Jay Kelly

Director: Noah Baumbach
Starring: George Clooney, Adam Sandler, Laura Dern, Billy Crudup, Riley Keough, Grace Edwards, Stacy Keach, Jim Broadbent, Patrick Wilson, Eve Hewson, Greta Gerwig, Charlie Rowe, Louis Partridge, Alba Rohrwacher, Josh Hamilton, Emily Mortimer, Thaddea Graham, Sadie Sandler, Isla Fisher
Running Time: 132 min.
Rating: R

★★★ (out of ★★★★)    

In Jay Kelly, George Clooney plays a charismatic, enormously successful 60-year-old movie star aging into the latter phase of his career. And while the film could write itself in terms of how closely it reflects the star's own life and public image, that irony isn't lost on Noah Baumbach, who doesn't always go for the easy laughs. Surprisingly subdued and introspective, it's more traditional than we've come to expect from a director known for his acidic, off kilter takes on relationships. This feels more like a high minded Hollywood dramedy from an earlier era, which is fitting for a protagonist who's spent his whole life in front of the camera. 

If accolades and worldwide fame suggest the title character has it made, a realization suddenly hits him that this isn't the case, at least on a personal level. Surrounded by dedicated handlers, fellow celebrities and fawning fans, he lives in a manufactured reality, even as strained relationships with his two daughters become a harsh reminder of just how lonely he is. Taken on its own terms, the story's lightweight in spots and nothing extraordinary, but a talented cast and sharp writing manage to get it over the finish line. As does the inspired pairing of Clooney and Adam Sandler, with the latter again proving his range when handed material that plays to his overlooked strengths. 

When beleaguered film actor Jay Kelly (Clooney) finds out his college-aged daughter Daisy (Grace Edwards) has chosen to travel through Europe with friends rather than spend time with him, he tells longtime manager Ron Sukenick (Sandler) he's agreed to accept the career tribute award in Tuscany he previously turned down. Hoping to blow off a big movie shoot and surprise Daisy overseas, a series of crises occur before he leaves, including the sudden death of former director and mentor Peter Schneider (Jim Broadbent) and an unexpected encounter with old acting school buddy Tim Galligan (Billy Crudup).  

All this dredges up emotional baggage for Jay as he tries to connect with his school teacher daughter Jessica (Riley Keogh), who still resents his absence during childhood. Meanwhile, a stressed Ron unravels at the realization he's Jay's lackey, serving at the actor's beckoned call without so much as a hint of gratitude or acknowledgment. It's a harsh truth cynical publicist Liz (Laura Dern) knows well, as she attempts to convince Ron this is the job he signed up for. But with Jay growing increasingly selfish, the trip forces him to confront the fact he has no idea who he is outside this sheltered cocoon of massive fame.

Movies about the movie business and those inhabiting it tend to invoke more groans and eye rolls than just about any other sub-genre. Viewed as egotistical navel gazing by most mainstream audiences, it's hard not to cringe when hearing how miserable wealthy, privileged Hollywood types are with their lives. And while there's an element of that here, those vehemently opposed to the topic would probably stay clear anyway so it doesn't make much of a difference. Luckily, Baumbach avoids this pitfall thanks to the work of Clooney and Sandler, who share the screen for the first time in their careers to better than expected results. 

At many points, Jay comes across as a big baby in need of constant coddling by an entourage who love the guy, but find him insufferably egocentric. The script really earns its stripes when exploring why, like during Jay's uncomfortable encounter with his an ex-friend who fell short of his full potential. Compellingly played by Crudup, there's more to this story than it appears, as their impromptu reunion deteriorates when a few drinks are consumed and the real truth comes out, little of which reflects well on Jay. 

Cleverly conceived flashbacks provide Jay's present self a front row seat to regrets and bittersweet memories that, for better or worse, brought him to where he's now at, painting a portrait of young ambition at any cost. This device is particularly effective in depicting the rift between him and eldest daughter Jessica, who begrudgingly accepts the fact he isn't changing and her life will move on, with or without him in it. You could argue Keogh registers the film's most grounded supporting performance, aided by a realistic sub-plot that sidesteps the silliness occasionally present elsewhere. 

