Netflix and Beyond

If you saw and remember the 2009 Academy Award winning Argentine “The Secret in Their Eyes” you should take a pass on this placid remake; Director Juan Jose Campanella’s taut, stunning thriller still ranks as one of the best psychological studies of vigilante justice ever created. Director Billy Ray’s rendition lacks a spirited scenario, intriguing dialogue and perceptive casting. The …

Superbly written, directed, filmed and performed “Spotlight” focuses on the Pulitzer Prize winning team of the Boston Globe, who in early 2002, splayed across the front page the salacious, egregious history of pedophilia practiced among the Catholic priests in the Boston Archdiocese; a clandestine epidemic of mythic proportions. The “Spotlight” team, all Catholics (Boston, a predominately Catholic city) rose above …

Vacations are exhuberant, transformative; a time to shed the inflexibility of the daily, weekly routine; scrape away  layers of sameness, predictability; unlock the imagination to the wonders of the unknown, allowing oneself to bask in the intricacies of a foreign culture or simply a venue away from the norm; returning refreshed, appreciative of the comforts, even obligations, expected from the …

In the meantime, please take some time to enjoy reviews from the 51st Chicago International Film Festival. Peneflix

Selected by a distinguished international jury, “A Childhood” resonates with greatness on a myriad of levels;  the travails of thirteen-year-old “Jimmy”, whose home- life stagnates in punitive purgatory, a drug-addicted mother and her malicious, miserly, moral-less mate; he cooks, cleans and takes immaculate care of his younger brother; ashamed of his daily existence and its detriments, he refuses to sink …

As an exhaustive euphoria informs the concluding days of the festival, contemplating the vastness of the visual, emotional indulgences, one must recognize and applaud those who selected the filmic fare: Michael Kutza, President and Founder; Mimi Plauche, Programming Director; Anthony Kaufman, Programmer; Camille Lugan, Programmer; Sam Flancher, Programmer. Countless viewing hours, resulted in a festival worthy of a disparate, multi-faceted …

Director Lenny Abrahamson’s “Room” (based on Emma Donoghue’s  novel) is a triumph due primarily to phenomenal acting by Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay; highlighting a mother and her five-year-old son confined to a 10-by-10 “room”; exhibiting a normalcy totally anathema to their circumstances; prodigious directing eliminates claustrophobia. “Ma” (Larson), abducted at seventeen, has spent seven years, closeted, perpetually violated by …

“Motley’s Law” (Denmark). Kimberly Motley is a contemporary, tough, captivating symbol of a woman who earns her badge of courage every waking moment, as the solitary American permitted to practice law in Afghanistan. Director Nicole Horanyi follows Kimberly through her courageous, terrifying days, gifting audiences a penetrating, inspirational portrait of an individual whose mission knows no fears, no bounds. “Tag” …

“Sparrows” (Iceland, Denmark). Beautiful portrait of a young, gifted teenager, ripped from his comfort zone, adjusting to a life with his alcoholic father; poignant, gritty and provocative. “Tikkun” (Israel). At this point in the festival, “Tikkun” is the most problematic, traumatic; filmed sensationally in black and white, focusing on a Yeshiva boy, saved from death’s clutches by his stringent, intransigent …

Seeing three or four films a day, bouncing from one country to another is thrilling, entertaining and challenging; after four days here is a “taste” of the places I’ve savored so far: “Mia Madre” (Italy, France); Nanni Moretti (director/actor) semi- autobiographical scenario revolving around the  vicissitudes of balancing one’s daily life/profession while dealing with the imminent passing of a beloved …