Hollywood

In life (if one lives long enough)  negative epiphanies must be dealt with; “never again” to suffer the indignities and remorse of over-eating, smoking, drinking or in this case enduring 180 minutes of inane and foolish repartee by supposedly talented individuals. From commencement to conclusion beer-swilling host, Ricky Gervais, did not disappoint with his iconoclastic slurs, humorless barbs, toothy guffaws; …

“Man is not himself only, he is all that he sees; all that flows to him from a thousand sources. He is the land, the lift of its mountain lines, the reach of its valleys.” Mary Austin Director Alejandro G. Inarritu and actor Leonardo DiCaprio lionize legendary Hugh Glass, a trapper and frontiersman, a man who in the early 19th …

Quentin Tarantino never fails to titillate, traumatize and massively entertain; probing the depths of his horrifically fantastic, fertile imagination he gifts audiences his best yet; a MUST in 70mm, (a rarity in the film world: “Ben Hur”, “Mutiny on the Bounty”, “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World”, “Battle of the Bulge”, “Khartoum”) worth every dime of the extra fee, …

Director Peter Landesman monumentally scores with “Concussion” based on the GQ article “Game Brain” (2009) by Jeanne Marie Laskas, which delves into the traumatic, devastating effects of repeated bludgeoning suffered by football players in pursuit of victory; the brain can withstand only so much brutality before it ceases to be viable, collapses,  dies,  taking the essence of the man in …

There is an incandescence, a luminosity, an aura that twenty-five-year-old Jennifer Lawrence possesses in staggering proportions; it is intoxicating, spellbinding watching her perform; she seizes and controls to the core her every character, and in portraying Joy (Mangano), the inventor of the Miracle Mop, she adds another rarefied gem to her ever-expanding list of archival achievements. Director David O. Russell’s …

Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay give subtle,  profound performances as a retired couple on the verge of their forty-fifth wedding anniversary. Directed by Andrew Haigh, based on a 10-page story by David Constantine, this quietly brilliant psychological scenario will haunt one long after its initial viewing. After two screenings I am still unsettled, pondering, contemplating the conclusion. “Geoff” (Courtenay) receives …

Reunions. They are a fact of life: schools, sororities, fraternities; encroaching, looming every five or ten years; once the decision to attend is made, the dieting, exercising, spa days grow exponentially with the magnitude of the number; culminating in disappointment once the event, infused with unrecognizable peers and jejune conversation, has fizzled and one heads home to microwave the frozen …

“Youth”. Director Paolo Sorrentino’s  (“The Great Beauty”, 2014, Academy Award for Best Foreign Film) stunning, poignant film is enhanced by the sterling talents of Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, Paul Dano. Tackling life’s waning issues on a myriad of levels. A dazzling Swiss landscape and sublime music adds insouciant charm and “beauty” to “Youth”. “Macbeth”. A mesmerizing portrayal of the tortured, …

The concept of “selling short”, betting that a stock, bond, etc. will head south, lose its value seems un-American, pessimistic; I do not purchase “trip insurance” for the same reason; prefer a “bloom” not “doom” mentality. But “The Big Short” directed by Adam McKay, based on the best-seller “The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine” by Michael Lewis tackles the …

“Girls Lost” (Sweden) was a jewel in the crown of the 51st Chicago International Film Festival; focusing on three pubescent girls in yxtreme emotional havoc, warring with their obvious facades and internal identities; unfathomable, unimaginable pain for those unfortunate to be imprisoned in a limbo of sexual ambiguity. Eddie Redmayne soars in the role of transgender “Lily Elbe” (1882-1931)/ landscape …