Some of that nonsense is provided by Laura Dern's publicist character, who has a mind boggling mini-arc with Sandler's Ron that should have been left on the cutting room floor. And while inexplicably sidelining talents like Greta Gerwig, Emily Mortimer and Isla Fisher is certainly a choice, Clooney and Sandler's intentionally unbalanced dynamic helps cover for it. 

Unfailingly loyal and eager to please, Ron operates under a sadly misplaced hope Jay views him as a friend. But his star client's unwillingness to compromise is the final straw for the put-upon manager, who's already in the process of losing his other client (played by Patrick Wilson). Sandler effectively conveys Ron's evolution throughout, arriving at this place of clarity he hopes his boss will eventually catch up to. For his part, Jay does clumsily try to bond with Daisy on the trip and even invites his own ornery father (a rambunctious Stacy Keach) along, whose behavior goes a long way in explaining Jay's issues.      

Clooney creates an intersection where fiction and reality collide for those envisioning how things would play out if the actor himself boarded a train full of adoring fans. In that respect, the film invokes comparisons to Nic Cage's similarly meta, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, only as a character study rather than a high concept action comedy. It's especially evident in the final scene's tribute reel, which seamlessly incorporates Clooney's career into the film's narrative for a heart tugging conclusion.

The ending also sadly shows how much of Jay's life is defined by his screen persona, as a string of inciting events cause his mistakes to come back and haunt him. With this, Baumbach transforms a somewhat conventional premise about a celebrity's mid-life crisis into a modern day spin on A Christmas Carol. When confronted by ghosts of decades past, the movie star faces failures and missed opportunities, with Clooney flipping the charm on and off as only he can.         

The Long Walk

Director: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Garrett Wareing, Tut Nyuot, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, Jordan Gonzalez, Joshua Odjick, Mark Hamill, Roman Griffin Davis, Judy Greer, Josh Hamilton
Running Time: 108 min.
Rating: R

★★★ ½ (out of ★★★★)  

After Stephen King published the dystopian horror novel The Long Walk in 1979 under the pseudonym of Richard Bachman, various attempts have been made over the decades to greenlight a film adaptation. The first book he wrote as a freshman at the University of Maine, it's one of his very best, drawing the attention of acclaimed directors like George A. Romero and Frank Darabont, both of whom showed interest in bringing it to the big screen. But that didn't pan out, temporarily depriving audiences of a film with as much cinematic potential as the author's most revered outings. 

Now that director Francis Lawrence's vision is finally here, King can appreciate he may have dodged a bullet if that hypothetical 80's or 90's version had fallen in the wrong hands. It might even be the rare case  of a project being been blessed by its lengthy stay in development hell, allowing enough time for the right filmmaker and cast to emerge for a story that's only grown in resonance. For a while, the film goes on a streak where it appears ready to breathe the same rarefied air as The Shawshank Redemption, Stand By Me, Misery, The Shining and The Mist. At least until a familiar feeling emerges in the pit of your stomach toward the end, which is where most King movies soar or fall. And considering what's at stake in this story, that pressure seems even more palpable.    

In an alternate 20th century the United States is ruled by a totalitarian military regime as it wrestles with the consequences of an economic depression following the war. As a response, the government has established a televised annual event called "The Long Walk," where fifty teenage boys are randomly selected from each state to continuously walk for days while maintaining a pace of three miles per hour. Failure to do so after three warnings results in death, with the winner earning a large cash prize and their chosen wish. Marketed as a contest to inspire patriotism and hope, the regime's actual motivations are  more nefarious, even as boys far and wide sign up for a chance to rescue themselves and their families from poverty. 

One of those competitors is Maine's Ray Garraty (Cooper Hoffman), whose mother Ginny (Judy Greer) tearfully begs him to back out. He doesn't, instead arriving at the starting line to meet his opponents, who include charismatic optimist Pete McVries (David Jonsson), philosophical Billy Stebbins (Garrett Wareing), kindhearted motormouth Hank Olson (Ben Wang), unhinged bully Gary Barkovich (Charlie Plummer), good natured Art Baker (Tut Nyuot), aspiring novelist Richard Harkness (Jordan Gonzalez) and rebellious Collie Parker (Joshua Odjick). 

Before embarking on this grueling hundreds mile journey, the teens are assigned numbers and followed by arm guards ready to put bullets in anyone who can't keep pace. They'll bond and fight, finding themselves in the increasingly natural position of forming friendships with those they're battling to the death. Only given water and rations, injuries, exhaustion and sleep deprivation takes their toll until a sole survivor remains. Overseeing it all is the ominous, gravely voiced Major (Mark Hamill), who yells motivational platitudes at them throughout, preparing to personally execute the runner-up and declare a winner at the finish line. 

