Hollywood

Directors Gerald Bush and Christopher Renz place their directorial debut “Antebellum” in the “horror” genre; in actuality, it is simply, salaciously horrible; a film of such preposterous, ludicrous, inciteful intentions, disgust is the only legitimate reaction to this swill.  Commencing with a focus on the inhumane institution of slavery, the egregious behavior of the Southern populace, dehumanization and savagery perpetrated …

THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT  (NETFLIX): is a soaring series, devoted to the intricacies of chess, and the fragility of human nature; orphaned at the age of nine, “Beth Harmon” (Isla Johnston/Anya Taylor-Joy) discovers in the bowels of the orphanage a maintenance man (“Mr. Shaibel”, depicted brilliantly by Bill Camp) whose dedication to the game of chess, ignites a passion that steers …

Liam Neeson, softens his edges in, by far, the quirkiest love story of the current century; as the “in and out” bank bandit “Tom Cooper” he has slithered from one institution to another, undetected, accumulating millions, housed at a storage facility; an instant sighting proves fatal, he succumbs to the scintillating magnetism of “Annie” (Kate Walsh) manager of the warehouse, …

This film would not have been my choice, “New Order” or “Tomorrow, the World!” were far superior; but “Sweat”, which also took the award for Best Art Direction, spoke to the pervasive narcissism saturating social media in today’s milieu: ubiquitous sharing, from morning through evening, following gorgeous exercise guru “Sylvia Zajac” (Magdalena Kolesnik) motivating her fitness fans, walking her dog, visiting family, shaming her stalker, culminating in her …

MEMORY HOUSE (BRAZIL). Haunting in its meanness, baseness, ugliness, the purist depiction of “man’s inhumanity to man” splayed upon the screen, in recent “memory”. There is not one redeeming characterization in its entirety; evil blooms exponentially with each generation. TWO STARS!! KUBRICK BY KUBRICK (FRANCE, POLAND) ( ENGLISH, FRENCH, ITALIAN). By watching this insightful documentary, director Gregory Monro’s unveiling of …

Skipping negativity, focusing on positivity. The plusses of viewing from home: no dress code, heathy cuisine, seat is permanent, unrestricted bathroom breaks; viewer determines the genre and the time to watch.  Now in its fifth day, here is a wrap-up of movies seen: APPLES (GREECE). A simple, poignant tale of an amnesiac; beginning and ending with a bouquet of flowers; …

The treasured unknown, a plague of confusion; riveting intelligence reverberates at the core of this stunning interpretation of Henry James’s “The Turn of the Screw”; demanding a malleable, pliable intellect, “The Haunting of Bly Manor” guarantees troubling, taunted dreams, questioning the unseeable, but tangible nonetheless. For those who have experienced Déjà vu, possess a “sixth sense”, second sight, or share the attributes of Macbeth’s witches, an inexplicable clairvoyance, your receptiveness will be …

A nimble and poignant portrait; “Yellow Rose” is a metaphorical, exquisite tale of a seventeen-year-old undocumented, talented young woman, “Rose Garcia” (inimitably gifted Eva Noblezada) whose mother, “Priscella Garcia” (Princess Punzalan) has been ferreted out by Immigration and Custom Enforcement and desolately returned to the Philippines, leaving distraught, but enterprising Rose to discover a path of survival, undetected by I.C.E.; …

Always a sleuth advocate: “Columbo”, “Kojak”, “Cagney & Lacey”, “Remington Steele” satiated by a weekly dose of mystery, murder and mayhem, my thirst for the macabre has grown exponentially through the years. Here are some suggestions guaranteed to quench one’s appetite for an enigmatic, inscrutable conundrum: “AMERICAN MURDER: THE FAMILY NEXT DOOR” (Netflix) director Jenny Popplewell’s true crime documentary focuses …

Tuesday evening the world witnessed, Live, the nadir of American politics: slaughter of civility, denigration of a morality we should expect and categorically deserve from our leaders; instead, like the murder of George Floyd, the supposed head of the free world and his challenger failed the populace, shocking with stunning vituperative, scurrilous verbiage, murdering decency: an amoral bully, pledging not …