Netflix and Beyond

Writer Derek Kolstad conjured from his fecund imagination an “icon” destined to resonate in the archives of film’s legendary action heroes. Why? It has always been a conundrum as to the reasons some heroes resonate, and others fade into obscurity; the shelf life of action heroes is ephemeral; age, time and circumstances, especially tensions percolating center stage, in a world …

The Rocky Balboa franchise commenced in 1976; Sylvester Stallone referenced the legendary boxer Chuck Wepner (1939-) who lost to Muhammad Ali in a 1975 heavyweight championship fight. Rocky lost to “Apollo Creed” (Carl Weathers) by default at the conclusion of the first of 6 “Rocky” films; it’s the longstanding and outstanding sport franchise in filmdom.  “Creed III” is sharply defined, …

For the first time in eons, I had the satisfaction of picking a few of the winners; totally unfamiliar sensation, but one I hope to replicate in the future. The evening in general was delightfully bland and benign; no major faux pas, unless you count the woman with a huge white collar, blocking the view of rows behind her or …

“Freddie” (pulverizing performance by Park Ji-Min) at twenty-five decides to visit her birth country; adopted, raised and loved by a French couple, curiosity led her to Seoul for a two week vacation and unearthing her biological parents; uninformed in the Korean language she relies on a newfound friend “Tena” (Guka Han) as her translator, as her quest easily discovered her …

“The art of art, the glory of expression, and the sunshine of the light of letters is simplicity.” “The Quiet Girl” directed by Colm Bairead is a masterpiece of simplicity; a tale of potent, heart-wrenching poignancy; a nine-year-old child, “Cait” (sublime innocence encased in Catherine Clinch) shunted off to distant relatives for a summer, a transformative few months, that viewers …

Never, have I been so challenged in picking my “winners”; it was a year of wonderment and wallowing wholeheartedly in a myriad of futuristic realms, historical accuracies, biographical revelations and haunted, hunted psychological evaluations, resulting in delightful, delicious confusion. With the exception of “Avatar: The Way of Water” (“Finding Nemo” is a more satisfying aquatic experience), every film touched a …

An intriguing film of deepest, noir espionage; unforgettable characterizations: focusing on Japan’s colonization of China during WWII; enigmatic portrayals of occupiers and subjects and their objectives during the traumatic enslavement of China’s population, (1937-1945). Delving into the psyches of the protagonists, viewers be forewarned, never trust the obvious; collaborators, communists, xenophobes? Actors Tony Chiu-Wai Leung (“In the Mood for Love”) …

It has been some time since I have submerged myself in a Bollywood epic; and I could not have ventured into a more appropriate tale, starring one of my most cherished Bollywood Boys: Shah Rukh Khan, gone is the dimpled, oh, so loveable, enchanting boy wonder, replaced by a man to be reckoned with; his sculpted style, redolent with mettle, …

Hugh Jackman, (“Peter”) is a worthwhile reason to view “The Son”; struggling from a major iron deficiency, an anemic plot, whose nucleus is a wrestling, divorced father, unequipped to aid a chronically, cumbrous, depressed teenager, “Nicholas” (Zen McGrath); a prequel to “The Father” erases all the sublimity, formability invested in a film anchored by Anthony Hopkins (his role in “The …

Hermine Beck (1923-2022) was a formidable woman who “sucked the marrow out of life” and graced its presence for almost a hundred years; I met her in Kolkata, India in 2004 and knew karmically that this was the “beginning of a beautiful friendship”, it was, until its finality. Hermine introduced me to “The Power Broker” by Robert Caro (1935-) a …