Laying out its high concept in the opening minutes, unanswered questions eventually become clearer over the course of this grueling walk. In fact, we see little outside the actual race other than Ray's mom begrudgingly sending him off and a spattering of curious roadside bystanders watching the ordeal, whether that's kids on bicycles or elderly couples on their porches. But there's even a haunting quality to those moments, as silent stares of spectators offer another glimpse of the oppressive world these boys are fighting to escape. All those scenes are beautifully shot by cinematographer Jo Willems while The Lumineers' Jeremiah Fraites' emotionally affecting score only underlines the weight of their plight. 

While taking place in an alternate near-past, the cars and setting that invoke a Depression-era feel, despite King's story being widely understood as a metaphor for the Vietnam draft. And you definitely sense that, with teens "volunteering" for a deadly conflict at the behest of a government sending them to their graves. Most everything we learn about this totalitarian society comes via flashbacks of Ray, his mom and late father (Josh Hamilton), but it's enough, retaining a degree of mystery for the marathon's many reveals. Some of those tie directly to Ray's reasons for signing up which, aside from the ending, might mark the biggest distinction between the novel and writer JT Mollner's script. 

Between cramping, hallucinations, broken limbs and defecation breaks at gunpoint, the trek becomes progressively more brutal with each mile as a myriad of bleak, unsettling scenarios play out. If at first you doubt a film comprised entirely of walking and talking can produce the necessary momentum, Lawrence and Mollner prove those suspicions wrong, especially when speculation increases over who's next to go and how. But with contestants dropping like flies, it's ultimately the touching friendship between Ray and McVries that powers this plot, as two strangers from seemingly different worlds pull each other through, realizing they share more in common than either assumed. 

Hoffman and Jonsson's performances carry the film, with the former unquestionably proving he has the chops as a lead, with his desperate, contemplative turn as Ray hitting twice as hard upon us realizing the key similarity between actor and character. As McVries, the magnetic Jonsson casts a commanding presence, alternating between fear and bravado at the drop of a hat. A manic Charlie Plummer also delivers as the race's resident sociopath, while an always reliable Judy Greer impresses in her brief but powerful role. And by putting a villainously cartoonish spin on his carnival barking Major, Hamill forces us to see this omnipresent character through the same lens as these participants.

Endings are always a bone of contention in King's universe, whether they're his or a screenwriter tasked with stepping on the legendary author's toes. So if there's a complaint about the closing minutes, it's in a lack spectacle, opting not to pull back the curtain and show families gathered around the TV or crowds flooding the streets to root for their favorite. Instead, we get a succession of clever twists that capture the ambiguity of King's final pages, even if details differ. 

There are issues with both conclusions, but also a common denominator that has us questioning what we can take at face value. Dark, violent and disturbing, The Long Walk has virtually nothing in common with The Hunger Games aside from the same director. More closely resembling They Shoot Horse, Don't They? or Battle Royale, this succeeds by being exactly about what it claims, with every minute taking place on a desolate, endless stretch of rural road paved with the worst intentions.                                                                                 

Reality

Director: Tina Satter
Starring: Sydney Sweeney, Marchánt Davis, Josh Hamilton, Benny Elledge, John Way
Running Time: 82 min.
Rating: TV-MA 

★★★ ½ (out of ★★★★)

The arrest of U.S. Air Force vet and NSA contractor Reality Winner (yes, her real name) on charges of releasing classified intelligence information hasn't exactly aged well. Or more accurately, public reaction and media coverage of the circumstances haven't. She committed a crime that, if gone unpunished, could have set a dangerous precedent when it comes to leaking government secrets. But regardless of your opinion on the offense, her motivations are laid bare in Tina Satter's gripping, tension-filled Reality, which hones in on how the leak somehow created more hysteria than the actual information being withheld from the American people. And it does this by simply showing what happened.

