Opening This Week: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, The Two Popes, Cats, Bombshell, The Aeronauts
BY SCOTTIE KNOLLIN
Fanboys, unite! The “end” of the Star Wars saga is upon us. Star Wars: Episode IX - The Riser of Skywalker, helmed by J. J. Abrams serves as the final chapter of the Star Wars sequel trilogy that began in 2015 with The Force Awakens.
All of the favorite and infamous Star Wars characters make appearances, though much of the focus is on Kylo Ren (Adam Drive) and Rey (Daisy Ridley). Even Leia (Carrie Fisher) earns some screen time, thanks to the use of unused footage from The Force Awakens and 2017’s The Last Jedi. Fisher died in 2016 after filming The Last Jedi.
The Rise of Skywalker marks the third film in the franchise to be produced and released by The Walt Disney Company, after the studio purchased Lucasfilm from George Lucas in 2012. After going through several behind-the-scenes changes, like director Colin Trevorrow leaving production due to creative differences, Rian Johnson was rumored as the director of both The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker. Instead, in mid-2017, Lucas confirmed Abrams would return after having directed The Force Awakens. Johnson’s The Last Jedi has long been scrutinized by die-hard fans as diverting too much from the Star Wars lexicon, though defenders of the film praise Johnson’s choices as taking the beloved story into a new light.
The film celebrated its world premiere in Los Angeles on December 16th and immediately received mixed reviews (nothing new to the Star Wars franchise). Many critics called the film a salute to fan service, both in positive and negative regards. Many of the film’s features, like its score and special effects, have been included on the Academy’s shortlists for the upcoming 92nd Academy Awards.
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Brazilian filmmaker, Fernando Meirelles, directs Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce in the biographical drama, The Two Popes. The film, written by Anthony McCarten and based on his 2017 play, The Pope, is a Netflix Original Film and begins streaming on the service beginning this weekend.
Pryce stars as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who would later become Pope Francis, as he meets with and gets to know Pope Benedict XVI (Hopkins). Much of the film was produced on location in Argentina and Rome.
Netflix released the film in late November to a small number of theaters in Los Angeles, New York, and London after premiering the film at the Telluride Film Festival. Though not a flashy titles or premise, those who saw the film at Telluride or the Toronto International Film Festival praised the film for its surprising brevity and beautiful filmmaking. Even those who weren’t as friendly in their reviews praised the performances by Pryce and Hopkins. Both actors earned nominations for the upcoming 77th Golden Globe Awards and are expected to receive Oscar nominations in January.
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Though it doesn’t come with the built-in audience like the Star Wars franchise, Tom Hooper’s film adaptation of the famed musical Cats is expected to earn a decent box office based solely on the curiosity of viewers.
Even after its trailer debuted, pop culture fans and Twitter cinephiles were abuzz about the ludicrous cast (which includes Judi Dench, Idris Elba, and Ian McKellen rubbing shoulders with Taylor Swift, Jason Derulo, and Jennifer Hudson) and head-scratching visuals (“Digital Fur Technology” became a social media trending term).
Long-gestating, a film version of Cats was always seen as a potential bomb, though most were intrigued by the idea of figuring out how to bring a plot-less Broadway hit to the screen. Amblimation considered an animated version in the 90s and the first rumors of Universal Pictures trying something were published as early as 2013. By 2016, Hooper (who’d successfully brought Les Miserables to screen) was confirmed as director. Casting began in early 2018.
After announcing Swift’s participation, which brought lots of press to the adaptation, filming officially commenced in December 2018. By April 2019, Hudson made an appearance at CinemaCon to perform “Memory,” while early photos began making the rounds. In July, the first trailer was released. And, the rest has been history. Until now.
Between a mix of unsettling CGI and live-action to the over-the-top production design, the film’s premiere in New York ended with many critics calling the film an embarrassment, a misjudgment, and exhausting. Even still, in many of the negative reviews, critics have also commented that the film teeters between being very bad, with its grotesque design choices, and so-bad-it’s-a-must-see.
In any regard, the film’s Digital Fur Technology has made the Academy’s shortlist for special effects. And, Swift’s original song, “Beautiful Ghosts,” which she composed with the musical’s author, Andrew Lloyd Webber, is nominated for Best Original Song at the upcoming 77th Golden Globe Awards.
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The title, Bombshell, could be an ode to the potentially-disastrous #MeToo news that rocked Fox News when anchor Megyn Kelly accused CEO Roger Ailes for sexual harassment or to the pretty blondes who make up the leading ladies of the film or to both. The real-life drama stars Charlize Theron as Kelly, in an incredible physical transformation that’s earned the film a spot on the Academy Make-Up & Hairstyling Award shortlist, Nicole Kidman as Gretchen Carlson, and Margot Robbie, as a composite character named Kayla Pospisil who represents many other real-life people wrapped into one persona.
Announced shortly after Ailes’ death in 2017, the film chronicles the allegations made by several women who worked at Fox News against the news magnate. Part of the film’s intrigue came from the fact that much of the details were based on insider reports and speculation, as the '“stars” of the legal proceedings, like Kelly and Carlson, were unable to speak due to strict NDAs. Kelly has confirmed she had no involvement in the film.
With John Lithgow starring as Ailes, the all-star cast has made quite the mark on awards season. Both Theron and Robbie are nominated for acting awards at the upcoming 77th Golden Globe Awards. And, the entire ensemble has been nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture at the upcoming Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Critics have given kudos to the performances by the film’s cast, especially noting Theron’s transformation into Kelly. But, in mostly mixed reviews, critics have also stated the film fails to dive deep into the muck of the story, relying more on the performances over calling out failures in Fox News’ structure or stating a position on the #MeToo movement.
Following a private screening of the film, Kelly noted that she found it to be an emotional experience, despite multiple inaccuracies.
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Amazon Studios will welcome home to its streaming service, Prime Video, The Aeronauts, a biographical adventure film starring Oscar-nominated actress, Felicity Jones, and Oscar-winner, Eddie Redmayne. The two previously starred together in The Theory of Everything.
Jones stars as Amelia Wren, a famed balloonist, who is about to embark on a journey with meteorologist James Glaisher (Redmayne). The two, who fail to see eye to eye from the start, encounter a number of scientific wonders while trying to set new records for air travel and discover things like weather patterns. The emotional depth of the movie comes, however, in each adventurer’s emotional journeys as they discover intrinsic things about themselves along the way.
Much like Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity, The Aeronauts benefits from some spectacular special effects and harrowing cinematic moments. But, the lack of story and substance to its characters holds the film back from being a true spectacle.
The film held its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival, before screening at the Toronto International Film Festival and AFI Fest, held at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
