Cold Copy

Directed and written by Roxine Helberg. A runtime of one hour and thirty-six minutes. To rent or buy on Prime Video with an R rating. "Mia Scott," played by Bel Powley, is an ambitious journalism student. "Mia" and her roommate/friend "Kim," played by Nesta Cooper, are both students of their esteemed professor, "Diane Heger," played by Tracee Ellis Ross. "Diane" is not only a professor but a popular cutthroat reporter with her segment on a popular news show. She is harsh and to the point. SB(Side Bar) I love seeing Tracee in an antagonist role. "Diane" provides an AP journalist class, which "Kim" and "Mia" both attend. The single focus is to provide a story with legs. If the story is good, it will be picked, and you have the potential to work with "Diane" on her show. By chance "Mia" encounters "Igor Nowak" played by Jacob Tremblay. He has an interesting past that "Mia" can relate to. She decides to tell a story about him with her ulterior motives. You watch as "Mia" dives down the rabbit hole and does integrity-less things for this story. What won't she do in an attempt to impress her highly critical teacher? "Cold Copy" was Roxine Helberg's directorial debut. Which wasn't bad since she wrote it as well. Seasoned filmmakers have a hard time doing that, let alone someone in their first major film. Tracee Ellis Ross played her character effortlessly, giving a spotless performance. She carried the film. Without her performance, this film would have probably been rated lower. I couldn't stand the Bel Powley character. Earlier on "Mia," subject Jacob Tremblay's character "Igor" told her this isn't for you. That was a fact. "Mia" was vindictive. You have to have the drive and willingness to go further than the next person. She wasn't competitive; she was just jealous. What drove her came from all the wrong emotions. If you have to backstab your allies and friends just to get a little bit further, what's the point? You have to have some morals. It's too early in the game to be burning bridges to the bottom of the water. It's hard enough fighting enemies; you don't want to make enemies out of people who know you and can hurt you worse than any real enemy. Speaking of having issues with morals and ethics, Let's add another word, "optics.". "Diane" was a hard ass and mean for most of the film. But they explained why. She was poor. "Diane" scratched and clawed to get to where she is now. She saw that spark in "Mia" and pushed her. "Mia," on the other hand, is spoiled. If she doesn't like something, she will sabotage it to get her way. No one can stand in her way because she's mentally weak. She's giving a lot of "Karen" energy. I liked the realism approach, but then it took a turn and clashed with two different points of view. Film-wise, it gave intriguing points, but at what cost? Some of the turns it took made me dislike the film. Overall, the film held my attention, and whether I agreed with "MiA" or how Roxine Helberg made this film, the final product was solid. Casting was pivotal in this film. Having a seasoned actor allowed this film to flourish and go further than it would have, in my opinion. This is why I give this film four mor stars🔥🔥🔥🔥. #CosmoandtheMovieWithin #CosmoMovieBlog #CosmoLanier #ColdCopy.

A totally naive and insecure student adores this TV host / professor. That sentence alone should disqualify her. Or be used for a different kind of movie. Journalism is stories, just like everything else in life. But most of all, surprise surprise, journalism is a business, it is stories used to sell ads, twisted stories, one-sided stories, tabloid stories, propaganda stories, fantasy stories. Who knew. Cui bono. In today's woke world, how is that btchy professor even a thing? And why would I care for an egotistical jealous criminal student with no morals? Cry me a river your 'story' got 'stolen', learn your lesson: read the fine print before you sign something. 'I'm so special' - glad that bubble got burst quickly. If this is supposed to be a character study it failed. Nothing new to be gained here. Not even truth, whatever that elusive, many-facetted thing may be . Only a shadow of yesteryear's news. That hammam monologue was so Hollywood it hurt. The ending is not redemptive, it's more cliché and more ego trip and predictable, totally unconvincing and not satisfying. Any second grade editing proofcheck would show that the recording was fake. But who cares, as everything is. That's the message, then. As I said, surprise surprise, yesteryear's news. The kid was great, and the roommate was good as well. A glimpse of reality. The rest was yawn.

The movie is quite interesting for a directorial debut. The third act was quite rushed since there are a lot of things that was seemingly skipped between Mia and Igor. Despite not getting to show full potential, Jacob Tremblay made another great performance. His character Igor has a pure heart and you just want to fill the void he has living mostly alone. Mia is like Thanos in her own movie. When you see how much lines she cross, you will know how journalistic integrity start to not exist anymore in this movie. If ever there is a director's cut for this movie, I'm expecting more Jacob scenes as his final scene could have had a heavier impact. But overall, the movie was good enough, and of course Jacob's performance was great!

In dramatic thriller "Cold Copy" journalism student Bel Powley (strong rising star) scratches a place in the class of her idol Tracee Ellis Ross (slightly over the top) - a hard-hitting interviewer at the height of her game & fame. To stay, learn & thrive tho, Powley must take tough advice, especially on the story she's on about her teen 'friend' Jacob Tremblay (meh) whose famous author mum died some years earlier. It follows a predictable path, but with little tension and scant twistiness, ending somewhat satisfyingly yet still with many loose ends untied. Debut writer / director Roxine Helberg aimed for a "Wall Street"-lite... and just about made it... albeit VERY litely. Mediocre.

Journalism student Mia Scott is desperate to impress the hard nosed, but influential journalist Diane Heger, even if it means breaking the rules to land the perfect story. It has a made for TV feel to it, so don't expect slick production values or a film full of A-listers, but do expect a good story, and some very competent acting. The story is quite a good one, and it will hold your attention from the start, unlike many similar films it does actually end quite well, an unexpected climax, it becomes a story of revenge. A few poignant scenes throughout, Mia opening up about her past, very good. Heger truly is a monster, but an interesting villain, Tracee Ellis Ross is excellent, but Bel Powley steals thr show, she's great, and acted as producer. 8/10.