film review: The Apprentice

 

Directed by Ali Abbasi

Written by Gabriel Sherman

ChinoKino review: A-

Reviewed by Allan Tong

Donald Trump doesn't want you to see this movie.

Pulling no punches, The Apprentice traces his relationship with nefarious New York lawyer Roy Cohn. Cohn represented the young Trump when he was a real estate developer from Queens, New York, struggling to follow in the footsteps of his overbearing father in the family business. It's the mid-1970s and New York City is broke, but young Trump (Sebastian Stan) wants to build a luxury hotel in seedy Times Square. Another problem is that Trump is accused of discriminating against Black people in one of his properties.  Desperate, Trump hires Cohn to coerce the powers-that-be--using blackmail--into granting Trump a massive tax break to build that hotel.

Not only that, but Cohn grooms Trump, seeing dollar signs in his disciple's future. The Machiavellian Cohn imparts three golden rules to student: 1) Attack, attack, attack. 2) Admit nothing, deny everything. 3) And no matter what, claim victory and never admit defeat. Armed with Cohn's cruel amorality, Trump builds a real estate empire that leaves a trail of lawsuits and liens (from unpaid workers and angry creditors) in his wake, all the while claiming to be the master of the business deal. 

All true, by the way.

Let's take a step back: Who was Roy Cohn? Described as "vile" and "malicious" by his own cousin, Cohn was a lawyer whose clients included four Mafia bosses and media tycoon Rupert Murdoch. He also hunted "homosexuals" and "perverts" in Washington, despite being gay and dying of AIDS in 1986. That same year, New York courts disbarred Cohn for unethical and unprofessional conduct for forcing a dying man to sign away control of his estate to him and the man's granddaughter.

Jeremy Strong (Succession) nearly steals the film with his powerful portrayal of Cohn. However, Strong and scriptwriter Gabriel Sherman add dimension to this villain, who actually believed he was on the side of Good using any means to fulfill his twisted, extreme-right wing view of America. Likewise, Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm) delivers a fine performance as Ivana, Trump's first wife. She casts a powerful presence as one of the few figures to stand up to Trump, though I wish more light was shed on their fractious marriage.

No doubt, the Trump army will deny the film's portrayal of [spoiler alert] Trump raping Ivana (which she publicly alleged then watered down), his racism, his deadbeat history, addiction to speed, scalpal surgery to reduce baldness, his alcoholic older brother, and ultimately his betrayal of his so-called friend, Cohn. By the end of the film, Sebastian Stan succeeds in portraying Trump as a completely corrupt, empty man, the true successor to Roy Cohn.

The Apprentice opens across Canada in cinemas on Oct. 10.

film review: Studio 17: The Lost Reggae Tapes

Directed by Mark James

Review by Allan Tong

ChinoKino score: A-

Peter Tosh, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Dennis Brown, Alton Ellis, Lord Creator and Bob Marley are some of the reggae greats who graced Studio 17 in downtown Kingston in the 1960s and 1970s. This fine British documentary spotlights this crucial chapter of reggae and Jamaican history. At its unlikely centre is a Chinese-Jamaican family, headed by matriarch "Miss Pat" Chin, her late husband Vincent, and his son, Clive. Vincent was nicknamed Randy which was also the name of the record store attached to the studio, just like legendary Stax Records in Memphis.

The Chins' story teems with charming anecdotes, near-fatal twists and tragedy. The Chins were one of many Chinese families who comprised the merchant class of Jamaica. The Chins started reselling ska 45s in the early 1960s, and soon expanded into recording musicians themselves. Legendary engineer Clive Thompson helped shape the clean, balanced sound of Studio 17 which attracted Jamaica's reggae artists. Business was good at Randy's and Studio 17, and their early success mirrored the optimism of newly independent Jamaica of the 1960s. Clive established a reputation as a top producer of danceable ska which morphed into harder-edged reggae to reflect the growing cynicism of Jamaicans by the late-1960s.

