlon Brando’s Insults and Almost Fought Him
Marlon Brando requested his scenes to be shot separately from Dennis Hopper in Apocalypse Now
By the late 70s,...
- 5/16/2024
- by Rahul Thokchom
- FandomWire
After 13 years, Francis Ford Coppola is back in the director’s seat with a new upcoming project entitled ‘Megalopolis’. The film is scheduled to premiere at Cannes Film Festival 2024 and will break the hiatus since ‘Twixt’, Coppola’s latest release in 2011. Not only is ‘Megalopolis’ scheduled to release this year, but Coppola has announced that this will not be his last film, as he is also working on developing another film. However, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. This is everything we know about Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Megalopolis’.
'Megalopolis' - Scrapbook To Screenplay Like many upcoming films, the plotline has remained vague. Since this film takes place in the future, there is no history we can look into or research to put together the plot. According to a first look from Vanity Fair, ‘Megalopolis’ is about “the personal, political, and romantic clashes that arise during a battle to...
'Megalopolis' - Scrapbook To Screenplay Like many upcoming films, the plotline has remained vague. Since this film takes place in the future, there is no history we can look into or research to put together the plot. According to a first look from Vanity Fair, ‘Megalopolis’ is about “the personal, political, and romantic clashes that arise during a battle to...
- 5/16/2024
- by Abigail Johnson
- Hollywood Insider - Substance & Meaningful Entertainment
The tagline for the 2024 Cannes Film Festival should probably be “Back to the Future.” Indeed, four Hollywood legends who first established themselves in the 1970s as part of the “New Hollywood,” and haven’t been back to festival in decades, are front and center on the Croisette this year.
At the fest’s opening ceremony on Tuesday night, three-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep was presented with an honorary Palme d’Or, 35 years after her only prior visit to the fest. In 1989, she came with Fred Schepisi’s A Cry in the Dark, which had opened in the U.S. in late 1988, landing her a best actress Oscar nom, but bombing at the box office. Streep’s presence at the fest was strategic: She reportedly only came because she wanted to try to boost the film’s profile ahead of its European release, and the fest reportedly only accepted the film...
At the fest’s opening ceremony on Tuesday night, three-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep was presented with an honorary Palme d’Or, 35 years after her only prior visit to the fest. In 1989, she came with Fred Schepisi’s A Cry in the Dark, which had opened in the U.S. in late 1988, landing her a best actress Oscar nom, but bombing at the box office. Streep’s presence at the fest was strategic: She reportedly only came because she wanted to try to boost the film’s profile ahead of its European release, and the fest reportedly only accepted the film...
- 5/15/2024
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
When Francis Ford Coppola arrived in Cannes in 1979 to premiere an unfinished version of “Apocalypse Now,” he had endured a gauntlet of bad press. His Vietnam saga’s budget kept ballooning, forcing Coppola to offer his car, his home, even the profits from “The Godfather” as collateral to cover overages. The production was biblically plagued — its original star Harvey Keitel was fired days into shooting, his replacement, Martin Sheen, suffered a near-fatal heart attack, a typhoon destroyed much of the set and a shoot intended to last six weeks stretched over 16 months. To the chattering classes, “Apocalypse Now” had all the makings of a cinematic catastrophe. It turned out to be quite the opposite.
In a press conference at Cannes, Coppola was blunt: “There were too many of us. We had access to too much money, too much equipment, and, little by little, we went insane.”
Forty-five years later, Coppola...
In a press conference at Cannes, Coppola was blunt: “There were too many of us. We had access to too much money, too much equipment, and, little by little, we went insane.”
Forty-five years later, Coppola...
- 5/15/2024
- by Brent Lang, Tatiana Siegel and Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Every production that airs on screens in Hollywood has two stories – one that it portrays and another that happened behind the scenes. Famed for filming award-winning movies like The Godfather, The Conversation, and Apocalypse Now, Francis Ford Coppola stands tall in the list of acclaimed filmmakers. However, he has seen days where his projects nearly went to a loss due to concerning behaviors from his actors like Marlon Brando and now is having a similar impact on his own movies because of none but his own behavior.
Francis Ford Coppola in his early days
A string of reports from the sets of the upcoming ambitious leap from the director, Megalopolis, has added a layer of disbelief. Renowned for his cinematography, vision, and dedication to the craft, crew admissions have held him accountable for nearly ruining the flick’s shooting. Ironically, all of it mirrors largely what he faced himself during...
