Netflix and Beyond

There are times when a movie is just a movie: entertaining, predictable, shallow but quenching one’s thirst for diversion. A film not worthy of massive movie discussion groups; intense analytical dissection, preposterous, pondering, pontification. Just elementary, mindless fare. “Gone” starring Amanda Seyfried is the perfect antidote for jet lag, escape from the ubiquitous, dunning, recurring chores of every day existence.  …

It is tragic that most of us live in cities where foreign films are rarely shown or featured after the Academy Awards are presented. I have tried and will continue to strive diligently to alter this travesty. “In Darkness” is an exceptional film (an Academy Award contender) based on a true story which occurred in 1942 in the town of …

Two were very close: “Laura” and “Gerry”. Viola Davis was most of our Achilles heel; she was a major force in an iconic film. Meryl Streep was the only force in a mediocre movie; how tragic that she neglected to mention Margaret Thatcher in her acceptance speech (also when she won the Golden Globe). Streep is a genius but I …

Satisfaction. Defined by the Oxford Dictionary as “ the feeling of pleasure that arises when you have the things you need or want or when the things you want to happen have happened”. The feeling of harmony or contentment you experience after the  perfect meal or the result of a flawless film where all the elements are in pristine alignment …

For those Subscribers who mourned my absence I am back, salivating for delectable film fare; also broke my rule of never watching movies on an airline, now realize it is a viable commandment, that in the future I will religiously adhere to. “IN TIME”. A ridiculous film starring Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried where “time” is money, literally; predictably the …

It is easy to compete. Just submit your answers on this site. The prize will be movie passes at the theatre of your choice. In choosing, go with your instincts; you ALWAYS fare better than I.  All entries must be submitted by midnight February 24th. AGAIN, ON THIS SITE. You must correctly choose the Best Movie, Best Director, Best Female …

Sometimes a movie is just a movie: mindless escapism,  a joyous romp through reality and or fantasy, a “gloom” chaser and mood- mender, mind- bender; the medicine that eliminates angst, removes ‘”ego” from the pedestal; a window into the inexperienced, unknown circumstances, an awakening that leaves a residue, an unveiling of life and lives of those whose paths, destined never …

Glenn Close and Janet McTeer give vastly credible performances as women disguised as men. The novel “The Singular Life of Albert Nobbs” by George Moore has been a project of Ms. Close since she played the lost but dignified “Mr. Nobbs” off Broadway almost thirty years ago; she should be applauded for her tenacity and the actualization of her mission. …

Every year at the end of August, the Tomatina Festival is celebrated in Bunol, Valencia (Spain); approximately 15 tons of tomatoes are hurled, squashed, plummeted on thousands of willing participants, joyously sacrificing their inhibitions on the altar of gooey, glorious fun. This vibrantly red scene in “We need to Talk About Kevin” serves as the metaphor for the gruesome, horrific, …

Winner of the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film and my guess the “Oscar” in the same category. This disturbing and thought-provoking movie from Iran gifts the viewer a realistic and insightful look into ordinary life of a culture anathema to those who live in the West; it it difficult to rise above your own freedoms and prejudices to …