Hollywood

Directed and written by Jonathan Jakubowicz “Hands of Stone” is not destined to reign in the halls of the best boxing films of all time (“Raging Bull”, “Cinderella Man” “The Fighter”, “Requiem for a Heavyweight” “The Hurricane”, “Rocky” mania) but it is vastly entertaining, well-acted and infused with terrific fight scenes. Edgar Ramirez is galvanizing as the scrappy, brilliant boxer …

By a wide margin one of the finest films of the year; stunning in its message, characterization; a positively superb example of stellar, sensational, spectacular animation (and I do not care for the genre). Directed by Travis Knight, written by Marc Haimes, Shannon Tindle, Chris Butler in collaboration with Laika Production Company have created a fantasy world imbued with magic, …

When one thinks of “Westerns” aka “Cowboy” movies one recalls nascent stars: John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Randolph Scott, James Stewart. They solidified the genre. From the onset, in this contemporary Western film, the protagonists are determined to accomplish their mission, regardless of the plagues visited upon them. Brothers, “Toby and Tanner Howard” (blazingly portrayed by Chris Pine and Ben Foster) …

Directed by Todd Phillips based on a Rolling Stone article by Guy Lawson (eventually became the book, “The Arms and the Dudes”). The protagonists, Efraim Diveroli and David Packouz are brilliantly depicted by Jonah Hill and Miles Teller; nonfiction is realized propitiously by, for the most part, a good script, enhanced by the performances of Teller and overwhelmingly, Hill. Diveroli …

Reinhard Heydrich (1904-1942), aka the “Butcher of Prague”, architect of Hitler’s Final Solution was assassinated by Czech resistance fighters on June 4th, 1942. Director Sean Ellis personifies the seven courageous parachutists who willingly sacrificed their lives to fulfill their ambitious, bleak mission. Focusing on Jozef Gabcik (intensely, efficaciously portrayed by Cillian Murphy: “Breakfast on Pluto”, “Wind that Shakes the Barley”) …

Wall Street has its share of female financiers, brokers, bankers; director Meera Menon focuses on their ambitions, struggles to best their testosterone-infused competitors; “Equity” is a reality check and a viable one. Anna Gunn as tough, investment banker “Naomi Bishop”, nails the psyche of someone who suffers no nonsense; her meager background was the fodder for success; she has the …

Notwithstanding, Meryl Streep’s iconic acting acuity and director Stephen Frears good intentions the film is lackluster and sparkless compared to France’s  “Marguerite” (with the incomparable Catherine Frot); Florence Foster Jenkins (1868-1944) was a music patron, completely tone deaf,  delusional in fancying  herself an opera diva; because of her wealth, generosity and protective partner, many suffered through her screeching interpretations of …

My entire Philip Roth (1933) literary lexicon has been informed by a perpetual pull between spheres of ecstasy and disgust. “Portnoy’s Complaint”, “American Pastoral”, “The Human Stain”, are classics that exponentially astound with each reading; “Sabbath’s Theatre” was profoundly revolting from its commencement and is the only book I have ever returned, unfinished. Roth has been fearless in his analytical …

Does anyone care if the script is only five pages in its entirety? Or the cost of carnage, runs into the tens of millions? Unequivocally, no. He’s back….Robert Ludlum’s (1927-2001) over-the-top, charismatic, iconic  “megasaver”…..”Jason Bourne”. Matt Damon imbues him with the proper attributes we crave in our action heroes: sensitivity, Herculean strength and the inscrutable intelligence required to validate his …

Admittedly there’s always been the lure, titillation of the horror genre; would need therapeutic analysis, but recognize the myriad of company I’d have sharing the “couch”, and since it does nothing to cramp my daily duties, there’s no sense in “reasoning why”. Plus “Lights Out” is really good; insightfully written, directed and performed; never laughable, audiences are silently cemented to …