Francis Ford Coppola in his early days
A string of reports from the sets of the upcoming ambitious leap from the director, Megalopolis, has added a layer of disbelief. Renowned for his cinematography, vision, and dedication to the craft, crew admissions have held him accountable for nearly ruining the flick’s shooting. Ironically, all of it mirrors largely what he faced himself during...
- 5/15/2024
- by Imteshal Karim
- FandomWire
Francis Ford Coppola is a visionary in the vast landscape of modern filmmaking and all of Hollywood. The director of The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, and Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the filmmaker-screenwriter is the recipient of five Academy Awards and more. And his latest movie, also a self-financed passion project, Megalopolis, is set to premier at the Cannes Film Festival.
Francis Ford Coppola (Image: World Travel & Tourism Council/Wikimedia Commons)
Yet despite his talent, the filmmaker gives much of the praise for the career he has made to his late wife, Eleanor Coppola. But in an old interview, despite remarking how marriage changed his life for the better, he asked young women to not marry early.
Francis Ford Coppola Doesn’t Think Women Should Get Married Early Francis Ford Coppola with his late wife Eleanor (Image: Instagram | @francisfordcoppola)
Francis Ford Coppola enjoyed a long and loving marriage with his late wife,...
Francis Ford Coppola (Image: World Travel & Tourism Council/Wikimedia Commons)
Yet despite his talent, the filmmaker gives much of the praise for the career he has made to his late wife, Eleanor Coppola. But in an old interview, despite remarking how marriage changed his life for the better, he asked young women to not marry early.
Francis Ford Coppola Doesn’t Think Women Should Get Married Early Francis Ford Coppola with his late wife Eleanor (Image: Instagram | @francisfordcoppola)
Francis Ford Coppola enjoyed a long and loving marriage with his late wife,...
- 5/15/2024
- by Maria Sultan
- FandomWire
If you haven’t read any of our previous reports, you probably won’t know that Francis Ford Coppola’s upcoming film Megalopolis is an interesting story altogether, as the movie was conceived way back in 1979, while Coppola was filming Apocalypse Now, one of the greatest war movies ever made. Now, 45 years later, the movie is finally complete and is waiting for an official release. As of the time of writing, the famed director is trying to sell his sci-fi epic to buyers so that it can be ready for a theatrical release this year and, most likely, the awards season. So far, the director has not been able to find a major buyer, but the marketing campaign is great, despite the fact that it seems that the director is paying for it out of his own pocket, as all the official information we have comes from the director himself...
- 5/15/2024
- by Arthur S. Poe
- Fiction Horizon
Just one crazy shot from the Megalopolis teaserScreenshot: Francis Ford Coppola/YouTube
If you saw a bacchanal of film connoisseurs and terminally online people running through the streets and shouting “We’re so back!” this morning, there’s a good reason for it. After 40-odd years, a couple of vineyard sales,...
If you saw a bacchanal of film connoisseurs and terminally online people running through the streets and shouting “We’re so back!” this morning, there’s a good reason for it. After 40-odd years, a couple of vineyard sales,...
- 5/14/2024
- by Emma Keates
- avclub.com
Aubrey Plaza first rose to stardom when she portrayed the role of April Ludgate in the renowned TV Series Parks and Recreation. Since then the actress never had to look, as she has gone on to work in some of the most successful films, leaving an indelible mark in the film industry. However, Plaza is not done with portraying iconic characters as she is set to be featured in Francis Ford Coppola’s upcoming passion project titled Megalopolis.
Adam Driver as Cesar Catilina in Megalopolis
The filmmaker has bet everything on the project, and the actress has broken her silence on Coppola’s vision was not believed by any major studio. Since none of the studios were ready to help the filmmaker in the production, he bet everything on the film. Moreover, they are over the rocky roads and how the film’s success would prove everyone wrong.
Aubrey Plaza...
Adam Driver as Cesar Catilina in Megalopolis
The filmmaker has bet everything on the project, and the actress has broken her silence on Coppola’s vision was not believed by any major studio. Since none of the studios were ready to help the filmmaker in the production, he bet everything on the film. Moreover, they are over the rocky roads and how the film’s success would prove everyone wrong.
Aubrey Plaza...