In Studio 17, Miss Pat and especially Clive guide the viewer through Studio 17's rise. They're augmented by reflections from reggae legend Jimmy Cliff, UB40's Ali Campbell and Dave Stewart formerly of the Eurythmics. They recall Peter Tosh as a spiritual man who smoked the sacrament of ganja everywhere, including a Pan Am flight to New York; and of Bob Marley covering the bubblegum anthem, Sugar Sugar (quite well, actually). Clive recalls narrowly missing the assassination attempt on Marley during a violent national election. That political unrest and the threat of Communism forced the Chins and other Chinese-Jamaican merchants to flee the island in 1978. Clive and Miss Pat literally left everything behind, including the library of tapes recorded at Studio 17.

Though Clive later moved the tapes to his new home and record store in Queens, New York, it took a murder in the Chin family years later to convince Clive to digitize the aging reel-to-reels and release select collections to the public. Miraculously, the tapes survived. This includes an unfinished demo by Dennis Brown. A few years ago, Clive enlisted teen British singer, Hollie Stephenson, to add a new vocal which turned that demo into a sparkling duet that Dave Stewart co-produced. That is a wonderful sequence in the film. Another great story is of UB40 rescuing Lord Creator from poverty by covering his ballad, Kingston Town, in 1989.

The story of the Chins and Studio 17 is so entertaining that it compensates for the film's only flaw. Reshma B is a London journalist who interviews the subjects and sometimes pops up on camera. This is distracting and unnecessary. Making things more confusing is that someone else is narrating the film. Just who is telling this story? Luckily, the film keeps circling back to the Chins to restore its focus.

Studio 17 fills a hole in the history of reggae. It offers captivating viewing for lovers of reggae, Jamaica and cinematic storytelling.

Studio 17 will screen on August 10 in Montreal, August 14 in Ottawa and August 15 in Toronto. Check local listings for details.

film review: Dreaming Walls: Inside The Chelsea Hotel

 

Directed by Maya Duverdier & Amélie van Elmbt

ChinoKino score: B

Reviewed by Allan Tong

You may have heard of the Chelsea Hotel. It's that Gothic hotel-apartment that towers over 23rd street in Manhattan where artists of all stripes have stayed for days or years. Musicians like Maria Callas and Jimi Hendrix loved it for its thick walls and soundproof rooms. Arthur C. Clarke wrote the screenplay to 2001 here. Bob Dylan composed Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands here. Andy Warhol shot a film here in the mid-1960s. Leonard Cohen memorialized his stay in song,and Patti Smith wrote here. One or two Ramones resided here. Painters and sculptors of all styles call this home. In the past, they used to pay their rent with paintings that adorned the lobby.

Those walls are being renovated now as artistes are leaving. This documentary chronicles this transition as new owners spend years and millions of dollars upgrading this shabby-chic grand dame. New York teems with hotels but none is like the Chelsea. There's a lot of controversy and confusion surrounding this massive facelift. Unfortunately, Dreaming Walls doesn't clarify that. The viewer has to read that online, preferably, or track down earlier films. And there lies the double-edge sword in chronicling this famous refuge.

 

Instead, this documentary follows several long-term tenants, who continue to create as they navigate workmen hammering, upgrading and rewiring their hallways, floors and ceilings. Many tenants are old and frail. You wonder how long they can stay at the Chelsea and where they will go next.

Tenants allude to former manager, Stanley Bard, a legendary figure and gracious man who accepted paintings in lieu of cash to pay the rent. It's a pity that the film doesn't shine a light on Mr. Bard. When I stayed at the Chelsea 25 years ago, I had the pleasure of talking to him at length. He was patient and considerate. He respected his tenants' privacy--which was why folks like Janis and Jimi crashed here. 

