Tag: Jeremy Strong

Film Review: “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere”

Down and out in New Jersey: Bruce struggles—and so does the film

Bruce Springsteen (Jeremy Allen White, l.) talks with his manager, Jon Landau (Jeremy Strong).

Bruce Springsteen’s loyal longtime fans are bound to love the awkwardly-titled Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, but whether or not anyone else will is questionable. Those seeking a comprehensive biopic of the rock star in the vein of Rocketman (Elton John), Back to Black (Amy Winehouse), or Bohemian Rhapsody (Freddie Mercury) won’t find it here. Instead, based on the 2023 book Deliver Me From Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska by Warren Zanes, the picture covers only one specific moment in Bruce’s life: the period when he wrote and recorded his 1982 album Nebraska. Continue reading “Film Review: “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere””

Film Review: “The Apprentice”

A Tale of Two Insecure Men, aka The Apprentice

The Apprentice begins with President Nixon’s famous “I’m not a crook” speech, where he claimed in the wake of an ongoing Watergate investigation that he had never personally profited from public service, and maintained that he’s “earned everything he’s got.” That’s an appropriate and scary way to begin this film. After all, we know how Nixon’s (and Trump’s) story plays out. The audience’s foreknowledge is The Apprentice’s biggest hurdle, wanting to shed light on a well-documented figure when that figure remains in the headlines today. I wonder what the point of The Apprentice is, aside from providing a showcase for its stars? It doesn’t feel like a cautionary tale, nor does it take any creative liberties with exposing blame. Instead, The Apprentice is a straight-laced historical re-enactment (with some embellishments) of how a few men with deep insecurities played by their own corrupt rules to gain power.  Continue reading “Film Review: “The Apprentice””

Film Review: “Armageddon Time”

Hopkins anchors melancholic but hopeful coming of age picture

Paul (Banks Repeta, l.) has a special bond with his Grandpa Aaron (Anthony Hopkins).

With Armageddon Time, writer/director James Gray (Ad Astra; The Immigrant) has made his Belfast. Gray’s loosely autobiographical film substitutes the dawn of the Reagan era in early 1980’s Queens for the Troubles of 1960’s North Ireland. Like Kenneth Branagh’s protagonist Buddy (Jude Hill), though, Gray’s stand-in Paul (Banks Repeta) similarly faces the confusion and challenges of growing up in a volatile and uncertain time. The result is a film that, while occasionally heavy handed, nevertheless boasts some strong performances and leaves us with a message of hope.

Continue reading “Film Review: “Armageddon Time””