Netflix and Beyond

In the running for one of the most preposterous films of the year; no star- power could save this ridiculous scenario, featuring anarchists (“The East”) Juno Page, Alexander Skarsgard, Toby Kebbell, dedicated vigilantes, using poisonous tactics to rid the country of corporate malfeasance; young idealists, intransigent, misguided; supposedly correcting environmental injustices; Machiavellian measures do not compensate for the wrongs perpetrated …

Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson are extremely likeable actors; their on -screen chemistry reverberates, echoes a  camaraderie that must bleed into their off- screen relationship; they verbalize and finish each others thoughts, their auras blend into a solid, granite friendship. Unfortunately, their likeability cannot salvage what could have been a fascinating scenario, which should have taken flight, but sadly whimpers, …

Recently, I was asked when was the last time I laughed, uncontrollably, with pure abandonment, total disregard for  propriety; with alacrity I yelped, watching “The Kings of Summer”. A joyous “coming of age” film reminiscent of Mark Twain’s “Tom Sawyer”, “Huckleberry Finn” adventures, minus the dark side. Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts’s “The Kings of Summer” encapsulates the validity of why people …

The third, and possibly best, of the “Before” films; “Jesse” and “Celine” (Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) no longer in the throes of love’s commencing powers, passions ignited by a glance; seasoned, in their early 40’s, with twin daughters, vacationing in Greece. Jesse’s son by his first marriage has left for Chicago; leaving an anguished, guilt-ridden, perplexed Jesse, venting to …

Who doesn’t like magic?  Magic is transformative, the unimaginable becomes a reality; it is awe -inspiring, defies logic and has been around since Jesus Christ did the “loaves and fishes” number a couple of thousand years ago; yes, magic can sway, even convert the most ardent disbeliever. Its fascination is proven ubiquitously by David Copperfield, Doug Henning, Siegfried & Roy, …

Michael Douglas and Matt Damon connect beautifully as star -crossed lovers: Liberace (1919-1987) and Scott Thorson (1959-). Flamboyantly talented and weirdly, wildly famous Liberace capitalized on his skill as a pianist in combination with his outrageously creative style; encased in plumage, furs, jewelry, capes, rhinestone studded boots, he epitomized the “bling” in bling.  His fingers flew like diaphanous feathers across …

This post is for the diehards, Eastern and Western moviegoers addicted to this genre; falling into the latter, I made a recent pledge regarding the countless films generated every year from this prolific source; NEVER again will I subject  myself to silly, frivolous, scatterbrained themes that gush, at the tsunami level, from a myriad of India’s filmmakers. NEVER again will …

Based on the novel by Henry James (1843-1916) directors Scott McGehee and David Siegel gift audiences an engrossing, captivating film starring Onata Aprile as “Maisie”, an enchanting sprite of a girl, whose penetrating, enthralling gaze, mesmerizes viewers and simmers with volumes of wisdom; wisdom that a six-year-old should not possess. Maisie is the product of parents from Hades; “Suzanna” (incomparable …

There a few iconic department stores throughout the world that are destination places in, and of themselves: Harrods’s and Harvey Nichols,  London; Galleries Lafayette, Paris; David Jones, Sydney; KaDeWe, Berlin; (and once magnificent, now defunct, Marshall Field’s, Chicago); none can touch the mythical, legendary reputation cemented by Bergdorf Goodman in New York City; it is the crystallization of glamour, epitome …

There are limited times when rules have to be broken; I never read another critic’s movie review until I post mine; but while watching “Star Trek Into the Darkness” I realized that I was totally ignorant, a pure neophyte, incapable of enjoying the Star Trek genre (admittedly, I never watched the television show nor the prior films); I felt absolutely …