Beatty’s passion project ‘Rules Don’t Apply’ explores Hughes
Here’s a look at an interesting new release available to rent from cable and digital providers and a title that recently became available for streaming
Video on Demand
‘Rules Don’t Apply”: Warren Beatty earned more press for the recent mishap while presenting at the Oscars than he did for his first feature film as director since 1998. He’d been wanting to make a movie about Howard Hughes for over 40 years and was beat to the big screen by Martin Scorsese, who made “The Aviator” with Leonardo DiCaprio well over a decade ago. Beatty gives an exceptional performance as Hughes, the wildly eccentric billionaire obsessed with beautiful starlets and aviation. The storyline swings between 1958 and 1964, and we see Hughes while he’s running the TWA airline and simultaneously keeping a bevy of young beauties on his payroll to potentially star in the pictures he is funding at RKO. Lily Collins was nominated for a Golden Globe for her role as a devoutly religious girl from Virginia who turns up in Tinseltown under contract to Hughes hoping for her shot at stardom. Alden Ehrenreich (“Hail, Caesar!”) plays her personal chauffeur who breaks the golden rule about fraternization. Beatty employs some clever oldschool filmmaking techniques of the era he is depicting, including very specific lighting and driving scenes with rear projection. Thanks in large part to a supporting cast that includes Matthew Broderick, Candice Bergen, Annette Bening, Alec Baldwin, Ed Harris, Oliver Platt and Martin Sheen, there are many charming moments with a few big laughs that surprised me. The biggest problem is that it simultaneously feels too long and too short. There is a lot going on and, especially in the first half of the story, there is an overabundance of quick cutaway shots that feel rushed. When the end titles revealed four credited editors, I couldn’t help but wonder how much things evolved before release and if it was ultimately tinkered with so much that an interesting movie could’ve become a great one. (Cable and digital VOD)
Also on streaming services
“Captain Fantastic”: Matt Ross won the Un Certain Regard prize for best director at the Cannes Film Festival last year with this compelling story about a family living off the grid in the Pacific Northwest. Viggo Mortensen was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as a father of six whose life is forever changed after the death of his wife. Her loss pulls the family out of the woods and into a harsh reality. The cast of predominately unknown young actors who play his children are remarkable. The film navigates difficult topics with refreshing honesty, and by the end you should be prepared for plenty of tears. (Amazon Prime)