film review: The Apprentice

 

Directed by Ali Abbasi

Written by Gabriel Sherman

ChinoKino review: A-

Reviewed by Allan Tong

Donald Trump doesn't want you to see this movie.

Pulling no punches, The Apprentice traces his relationship with nefarious New York lawyer Roy Cohn. Cohn represented the young Trump when he was a real estate developer from Queens, New York, struggling to follow in the footsteps of his overbearing father in the family business. It's the mid-1970s and New York City is broke, but young Trump (Sebastian Stan) wants to build a luxury hotel in seedy Times Square. Another problem is that Trump is accused of discriminating against Black people in one of his properties.  Desperate, Trump hires Cohn to coerce the powers-that-be--using blackmail--into granting Trump a massive tax break to build that hotel.

Not only that, but Cohn grooms Trump, seeing dollar signs in his disciple's future. The Machiavellian Cohn imparts three golden rules to student: 1) Attack, attack, attack. 2) Admit nothing, deny everything. 3) And no matter what, claim victory and never admit defeat. Armed with Cohn's cruel amorality, Trump builds a real estate empire that leaves a trail of lawsuits and liens (from unpaid workers and angry creditors) in his wake, all the while claiming to be the master of the business deal. 

All true, by the way.

Let's take a step back: Who was Roy Cohn? Described as "vile" and "malicious" by his own cousin, Cohn was a lawyer whose clients included four Mafia bosses and media tycoon Rupert Murdoch. He also hunted "homosexuals" and "perverts" in Washington, despite being gay and dying of AIDS in 1986. That same year, New York courts disbarred Cohn for unethical and unprofessional conduct for forcing a dying man to sign away control of his estate to him and the man's granddaughter.

Jeremy Strong (Succession) nearly steals the film with his powerful portrayal of Cohn. However, Strong and scriptwriter Gabriel Sherman add dimension to this villain, who actually believed he was on the side of Good using any means to fulfill his twisted, extreme-right wing view of America. Likewise, Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm) delivers a fine performance as Ivana, Trump's first wife. She casts a powerful presence as one of the few figures to stand up to Trump, though I wish more light was shed on their fractious marriage.

No doubt, the Trump army will deny the film's portrayal of [spoiler alert] Trump raping Ivana (which she publicly alleged then watered down), his racism, his deadbeat history, addiction to speed, scalpal surgery to reduce baldness, his alcoholic older brother, and ultimately his betrayal of his so-called friend, Cohn. By the end of the film, Sebastian Stan succeeds in portraying Trump as a completely corrupt, empty man, the true successor to Roy Cohn.

The Apprentice opens across Canada in cinemas on Oct. 10.

fashion & art review: Art/Wear: Sneakers x Artists

 

 Are sneakers art?

That's the question the Bata Shoe Museum of Toronto poses in its new show, Art/Wear: Sneakers x Artists, opening October 3 and running through March 2023, 2026.  

On view are vintage and recent pieces designed by artists, including Damien Hirst, Jean-Michel Basquiat, KAWS, Vicky Vuong (top) Keith Haring, Kenzo Minami, Michael Lau, Peter Max, Ruohan Wang and many others. Some shoes are too beautiful to wear, such as the psychedelic psneaks designed by pop artist Peter Max. (BTW, his 1968 high-tops fetch around $2,000 these days.) Most of them alluring and downright cool. 

MACHE: Blank Canvas Mache Runners inspired by John Lennon's psychedelic Rolls-Royce of 1967

 

The show, curated by Elizabeth Semmelhack, wisely makes the connection between graffiti art, sneaks and the early days of rap, which blossomed in early-1980s New York. Eric Haze, Stash, Futura and Jean-Michel Basquiat were some of these key artists. Today, these designer sneaks reach a mass market and mean big business, such as the pair (above) designed by KAWS (above) tied in with The Simpsons TV series and Vans, the hip clothing brand.

 

Sneakerheads and fashionistas will delight in Art/Wear.

 

JUDI WERTHEIN: Brinco cross-trainer, 2005