Hollywood

“Dr. Dolittle” and his shenanigans have never appealed to me; this is my first exposure to the franchise of a character capable of communicating with animals, a clever premise that goes horribly awry; directed by Stephen Gagan, starring Robert Downey Jr. (why I invested the time); the film is sluggish, poorly edited, and sinfully boring; Downey’s undefined accent varies throughout …

Peneflix is taking a hiatus from a competitive contest this year; not reneging on listing my “best” picks; ignoring the overlooked, concentrating on the testosterone-driven, “hueless” candidates; no “will/should”, just my feverish, instinctive selections:   BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Brad Pitt, “ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD”  *PENEFLIX PICK* Tom Hanks, A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD Anthony Hopkins, THE TWO POPES Al …

Nelson Mandela states that “the brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear”; Bryan Stevenson (impeccably depicted by Michael B. Jordan) a Harvard-educated lawyer is the paradigm of courageous resolve, overturning insurmountable odds, supplying justice, a voice, for death row inmates: disenfranchised, marginalized, poorly defended, fraudulently incriminated and cast off by a …

Listening to Ricky Gervais, who for the most part behaved himself, and the myriad of acceptances from winners and honorees, one comment resonated long after the glamorous conclusion; Patricia Arquette (winner of Supporting Actress in a miniseries) stated that this night will not be remembered; the profundity of these few words struck a realistic, valid cord: Australia, burning; women empowerment, …

The narrowing of boundaries between theatre and home viewing is a positive controversy; nothing beats the darkened, enclosed enchantment of the theatre, but television affords exposure and participation by those whose time, lives might be stymied by uncontrolled situations; choice breeds inclusiveness; entertainment touching vast numbers in universal spheres. Here are, not just films, but a streaming series, available to …

Since 1977, “filmites” have been invested in a “galaxy, far, far away” and have experienced a franchise that has grown exponentially through the decades; director J.J. Abrams complication of past scenarios is “out of this world” to view, tweaked historical references infused with present digitalization enhancement, lend freshness to an inflated, fantastical tale; protagonists and antagonists have died, their progeny …

Valium inducing, emotionally pulverizing, “Uncut Gems” sears to the soul one man’s addiction to living on the edge, a gambler, constantly questing the ultimate high, pushing to lethal limits his megalomania; Adam Sandler, like Sacha Baron Cohen in “The Spy”, switches oeuvres, and stuns as “Howard Ratner”, a jeweler, in possession of a stone of such magnitude, he is willing …

Writer/director Sam Mendes’s visual, fictionalized account  of a WW1 incident told to him by his grandfather, Alfred Mendes; “1917” differs from traditional “war” films in its intimacy; two British corporals sent on a death-defying mission, through still volatile, vacated enemy lines, to cauterize an attack by an ally battalion, an attack, orchestrated by the Germans, risking the lives of 1,600 …

This spirited fourth major film adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s (1832-1888) seminal “Little Women” (1868) is a refreshing, feisty, revamping of a tale that has everlasting appeal; its timelessness touching imaginations, one generation after another; director Greta Gerwig’s contemporary interpretation resonates with the pungency of twenty-first-century resolve adorned in the accoutrements of the nineteenth century; Concord, Massachusetts; severity of the …

“Cats” debuted in London,1981; based upon T. S. Eliot’s 1939  “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats” composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, with Merlin magic, stupefied audiences with his innovative, anthropomorphic felines; it was a sensation that captured the imaginations of theater goers throughout the world and continues to do so, even today, with this uneven production by Academy Award winning director …