- 5/14/2024
- by Tushar Auddy
- FandomWire
Adam Driver has played a city-dwelling seducer before — think: “Girls” at the very least — but this time, the actor has transformed into a slick harbinger of chaos for Francis Ford Coppola’s epic “Megalopolis.”
Driver stars as artist and city planner Cesar Catilina, once again adjacent to faux Italian-ness for the screen. Cesar’s biggest opponent is Mayor Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), who remains committed to a regressive status quo, perpetuating greed, special interests, and partisan warfare per the official synopsis. Yet when Cesar begins an affair with Franklyn’s socialite daughter Julia Cicero (Nathalie Emmanuel), Cesar’s determined path to forge a new city begins to falter.
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 also star.
Coppola writes, directs, and produces the epic feature which had an estimated budget of $120 million-plus.
Driver stars as artist and city planner Cesar Catilina, once again adjacent to faux Italian-ness for the screen. Cesar’s biggest opponent is Mayor Franklyn Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), who remains committed to a regressive status quo, perpetuating greed, special interests, and partisan warfare per the official synopsis. Yet when Cesar begins an affair with Franklyn’s socialite daughter Julia Cicero (Nathalie Emmanuel), Cesar’s determined path to forge a new city begins to falter.
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 also star.
Coppola writes, directs, and produces the epic feature which had an estimated budget of $120 million-plus.
- 5/14/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Surely the most anticipated movie at the 77th Cannes Film Festival this year is Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis.” It comes to the south of France already couched in rich drama: it’s a movie he’s been dreaming about for decades. The maverick film director paid for it himself—$120 million out of his successful winery’s coffers to see his vision through. Sadly, his wife of 61 years, writer and documentarian Eleanor Coppola, just passed away, as did his mentor and first boss, legendary producer Roger Corman. A return to Cannes, where he’s won the Palme D’Or twice before with “The Conversation” and “Apocalypse Now,” is the perfect stage for a triumph. As the festival kicked off its opening day, Coppola released a snappy teaser trailer.
The early L.A. screening of “Megalopolis,” a “Fountainhead”-esque tale about an ambitious city planner locking horns with politicians following a New York City calamity,...
The early L.A. screening of “Megalopolis,” a “Fountainhead”-esque tale about an ambitious city planner locking horns with politicians following a New York City calamity,...
- 5/14/2024
- by Jordan Hoffman
- Gold Derby
Even though we’ve had set photos, teasers and a confirmed premiere date, it’s still awfully hard to believe that Francis Ford Coppola is finally unleashing Megalopolis to the world. Ahead of its debut at the Cannes Film Festival, we have another trailer that gives us a better look at the world Coppola has had in his head since the days of Apocalypse Now.
In the teaser, we hear a voiceover ponder, “When does an empire die? Does it collapse in one terrible moment? No, no. But there comes a time when people no longer believe in it…” From there, we have statues brought to life, a Roman chariot race, a lavish party, a protest, and oh so much more, all of which give us a better idea of just what Coppola has been up to with Megalopolis. He, too, noted in the description of the video, “Our new...
In the teaser, we hear a voiceover ponder, “When does an empire die? Does it collapse in one terrible moment? No, no. But there comes a time when people no longer believe in it…” From there, we have statues brought to life, a Roman chariot race, a lavish party, a protest, and oh so much more, all of which give us a better idea of just what Coppola has been up to with Megalopolis. He, too, noted in the description of the video, “Our new...
- 5/14/2024
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
Francis Ford Coppola has revealed the first look at Megalopolis, his self-funded sci-fi epic starring 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.
A project decades in the making, Coppola financed much of the $120 million film himself. The film is set to premiere at Cannes in May, but has yet to secure a US release.
Megalopolis is described as “a Roman Epic fable set in an imagined Modern America. The City of New Rome must change, causing conflict between Cesar Catilina, a genius artist who seeks to leap into a utopian, idealistic future, and his opposition, Mayor Franklyn Cicero, who remains committed to a regressive status quo, perpetuating greed, special interests, and partisan warfare. Torn between them is socialite Julia Cicero, the mayor’s daughter, whose love...
A project decades in the making, Coppola financed much of the $120 million film himself. The film is set to premiere at Cannes in May, but has yet to secure a US release.
Megalopolis is described as “a Roman Epic fable set in an imagined Modern America. The City of New Rome must change, causing conflict between Cesar Catilina, a genius artist who seeks to leap into a utopian, idealistic future, and his opposition, Mayor Franklyn Cicero, who remains committed to a regressive status quo, perpetuating greed, special interests, and partisan warfare. Torn between them is socialite Julia Cicero, the mayor’s daughter, whose love...
