Netflix and Beyond

Trouble threatened when I started rooting for the villains, their mission was clearly defined, whereas “Peter Parker” was in an indeterminate ennui, limbo; having graduated from High School (a real age stretch), debating between doing his laundry or saving the city from catastrophic electrocution; Spider Man falls into the malaise that so many contemporary juveniles experience; needing time to “find …

For those of you with a challenged attention span I am giving this salacious sludge, staring the stammering savant (Woody Allen) 1/2 star. Mr. Allen has gifted his legacy to actor/writer/director John Turturro. “Fading Gigolo” is a pathetic scenario revolving around an inventive florist “Fioravante” (Turturro), financially destitute, who allows himself to be conscripted into male prostitution by his friend …

Tom Hardy as “Ivan Locke” gives one the most remarkable,  profound performances I have ever seen; breathtakingly poignant, his mellifluous, honey-infused Welsh accent, carries the film through travesties and pain; never suffering a loss of control; his universe crumbles as he refuses to be deterred from his mission. Written and directed by Steven Knight (“Eastern Promises”), this brilliant, poetic tale …

On a recent trip to Amsterdam my friend and I spent time at the Portuguese Synagogue, Jewish History Museum and the Dutch Theatre (holding venue for thousands of Jews, before being sent to various concentration camps); painfully and powerfully connected to WWII, a shameful testimony to genocide, yet positive, because it challenges visitors to reflect and never forget the ultimate …

Here is a Bollywood film guaranteed to entertain most audiences. Lacking the pervasive silliness that informs so many of India’s romantic comedies, it resonates with universal themes, enchanting performances by all the principals, stunning song and dance numbers, gifting audiences warmth, joy and empathy. Alia Bhatt is “Ananya Swaminathan” a Tamilian girl from Chennai; she is feisty, deliciously beautiful and …

Based on the autobiography (“The Railway Man”) by Erik Lomax, an Englishman, engineer, captured and tortured by the Japanese after their conquest of Singapore in 1942. It is a tale worth telling and watching. Colin Firth, as “Lomax” gives a sensitive, at times melodramatic, depiction of a man suffering from the devastating effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder; a centuries old …

Peneflix is on vacation! Always, your readership, comments, both positive and negative are relished, appreciated and keep me on my intellectual toes; reminders that the mind is a muscle and craves as much exercise as the body. Have a wonderful week! Until April 24…………. For Now………Peneflix

If you can weather the profoundly profane opening scene, you’ll relish Jude Law’s lusciously entertaining characterization of a safecracker who has spent 12 years in jail for not “squealing” on his co- conspirators. Law gives his scintillating personal best as this grungy, witty, foul-mouthed ex-con; every sentence, sprinkled with nasty, at times poetic, epitaphs; he is the most likeable miscreant …

Nicholas Cage, recently turned fifty; in his latest film “Joe” he time travels back to his acting prowess of “Leaving Las Vegas”; barely recognizable, bearded, inked he is an ex-con running a day- labor crew that poisons undesirable trees, making room for developers to civilize the land; Joe is a nice guy with a volatile, alcoholic temper; Cage is superior …

Kevin Costner is commanding as  “Sonny Weaver Jr.”, fictional general manager of the Cleveland Browns football team; he looks the part and imbues it with the proper angst and intelligence. His father, the legendary coach of the Browns has recently died; Sonny’s mission to build a “team of dreams” fumbles, is stymied by catastrophic obstacles blocking his decisions. The owner …