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.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)

The ninth film from writer-director Quentin Tarantino, this film tells the story of a particularly dark time in Hollywood’s past, and does so with an incredible cast of characters, and Tarantino’s trademark use of several subplots (think back to Pulp Fiction) all intertwining by the film’s conclusion.

Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a film and television actor, whose career has mostly consisted of playing the bad guy in westerns. Together with his long-time stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), he has recently begun to be typecast.

After being challenged with this idea by producer Marvin Schwarz (Al Pacino), Rick begins to believe his career is all but over. Cliff, however, remains optimistic.

These two characters have become very close over the years, and Cliff would do literally anything for Rick.

Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt).

Rick lives next door to a young Roman Polanski and his new wife Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), who have just learned they are expecting their first child. Their close friend Jay Sebring (Emile Hirschhorn) is a great support to Sharon, as Roman is off making another film after the huge success of his latest film, Rosemary’s Baby.

Which reminds me: this film is set in the summer of 1969. There are numerous references and signposts throughout the just-under-three-hours running time to help remind you of this, the strongest of which is the production design and costume design, courtesy of Barbara Ling and Arianne Phillips, respectively.

While all the rest of this is going on, away in the mountains, on an otherwise deserted ranch, a group of young people (mainly females) live under the supervision of a man named Charlie. If you’re thinking of Charlie Manson, you’re right on the money.

Sharon Tate-Polanski (Margot Robbie).

Tarantino’s script is virtually flawless. Viewers of any of his previous eight films will be aware his strong point is most certainly his naturalistic dialogue, and detailed character development, as well as his ability to weave numerous subplots together in unexpected ways. There are plenty of comedic moments, but also (as you might expect) plenty of violence.

The cinematography, by Robert Richardson, is equally brilliant. In collaboration with Tarantino, who is a genius when it comes to use of camera angles to heighten tension and drama, Richardson has captured the action beautifully.

The cast performances are also great throughout, the clear standouts certainly being DiCaprio and Pitt. There is another performer I would like to mention here: young Julia Butters, whose character plays opposite Dalton in an incredible sequence, matches DiCaprio beautifully in her abilities as a performer.

Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), being sweet-talked by Pussycat (Margaret Qualley) at
the Manson Family compound.

If I had more time, I could go to much greater lengths talking about the rest of the cast. The cast for this film is enormous, and every performer brings their all to their roles. Tarantino seems to have a real knack for getting the most from his actors, and this film is certainly no exception. If I had an infinite amount of time and space, I would also talk about the performances of Bruce Dern, Dakota Fanning, Timothy Olyphant, Margaret Qualley, Austin Butler and Luke Perry (in his final film performance). All of these actors (and more) are brilliant in their roles, but if I went into all of them, we would be here forever.

This is without a doubt the best film from Quentin Tarantino (my previous favourite being Pulp Fiction). The film is quite long, as mentioned earlier, but it doesn't feel long, as the pacing and action keeps you interested from the very first frame until long after the credits have ended. This is certainly a film to keep your eyes on come award season; check it out if you haven't already, you won't be disappointed.

9 out of 10.

Focus (2014)

Nicky (Will Smith), a big-time con man, pulling in millions of dollars every year between his entire team of thieves, meets Jess (Margot Robbie), a small-time con artist, when she tries to get one over on him one night, and fails dismally.

She begs him to teach her the proper way to work a con, and teams up with his aforementioned already large team, including his closest friend and colleague, Farhad (Adrian Martinez).

Together, they execute one of the biggest cons in recent history, netting millions of dollars for only a few weeks work, culminating in a massive injection of cash from compulsive better Liyuan (BD Wong) in New Orleans.

After the job is over, however, they part ways, and not particularly amicably.

Three years later, they run into each other again in Buenos Aires, where Nicky is still conning wealthy people out of large sums of money, working for tech mogul Garriga (Rodrigo Santoro) and his bodyguard Owens (Gerald McRaney). Meanwhile, Jess has left that part of her life behind.

I can’t say any more than that, for fear of spoiling it for you. Suffice it to say, though, there are plenty of unexpected twists and turns before the film’s final, shocking conclusion.

The script by Glenn Ficarra & John Requa - who also directed the film - is incredibly clever, as you can probably guess. Any film of this type (such as the Ocean’s trilogy with George Clooney and Brad Pitt or, going back a little further, The Sting) has to have a very tight script, with plenty of twists as well as plenty of red herrings combined with plenty of action. This film has them all, and it is very enjoyable to experience these as a viewer. It had been some time for me between viewings (I saw this first in the cinema years ago, and then only once more for the purposes of writing this review), and it was like I was viewing them for the first time all over again.

The cinematography (by Xavier Grobet) is nothing particularly spectacular. I mean, it works fine, and everything is clear and well-framed, but there is nothing especially outlandish or noticeable about it.

Nick Urata’s score, however, is quite interesting. Almost none of the film is scored, believe it or not. There are a few songs in the soundtrack, but in terms of original score, it is very light. And this works so well for the film. Sometimes, the score can become distracting for the viewer, but that is not the case here. The portions which are scored are done so magnificently, with great subtlety, and the portions that are not (as I mentioned, this is the majority of the film) are able to take centre stage without being bogged down in unnecessary music.

Beth Mickle’s production design and Dayna Pink’s costumes are both stunning. I particularly want to mention the costumes here, specifically the myriad of outfits that Jess wears. These are all so well designed and fitted, it is truly a joy to behold.

The cast are all fantastic here, too. Those who needed it did actually have the instruction of a sleight-of-hand expert (and con artist) on set, in order to fine tune the necessary moves and misdirection they needed to learn. These moves are all executed flawlessly, to the extent that you can believe that they have been doing this stuff for years.

Of particular note is Margot Robbie’s performance as Jess, which is - in my opinion - one of the highlights of her career, certainly up to this point in 2014, if not beyond. Even though she is not the protagonist here (that, I would say, is Will Smith’s character), she most definitely steals the show with her portrayal of her character.

The directors (who, as you may recall, wrote the screenplay) have made a truly magnificent thriller here, one that I ought to see again, perhaps a little sooner this time around.

7 1/2 out of 10.