Review: ‘The Apprentice’ stirs the hornet’s nest with Trump portrayal
Updated 03 June 2024
Gautaman Bhaskaran
CANNES: Iranian Danish director Ali Abassi's Cannes Film Festival competition entry “The Apprentice” was one of the most talked about films at the recent event.
The movie caused a stir largely because it zeroes in on a hardly known aspect of the man, played by US Romanian actor Sebastian Stan. We first meet Trump as a young man in the early 1970s while he was working for his cold and condescending father Fred (Martin Donovan).
Enter Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong), a notoriously vicious lawyer who mentors the young Trump and imparts his three rules for success: Always attack, never admit to any wrongdoing, and never admit defeat.
With a screenplay by political journalist Gabriel Sherman, the film depicts an eager apprentice being tutored by Cohn to override humane notions of morality and ethics. While a disclaimer says that some artistic licence has been taken, it hasn’t stopped the film from stirring the hornet’s nest — in fact, two weeks on from the premiere and an eight-minute standing ovation the film still does not have a US distributor.
The movie goes further than a mere biographical sketch of Trump and Cohn by chronicling the dirty days of the Nixon era and the corporate greed that fuelled the Reagan years. The second half of “The Apprentice” focuses less on the mentor-mentee relationship and more on Trump himself, with his first wife Ivana essayed in the film by the savvy and self-aware Maria Bakalova.
The film has a grainy texture which portrays the 1970s and 1980s in all its tacky authenticity and Aleks Marinkovich’s production design highlights some of the vulgarity that the era is famous for.
Some will say the film is too harsh, while many will say its not harsh enough and Stan’s performance as an almost gentle young man is so at odds with the character we know today that it is a little jarring.
REVIEW: ‘His Three Daughters’ is a gloriously bumpy ride
Though it starts off on the pretentious side, this New York City-set drama comes good in the end
Updated 28 September 2024
Matt Ross
LONDON: Viewers beware: the first two thirds of Netflix’s “His Three Daughters” is a Very Serious Film full of Very Serious Acting from a trio of Very Gifted Actors.
This tense, claustrophobic family drama tells the story of Katie, Christina and Rachel — played by Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen and Natasha Lyonne, respectively — who return to the family home to look after their ailing father during his last days, butting heads on everything from groceries to life choices.
And writer-director Azazel Jacobs wants us all to know just how Very Serious it all is — so he has his cast speak and move like very accomplished thespians straight out of a critically lauded stage play.
So we learn all about the three women and their relationships with each other, and their father, from wildly gesticulated one-sided phone conversations, impassioned exposition dumps, and spectacularly articulate jibes they launch at one another.
“His Three Daughters” is on Netflix. (Supplied)
But it is the last third of the movie, when the three women must deal with the inevitable, that this goes from being a Very Serious Film to an actually great one.
Coon, Olsen and Lyonne all lean into the slightly caricatured roles they have established thus far, and all of a sudden, “His Three Daughters” becomes a sweet, heartbreaking, bitterly acerbic and wonderfully nuanced examination of an ever-shifting family dynamic that is more layered and relatable than the first hour of runtime ever hinted at.
Coon and Olsen make for good extremist foils — they sit at differing ends of the sister spectrum, one serious and efficient, the other laidback and irritatingly holistic.
But it is Lyonne’s Rachel who really makes the final act sing, bursting with approachable spikiness and disarming wit, all while visibly trying to keep it together while her world falls apart.
Jacobs has opted to shoot the movie on film, in a real location, both of which give “His Three Daughters” a visceral, lived-in feel that only adds to that sense of claustrophobic, sinking dread that their father’s life is coming to an end.
Forgive this movie its overwrought first hour and settle in for a final act that is as good as anything else that has been released this year.
Palestinian-Chilean artist Elyanna will open for the band.
The 22-year-old has been a frequent collaborator of the group this year, joining the band on stage at their Glastonbury set. Last week, she released the Arabic edition of the band's new song “We Pray.” On Saturday, she performed with Coldplay in Las Vegas.
Promoters Live Nation Middle East confirmed Abu Dhabi will be the only stop in the region for the band.
Arthouse cinema opening soon in the heart of Saudi Arabia
Faisal Baltyuor discusses the launch of his passion project, Cinehouse
Updated 26 September 2024
Jasmine Bager
RIYADH: “I created Cinehouse because I wanted it for myself,” Saudi film producer Faisal Baltyuor tells Arab News from his headquarters in Riyadh. In October, Baltyuor is opening what he’s billing as the first arthouse cinema in the Kingdom.
Baltyuor — a film buff hailing from the Eastern Province — has been involved in some of Saudi Arabia’s most successful titles, including critically-acclaimed Netflix hits. But Cinehouse is more than just a business venture; it’s a passion project, designed to foster the kind of creative and immersive environment he himself would want to experience.
“Having it in Riyadh, the capital and the heart of the country, was important,” Baltyuor states. His focus, he says, is on building a thriving hub for filmmakers, and making it a go-to destination for those “coming from anywhere in Riyadh — even from the airport.”
Cinehouse’s first screening will be a never-before-publicly-shown 1975 documentary, “Development of Riyadh City,” by Saudi director Abdullah Al-Muheisen. To screen a documentary about Riyadh in Riyadh was a deliberate choice on Baltyuor’s part.