I'm of two minds about Dreaming Walls. I come to the film knowing the history of the Chelsea, so I could appreciate the intimate profiles of these longtime tenants. They don't want to leave, and I understand. The filmmakers treat the Chelsea with reverence and respect. I also get that. However, those who have never heard of the Chelsea may be left scratching their heads. Why is this place so important? True, past documentaries and books have chronicled the history of the Chelsea, so why recycle that? Then again, a little more historic context would have filled in blanks for less-knowing viewers.

Distributed by Mongrel Media, beginning July 8.

film review: Save Yourselves!

 

Directed & written by Alex H. Fischer & Eleanor Wilson

ChinoKino score: B-

Review by Allan Tong

A tongue-in-cheek comedy about social media, Save Yourselves! is a fun, likable film centering on a  Brooklyn couple named Jack (John Reynolds) and Su (Sunita Mani). Like countless millennials, they are addicted to their devices. Phones, laptops, you name it. However, they fear that all this connectedness disconnects them from the real world. So, they jump on a friend's offer to stay at his isolated cabin in the woods so they can unplug and go e-cold turkey for a few days. What could go wrong?

An alien invasion, for one. Because Jack and Su have disconnected, they have no idea that a swarm of aliens, which look like oversized puffballs, have seized planet Earth. All hell is breaking loose around the globe while our couple live the unwired life. Eventually, they encounter one of these puffballs and notice weird things happening around the cabin, like empty whisky bottles (apparently aliens like to party). Jack and Su break down and finally check their massive backlog of voice-mails and texts to learn that Earth is doomed.

film review: The Glorias

 

Directed by Julie Taymor

Written by Julie Taymor and Sarah Ruhl, based on My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem

ChinoKino score: B-

Review by Allan Tong

Feminist pioneer, Gloria Steinem, receives the overdue biopic treatment at the hands of one of the most imaginative directors around, Julie Taymor. Taymor takes an unconventional approach, bouncing between Steinem travels as a university students through impoverished India to her pivotal role in launching the feminist movement and to her struggles against sexism as a young journalist in 1960s New York. The effect, unfortunately, is uneven. It's like a cinematic triptych where we view various Glorias juxtaposed and in parallel which is both dazzling, but confusing.

Young Gloria grows up in Depression-era Ohio where young Gloria is haunted by her mother who plunges into melancholy. Her mother was a journalist, but had to hide behind a man's byline. Glorias learns that it's a man's world and women take a back seat. Gloria's father (played by a scene-stealing Timothy Hutton) is lovable sort of schemer, always looking for ways to turn a quick buck, but ultimately he looks out for his little girl. 

Flashforward about a dozen years, and Gloria is traveling on her own through India, paid by a fellowship. She sets out to listen to the plight of lower-caste women. She hears of young girls being raped and abused in a society that ignores their plight. Her consciousness, born in her mother's house, matures here.

film review Lucky Grandma

 

Directed by Sasie Sealy

Written by Sasie Sealy & Angela Cheng

ChinoKino score: A

Review by Allan Tong

Each summer, one movie comes out of nowhere and surprises audiences. In 2020, it's Lucky Grandma.

Part-gangster flick, part dark comedy, Lucky Grandma centres on a widower (Tsai Chin), chain-smoking and snarling from her Chinatown apartment in lower Manhattan. She has a successful children and lovely grandchildren, but essentially lives alone. One day, Grandma goes on a winning spree at the casino. She then crosses the bag man for the mafia and robs his booty. As viewers can guess, his mafia buddies come knocking on Grandma's door and she tries to outwit them.

Lucky Grandma could have played the comedy broadly and milked it for easy laughs. Instead, director Sasie Sealy and her co-writer Angela Cheng take a less likely--and more rewarding--approach by underplaying Tsai Chin's character, letting only the bad guys ham it up, and capturing Chinatown in claustrophobic noir. The movie is a drama, but there's enough dark comedy to keep the narrative sharp. Not an easy balance to strike, but it works.

film review: The Assistant

Directed by Kitty Green

Written by Kitty Green

ChinoKino score: B-

Review by Allan Tong

The Assistant hit theatres in February just as Harvey Weinstein was found guilty of rape. The release date was as intentional as this tale about an office assistant who works for an oppressive boss who beds young women to fulfill his sleazy sexual needs.

