Bollywood treats its cricketers with reverence, without eradicating human frailties, giving them life and vibrancy, palpating exuberance informs every scene, seizing the viewer’s attention from commencement to conclusion; director Kabir khan, focuses on the 1983 World Cup and India’s gut-wrenching march to grasp an almost unattainable victory; the “march” is worthy of every moment, every second of “83’s” compelling quest. …
Read More »PARALLEL MOTHERS (SPANISH: ENGLISH SUBTITLES, IN THEATRES), SILENT WITNESS (AMAZON PRIME), BEING THE RICARDOS (AMAZON PRIME)
PARALLEL MOTHERS Pedro Almodovar devotees will be comfortably satisfied with his latest intriguing, imaginative display of filmmaking; relying on his ubiquitous actor Penelope Cruz (never disappoints) as an anchor for success; she is the quintessential professional and is intensely impressive in the role of “Janis”, a middle-aged photographer giving birth for the first time; costarring ingenue Milena Smit as “Ana”, …
Read More »STAY CLOSE (Netflix)
Years ago, I stayed away from sensational, best sellers by authors capable of spinning mystifying scenarios book after book: James Patterson, Mary Higgens Clark, Ken Follett, David Baldacci, etc. Periodically, I watch the movie, simply, for mindless entertainment; Harlen Coben’s thrillers have been made into passable, at times tantalizing, tales, “Stay Close” is surprisingly good; initially a predictable plot revealing …
Read More »FOUR STAR STREAMERS!!!!
“When the weather outside is threatening” and the warmth of the hearth is beckoning; one’s only option it seems, is to let it stream, let it stream, let it stream: “THE GIRL FROM OSLO” (NETFLIX). Intriguing thriller revolving around the kidnapped daughter of a Norwegian diplomat and two Israeli friends, in the Sinai Peninsula; powerfully written and performed the …
Read More »FILMIC FUTURE IS STREAMING
For the near future our lives will be pandemically scripted; at the bountiful mercy of the internet we can see classic, vintage, contemporary films, cemented in the confines of our domiciles. As a craver of the genre, after daily duties, I delve into the myriad of streaming choices available, my odds-on favorites: Netflix, Amazon Prime, Brit Box, Hulu, or Roku …
Read More »BENEDETTA (FRENCH: ENGLISH SUBTITLES) (IN THEATRES)
Director Paul Verhoeven at 83 is still pungently pushing the boundaries; “Benedetta” (1590-1661) a lesbian nun, who garnished well-known notoriety in the 17th century for her lifestyle, and cosmic visions; exhibited here in lurid detail, the elimination of imagination, a flaw, worth noting, but still scores high grades on the prurient, sensational vector. Actor Virginie Efira tackles the role of …
Read More »TICK TICK…BOOM! (NETFLIX); POWER OF THE DOG (NETFLIX) PREVIOUSLY REVIEWED: 10/18/21 11/19/21
Stephen Sondheim (1930-2021) a behemoth of stage and screen, an influencer, inspirer of countless, including Jonathan Larson (1960-1996) whose momentary existence gifts “Rent” a synopsis of his life; a forever legacy reminiscent of Puccini’s “La Boheme” is an absolute must: “a play about writing a play” with its intoxicating highs and calamitous lows, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s supreme direction, and by far …
Read More »YEAR OF BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH: THE MAURITANIAN (Netflix); THE ELECTRICAL LIFE OF LOUIS WAIN (Netflix); THE POWER OF THE DOG (in theatres)
Actors attain peaks, and it is only hindsight that determines the summits: Tatum O’Neal was 10-years-old when she won the Academy Award for “Paper Moon” (1973) her father, Ryan was 29 when “Love Story: (1970) debuted; Tom Hulse, “Amadeus” (1984) at 31 disappeared; Tom Cruise, “Born on the Fourth of July” (1989) was 27 and has never reached that pinnacle …
Read More »BELFAST (in theatres)
Recognizing a director’s difficulties in recreating one’s past for film: personal observations competing with historical accuracy, capturing the child’s eye with an adult perspective, unnecessary glorification of events and its participants; Kenneth Branagh (1960-) fares better than director Paolo Sorrentino’s “coming of age” tale in this year’s “Hand of God” but not as well as Alfonso Cuaron in 2018’s “Roma”; …
Read More »THE SQUID GAME (Netflix) & LAST NIGHT IN SOHO (in theatres)
On the surface not much in common, but after rumination, percolating beneath the exterior the filmmaker’s message simmers; one I agree with the other I question. “THE SQUID GAME’S” (9 episodes) hypothesis is the elimination of “deadbeats” those, so strangled by debt, that they are willing to sacrifice their lives to be saved from “debtors prison”; games, compellingly clever, are …
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