Netflix and Beyond

A major perk of the movies is the opportunity to meet individuals that under normal circumstances you would never encounter; such is the case in “Rust and Bone”. Two self-absorbed, struggling souls,  meet in a club; “Stephanie”, (Marion Cotillard) trains orcas (killer whales; largest of the Dolphin family) and “Ali” (Matthias Schoenaerts)  a bouncer, rescues her from an altercation resulting …

It felt appropriate to see this film on the final day, according to the Mayan calendar, of mankind’s existence; for many who survived the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and the hundreds of thousands who perished, it was apocalyptic, and second only to the devastation of the 1556 earthquake in Shaanxi (Shensi), China.   Director J.A. Bayona’s magnificently horrifying, beautifully brutal scenes …

If only this interminable road trip would have just covered the state of New Jersey instead of an eight day jaunt from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean; tedium reigns, with intermittent levity. A mother/son “Joyce” and “Andy” (Barbra Streisand/Seth Rogen) bond over predictable quips and tons of shtick; weary of the overbearing stereotype of the smothering “Jewish Mother” and …

This pivotal, personal portrait of one of the finest living artists should be viewed by anyone with a modicum of interest in art and the artistic process; it is stunning, illuminating, and positively thrilling. Gerhard Richter, born in 1932, Germany, has a multi-layered history revolving around the second world war, dissection of Berlin, living in a politically -charged environment; his …

Power is an aphrodisiac; since Early Dynastic Egypt, Mesopotamia, through the centuries, until the present, those with the might have the right to the delights of those whose lights shine at a diminished wattage, and those dim bulbs, like magnets, lust after the powerful, mighty, as sycophants to kings, presidents, dictators. “Hyde Park on Hudson” is a quasi-documentary based on …

The director, writers, producers must have suffered a meteoric meltdown to think that this sophomoric drivel qualifies as entertainment. An ageing, once renown soccer player, “George” (Gerard Butler) returns to a town of desperate housewives (Uma Thurman, Catherine Zeta Jones, Judy Greer), to reconnect with his ten-year-old son, “Lewis” (an enchanting Noah Lomax)) and ex-wife, “Stacie” (Jessica Biel). Predictability ensues: …

But will return with Amazonian strength in time for the Holiday Hits and Misses! 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. This vacation will concentrate on  muscles that are flirting with atrophy, dehydrated, pounding …

Two years ago ensconced in a theatre in Delhi, the palest face in an arena of enthralled Indians, mesmerized by a Bollywood film revolving around the escapades of good and evil politicians, even without subtitles, I was astonished by the depth of the actors skills.  Today, once again the lightest-complexioned individual,  surrounded by Indian-Americans, in a Midwestern city,  hypnotized by …

Which was precisely what the audience suffered through 97 minutes of this brutal, taut expose where all are nefarious; just varying degrees of separation. The once, remarkably handsome Brad Pitt, plays philosophical “gun-for-hire”, “Jackie Cogan” who “kills” from a distance, so as not to get too personal, sentimentally involved; his creed is ambushed by circumstances and his assassinations spread blood …

Eleven years ago I read and relished Yann Martel’s irresistible, allegorical “Life of Pi”; many pivotal books gradually sink into the vast recesses of one’s mind, titles fade, but in this instance Pi’s journey sunk its literary teeth into a comfortable corner of my memory;  took up permanent residence, and in gratitude to Ang Lee’s profoundly beautiful, visual production, a …