MUSK WORKS BEST AS A HISTORICAL DOCUMENT

"What is Elon building? What are his goals? What are his actual motivations? And do we even know this man at all? If you were to ask someone on the Right what they think of Elon, he’s a free speech god. And someone on the Left, he’s just someone who sends hateful tweets and he’s lost his mind. Both are very comforting, but both are completely insufficient to the immense amount of power and influence he has. Elon is a nuke." - Ashley St. Clair

"He is someone with a fairly limited skill set. Like, there is so much that he doesn’t know or understand, but he operates as if he knows and understands everything. I think more and more people understand, right, that there’s this facade. But, like, it’s kind of too late. He has the control. And so it’s in many ways just like too late for everyone to realize that he didn’t actually earn it. And how could anyone ultimately, like, earn 400 billion dollars? But that a lot of it was bullshit. Oops." - Katie Drummond

"Elon was willing to gamble with the future of the planet, a wager between AI abundance and the collapse of civilization. And if the bet went the wrong way, well, for a price, you could buy a hedge." - Alex Gibney

The movie THEY don’t want you to see.

An exhaustive documentary about one of the most powerful, corrupt, dangerous, and unethical men of all time. Musk is divided into 14 segments (Wiz Kid, Founders Keepers, Alpha, Going Public, Reward Hacking, Summoning the Demon, Autopilot, Legion, Origin Story, Occupy Mars, The Mad Technoking, Hardcore, Dark MAGA, and DOGE) and clocks in at three hours and fifty-five minutes. There is nothing new or particularly revolutionary here for anyone who has had their eye on Elon for a while, but I imagine the average layman might find the contents of this documentary very informative. It’s helpful to have all this information in one place. The scariest part is that Elon Musk’s story is far from over. A worthy watch, even if it’s just a refresher.

4 STARS

LA BOLA NEGRA IS A MUST-SEE

 A mystery. A gay romance. A historical fiction. A tragedy. La Bola Negra is all of these. 

In La Bola Negra, three stories starring queer characters set in three different time periods intersect and intertwine to form a powerful, jaw-dropping tapestry. In 2017, a young historian named Alberto (Carlos González) discovers the grandfather he believed had died five years ago has actually died just the other day. He is told his grandfather has left him two mysterious envelopes. In 1937, trumpet player Sebastián (Guitarricadelafuente) finds himself enlisted in the fascist regime where he is ordered to guard Rafael (Miguel Bernardeau),a Republican POW. As he does, they begin to form a strong bond.

In 1932, Carlos (Milo Quifes) is rejected membership from an exclusive casino due to rumors that he is gay. His father orders him to return the next day and vehemently deny the rumors, but will he? How are these three stories connected? What is the larger portrait they combine to form?

Each genre/element (Mystery, gay romance, historical fiction, tragedy) is given equal focus and is done exceptionally well. The performances from Milo Quifes as Carlos, Miguel Bernardeau as Rafael, and Guitarricadelafuente as Sebastian are absolutely superb. Carlos González is great as well, but his performance is more under-stated and quiet. The cinematography by Gris Jordana is magnificent and epic, matching the enormity of La Bola Negra’s scope. The screenplay by Javier Calvo, Javier Ambrossi, and Alberto Conejero is masterful. It’s hard to believe it was written by human hands. 

The score by Raül Refree is loud but emotional. The editing by Alberto Gutiérrez is very effective. Scenes bleed into each other, and music from one time period will overlap into the next seamlessly. The structure is strong and engaging. The original song by Guitarricadelafuente that plays over the final scenes is unspeakably stirring and emotional. It syncs perfectly to the on-screen events and should have most wiping away tears. 

The production design by Roger Bellés is incredible. The sets are large, exquisite, and theatrical. I can’t stop thinking about the set of the ruins featuring a Jesus Christ littered with arrows. Sebastián has to crawl up these ruins in order to escape the opening onslaught. The costume design by Ana López Cobo is rich and beautiful. Some of the costumes are ragged, torn, frayed, and feel very lived-in (like those set in 1937) while others are neat, sharp, and elegant (like those set in 1932). 

Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi (together they are known as Los Javis) direct and do an incredible job. This is a heavy, long movie but you only start to feel the weight of it all near the end. You are never bored or anxious while watching it. There are no real shocks here and most twists or surprises are easy to call several steps in advance, but each twist and turn still lands with all the emotional impact it needs to.   

Many are calling La Bola Negra a monumental film, and I agree. The message is a deeply moving and vitally important one. You’ve never seen a “gay” film executed in this way before, and on such a massive scale. La Bola Negra is an unbelievable feat of cinematic filmmaking. It’s a resounding triumph.

5 STARS