- 5/14/2024
- by Scoop Harrison
- Consequence - Film News
When most cinephiles think of Francis Ford Coppola, they think of his miracle run in the 1970s. During that decade, he directed four films, all of them five-star masterpieces: The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather, Part II, and Apocalypse Now. Or they think of embarrassments from his for-hire period, including the Robin Williams weepy Jack. Yet those five films hardly encapsulate the entire career of Francis Ford Coppola, which will likely end with the upcoming Megalopolis. Instead the best indication of Coppola as an artist and filmmaker might be found in the most recent movies he’s made, with Coppola having released three self-produced and self-financed pictures every two years between 2007 and 2011: Youth Without Youth, Twixt, and Tetro.
Although they vary in quality, and none top his work from the ’70s, this independent trio captures the experimental and romantic heart that lies at the center of Coppola’s overall oeuvre.
Although they vary in quality, and none top his work from the ’70s, this independent trio captures the experimental and romantic heart that lies at the center of Coppola’s overall oeuvre.
- 5/14/2024
- by Joe George
- Den of Geek
Are you ready for the return of the king? It's been 13 years since Francis Ford Coppola helmed a feature film — that would be 2011's weird horror flick "Twixt" — and now he's back in the director's chair to realize his dream project. In the 1980s, Coppola started writing "Megalopolis," an epic, sprawling drama that could very well be his biggest movie ever. He would tinker with the work over the years and finally start shooting second unit footage in 2001.
And then disaster struck, literally. The film's script dealt with the aftermath of a disaster that befalls New York City, and just as Coppola was gearing up to get "Megalopolis" off the ground, the 9/11 attacks changed everything. Realizing that no one at the time would be in the mood to watch a post-disaster movie set in New York, Coppola shelved the project — but he never forgot about it.
Now, the seemingly impossible...
And then disaster struck, literally. The film's script dealt with the aftermath of a disaster that befalls New York City, and just as Coppola was gearing up to get "Megalopolis" off the ground, the 9/11 attacks changed everything. Realizing that no one at the time would be in the mood to watch a post-disaster movie set in New York, Coppola shelved the project — but he never forgot about it.
Now, the seemingly impossible...
- 5/14/2024
- by Chris Evangelista
- Slash Film
When Aubrey Plaza first got the call about her role in Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis, she’d literally just stocked up on Godfather-themed keychains and lighters from an actual Godfather gift shop. It should be noted she was not obsessively combing eBay for insane fan memorabilia. In fact, there was a legitimate reason for her purchases: she just happened to be in Taormina, Sicily — the home of The Godfather, if you will — where it was partly shot. And of course there’s a gift shop.
Plaza was, at the time, taking her turn as the maritally-challenged Harper in the second season of the HBO hit series The White Lotus — a role for which she was individually Emmy and Golden Globe nominated. And, when she heard that Coppola wanted to get on Zoom with her, she was also staying in the San Domenico hotel, his old home-from-home during The Godfather shoot.
Plaza was, at the time, taking her turn as the maritally-challenged Harper in the second season of the HBO hit series The White Lotus — a role for which she was individually Emmy and Golden Globe nominated. And, when she heard that Coppola wanted to get on Zoom with her, she was also staying in the San Domenico hotel, his old home-from-home during The Godfather shoot.
- 5/14/2024
- by Antonia Blyth
- Deadline Film + TV
“Our new film ‘Megalopolis’ is the best work I’ve ever had the privilege to preside over,” reads a quote attributed to iconic director Francis Ford Coppola attached to the official trailer for his new epic film.
The picture, which will premiere in competition on Thursday at the Cannes Film Festival, has been a project many years in the making for the director. He first began work on the screenplay in the 1980s.
The legendary filmmaker behind “The Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now” has invested $120 million of his own money into the film.
The trailer starts with a voice-over musing about the decline of empires – “when does an empire die? Does it collapse in one terrible moment? No, no. But there comes a time when people no longer believe in it” — before cutting to a Roman chariot race, a metropolitan skyscape and scenes of protest.
According to the official synopsis, “‘Megalopolis...
The picture, which will premiere in competition on Thursday at the Cannes Film Festival, has been a project many years in the making for the director. He first began work on the screenplay in the 1980s.
