By Jan Wahl–
It is time for the good movies to come out. Hollywood waits until now. Two of my favorite films of the year have been released, but the deluge of delights usually happens later in the year. The belief is that Motion Picture Academy members will remember your film best if it was something relatively recent to the Oscars. To qualify for the Oscar, a film needs to come out by the end of 2024. So, the rush is on.
The two movies I loved were at my favorite theatre. With comfy living room
seating, easy parking, and imaginative food, Cinelounge Tiburon is a gift to all of us determined to see movies as they were meant to be seen. Christian Meoli has taken this older theatre and turned it into a cinema paradiso. He started with a successful theatre in Los Angeles in 2012, and has since relocated his family up to the Bay Area. His charismatic business partner and wife, Camilla, has done the nostalgic interiors, from the pay phone to signage showing local stars and films.
“So many theatres now feel cold,” Christian told me for the San Francisco Bay Times. “I wanted the love I feel for films to be reflected in this two-screen theatre. One room is for events, private parties, and screenings. We call it The Lagoon Room. The other room is traditional filmgoing
but with ultra-comfortable chairs and lighting.”
I was in The Lagoon Room for a memorial for a friend, actress Barbara Rush. We showed some of her film clips and even an episode of the classic TV series Batman! She played Nora Clavicle, a women’s rights activist who took over Gotham City. How could we not play it?
The two films I have seen recently at the Cinelounge Tiburon are worth seeking out. Conclave is a mystery thriller that gives us insight into how a new Pope is selected. This is fiction, so Pope Francis does not need to clutch his pearls, but the serious and fast-paced storytelling will pull you right in. When Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with leading one of the world’s most secretive and ancient events of selecting a new Pope, he finds himself in the center of a conspiracy. Behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel, cardinals from all over the globe meet. Rivals, ambitions, and ego disguised as holiness—plus gorgeous cinematography—keep us connected.
The acting showcased in Conclave will be up for Oscars this year, including that of Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, Isabella Rossellini, and John Lithgow. The writing somehow gives us a sense of fun as well as an interpretation of a crises of faith. Oscar winner Edward Berger (All Quiet on the Western Front) gives us this bold adaptation of deep secrets and treachery. The flair for grandiosity reminded me of a Dan Brown novel, and the entire film is visually stunning. This one is big screen only please!
I grew up with a literate, passionate mother who loved to tell me true tales of Eleanor Roosevelt, Adlai Stevenson, Jack London, and Cole Porter. She saved a special dark place for the hearings in the fifties of the House of Unamerican Activities and the lawyer who ran much of it behind the scenes, Roy Cohn.
I remembered seeing the terrific Baz Luhrmann film Elvis a few years ago and thought, “Finally, someone got what I know is true about Colonial Tom Parker.” I had that same relief after The Apprentice—at last, an honest depiction of powerful lawyer Roy Cohn. Donald Trump’s early career in real estate opens us to the world of 1970s and 1980s Manhattan. Young Donald is eager to make his name and comes under the spell of the cutthroat attorney. Cohn sees in Trump the perfect protégé: raw ambition, hunger for success, and a total willingness to do whatever it takes to win.
Directed by Ali Abbasi and written by Gabriel Sherman, The Apprentice moves quickly and had the theatre audience applauding when it ended. The film will upset many, but an open mind will lead to understand a mindset that we live with and its origins. Trump has put out a lawsuit to stop this film, so you might have to look for it streaming. No matter how you find this film—note that it has graphic sexuality and language—it is interesting and relevant.
Jan Wahl is a Hollywood historian and film critic on various broadcast outlets. She has two Emmys and many awards for her longtime work on behalf of film buffs and the LGBTQ community. Contact her at www.janwahl.com
Off the Wahl
Published on November 7, 2024
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