Netflix and Beyond

Director Clint Bentley’s flawlessly compelling film pulsates with refinement as did 2017’s “The Rider”; there is nothing more satiating, or fulfilling than viewing a mistake-free movie as it races to its finality; “Jockey” with knowledge, sensitivity and truth gifts viewers the “inside scoop” of a jockey’s existence: dedication, starvation, bulimia, fractured bodies, camaraderie among peers, and the enigmatic bond, intimacy …

Bollywood treats its cricketers with reverence, without eradicating human frailties, giving them life and vibrancy, palpating exuberance informs every scene, seizing the viewer’s attention from commencement to conclusion; director Kabir khan, focuses on the 1983 World Cup and India’s gut-wrenching march to grasp an almost unattainable victory; the “march” is worthy of every moment, every second of “83’s” compelling quest. …

PARALLEL MOTHERS Pedro Almodovar devotees will be comfortably satisfied with his latest intriguing, imaginative display of filmmaking; relying on his ubiquitous actor Penelope Cruz (never disappoints) as an anchor for success; she is the quintessential professional and is intensely impressive in the role of “Janis”, a middle-aged photographer giving birth for the first time; costarring ingenue Milena Smit as “Ana”, …

Most of us have an “aunt” or “uncle”, not always biologically related, but ubiquitous nonetheless, and forever in one’s corner; mine was “Aunt Sally” and in this tender-hearted film, based on the memoir by J.R. Moehringer and sensitively directed by George Clooney, Ben Affleck with depth, intelligence and feisty revere is “Uncle Charlie”, JR’s youthful sage, companion, an electrifying presence, …

Years ago, I stayed away from sensational, best sellers by authors capable of spinning mystifying scenarios book after book: James Patterson, Mary Higgens Clark, Ken Follett, David Baldacci, etc. Periodically, I watch the movie, simply, for mindless entertainment; Harlen Coben’s thrillers have been made into passable, at times tantalizing, tales, “Stay Close” is surprisingly good; initially a predictable plot revealing …

Those familiar with author Elena Ferrante (“My Brilliant Friend”) will recognize the labyrinth of complexities, especially contemporary women, endure; “Leda” is no exception; in the remarkable hands of first time director Maggie Gyllenhaal and sublime actor Olivia Colman, Leda’s layers of familial history unfold intentionally through flashbacks; young Leda depicted with alacrity by Jessie Buckley; the background for the unveiling …

Miraculously on the 365th day of the year my faith in filmmakers was restored; an entire movie where the word “like” was not bastardized; young, prescient actors speaking line after line without using the egregious verbal “like”, “you know”, “uh” to express themselves; a lost art revived; yes, taking place in 1973, before oral crutches came to life but refreshing, …

“When the weather outside is threatening” and the warmth of the hearth is beckoning; one’s only option it seems, is to let it stream, let it stream, let it stream: “THE GIRL FROM OSLO”  (NETFLIX).    Intriguing thriller revolving around the kidnapped daughter of a Norwegian diplomat and two Israeli friends, in the Sinai Peninsula; powerfully written and performed the …

Director Adam McKay’s no-nonsense depiction of a world in flux is a masterful tale infused with truth, blatant warnings, and “what ifs”, if empirical evidence isn’t addressed. Admittedly, I am not fond of cataclysmic, apocalyptic films where the known world is obliterated, leaving ubiquitous detritus and a few unlucky members of the human race, forced to navigate its toxic parameters; …

William Shakespeare (1564-1616), the “Bard of Avon” has never relinquished the crown of the literary kingdom. Six hundred years after his passing, his works are as prescient, contemporary, as if they were written today: glorified ambition, greed, lust, never stale, outdated, pulsate at the core of the modern era as they did of yore. Blossoming from director Joel Coen’s fecund …