We see the film through Jane (played by Ozark's astonishing Julia Garner), an entry-level office assistant at a Manhattan film company. Jane is your common twentysomething office slave: a hardworking college grad who works insane hours and does every crappy task, from wiping away crumbs after meetings to enduring the wrath of the boss' crazy wife. Jane is so overworked that she forgets to phone her dad on his birthday. Jane wants to be a film producer, but for now she keeps her head down and does her job. We feel for her.

play review: Four Chords and a Gun

Written by: John Ross Bowie
Directed by: Richard Ouzounian


ChinoKino score: B+

Review by Allan Tong

Let me be upfront: I'm a Ramones fan, which is why ChinoKino is making an exception and reviewing this play. And yes, it's a play, not a musical. Four Chords and a Gun examines the fateful collaboration between punk rock pioneers, The Ramones, and legendary, but batshit-crazy record producer Phil Spector. In 1979, Spector produced the Ramones' fourth album, End of the Century. They came together because, frankly, both were desperate for a hit.

If you know the Ramones, then you know the dynamics at work here. Sensitive, nice-guy singer Joey Ramone clashes with mean, tyrannical leader Johnny Ramone, culminating in Johnny stealing Joey's girlfriend, Linda. This betrayal forever breaks Joey's heart. Bassist Dee Dee is a junkie. And drummer Marky is an alcoholic, but is also grounded enough to act as the play's narrator. All characters supply comic relief. The focus, however, lies on the Joey-Linda-Johnny triangle, overlaid by Spector who acts as a catalyst for change in the recording studio and without.

film review for VOD: After Everything

Written and Directed by: Hannah Marks, Joey Power
Featuring: Jeremy Allen White, Maika Monroe, Marisa Tomei, Joe Keery 

ChinoKino score: B-

Review by Allan Tong

A young New York couple fall in love, except that he comes down with cancer. Not exactly your typical romantic film. This is a brave film for exploring the devotion and anguish that drives these difficult relationships. A solid idea for a movie, but told from whose point of view?

My bet is hers, Mia, a no-nonsense young woman who works in a cubicle at a marketing firm. Maika Monroe does a good job of fleshing out Mia as she falls in love with the aimless yet flirtatious Elliot (Jeremy Allen White). Mia then nurses him through endless rounds of chemotherapy. If you've ever accompanied a loved one to chemo, then you now how wrenching this experience is for both parties. This film captures that pain. Further, Mia keeps the relationship alive, working for them both, and carrying the strain of balancing work and his cancer therapy.

Film review: Cafe Society

Writer/Director: Woody Allen
Producers: Letty Aronson, Ron Chez, Helen Robin,  Adam B. Stern, Allan Teh, Stephen Tenenbaum, Edward Walson
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Steve Carell, Parker Posey, Corey Stoll
Comedy/drama
1 hour, 36 minutes

By now, audiences expect certain elements in a Woody Allen movie: a period piece from the 1930s, a love triangle, a nebbish Woody-Allen-like protagonist, perhaps a gangster, a discussion about morality and, of course, some sharp, funny lines sprinkled throughout.

Cafe Society, the auteur's latest, contains all these ingredients which adds up to an entertaining though flawed film that's parts comedy, romance and drama.