The legendary filmmaker behind “The Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now” has invested $120 million of his own money into the film.
The trailer starts with a voice-over musing about the decline of empires – “when does an empire die? Does it collapse in one terrible moment? No, no. But there comes a time when people no longer believe in it” — before cutting to a Roman chariot race, a metropolitan skyscape and scenes of protest.
According to the official synopsis, “‘Megalopolis...
- 5/14/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
"When does an empire die? Does it collapse in one terrible moment? No, no..." Whoa!! American Zoetrope has dropped a real teaser trailer for Megalopolis, unveiling an incredible 90 secs of jaw-dropping footage. Megalopolis is director Francis Ford Coppola's latest ambitious project, a $100M+ feature that he has been trying to make ever since he first conceived the film in 1979. The basic setup is: an architect wants to rebuild New York City as a utopia following a devastating disaster. It's not actually NYC, but a giant city like NYC hence the Megalopolis title. The architect's plan is opposed by the mayor, who has other ideas for the city. It's premiering at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival in the Main Competition this week - and we posted a teaser clip last week. The movie's cast includes Adam Driver as Caesar, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia Labeouf, Jon Voight, Jason Schwartzman,...
- 5/14/2024
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
The director has spent half his life and $120m of his own money to make his sci-fi epic. Just days ahead of its debut in Cannes, some of his crew members are questioning his methods
‘My greatest fear is to make a really shitty, embarrassing, pompous film on an important subject, and I am doing it,” Francis Ford Coppola said in 1978. “I will tell you right straight from the most sincere depths of my heart, the film will not be good.” The film was Apocalypse Now, and it was good, and the rest is history.
Part of that history has been Coppola’s reputation as an intrepid adventurer who was prepared to risk everything, to defy the studio suits, to go to the brink of ruin and madness, all for the sake of art. The making of Apocalypse Now cemented that legend – the epic scale, the jungle insanity, the heart attacks,...
‘My greatest fear is to make a really shitty, embarrassing, pompous film on an important subject, and I am doing it,” Francis Ford Coppola said in 1978. “I will tell you right straight from the most sincere depths of my heart, the film will not be good.” The film was Apocalypse Now, and it was good, and the rest is history.
Part of that history has been Coppola’s reputation as an intrepid adventurer who was prepared to risk everything, to defy the studio suits, to go to the brink of ruin and madness, all for the sake of art. The making of Apocalypse Now cemented that legend – the epic scale, the jungle insanity, the heart attacks,...
- 5/14/2024
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
It’s been just a few hours since Nathalie Emmanuel has seen Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis for the first time, and she’s settling on the right words to describe the experience.
“It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen,” says the actress, talking over Zoom from London in late April, as she pauses for a second to collect her thoughts.
Coppola’s epic, which will have its red carpet world premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, casts Emmanuel in a starring role opposite a stacked ensemble that includes Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Aubrey Plaza, Shia Labeouf, Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Fishburne and Jason Schwartzman. “The movie feels like a real call to arms,” she says. “It asks big questions. In spite of all the horrible, hard and devastating realities of the world that we live in, how can we make it better? It feels like there’s hope or a possibility for something better.
“It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen,” says the actress, talking over Zoom from London in late April, as she pauses for a second to collect her thoughts.
Coppola’s epic, which will have its red carpet world premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, casts Emmanuel in a starring role opposite a stacked ensemble that includes Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Aubrey Plaza, Shia Labeouf, Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Fishburne and Jason Schwartzman. “The movie feels like a real call to arms,” she says. “It asks big questions. In spite of all the horrible, hard and devastating realities of the world that we live in, how can we make it better? It feels like there’s hope or a possibility for something better.
- 5/14/2024
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
On May 10, 2024, 20th Century Studios released “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” written by Josh Friedman and directed by Wes Ball. The sequel to 2017’s “War for the Planet of the Apes” is the fourth installment of this reboot franchise and stars Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Kevin Durand, Peter Macon and William H. Macy.
Many years after the reign of Caesar, a young ape goes on a journey that will lead him to question everything he’s been taught about the past and make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike. The highly anticipated blockbuster is a hit with critics and audiences alike, with the critics consensus on Rotten Tomatoes reading, “Carving out a new era for ‘The Planet of the Apes’ with lovable characters and rich visuals, ‘Kingdom’ doesn’t take the crown as best of the franchise but handily justifies its continued reign.
