Netflix and Beyond

There has never been a better Festival in the history of “Festdom”.  In the last three days I have visited eleven films, a myriad of countries, and on a five-star rating, the lowest star bestowed was a four.  Here are a few, that presented with the opportunity, should be seen:   “SWEET DREAMS”; ITALY/FRANCE. A mesmerizing, enchanting story of  devastating …

“LAYLA M.”; NETHERLANDS/BELGIUM. Timely, contemporary view of today’s troubled society; director Mijke de Jong tackles the traumatic issue of a Dutch-Moroccan teen (Layla. Magnificent performance by Nora El Koussour) frustrated by, what she feels, is a lack of respect by fellow Muslims and Amsterdam citizens, for Islam and Allah. Beautifully filmed and constructed, “Layla M.” focuses on the evolution from …

An exhilarating week infused with exceptionally fine films, thanks to the prescience of our Founder Michael Kutza and Programmer Mimi Plauche. Here are a few more to add to your viewing pleasure:   “THE STUDENT”; RUSSIA. Director Kirill Serbrennikov stuns with his protagonist “Venya” whose religious fundamentalism has gone berserk; his rants, focusing on the gospels, become more frantic, belligerent, …

This is an outrageously gluttonous cinematic time, and I imbibe to the fullest. Nine films into the festival, here is a sample of “must sees”: “La La Land”; USA. Gifted Director Damien Chazelle splays across the wide screen a vivid, reminiscent musical; shades of the 40’s with stunning performances by Ryan Gosling and especially Emma Stone. Light-hearted, beautifully poignant and …

Director Andrea Arnold’s (“Fish Tank”) “American Honey” is rough, gritty, ugly, disturbing and at times profoundly poetic, and I did not care for it. Puzzling when greatness dazzles and your natural instinct is to turn away. “Star” (sharp and poignant depiction by Sasha Lane) is eighteen, caring for two children,(there is a vagueness as to their bond, familial or otherwise) …

This is a movie, and should be judged solely on its merits, not the controversy revolving around Nate Parker’s off screen vicissitudes, nor D. W. Griffith’s (1875-1948) 1915’s “Birth of a Nation”, or even William Styron’s 1967 Pulitzer-Prize winning “The Confessions of Nat Turner”.  “The Birth of a Nation” is a movie, a movie worth seeing, contemplating and in conclusion …

The multitudes who devoured the national bestseller by Paula Hawkins will find the movie, directed by Larry Brand, fervently faithful to the scenario. Divorced, perpetually sloshed, disillusioned “Rachel Watson” (Emily Blunt scores a knockout in the role) feeds her desperately lonely, hollow existence by living vicariously, imagining the lives of others as sublime, loving paradigms of bliss. Her daily train …

Director Neeraj Pandey (“A Wednesday”) has made an incredible bio-pic of the inimitable cricket player Mahendra Singh Dhoni (born, 1981); actor Sushant Singh Rajput nails to perfection the player that Time magazine hailed as one of the most influential people in the world. Being a Westerner, the game of cricket and all its “wickets” is a fug of unfathomability; but …

Director Peter Berg gifts viewers a tense, titillating, tightly-wrought film based on the 2010 BP oil drilling disaster, resulting in the cataclysmic disgorgement of 126 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico and the loss of eleven lives. Mark Wahlberg and Kurt Russell with minimal dialogue give pungently powerful performances as an electronic technician, Mike Williams (Wahlberg) and …

Fifty-nine-year-old “Ove”, (Rolf Lassgard) bereaved widower, childless, retired, dresses impeccably, clean-shaven daily, preparing for his suicide; based on the novel by Fredrik Backman and directed by Hannes Holm, “A Man Called Ove” is a profoundly moving depiction of a man scarred by life’s injustices, rescued emotionally by an enchanting teacher “Sonja” (Ida Engvoll) only once again to be stunned by …