Netflix and Beyond

Gertrude Bell (1868-1926) was a woman among men, born into restricted British aristocracy; brilliant, Oxford scholar, bored with the limited horizons of a young Victorian woman; she escapes to Tehran, Persia in 1892, where her uncle was the British ambassador; free, her intellect soared, and for the rest of her life Orientalism and its enigmas taunted her taste buds, ignited her …

Last year, on the advice of my sage sister, I binge-watched Britain’s television detective drama, “Foyles’s War” (2002-2015); truly one of the “finest” programs, written by Antony Horowitz, I have ever indulged in; commencing in 1940 the scenario stretches through WWII and beyond; starring Michael Kitchen as detective “Christopher Foyle” and Honeysuckle Weeks as his driver “Samantha Stewart” two of …

Golf has always been, and most likely always will be an unfathomable sport, its subtleties lost on the likes of me (to the frustration of my friends); my limited knowledge garnished from reading “Nancy Drew Mysteries” in my youth and viewing the sundry films focusing on the art of the game: “The Greatest Game Ever Played”, “Tin Cup”, “Bobby Jones”, “The …

This remarkably sensitive film, with intuitive prescience, addresses the pain and profound isolation of a child genius; in the past they were freakishly moved to classrooms, universities of their intellectual peers; the loneliness of a seven-year-old, surrounded by adults, whose physical prowess overwhelmingly intimidates a pre-pubescent little person; robbed of a natural childhood, theirs is a warped world defined by their …

Shed any prejudices you might have against the Bollywood genre: “Naam Shabana” is as good as it gets in the outstandingly juicy “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned” or vandalized category; in league with two of my favorites, “Kahaani” (2012) and the superlative “Ek Hasina Thi” (2004), director Shivam Nair scores sensationally with this thriller, starring overwhelming talented …

Jessica Chastain celestially soars as Antonina Zabinski, the wife of Jan Zabinski (powerful Johan Heldenbergh) chief zoologist at the Warsaw Zoo. Based on the book by Diane Ackerman and directed by Niki Caro, this true story stunning displays the narrative of real life heroes; the courageousness of their actions saved hundreds of Jews, sequestered in the Warsaw Ghetto; their fate …

Sitting through this preposterous excuse for entertainment, a flagrant waste of talent, another example of what moviegoers want from the screen, I had to fathom “why” aliens, body snatchers, undulating blobs are in such demand, with the exception of “Arrival” these extraterrestrials threaten “life” and existence as we know it; possibly the reason for their popularity. The reality, bleakness of …

Director Bill Condon’s musical feat is a remarkable, joyous, feast for all audiences; an intelligent, insightful tale; its contemporary message, alive and pertinent, regardless of the era. Alan Menken’s musical score partners perfectly with a scintillating cast: Emma Watson is sublime as “Belle”, intellectually secure, more than just a pretty face, realizing her “uniqueness” is not an obstacle but an advantage …

Once again a performance transcends the film (“Jackie”, “The Founder”). If you are a fan of director/writer Olivier Assayas (“Clouds of Sils Maria”) the leap of faith required in “Personal Shopper” might be of no consequence but for others, the chasm is too vast to even consider; I fall into the latter category.  Kristen Stewart is marvelous in the challenging …

2017’s “Kong” calls the shots; no longer shackled, beleaguered, more than a chest-thumping, roaring primate, he is “King” of this feral, enigmatic island; residents/tourists abide by his rules. It is 1973, and a myriad of agencies, government/civilian are behind a secretive, clandestine expedition to unearth the mysteries/monsters of Skull Island. Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts scores with a formidable cast: Tom Hiddleston, …