Netflix and Beyond

In today’s world, with the exception of a few pathetic,  Paleolithic countries, women are champions of their fate; “captains of their souls”.  Women shine as CEOs, CFOs, heads of state, professionals on equal plane with their male counterparts; gone are the shackles of prehistoric, nonsensical dictates; no longer confined to two rooms or behind a Purdah, women are free, free …

This film tries desperately to find a balance between three generations and fails miserably. Jane Fonda is “Grace” a fossil of Woodstock (1969) with salt and peppered tresses flowing, like “Rapunzel”, down her back; garbed in kaftans of a bygone era; growing and selling marijuana; an embarrassingly, practicing, septuagenarian  “sex goddess”; spewing platitudinous drivel;  still protesting war, any war (most …

Serendipity.  A phenomena  when it unexpectedly strikes can be quite magical or extremely problematic. I recently returned from an art excursion, a blitzkrieg of culture revolving around Document 13 (an art fair of monumental proportions occurring every five years in Kassel, Germany) with a prequel in Vienna, Austria where I had a face –to- face encounter with enigmatic “Wally” (Walburga …

Yes, I confess I am an apostle, groupie, total sucker for the rock and roll genre; try to keep me shackled to my seat when Chuck Berry or The Beatles belt “It’s Gotta Be Rock and Roll Music if You Wanna Dance With Me”;  wholesome lyrics igniting sedentary soles; shedding chains of gloom or woe, tickling titillation smothering, with a …

Jet lag, a temporary affliction can be cured by a two hour sojourn in a movie theatre; allowing the wizardly of the fantastical to envelop one’s imagination, easing the vicissitudes of deprived slumber; entertainment: the elixir, aphrodisiac for somnolence. It is seventy- five years since visionary Walt Disney’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” stunned and captivated audiences; now in …

Returning the second week of June! Would love “must sees” upon my return! Thank you for your readership, and inimitable insights! All the best in film and life! Peneflix

Without a doubt the finest film of 2012 ( midway through the year). It conquers, surpasses, breaks the barometer of perfection. Based on a true story combining pathos, pain, humor, levity but primarily a portrait of love, acceptance, inclusiveness; it sings and dances joyously to your spirit; rarely do you leave a film feeling enriched, enhanced, a better person because …

“TAKE THIS WALTZ”; Dull, pathetic portrayal of a floundering marriage. Ridiculous scenario starring Michelle Williams and Seth Rogen. Civility prevents me from suggesting what should be done with this “waltz”.   “DETACHMENT”; Had some potential but fizzled.  Adrien Brody looses his way as a substitute teacher. Sad, his piano days have waned.   “2 DAYS IN NEW YORK”; Julie Delpy …

Hysteria, a derivative of the Greek word “hystera” meaning uterus, a malady uniquely female; symptoms included fainting, nervous disorders, erratic behavior, in essence a euphemism for sexual frustration. “Hysteria” addresses the ageless epidemic, and its cure, focusing on women in late nineteenth -century, Victorian England. Hugh Dancy  is “Dr. Mortimer Granville”, perpetually fired from hospitals because of his revolutionary ideas …

Jack Black is reason enough to see “Bernie”. With subtle nuances he completely and compellingly grasps the depth of  assistant mortician, “Bernie Tiede” in 1998 Carthage, Texas; commencing with a devotional master-class on the pristine treatment of a corpse: unwanted hair removal, makeup, creative use of Elmer’s Glue in fastening eyelids and lips; his sculptor’s hands compassionately, wizardly transform the …