Netflix and Beyond

“Son of Sardar” is  capable of wielding the death knell for future Bollywood attractions in a western world.  Erstwhile stars prostituted their reputations to work in this supercilious drivel: Ajay Devgan (“Halla Bol”, “Omkara”, “Yuva”); Sanjay Dutt (“Naam”, “Parinetta” “Sadak, Saajan”), Salman Khan (“Veer”, “Kuch,Kuch Hota Hai”, “Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya”); these men are fine, multitalented actors and I cringed …

Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) is an iconic, archival author; his books, required reading in higher education; “War and Peace”(1860’s) a massive epic, still resides comfortably in the annuals of finest historical novels ever composed; his genius unquestioned, forever lionized. “Anna Karenina” (1875) written at a time when women where chattel; had no power or control over their destinies or the unexpected …

It is a rarity, but it is nothing short of stupendous when a film exponentially gets better and better; David O. Russell’s (“The Fighter”) rocks the charts with this winner. Anticipation eliminated: “Silver Linings Playbook” garnishes five sterling STARS!!!!! I loved it. From its tragic-comic commencement: “Pat Solitano” (herculean performance by Bradley Cooper) is picked up from a stint in …

Beautifully filmed,  exquisitely acted Danish movie revolving around the disastrous marriage of Englishwoman Caroline Mathilde (sister of King George III) to her cousin Danish King Christian VII. The film commences in 1766. Caroline is fifteen years old, accomplished, well-read and a musician; schooled in the ways of the age, she envisions a romantic match,(obviously accomplished by proxy) where she and …

A couple of years ago I spent the summer immersed in Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln”; imbued with remarkable scholarship and monumental respect for a man who changed a country, freed a population; now, almost a hundred and fifty years after his death is revered, lionized, quoted feverishly and consistently by all political …

Daniel Craig is an incredible actor but I felt was totally miscast as the dashing, elegant special agent “ 007,James Bond”; he lacked the debonair, savoir faire, Lothario charm and beauty of his predecessors; his female interactions hovered at the wham/bam level. He excelled as the robotic, mechanical slayer of evil miscreants, but lacked the instincts of a man who …

An oxymoron; there are no “perks” to being a “wallflower”; many a wall was stained with my youthful DNA, some memories time does not erase;  watching “Charlie” dealing with his disturbing visions, paranoia and primarily crippling shyness; hoping for the balm of friendship to sooth his painful vulnerabilities. Logan Lerman’s performance as Charlie is skillful, lacking cloying sensationalism; as a …

Never, is one reminded more,  that life is a series of transitions, than in Yaron Zilberman’s “A Late Quartet”; four supremely talented musicians, after twenty-five years of performing together have reached a nadir in their professional and personal lives. Every actor brilliantly imbues their character with profound dignity. Philip Seymour Hoffman (2012 is his year) is second violinist, “Robert Gelbart”, …

What a remarkable surprise, entering with massive trepidation, realizing after fifteen minutes that “I really liked it”. “Cloud Atlas”, (referring to a symphony composed as the film progresses ) is based upon the novel by David Mitchell, directed by Andy and Lana Wachowski (“The Matrix”); it is elegant, beautiful, lyrical, metaphorical, comical, confusing and confounding;  a feast for the imagination; …

A tiresome, true tale of an Israeli man, after the death of his 98 –year- old grandmother, discovering correspondence, photographs and empirical evidence of a lifelong relationship between his Jewish grandparents and a German family, ranking high in Nazi echelons; their friendship commenced  before the second world war and lasted well into the sixties with repeated trips to post-war Germany …