Co-written and directed by Satter from her stage play, Is This A Room, it's based on the actual interrogation transcript from the day the FBI showed up at Winner's doorstep, leaving little doubt we're getting a fairly accurate, word-for-word account, pauses and redactions included. Taking place entirely at her house, the bare bones approach gives us a chance to listen to how real people talk, as the actors fill in the blanks, defined as much by the choices they don't make as the ones they do. What results is 82 minutes of pure suspense and a Sydney Sweeney performance that at this early stage of her career already feels like a big achievement.

On June 3, 2017 Reality Winner (Sweeney) returns home from grocery shopping to find FBI agents Taylor (Marchánt Davis) and Garrick (Josh Hamilton) in her driveway. There's some small talk with a cooperative Winner before backup arrive to search the house, making sure her pets are accounted for and safe. Settling on an empty, unused bedroom to question her, the two agents begin their formal interrogation.

The agents inquire about the specifics of Winner's office job as a government contracted Farsi translator, which she hopes will lead to a deployment to Afghanistan. After revealing they're investigating her role in the leak of classified documents to a media outlet, she denies the accusations. But over the course of the hour, they break her down, eventually getting to the bottom of what she did and why. By the end of the day, Winner will be in handcuffs, eventually sentenced to five years and three months in federal prison under the Espionage Act.     

Does Winner know why these agents are there? Which parts of her story are lies? At what point will they stop playing nice? Those are the major questions Satter's film introduces, while the accused remains respectful and obliging, desperately trying to keep her cool under pressure. You can tell she's terrified, and for good reason, as these agents already know what they're after, despite how polite or accommodating they appear to be. 

Since the dialogue is set in stone, the direction and performances are everything, tasked with bringing to life this recorded transcript. None of it is too static or stagey, with Satter (in her directorial debut) hanging on every word and tiny action. Whether it's an agent's seemingly innocuous conversation with Winner about her rescue dog or a sudden movement to unlock her phone, each moment feels important in a situation this dependent on reading people. 

Satter also uses every visual and narrative device at her disposal to heighten the drama, displaying the actual transcript on screen during conversations, playing the real recording, incorporating actual photos and footage of Winner, utilizing flashbacks and even cutting to black during redacted discussions. And then after teetering on the edge of our seats watching the process itself, we get the reveal.

When cornered into confessing she leaked a document from the NSA database regarding possible Russian interference in the 2016 election, a fuller picture comes into view of who Winner really is and what she stands for. A CrossFit instructor and avid power lifter in her spare time, she feels bombarded by FOX News at work, depressingly awaiting a deployment that might never come. Toiling away in a cubicle for a department that makes little use of her extensive lingual skills. she's grown sick of government lies, determined to follow through on her pledge to protect and serve at any cost. It's a defense that holds up better morally than legally, resulting in the predicament she now finds herself.     

Sweeney plays it perfectly, never pushing too hard in either direction when reacting to the chaos that descends upon Winner. Subtly giving off all the clues she has something to hide, the agents remain a few steps ahead, setting a mouse trap they're sure she'll eventually walk into. And she does. But what's most impressive about Sweeney's performance is how much she's able to convey with preciously little, making her end of the transcript dramatically soar for an hour and a half. No matter how small, each word and expression can be read as a sign that Winner knows the vice is tightening. By the end, she's rendered helpless. 

Not to be overlooked are the turns from Davis and Hamilton as Winner's opponents in an uneven battle of wills in a dirty, vacant room. If she understandably deteriorates under the pressure, these guys are on cruise control, remaining patient and precise throughout, tactically breaking down her barriers.  Harmlessly presenting themselves in khakis and collared shirts, the two actors expertly convey those intentions, making Sweeney's work that much better as the exhaustive grilling wears on. 

By leaking that to the media, Winner wasn't covered under the Whistleblower Protection Act, practically guaranteeing a jail sentence of some sort. The one that came down was stiff, even as we're left wondering about the absence of a lawyer or why she wasn't read her Miranda rights prior to questioning. Apparently, none of that made a difference in invalidating the confession or fighting a conviction.

This is a straightforward procedural, but in the best possible way. Not knowing what to make of Winner's thoughts and actions, it puts viewers in a position similar to the agents assigned to her. They realize how much pushing needs to be done, but when one of them remarks that she doesn't seem like the type to do this, you sense he means it. Reality gets to the how and why, while also reminding us that 2017 simultaneously feels like yesterday and centuries ago. Winner couldn't have known the eventual importance of her arrest, but given everything that's happened in the country since, it's easy to believe she'd do it all again in a heartbeat.