Many years after the reign of Caesar, a young ape goes on a journey that will lead him to question everything he’s been taught about the past and make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike. The highly anticipated blockbuster is a hit with critics and audiences alike, with the critics consensus on Rotten Tomatoes reading, “Carving out a new era for ‘The Planet of the Apes’ with lovable characters and rich visuals, ‘Kingdom’ doesn’t take the crown as best of the franchise but handily justifies its continued reign.
- 5/13/2024
- by Vincent Mandile
- Gold Derby
When you think of Sean Connery, you probably think of either James Bond or Indiana Jones' dad. If you grew up in the '90s you might even think of that movie where he was on a submarine, or vaguely recall the marketing for a film where he played opposite Catherine Zeta-Jones. But there's no doubt that long before Connery was advising the "Hunt for Red October" director to rewrite the film's script, or complaining about "Entrapment" having too many special effects, he was best known as either England's greatest spy or as Dr. Henry Jones, Sr.
Still, when it comes to an actor as talented as Connery, not everyone thinks of these roles as his best. If you ask Christopher Nolan, for instance, he'll tell you that the Scottish star's finest performance came in Sidney Lumet's 1973 crime drama "The Offence," with Nolan recently celebrating the film for containing...
Still, when it comes to an actor as talented as Connery, not everyone thinks of these roles as his best. If you ask Christopher Nolan, for instance, he'll tell you that the Scottish star's finest performance came in Sidney Lumet's 1973 crime drama "The Offence," with Nolan recently celebrating the film for containing...
- 5/13/2024
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
Before "Star Wars," there was "Thx 1138." A strange, dystopic science fiction movie packed with big ideas up to its eyeballs, "Thx 1138" is now mostly known as the feature directorial debut of one George Walton Lucas Jr. (though it also came back in conversation when the best episode of "Andor" paid homage to it). The future Lucasfilm founder originally created this story of repressed emotions and stymied sexuality as a student film, but by the time it was reimagined as a feature, it had gained backing from Warner Bros.
Lucas' American Zoetrope co-founder Francis Ford Coppola also had faith in the movie, and served as one of its producers. "Thx 1138" starred Robert Duvall, then already known for his work on stage and television, not to mention in films like "To Kill A Mockingbird," "M*A*S*H," and "True Grit." Future "Halloween" actor Donald Pleasence co-starred, along with a then-unknown actress named Maggie McOmie.
Lucas' American Zoetrope co-founder Francis Ford Coppola also had faith in the movie, and served as one of its producers. "Thx 1138" starred Robert Duvall, then already known for his work on stage and television, not to mention in films like "To Kill A Mockingbird," "M*A*S*H," and "True Grit." Future "Halloween" actor Donald Pleasence co-starred, along with a then-unknown actress named Maggie McOmie.
- 5/12/2024
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
Exclusive: Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis has sold to key independent buyers in Europe’s top five territories, we can reveal.
Ahead of its anticipated world premiere at this week’s Cannes Film Festival the movie has sold to Constantin Film for Germany and all German-speaking territories, including Switzerland and Austria; Eagle Pictures for Italy; Tripictures for Spain; and Entertainment Film Distributors Limited for the U.K. A deal with Le Pacte for France was announced last week.
The movie debuts on May 16 in Cannes with cast Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia Labeouf, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Talia Shire, Kathryn Hunter, Grace VanderWaal, Chloe Fineman, D.B. Sweeney, and Dustin Hoffman set to tread the red carpet.
Related: ‘Megalopolis’: What The Critics Are Saying
Coppola’s longtime lawyer, Barry Hirsch, and Goodfellas President Vincent Maraval brokered the new Megalopolis deals with Constantin Film’s Oliver Berben...
Ahead of its anticipated world premiere at this week’s Cannes Film Festival the movie has sold to Constantin Film for Germany and all German-speaking territories, including Switzerland and Austria; Eagle Pictures for Italy; Tripictures for Spain; and Entertainment Film Distributors Limited for the U.K. A deal with Le Pacte for France was announced last week.
The movie debuts on May 16 in Cannes with cast Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Shia Labeouf, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Talia Shire, Kathryn Hunter, Grace VanderWaal, Chloe Fineman, D.B. Sweeney, and Dustin Hoffman set to tread the red carpet.
