Sunday, October 6, 2024

“Megalopolis” Roughed Up By Premiere Audiences, Coppola Reveals He Knew Trump from Military School

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A lot of people saw Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis” last night. A lot of people didn’t like it.

We knew that was going to happen.

“Megalopolis” was shown in a bunch of IMAX theaters along with a live streamed Q&A with Coppola, Robert De Niro, Spike Lee, and some of the cast before — not after– the movie. That was a clever move so no one could react to actually seeing the extravaganza. Star Adam Driver was absent because he’s beginning performances tonight in his off Broadway play. De Niro declared during the Q&A “Just imagine Donald Trump directing this film. It’ll never go anywhere, He cannot do anything. He cannot hold anything together … He wants to destroy the country. And he could not do this movie. He could not do anything that has a structure.”

Coppola added, “I know him. We went to military school together.” It seemed odd, but it’s true. The difference was that Coppola ran away from the New York Military School, while Trump’s father made him stay.

Coppola has spent 40 years getting this film together. He’s put more than $100 million of his own money into it. This is a passion project by a visionary director. But the audience received it as a mess. To be fair, a few people liked it for its audacity, and a couple of them complimented the cinematography.

And yes, an actor came on stage and spoke to the screen during the film. But this will not happen when the movie begins showings tomorrow night.
Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

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