Netflix and Beyond

CHASING FIREFLIES (COLOMBIA:ENGLISH SUBTITLES) A film that unveils the fine line between being alone and loneliness. In a desolate Colombian salt mine, “Manrique” , a simple man, cares for the property; his sole companion, a dog “chasing fireflies”, defines his comfortable isolation until a young, sprite “Valeria” trespasses on his turf and irrevocably, magnificently changes his existence. Director Roberto Flores …

MY SWEET PEPPER LAND: (IRAQ, FRANCE, GERMANY:ENGLISH SUBTITLES) Scintillating blend of contemporary and archaic spheres in a destitute Kurdish village after the death of Saddam Hussein. “Govend” a gorgeous, idealistic educator convinces her father and seven brothers to allow her to return to her teaching position in this testosterone-driven village;  she meets “Baran” the police commissioner, a fearless war veteran, …

Marion Cotillard, with a face to launch a thousand films, could not salvage “The Immigrant” a movie with a big heart, and inconsequential spine; Ellis Island, 1921; “Ewa” (Cotillard) a Polish immigrant, separated from her sister is protected by “Bruno” (Joaquin Phoenix) a volatile “savior” who uses Ewa for nefarious, illegal purposes. The film flounders, drowns in melodrama, benign character …

At this point of total emersion, I will address, in mini -synopsis, the requests for my favorites: A THOUSAND TIMES GOOD NIGHT (Norway: In English) Juliette Binoche, pulls out all the stops and gives one the most brilliant performances of her career; as photographer “Rebecca” she treads where only the fearless venture; commencing with the conversion of a woman as …

Recently, there have been films, based on actual people, cosmic events, that have been controversial, challenged because of their supposed inaccuracies or flawed “hair-raising” technicalities: “The Butler”, “Gravity” and now “Captain Phillips”. Unless billed as a documentary, I gift “poetic license” to the filmmakers. These films are stunning, immensely entertaining and worthy of their embellishments or lack thereof. Once again, …

A “runner”, reminiscent of a broker’s employee, delivering a market order to the broker’s floor trader; once delivered, order executed, the runner runs, and confirms the completion, to the trader. Runners are sinking towards obsolesce, replaced by an electronic platform. Wish this film suffered the same fate before being splayed on the big screen; dumped unceremoniously on a naive, unsuspecting …

Never has cruelty been showcased in such a ravishing landscape; blackness of human nature set in luscious loveliness, a Bordeaux vineyard run by obsessive, perfectionist “Paul de Marseul” (brilliant interpretation by Niels Arestrup); a Beelzebub, with a Faustian tongue whose “grapes” reap more respect than any man. Director/writer Gilles Legrande paints a portrait of evil, so profound, overwhelmingly egregious, it …

Rambir Kapoor, descendant of the Kapoor dynasty,  plays a nice nitwit, “Babli” with a Robin Hood aesthetic, he steals from the insured wealthy to bequeath to dire dallits or those bereft of financial resources; another Bollywood fairy tale that the India populace seems to crave; imbued with terrific, scintillating dance numbers; blindingly colorful costumes, and a plot reminiscent of a …

Stratospherically thrilling; ethereal engineering, brilliant writing, astounding acting, gift audiences a visual, visceral extravaganza worthy of the highest accolades; ninety minutes of terrifying isolation, profound silence, crippling suspense, celestial, stunning beauty. Alfonso and Jonas Cuaron (father/son) with awe- inspiring genius wrote and directed “Gravity”; aided by the Olympian skills of cinematographer, Emanuel Lubezki, “Gravity” outshines any space movie ever to …

Watching warm, huggable, corpulent James Gandolfini, no longer in our midst, it was difficult not to weep as he so completely imbues “Albert”  with an innate sense of charm, humor; acceptance of his flaws, accomplished long before we meet him, he is guileless and capable of profound love and devotion; a man among men, one just has to look. Writer/director …