Foreign

It is baffling that I missed this profusely profound historical film based on a man, possessing Olympian attributes and daunting, divine courage; Hemingway defines courage as grace under pressure; Jan Baalsrud’s (1917-1988) paranormal, formidable fortitude led to his escape from the Nazi’s in the spring of 1943, Norway; a magnificent testament, celebration of man’s will to transcend normalcy, inhabit the …

Panned by critics when released in 2019; audiences ignored the “panners” and relished its scandalous scenario; an Italian thriller with enough twists to hook one’s attention for the entirety of its eight episodes; coated with an aura of scintillating sleaze, inimitable of Italian and French filmmakers, delicious to ingest and imbibe; superb acting transcends any plot shortcomings: Vittoria Puccini, as …

Benjamin Ree’s idiosyncratic portrait of two disparate individuals whose karmic, destined paths collided and blended into an unlikely love story; a documentary revolving around the theft of two paintings by Czech artist Barbora Kysilkova, cautiously removed from a gallery wall in Oslo, and one of the captured thieves, drug addicted Karl-Bertil Norland; as a painter Barbora looks beyond the surface; non-judgmental, …

An Australian psychological thriller,  inventively twisted, freakishly fabulous, starring Aden Young as driven, compulsive detective, “Mike Serrato”; his lust for the capture of a serial killer, a fiend with a tattoo fetish (he excises his victims tattoos), creepy in spades; creepier is that detective Serrato has replications of these scarrings tattooed on his body, as reminders of the slaughtered women; …

When it comes to detectives, it is all about style; the crime solver has to be more fascinating than the crime; we savor their repeated series, lapping up their techniques, uniquely indigenous to each detective: Sherlock, Poirot, Morse, Foyle, Mrs. Fisher, Fletcher, Luther, Bosch (see past reviews, my avidity for master sleuths is staggering); “Bordertown’s” “Kari Sorjonen” is a detective, …

From time’s commencement man has perpetually sought a deity or deities beyond his limitations; a force, willingly recognized as a power to be emulated, worshipped, lauded on a plane mortals can only aspire to; many who attained divine status were men among men: Buddha, Jesus. “Herrens Veje” is one of the finest series I have viewed in recent years; pulsating …

 In its third season, falls into the “not” category; first season was creatively twisted to the point of guaranteeing a second scenario, but sunk precipitously into idiocy, and season three is worthy of assassination: “Eve” (Sandra Oh, Golden Globe Winner) a bored MI5 agent, and “Villanelle” kooky, inventive serial killer (Jodie Comer, Emmy Winner), are matched as pungently powerful protagonists …

Incredulous, that the Equal Rights Amendment to the United States Constitution has yet to be ratified, after decades of crusaders pulverized opponents, attaining notoriety on an unprecedented scale: “Mrs. America” focuses on feminine forces, both yeas and nays, in this fascinating dissection of the female arena, framework of women grabbing control of their lives, thus enabling gratification to those who …

Unlike the first two seasons, this third scenario is relentless in its pulsating, pulverizing intensity; each breathless episode, taut with friction, bludgeons viewers with harrowing action, massive slayings, kidnappings; friendly fire, wreaking havoc on the “unit”; regulars: Doron, Nurit, Gabi, Steve, Avichay, Eli in grubby, heightened form, intrepidly infiltrate Gaza, to retrieve two Israeli hikers, kidnapped by escapees father/son “Jihad …

Aware that a third series was on the visual horizon, I ventured to re-watch the first two seasons; an exercise that exponentially increased my admiration for the intense creativity, prodigious performances and depiction of the complexities pervasively percolating between Israelis and Palestinians. STOP NOW if you are planning to view “Fauda” (chaos); it is a FIVE STAR, thrilling series. Writer/actor …