Hiring and nurturing Saudi talent is also a key pillar of the Cinehouse vision. The venue has committed to supporting local professionals across various roles from cinema staff to truly understanding the distinct Saudi audience, in order to ensure that Cinehouse remains a space where local talent is both celebrated and developed.
“We wanted to create a place that feels like home, while showcasing the best of Saudi talent in both cinema and dining,” Baltyuor says. It’s all in the name. But, he adds, “It’s not just putting a chair and watching a movie.” It is, quite literally, about the bigger picture.
Cinehouse is equipped with three screening rooms, all designed to provide an intimate setting. The Dolby Atmos sound system in each is state-of-the-art. In addition to the high-end cinematic environment, Cinehouse features a menu created by a Saudi chef.
“We’re creating a space where people feel like they belong,” Baltyuor says.
Baltyuor has a team of five trusted members who will select the films to be screened each month. Cinehouse will always include a local Saudi and Middle Eastern entry as well as top films from around the world. October’s films include Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest,” Ryoo Seung-wan’s “The Executioner,” Aki Karuismaki’s “Fallen Leaves,” and Yemeni director Amr Gamal’s “The Burdened.”
FAISAL BALTYUOR’S FIVE MUST-SEE MOVIES
‘The Godfather’
I don't think there’s a single person who doesn't know how the great director Frances Ford Coppola, with this film, influenced lovers of artistic cinema — to the point that it turned into a cinematic icon that was, and still is, high up the lists of the best films in history.
‘The Shawshank Redemption’
What I love most about this cinematic masterpiece is that it’s an ordinary story about hope, which the little-known director Frank Darabont transformed into a great film. Could Stephen King have imagined, when he wrote “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption,” what it would become? I don't know. But, as Andy Dufresne says: “Remember, Red, hope is a good thing. Maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”
‘Inception’
Christopher Nolan’s visual world — which revolves around memory, mind and the nature of the human psyche — always aims to explore topics within the framework of a social-philosophical plot in an attempt to reach the truth of man, time and identity in an artistic way. In this film, he took inspiration from the architectural compositions of the works of the Dutch artist M. C. Escher.
‘Past Lives’
In South Korean culture, the concept of In-Yun is one similar to fate, which suggests that nothing is coincidental and every single meeting is mainly the result of meetings that happened in previous lives. That’s what’s at the heart of Celine Song’s romantic drama.
‘Ratatouille’
This is a must-see because Pixar, and even Walt Disney Pictures, have not yet produced a better film than this animation in all its aspects — the story, the imagery, the technology, and the acoustics.
Review: Marvel’s “Agatha All Along” — a creepy, kooky and fantastic miniseries
Kathryn Hahn returns as titular witch and Marvel returns to form
Updated 26 September 2024
Matt Ross
DUBAI: Whisper it, but there are signs that Marvel is coming out of its post-“Avengers: Endgame” slump. After a string of movies and shows that boasted more misses than hits, the recent “Deadpool & Wolverine” not only joked about the dip in output quality over the last couple of years, but has gone some way towards showing there may be life in the comic-book behemoth yet. So the pressure is certainly on “Agatha All Along”, the latest miniseries to hit the Disney+ streaming service.
A spinoff from the excellent “WandaVision,” the show sees Kathryn Hahn reprise her role as the villainous Agatha Harkness. Still trapped in smalltown America, and stripped of her magical powers, Agatha is released from the last vestiges of Wanda Maximoff’s spell by a teenage kid (“Heartstopper” star Joe Locke). Realizing she needs to walk the legendary Witches Road in order to reclaim her powers, Agatha sets about building a new witches coven to help her.
The show’s secret weapon is Hahn. Slipping effortlessly back into the role, she’s all snark and sass as she reluctantly admits that she can’t get her powers back without the help of her new coven family. Perhaps taking inspiration from the success of “WandaVision,” creator and showrunner Jac Shaeffer leans into the weird, fourth wall-breaking silliness — a true crime detective show spell Agatha gets stuck in is “based on the Danish series Wandavisdysen.” On top of that, a raft of new characters led by Locke, Patti LuPone as a Sicilian witch, returning star Debra Jo Rupp, and Aubrey Plaza (stealing the first two episodes at least with her role as a warrior witch) give Hahn the perfect foils to explore Agatha’s backstory.
Marvel shows, on the small screen at least, tend to be at their best when they tell intricate, thought-out stories about weird and wonderful worlds, sidestepping some of that grandiose, world-ending pomp typical of the MCU movies. With “Agatha All Along” — and more specifically, with Hahn leading such a great ensemble cast — Marvel might very well be back to winning ways.
Coldplay add second and third dates to 2025 Abu Dhabi concert
Palestinian-Chilean artist Elyanna will open for the band in the Emirati capital
Updated 25 September 2024
Arab News
DUBAI: While fans across the UAE scramble to get tickets to Coldplay’s Abu Dhabi concert in January 2025, the band has added another two dates to their trip to the UAE.
The British band are now set to bring their hugely successful “Music of the Spheres World Tour” to Zayed Sports City Stadium on Jan. 11 as well as Jan. 12 and Jan. 14, it was announced on Wednesday.
Palestinian-Chilean artist Elyanna will open for the band.
The 22-year-old has been a frequent collaborator of the group this year, joining the band on stage at their Glastonbury set. Last week, she released the Arabic edition of the band's new song “We Pray.” On Saturday, she performed with Coldplay in Las Vegas.
Promoters Live Nation Middle East confirmed Abu Dhabi will be the only stop in the region for the band.
