Netflix and Beyond

For the few who opened this, brevity will reign. If you are an “Inception” fan (I do not qualify) this one will captivate and hold your attention; each 8 minute train segment is riveting as the “terrorist” and his bomb are hunted.  Michelle Monaghan and Jake Gyllenhaal, well- cast in this redundant, reminiscent, lethal version of “Groundhog Day”. Gyllenhaal has …

David Schwimmer has made a fascinating, gut-wrenching film about the insidious plague that has invaded the internet; disguised, depraved predators seducing unblemished children, whose false sense of maturity belies their age. “Trust” tackles 21st century issues where boundaries have dissolved: children, because of unlimited access to the internet, “chat rooms” where masquerade is legitimate, have lost the virginal purity of …

Most of us go to the movies to escape, seeking solitude from the cacophony of daily, droning ceaseless obligations; to be entranced, entertained; the darkened theatre smothers the minutiae, petty, pointless details that cloud our perspective, and we exit realizing our intellect has been purified, vacuumed of the insignificant; only thoughts of value left behind. Movies can be cathartic, therapeutic, …

Skeptical of the title and with some trepidation I ventured to the first showing of the latest Paul Giamatti flick; my anxieties instantly dissipated, and for 106 minutes I smiled, chuckled and relished this beautifully bland, lightly realistic story about people I would love to have as  neighbors. Paul Giamatti, whose talents, ceaselessly overwhelm, is Mike Flaherty a lawyer whose …

March 23rd, 2011. Elizabeth Taylor affectionally called “Liz” died.  With her death a slice of glamour disappears, cauterized from the soul of Hollywood, never again to rise to such stratospheric heights. Elizabeth Taylor epitomized the “starlit”; her beauty unmatched, her talent monumental; countless husbands, love affairs, celestial jewelry; she was the luscious fodder the tabloids fed upon for almost seventy …

Oftentimes I have been asked for suggestions as to which movie should  “star” in film discussion soirees ; usually I equivocate or give a plethora of suggestions depending on the demographics of the group. “Certified Copy” will keep the participants in frenetic, pulsating, nonstop- interruption, interpretation mode. “Certified Copy” is one of the most interesting, entertaining, intellectually -inspiring  films of …

Recently relishing Stacy Schiff’s Pulitzer Prize winning “Cleopatra” realizing that although attractive, Cleopatra’s compelling magnetism, allure rose from the radiance, brilliance of her mind, not the perfection of her countenance; the greatest men of her time could not rid themselves of her ebullient wit, comprehensive knowledge, sagacity, linguistic skills; she was a woman who knew that long after man’s incapacity …

Is based on a true story revolving around dedicated French Monks living in a remote village in Algeria’s Atlas Mountains; the monastery, a medical oasis for the poor Muslim population. It is the mid- 1990s and the esoteric, simple and pure existence led by the monks is poignantly portrayed by actors of immense depth; they imbue their characters with an …

William Shakespeare, a bard for all millenniums , wrote in “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” that “the course of true love, never did run smooth”. In “The Adjustment Bureau” Matt Damon as “David Norris” and Emily Blount as “Elise Sellas” prove worth the ripples or emotional rapids. It is a perfect pairing and a surprisingly entertaining film, especially for those capable …

South Korea has inundated the Western film market with a blitzkrieg of effulgent flicks: “The Housemaid”, “Breath” and now “Poetry” all comprehensively stunning, thought- provoking and captivating to behold. Yun Jung-hee stars in “Poetry” a film by Lee Chang-dong. She is Mija, a beauty at 66, effervescent, joyous struggling with a surly, indolent, obstreperous grandson, Wook, (played sourly, glumly by …