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A14 PEOPLE / ARTS
Wednesday 10 april 2024
Movie Review: In Alex Garland’s potent ‘Civil War,’ journalists are

America’s last hope

By LINDSEY BAHR committed to the story and
AP Film Writer the image. Her colleague
The United States is crum- Joel (Wagner Moura) is
bling in Alex Garland’s more of an adrenaline
sharp new film “ Civil War, junkie, chasing the gun-
“ a bellowing and haunt- fire and drinking himself
ing big screen experience. into a stupor every night.
The country has been at There’s Jessie (Spaeny),
war with itself for years by the wide-eyed but ambi-
the time we’re invited in, tious newbie who is in over
through the gaze of a few her head, and the aging
journalists documenting the editor Sammy (the great
chaos on the front lines and Stephen McKinley Hender-
chasing an impossible inter- son), wise and buttoned up
view with the president. in Brooks Brothers and sus-
Garland, the writer-director penders, who can’t imag-
of films like “Annihilation” ine a life outside of news
and “Ex Machina,” as well even as his body is failing
as the series “Devs,” always him. All are self-motivated
seems to have an eye on and none of them have
the ugliest sides of human- This image released by A24 shows Wagner Moura, left, and Kirsten Dunst in a scene from “Civil a life outside of the job,
ity and our capacity for War.” which might be a criticism
self-destruction. His themes Associated Press for some movie characters
are profound and his ex- country. Yes, the President seceded from the country her way onto their danger- but not here (trigger warn-
ploration of them sincere in (Nick Offerman) is a blus- and are closing in to over- ous journey to Washington, ing for any journo audienc-
films that are imbued with tery, rising despot who has throw the government. We questions are not for her to es out there). The group
strange and haunting im- given himself a third term, don’t know what they want ask: She takes truthful, im- must drive an indirect route
ages that rattle around in taken to attacking his citi- or why, or what the other partial pictures so that ev- to get from New York to
your subconscious for far zens and shut himself off side wants or why and you eryone else can. Washington as safely as
too long. Whatever you from the press. Yes, there start to realize that many of “Civil War” a film that is possible, through Pittsburgh
think of “ Men,” his most is one terrifying character the characters don’t seem more about war report- and West Virginia.
divisive film to date, it’s played by Jesse Plemons to really know, or care, ei- ers than anything else the The roads and towns are
unlikely anyone will forget who has some pretty hard ther. This choice might be trauma of the beat, the vi- set-dressed a little bit, but
Rory Kinnear giving birth to lines about who is and isn’t frustrating to some audi- tal importance of bearing anyone who knows the
himself. a real American. ences, but it’s also the only witness and the moral and area will recognize familiar
In “Civil War,” starring Kirst- But that trailer that had one that makes sense in a ethical dilemmas of impar- sights of dead malls, creaky
en Dunst as a veteran war everyone talking is not the film focused on the kinds of tiality. Dunst’s Lee is having off-brand gas stations on
photographer named Lee, story. Garland is not so dull journalists who put them- a bit of an existential crisis, two lane roads, boarded
Garland is challenging his or narratively conservative selves in harm’s way to tell having shot so many hor- up shops and overgrown
audience once again by to make the film about red the story of violent conflicts rors and feeling as though parking lots that all work
not making the film about and blue ideologies. All we and unrest. As Lee explains she hasn’t made any differ- to provide an unsettlingly
what everyone thinks it really know is that the so- to Cailee Spaeny’s Jessie, ence violence and death effective backdrop for
will, or should, be about. called Western Forces of a young, aspiring photog- are still everywhere. She’s the bleak world of “Civil
Yes, it’s a politically divided Texas and California have rapher who has elbowed also a pro: Hardened and War.”q

Beyoncé becomes first Black woman to hit No. 1 on Billboard

country albums chart

By MARIA SHERMAN
AP Music Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Beyoncé has made history once again. Her latest album, the epic
“Act ll: Cowboy Carter”, hit No. 1 on the Billboard country albums chart, making her
the first Black woman to top the chart since its 1964 inception.
The album also topped the all-genres Billboard 200, marking her eighth No. 1 album.
According to Luminate, the industry data and analytics company, “Cowboy Carter”
totaled 407,000 equivalent album units, a combination of pure album sales and on-
demand streams, earned in the U.S. in its first week.
As a Black woman reclaiming country music, Beyoncé stands in opposition to stereo-
typical associations of the genre with whiteness. Conversation surrounding Beyoncé’s
country music explorations began when she arrived at the 2024 Grammy Awards in full
cowboy regalia making a statement without saying a word. Then, during the Super
Bowl, she dropped two hybrid country songs: “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages,”
Beyonce walks onstage to accept the Innovator Award during eventually leading to the release of “Cowboy Carter.”
the iHeartRadio Music Awards, Monday, April 1, 2024, at the In February, “Texas Hold ‘Em” reached No. 1 on the country airplay chart, making her
Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Associated Press the first Black woman to top that chart as well.q