Director Kelly Reichardt’s films creep in through the back door and emerge fully bloomed, in the living room, 75 plus minutes later. She is a mastermind of the benign, allowing viewers into the lives of the least noticed: working class, ordinary souls, nonthreatening or intimidating but through her lens, interesting. A myriad of movies define her intuitive aesthetic; my favorites …
Read More »PENEFLIX RETURNS: REVITALIZED BY THE 61ST CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Sabbaticals are refreshing, rejuvenating, a time to canvass the unnurtured, unexplored; a time to dive into the abyss of tasted, but underdeveloped curiosities: authors, like iconic genius Stefan Zweig, loved, but volumes yet to become “friends”, yearning to be guzzled; directors whose nascent films, unwatched: John Carpenter, maven of horror, finally, horrifically requited; vistas of the world, tempting, luring, begging …
Read More »Peneflix Sabbatical
Dear Subscribers, After close to 20 years, I have decided to take a sabbatical; time to plunder, nurture the other side of my brain before it atrophies. For all of you who’ve been in the movie market, chugging along with me, it’s been a jaunty journey, circulating, imbibing in the tame, innovative, foreign: mystery, romance, politics, war and every facet …
Read More »Peneflix Sabbatical
Dear Subscribers, After close to 20 years, I have decided to take a sabbatical; time to plunder, cultivate the other side of my brain before it atrophies. For all of you who’ve been in the movie market, chugging along with me, it’s been a jaunty journey, circulating, imbibing in the tame, innovative, foreign: mystery, romance, politics, war and every facet of the human …
Read More »MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE–THE FINAL RECKONING (In theatres)
The final scenario commences with a recall of the previous Mission Impossible’s indomitable franchise; from 1996 to the present actor Tom Cruise as “Ethan Hunt” leader of the IMF (Impossible Mission Force) is the quintessential field agent, spy, solving missions, conquering wickedness that the government cannot openly acknowledge. He is a mega-man, a physical phenom, a runner of Jesse Owens …
Read More »FRIENDSHIP (In theatres)
After a brief hiatus, yearning for levity and laughter, heeding vocal praise for director Andrew DeYoung’s “Friendship”, I scurried to my local theatre to imbibe in fictional fluff; alas, what could/should have been a delightful jaunt into a male bonding scenario morphed into a “fatal attraction” dirge; a gloomy, predictable plot that sunk into derisory detritus. After a promising beginning …
Read More »THE WEDDING BANQUET ( English, Mandarin) in theatres
“The course of true love never did run smooth” and director Andrew Ahn’s “The Wedding Banquet” jumps on the Shakespearean bandwagon and drives it full speed into a realistic romp appealing to all. A foursome of credited actors depict two gay couples trying to make sense of their lives, disappointments, and future commitments: “Min” (Han Gi-chan) loves “Chris” (Bowen Yang) …
Read More »THE SHROUDS (in theatres)
Director David Cronenberg’s imaginative fecundity never ceases to astound; his intelligence and heuristic vastness touches realms of horror, (The King of Venereal Horror) science fiction; blending transformation, both physical, psychological with wonders of technology; following addictively, his products from the 70’s until today (“Crimes of the Future”, “Shivers”, “The Brood”, “Scanners”, “The Fly”, “Dead Ringers. “Naked Lunch”, “Crash”, “History of …
Read More »THE AMATEUR (in theatres)
Director James Hawes gifts viewers an intelligent vigilante scenario where revenge is not served cold but steaming hot and calculated by CIA decoder “Charlie Heller” (Rami Malek is at the top of his prodigious acuity); quiescent behavior not in his DNA, he brilliantly plots the demise of the murderers who stole his link to joy. Based on the 1981 novel …
Read More »DROP (in theatres)
Two exceedingly likable actors, Meghann Fahy and Brandon Sklenar star in “Drop” an innovative scenario targeting the tech savvy viewer; those lacking in techie acuity will still unquestionably relish the ride. “Violet” (Fahy) has accepted an electronic date, her first since the death of her husband; leaving her five-year-old son “Toby” (Jacob Robinson) with her sister “Jen” (Violett Beane); she …
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Peneflix MOVIE REVIEWS BY PENEFLIX
