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My paygrade does not include the insipid escapism served in today’s theatres; I have vowed to shun any film with the word “Alien”, “Guardian”, “Pirates”,  and at the risk of anaphylactic shock “Captain Underpants”; Netflix offers a lifeline to those seeking entertainment that enlightens, educates; serving a myriad of genres, demographically designed to quench the cravings of all film buffs. …

If you had never heard of the brilliant statesman Winston Churchill (1874-1965) you’d be hard pressed to reason why this lugubrious film was ever conceived or created; director Jonathan Teplitzky’s biopic is a dull, plodding scenario focusing on the darkest hours of Britain’s Prime Minister, at the conclusion of WWII  (aka D-Day); Brian Cox depicts Churchill as a bilious, cigar …

India’s rich cricket history has been depicted in a myriad of films, both fictional and factual: “Lagaan” (2001), “Iqbal” (2005), “Chak De India” (2007), “M.S. Dhoni” (2016) are a few that have resonated with me.  Admittedly, as a Westerner, the intricacies of the sport, will forever elude my comprehension, but the astounding prowess of the players, the electrifying energy and …

A titillating, scintillating scenario reminiscent of 2007’s “Sleuth” starring Michael Caine and Jude Law. Writers Marc Frydman and Justin Stanley partnering with director Brian Goodman and starring Antonio Banderas and Jonathan Rhys Myers serve a concoction of nerve twisting thrills; impenetrable nuances, hypnotic narrative sabotage one’s attention for its entirety. “Paul” (Banderas) an alcoholic, washed-up writer, lives outside a mountainous …

Wildly witty, charmingly creative, “Michal” (sensational Noa Kooler) is thirty-two, an Orthodox Jew, dumped by her fiancé, she decides to go ahead with the wedding despite being “groomless”; she feels that God will prevail and in thirty days, on the eighth day of Hanukkah she will wed. What transgress is captivatingly unpredictable; Michal, a proprietor of a mobile zoo, is …

81 year-old Eleanor Coppola’s divine confection of a romantic jaunt from Cannes to Paris will titillate gourmands, oenophiles and those just loving a saffron, honey-infused excursion through idyllic France. Diane Lane is positively blissful as “Anne”, a woman of vast equanimity, flowing gracefully through life, defined by her high-powered, movie producer husband “Michael” (minimal role but well cast, Alec Baldwin); …

Disturbing, problematic but pragmatically real, dynamic scenario about war. Director Doug Liman, without sensationalism, paints a cerebral portrait of a wounded soldier, trapped by a sniper, behind a crumbling brick wall in post war Iraq, 2007. “Sargent Isaac” (intensely riveting performance by Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and fellow combatant, “Sargent Matthews” (John Cena) after days of observing the aftermath of a killing …

Digital detritus. Director Guy Ritchie’s bastardization of the magical myth of King Arthur and his sword, Excalibur, is an excruciating excuse for entertainment. Minimal life support provided by actors Jude Law (King Vortigern), Charlie Hunnam (Arthur) and Eric Bana (Arthur’s father) could not salvage this disaster, croaking in theatres; blessedly exsanguinating after 2 hours and 6 minutes. King Arthur and …

“Mary” (Debra Winger), “Michael” (Tracy Letts), “Robert” (Aidan Gillen), “Lucy” (Melora Walters) four of the most bludgeoning boring individuals on today’s screen; dimensionless, dull, suffering from “arrested development”, without infidelity’s titillation their lives are defined by perilous mundanity. Mary professes that they are not “bad people”; there is nothing good or interesting about them either!   ONE STAR!   Peneflix

It is rare when a Bollywood film lands in the top ten viewed flicks in the Western World; “Baahubali 2” is the highest grossing Indian film ever (the price of admission exceeds the norm) made. Is it worth the time (3 hours) and added expense? If you’re a fan of the spectacular, absolutely. The Indus Valley Civilization traces its origins …