[Spoiler alert] Jesse Eisenberg plays Bobby, a naive Jewish kid from Brooklyn who hits up his bigshot uncle Phil (Steve Carell), a Hollywood agent, for a job. Unwittingly, Bobby falls for Phil's younger secretary, Vonnie (Kristen Stewart) who is secretly Phil's mistress. When Phil leaves his wife for Vonnie, Bobby's world crashes down and he returns to Brooklyn to work for his gangster brother, Ben (Carey Stoll) and runs his high-society nightclub. Years pass, Bobby marries another woman and becomes a father. He grows tougher, harder, wiser. One day, Vonnie and Uncle Phil visit Bobby's New York nightclub and that nearly rekindles his L.A. romance with Vonnie. By the end of the film, we're left with a big What if? What if Vonnie had chosen Bobby instead of Phil?

9th Annual Cinema Eye Honors

Joshua Oppenheimer’s Follow-Up to Act of Killing Named Outstanding Feature, Direction, Production
Amy’s Chris King Wins Unprecedented 3rd Prize for Editing

The Look of Silence was the big winner at the 9th Annual Cinema Eye Honors, taking home three awards, including Outstanding Nonfiction Feature, Outstanding Direction for Joshua Oppenheimer and Outstanding Production for Signe Byrge Sørensen. It’s the first time in Cinema Eye history that filmmakers have won Outstanding Feature or Outsanding Production twice – Oppenheimer and Sørensen were honored in both categories for The Act of Killing in 2014.

New York Film Critics Circle Awards announces winners for 2015

The New York Film Critics Circle held its voting for their NYFCC Awards this morning and have announced its award winners for the year 2015. The big winner was the Todd Haynes lesbian-themed drama Carol. It won for Best Picture, Best Director (Haynes), Best Screenplay (Phyllis Nagy), and Best Cinematographer (Edward Lachman).

While Spotlight was the top prizewinner at this weekend's Gotham Independent Film Awards, its only win from the NYFCC was Best Actor for Michael Keaton. Neither film featured prominently in yesterday's awards selection by the National Board of Review. Spotlight received a mention as one of the top ten films of the year, while Carol was omitted entirely.

Blonde Redhead kicks off NXNE in mesmerizing style

Story & photos by Allan Tong

NXNE, Toronto's annual showcase of rock, opened last night with acts performing at club large and small across downtown, including New York trio, Blonde Redhead, who charmed the audience at the Opera House. The band's set skewed towards more recent material in a strong set that lasted over an hour.

Pictured are Kazu Makino on vocals, keyboards and guitar, Simone Pace on drums and Amedeo Pace on vocals and guitar. NXNE continues through Sunday.

24th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards – winners

The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) tonight announced the winners of the 24thAnnual Gotham Independent Film Awards at its awards ceremony held at Cipriani Wall Street, in New York City.

Winning the Best Feature award was Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Alejandro González Iñárritu’s stylistically adventurous existential comedy in which a Hollywood actor attempts to revive his career and obliterate his superhero image past by producing and starring in a serious Broadway drama. Iñárritu previously received a Gotham Tribute in 2006.

The award for Best Documentary went to CITIZENFOUR, Laura Poitras’ inside, of-the-moment telling of the Edward Snowden revelations on the massive covert surveillance programs run by the NSA and other intelligence agencies – the third film in her trilogy on post-9/11 America.

Poitras previously won this award in 2010 for The Oath, the second film in the trilogy.

7th Annual Cinema Eye Honors – winners

The Act of Killing, Stories We Tell and Cutie and the Boxer Win Top Awards at 7th Annual Cinema Eye Honors

The Act of Killing, the acclaimed Danish film that features former Indonesian death squad leaders re-enacting their crimes, was named the Outstanding Feature at the 7th Annual Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens tonight with hosts and Cinema Eye Chair Esther Robinson and Founding Director AJ Schnack, and opening remarks from Michael Moore (Bowling for Columbine, Fahrenheit 9/11). Filmmaker Steve James (Hoop Dreams, The Interrupters) presented the award to director Joshua Oppenheimer and producer Signe Byrge Sørensen, who earlier in the evening picked up the prize for Outstanding Production.

