Bombshell (2019)

Based on true events, this film tells the story of a few incredibly brave women, and their fight for truth and justice in the high-stakes world of broadcast cable news.

Set entirely in the Fox News headquarters in New York, during the presidential campaign in the lead-up to the 2016 election, the film centres around three women in particular, and their campaign to bring down the head of the network, accused of multiple counts of sexual harassment over several decades.

Popular anchor Megyn Kelly (Charlize Theron) is at the height of her career. With the prime timeslot on the Fox network, she has everything at her disposal. That is, until presidential hopeful Donald Trump tweets out an insult at her after a simple question that he refuses to answer. Once his supporters see the vitriolic messages online, they turn against her en masse, sending threatening messages of their own, including death threats.

Megyn Kelly (Charlize Theron), Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman) and Kayla Pospisil (Margot Robbie).

Meanwhile, less-popular anchor Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman) is fighting a fight of her own, as the head of Fox News Roger Ailes (John Lithgow) feels her drive to report the truth is diametrically opposed to the network’s ideals. In fact, it becomes so difficult for the two of them to get along that she is fired.

Young up-and-coming reporter - who wishes to one day be an anchor herself - Kayla Pospisil (Margot Robbie) on the other hand, is climbing the ranks very quickly, as Ailes seems to have taken quite a shine to her. The trouble is, the things she has to do to get ahead stand in opposition to her conservative Christian faith.

After Gretchen is fired, she gets in touch with a law firm, accusing Ailes of decades of sexual harassment, and it isn’t long before other women - both current and former employees - begin to come forward.

Megyn Kelly (Charlize Theron) and Roger Ailes (John Lithgow).

The screenplay, written by Charles Randolph, is very well-constructed. One has to continually pinch oneself to remind one that this film is actually a true story, so shocking are the revelations and comments and views of many of the characters, particularly the male characters. The film uses a large amount of archival footage as well, reminding viewers of the truth and historical nature of the plot.

Theodore Shapiro’s music - as scarce as it may be - is brilliantly composed and constructed. There isn’t a lot of it, however, but the sections where it does feature are improved dramatically by the music. Shapiro uses his music exclusively to highlight the more intense psychological moments of the story, and it works well in every instance.

I was not a big fan of the cinematography in this film, I’m sad to say. While cinematographer Barry Ackroyd does have a good grasp of light and dark, shadow and contrast, the enormous amount of hand-held camera and quick movement left me feeling nauseous at the best of times, and not because of the subject matter. There are a lot of very close shots as well - in fact, most shots are way too close in my opinion.

Kayla (Margot Robbie) and Jess (Kate McKinnon).

The performances of the cast are quite good, though. There is actually an enormous ensemble cast in this film, including Jay Duplass as Megyn Kelly’s long-suffering husband, Allison Janney as Ailes’s lawyer, and even appearances by the Murdoch family (not the real thing, they’re played by actors). The three lead female actors are all fabulous, none more so than Margot Robbie, who could be on her way to yet another Oscar nomination.

John Lithgow is also fantastic as Ailes. Were it not for his name in the opening credits, one may not even recognise him in this role. He not only looks very different in a physical sense, but his portrayal of the character is so well done, and so different from anything else he has done before, he may also be in line for a nomination this year.

Director Jay Roach has made a pretty good film here, certainly a film that will be talked about for a long time, and especially in this time of award ceremonies. I wouldn’t say you need to rush out and see it on the big screen, but you definitely do need to watch it; it is an important story filled with important issues.

8 out of 10.

Long Shot (2019)

US Secretary of State Charlotte Field (Charlize Theron) is hoping to become the first female President. Working under current President Chambers (Bob Odenkirk), who was elected because he had previously played the President in a low-rating television show yet had no political experience whatsoever (ring a bell to anyone?), she is hoping he will endorse her for the campaign, as he will not be standing for re-election, hoping to focus on his entry into films.

Needing some assistance in the polls, she controversially hires old school acquaintance Fred Flarsky (Seth Rogen) after running into him randomly at a party. He has just been made redundant from the newspaper he wrote for, when the newspaper was bought out by media mogul Parker Wembley (Andy Serkis).

He accepts the position, and becomes her chief speechwriter, as she travels around the world, raising awareness and support for her environmental plan that she hopes will see the polls improve in her favour before formally announcing her candidacy and run for President.

I won't say anything more about the plot here, but there are a few other things I would like to discuss.

The script, by Dan Sterling and Liz Hannah, doesn't have a lot of surprises, especially for those who have seen any film with Seth Rogen in it before. The film falls into the category of romantic comedy, so you know the kind of things that are in store: the many obstacles that stand in the way of our leads getting together, despite the fact that they are both interested in one another, the big reveal of some factor at about the three-quarter mark that makes it seem like everything is pointless and nothing can save the relationship, et cetera.

Add to this the fact that most of the comedy is of the incredibly crude variety (one would expect no less from Seth Rogen and fellow production partner Evan Goldberg), and you probably already have a pretty good idea of the rest of the film in its entirety.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that the script isn't particularly clever. The characters are reasonably well defined and reasonably well written, but the film is incredibly formulaic, even for a romantic comedy.

Yves Bélanger's cinematography is also not especially adventurous, again as one would expect from a film in this genre. Sure, everything works well enough, but there is nothing particularly spectacular about any of the camera shots here.

The score, by Marco Beltrami and Miles Hankins, is - you guessed it - nothing special. It does the job, I suppose, but to be honest, the film felt a little over-scored in parts, and particularly under-scored in others.

I must say, however, the production design - courtesy of Kalina Ivanov - is quite good. There are many different locations and sets used throughout the film, and these are all very well designed, constructed, and dressed.

The cast's performances are relatively average throughout, with the possible exception of Andy Serkis, who was almost unrecognisable in his performance. Apart from that, the rest of the cast feel as though they are just showing up, saying the lines, and going home.

Director Jonathan Levine has made a relatively unexciting film, that doesn't really push any boundaries (other than comedy that may or may not always be in good taste).

Sure, I enjoyed myself for a couple of hours in the cinema watching this. I laughed a lot, from beginning to end, and the film works well as a means of escapism, and will keep you relatively entertained. But I don't think I would watch it again in a hurry.

5 out of 10.