conflicted

Donald Trump biopic The Apprentice captures the voice but misses the mark

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Donald Trump biopic The Apprentice captures the voice but misses the mark

The Donald Trump biopic The Apprentice arrived with about as much subtlety as its scheduling at the Toronto International Film Festival.  Just as the Ali Abassi-directed film was plopped into the festival’s opening night schedule on Thursday as a last-minute surprise, the film barrels into its thesis without much warning or preamble. Documenting the former U.S. president’s beginnings … Read more

How the creators of HBO’s The Sympathizer turned the bestselling novel into a dark, comic romp for TV

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How the creators of HBO’s The Sympathizer turned the bestselling novel into a dark, comic romp for TV

On the surface, Viet Thanh Nguyen’s The Sympathizer is the perfect target for adaptation. First off, it’s a novel — one of the more lucrative source materials for an industry perpetually hungry for existing IP and a built-in audience.  Second, it’s a Pulitzer Prize winner, a badge of honour that already proved a boon for similar adaptees like Spotlight, Driving Miss … Read more