Gotham Independent Film Awards 2013 – nominations

NOMINEES ANNOUNCED FOR 23rd ANNUAL GOTHAM INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS BY IFP

Monday, December 2nd at Cipriani Wall Street

Nominations Honor 23 Films

12 Years a Slave Receives Three Nominations
Blue Caprice, Concussion, Fruitvale Station, Inside Llewyn Davis,
And Upstream Color Receive Two Nominations Each

New York, NY (October 24, 2013) – The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), the nation’s premier advocacy organization for independent filmmakers, announced today the nominees for the 23rd Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards by IFP. The Gotham Awards is one of the leading awards for independent film and signals the kick-off to the film awards season. For 2013, the seven competitive awards include Best Feature, Best Actress (presenting sponsor euphoria Calvin Klein), Best Actor, Best Documentary, the Audience Award, Breakthrough Actor, and Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director. The winner of the Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award will receive an unrestricted grant of $15,000, courtesy of presenting sponsor Royal Bank of Canada. In addition to the competitive awards, Gotham Award Tributes will be given to actor Forest Whitaker, NYC Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment’s Katherine Oliver, and director Richard Linklater (presenting sponsor Russian Standard Vodka).

GLAAD Media Awards 2013 – winners pt 1

Madonna presented the Vito Russo Award to advocate, award-winning journalist, author and talk show host Anderson Cooper tonight at the 24th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in New York, presented nationally by Ketel One Vodka and Wells Fargo and presented locally by Delta Air Lines. The Vito Russo Award is presented to an openly lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender media professional who has made a significant difference in promoting equality.

Hip hop mogul Russell Simmons presented the Ally Award to Hollywood director Brett Ratner. Ratner and GLAAD, in partnership with Comcast, launched the "Coming Out for Equality" PSA campaign at the show and attendees were treated to special screenings of the videos produced and directed by Ratner. The GLAAD "Coming Out for Equality" PSA Series features a diverse group of straight celebrities and athletes "coming out of the closet" as supporters of equality and calling for other Americans to speak out.

Call for submissions: NFB's Highrise project

The New York Times Opinion Pages Announces New Op-Doc Series on High-Rise Living in Collaboration with
the National Film Board of Canada

NEW YORK, March 10, 2013 – The New York Times Opinion Pages today announced a new multiplatform interactive series of Op-Docs in collaboration with the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) as part of its ongoing HIGHRISE project. A SHORT HISTORY OF THE HIGHRISE will premiere this summer on NYTimes.com and subsequently on NFB.ca/highrise.

The series, an interactive project comprised of four short documentaries, explores the history and future of high-rise buildings and their relationship to issues of equity, segregation and social responsibility in cities around the world

New York Film Critics Online 2012 awards – winners

Today, the New York Film Critics Online announced the winners for their 2012 NYFCO Awards.

Yet again, Zero Dark Thirty by Kathryn Bigelow proved to be the favourite of the critics' group. Her dramatization of the hunt for Osama bin Laden won Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay.

Steven Spielberg's historical drama Lincoln won two acting awards. Daniel Day-Lewis was named Best Actor while his castmate Tommy Lee Jones won Best Supporting Actor. This time, however, Sally Field missed on Best Supporting Actress in favour of Anne Hathaway in Les Misérables.

2012 New York Film Critics’ Circle Awards – winners

The New York Film Critics’ Circle announced their 78th NYFCC Awards this afternoon.

Zero Dark Thirty earned the top prizes. It won Best Film and Kathryn Bigelow claimed Best Director for the second time after winning in 2009 for The Hurt Locker. The film was also the winner for Best Cinematography.

The other three-time winner was Stephen Spielberg's Lincoln. It won Best Screenplay, Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis) and Supporting Actress (Sally Field). It was Day-Lewis' fifth win at the NYFCC Awards, while Sally Field previously won for Norma Rae.