Related: ‘Megalopolis’: What The Critics Are Saying
Coppola’s longtime lawyer, Barry Hirsch, and Goodfellas President Vincent Maraval brokered the new Megalopolis deals with Constantin Film’s Oliver Berben...
- 5/12/2024
- by Andreas Wiseman and Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
When it comes to trilogies, the third one often ends up being the weakest of them all, and unfortunately, Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather 3 wasn’t immune to it. Released in 1990, 16 years after the sequel, the film failed to live up to the bar set by its predecessors, which are often regarded as some of the best the medium of cinema has to offer.
Moreover, due to salary disputes, the threequel didn’t see Robert Duvall’s Tom Hagen return, a character that was pivotal to Michael Corleone’s story in the first two entries. Later, when asked about his decision to stay out of the third one, Duvall had a pretty candid response.
Robert Duvall’s Absence From The Godfather III Boiled Down to Economics
A still from The Godfather | Paramount Pictures
It’s no secret that the main motivation behind reviving the franchise after over a decade was money.
Moreover, due to salary disputes, the threequel didn’t see Robert Duvall’s Tom Hagen return, a character that was pivotal to Michael Corleone’s story in the first two entries. Later, when asked about his decision to stay out of the third one, Duvall had a pretty candid response.
Robert Duvall’s Absence From The Godfather III Boiled Down to Economics
A still from The Godfather | Paramount Pictures
It’s no secret that the main motivation behind reviving the franchise after over a decade was money.
- 5/11/2024
- by Santanu Roy
- FandomWire
Dennis Hopper was the Oscar-nominated performer who experienced many ups-and-downs throughout his career, with his off-screen antics often overshadowing his onscreen talent. Yet many of his movies have stood the test of time. Let’s take a look back at 15 of Hopper’s greatest films, ranked worst to best.
Born in 1936, Hopper made his movie debut at the age of 19 in “Rebel Without a Cause” (1955), where he became fast friends with James Dean. He had an even bigger role in “Giant” (1956), which would be Dean’s last film before his untimely death in 1955. Hopper struggled for several years trying to find his voice, making small appearances in such films as “Cool Hand Luke” (1967) and “True Grit”(1969).
He burst onto the scene with the counterculture phenomenon “Easy Rider” (1969), which he also directed and co-wrote (with co-star Peter Fonda and Terry Southern). The story of two bikers (Hopper and Fonda) traveling across...
Born in 1936, Hopper made his movie debut at the age of 19 in “Rebel Without a Cause” (1955), where he became fast friends with James Dean. He had an even bigger role in “Giant” (1956), which would be Dean’s last film before his untimely death in 1955. Hopper struggled for several years trying to find his voice, making small appearances in such films as “Cool Hand Luke” (1967) and “True Grit”(1969).
He burst onto the scene with the counterculture phenomenon “Easy Rider” (1969), which he also directed and co-wrote (with co-star Peter Fonda and Terry Southern). The story of two bikers (Hopper and Fonda) traveling across...
- 5/10/2024
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Naming the best movie in history is quite an ambitious task. Ask a hundred movie buffs what their favorite movie is and they will all come up with their own answer – from The Lord of the Rings to Apocalypse Now to Alien.
But Rotten Tomatoes took on this impossible mission and compiled a list of the 300 best movies of all time based on critics' scores, user scores, number of reviews, and other factors. And the first place movie was one that (almost) no one expected.
If the second and third places were taken by The Godfather and Casablanca – classic films that everyone with even a passing interest in cinema has seen–- then the first place went to the 1997 noir detective story L.A. Confidential.
What is L.A. Confidential About?
Three very different detectives – Bud White (Russell Crowe), Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey) and Ed Exley (Guy Pearce) – are investigating a mass murder.
But Rotten Tomatoes took on this impossible mission and compiled a list of the 300 best movies of all time based on critics' scores, user scores, number of reviews, and other factors. And the first place movie was one that (almost) no one expected.
If the second and third places were taken by The Godfather and Casablanca – classic films that everyone with even a passing interest in cinema has seen–- then the first place went to the 1997 noir detective story L.A. Confidential.
What is L.A. Confidential About?
Three very different detectives – Bud White (Russell Crowe), Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey) and Ed Exley (Guy Pearce) – are investigating a mass murder.
- 5/8/2024
- by zoe-wallace@startefacts.com (Zoe Wallace)
- STartefacts.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.