12 October 2018. By Neptune A STAR IS BORN **** Here is the fourth version of this melodrama, which originated in 1937 with Janet Gaynor as the rising star, then was repeated with Judy Garland in 1954, with Barbra Streisand in 1976, and has now emerged with Lady Gaga as the lead. Each version obviously […]
FILM: COLD WAR – a work of great art – 4 stars
5 October 2018. COLD WAR **** (vo Polish) This Polish film is a work of great art: the art of luminous black and white cinematography; the art of utter, hopeless love; the art of jazz in its heyday; and the art of depicting power play and politics as they were, are, and will always be […]
FILM: DOGMAN – from the director of Gomorrah – 4 stars!
28 September 2018. DOGMAN **** (vo Italian) Coming with awards from various festivals and a highly deserved Best Actor award at the Cannes film fest, this powerful yet touching and tragic tale is from Italy’s great director, Matteo Garrone (“Gomorrah”, “Tale of Tales”). It’s a grim story, based on real events, of a little man […]
FILM: CHRIS THE SWISS – the mysterious death of a Swiss journalist in Croatia
21 September 2018. CHRIS THE SWISS ***1/2 This mix of black and white hand-drawn animation and documentary is a very personal search by Swiss director Anja Kofmel into the mysteries surrounding the death of her journalist cousin Christian Wurtemberg, who met his end in Croatia in the early 1990s. He had gone to report on […]
FILM: SEARCHING for a daughter completely from a computer screen and a smartphone
14 September 2018. SEARCHING ***1/2 You cannot get more today than this! In a format that I have never seen before, this film that comes to us completely from a computer screen and a smartphone, is innovative to say the least. And captivating, as it evolves from a portrait of a loving family into a […]
FILM: BLACKKLANSMAN – true story of a black police officer infiltrating the Ku Klux Klan
24 August 2018. BLACKKLANSMAN ***1/2 Spike Lee has been on the warpath against discrimination and the continued lack of true equality for his black brothers and sisters since the beginning of his career back in 1979. Rightfully so. His determination and talent have kept him on the radar all these years, with multi-awarded films such […]
FILM: WOMAN AT WAR – a heroic environmental terrorist – 4 stars
17 August 2018. WOMAN AT WAR **** (vo Icelandic) If you’re looking for a heroine, here is one in all her glory. Played by the excellent Halldora Geirhardsdottir, she is a real woman, a smart environmental terrorist, a choir leader on the side, and nimble as a gazelle…make that a reindeer. She’s a one-woman bow-and-arrow […]
FILM: MISSION IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT – Action as we’ve never seen
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT ***1/2 For a complete turnabout, run to this movie and don’t ask why or how, just flow with the action! And glory be, this is action as we’ve never seen, even from the intrepid Tom Cruise, who is brilliant at performing his own dare-devil stunts and upping the thrills in each […]
FILM: THE CHILDREN ACT – Adult drama at its very best. 4 stars.
3 August 2018. THE CHILDREN ACT (My Lady) **** This film is an elegant, mature balancing act of sorts. One that will have you enthralled by its passionate reserve, a decidedly British trait, while it juggles moral questions and emotional issues. Public responsibility versus personal anguish. And Richard Eyre, the renowned English theater and TV […]
FILM: HOTEL ARTEMIS – Jody Foster deserves an Oscar nomination
27 July 2018. HOTEL ARTEMIS ***1/2 Jodie Foster deserves an Oscar nomination for her sad, tender portrayal of the woman who runs this peculiar hotel. It has been some time since we’ve seen her in such a meaty role and she does it justice, as she always has – ever since her turn as the […]
