Hollywood

Sorrowful, adulterated talents of Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway in this totally irrational scenario of a mother’s devotion and love. Directed by Benoit Delhomme, based on the novel by Barbara Abel; it is a cross between fantasy and horror, and fails in both arenas. Taking place in the early 1960’s when women are stretching the boundaries between professionalism and motherhood; …

Gut-wrenching, supremely intelligent, empathetically profound, director/writer Azazel Jacobs squeezes every ounce of emotional angst and hubris from his three protagonists: “Katie” (Carrie Coon), “Christina” (Elizabeth Olsen), “Rachel” (Natasha Lyonne), uniquely perfect performances by this trinity of superbness: Katie, the eldest, bossy, bright, sees the situation of their dying father through a lens of rigidity; Christina, metaphysical, lost in an unknow …

Recommended by my star-powered, producer nephew, Will Anderson, I lustily viewed with vast anticipation; directed by trans and non-binary filmmaker, Jane Schoenbrun I found it compelling, confounding but incomprehensible, I reached out to him for enlightenment; his perceptions, salient and introspective are worthy of quoting in entirety: It really moved me in a strange way. And I think you may …

You don’t have to be Jewish to appreciate this enchanting slice of life that owns no bias, parameters, visiting at whim all peoples regardless of sect, gender, creed; refreshing tale of disparate souls, connecting at the appropriate moment in their varied existence. “Between the Temples” is a poignant relief from the ubiquity of the “horror”, “Marvel” genres, monopolizing, overwhelming movie …

The bludgeoning skin care industry globally generates over 144 billion USD$ and climbing; Generation Z (between 12 & 27) leading the hordes of consumers. Director/writer Austin Peters gets targeted aspects of faux LA glamour on the “nose”: quest for beauty and perpetual youth; strappings of wealth (cars, flashy, fur-trimmed ensembles) pneumatic chests, plasticity pulsates on creaseless faces with eyelashes destined …

Expecting saccharine sentimentality, mawkish, cloying, syrupy manipulation; surprisingly, those maudlin expectations were dashed by Blake Lively’s (producer) stratospheric performance as “Lily Blossom Bloom” complemented by Justin Baldoni’s (director) equally high-volume depiction of neurosurgeon “Ryle Kincaid”. Both actors, majorly invested in the creation of the 2016 novel by Colleen Hoover: abusive, marital, familial relationships and their lasting effects on their progeny. …

Goodness, Gracious, Great Globs of Gobbledygook! A self-styled discourse on erasing decency, tasteless titillation, ribald, rutting humorless dialogue, gratuitous, gutting savagery; smashing the 4th wall (invisible, imaginary shield between actors and viewers) and reveling in its iconoclasm. Dreadful dirge. This was my first and final entrance into a realm that is anything but “marvelous”. A person very close to me …

This, my first excursion, into the “Twister” franchise, was a startling surprise; glued to my seat, slack-jawed, and hypnotized every frenzied second, it was a commanding and totally overwhelming filmic feat. Primarily, it made me happy. Happy to be wallowing, engrossed in visual phenomena, charismatic performances, and buzz-worthy cinematography. From the outset actor Daisy Edgar-Jones is commanding as the neophyte …

The “Horror” genre is pungently, throbbingly alive!   “Le Manoir du Diable”, (“The House of the Devil”) mid-1890”s by Georges Milies, credited as the first horror film; now, in the 21st century one cannot escape its domination of multiplex theatres; not bothersome, and has held my movie appetite for spine-tingling titillation, since first exposed long ago. Never apologizing for its attraction, I …

Western movies have never been my favored genre but have experienced and relished the best: “True Grit”, “Shane”, “Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid”, “Blazing Saddles”, “Stagecoach”, “High Noon”, “The Magnificent Seven” and the 1991 Oscar winning “Dances with Wolves”, director Kevin Costner took home an Oscar for best director and the film won the best picture of the year. It was outstanding and secured Costner’s …