12 May 2017. COURT *** (vo Indian and English) The arbitrary and frustrating procedure of India’s court system is the theme of this film which at times borders on the tragicomedy. And the underlying feel is a play on the old adage, “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer…”, or rather, the habitual […]
FILM: Marie Curie – the private life of a woman who fought hard to fit into a man’s world
5 May 2017. MARIE CURIE et la LUMIÈRE BLEUE ***1/2 (vo French) Most of us know Marie Curie as the first woman to receive a Nobel Prize in Physics (in 1903), along with her husband Pierre, for their research in radium. But we know little about her private sphere and the scandal of her later […]
FILM: Guardians of the Galaxy, vol 2 – a super fun popcorn flick
28 April 2017. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, Vol 2 ***1/2 If you’re looking for a super fun popcorn flick, this is it! Those crazy space characters from Marvel comics are back again to amuse us while saving the Galaxy one more time, in this instant cult film. There’s of course the main man, Peter Quill, alias […]
FILM: Visions du Réel – film festival in Nyon – April 21 -29
The Geneva and Suisse Romande area is a goldmine for cinema lovers – films from all over the world, often in original versions (vo) and in easy-to-reach locations. Just a bit pricey – but this is Switzerland. There are the multiple film festivals all around the year. The Oriental one just ended, now get ready […]
FILM: Gold – human perseverance, greed and folly
21 April 2017. GOLD *** Yet another true story. There have been so many of them lately – one better than the next, for they truly happened, which makes them that much more compelling. Matthew McConaughey has become an aficionado of these biopics – losing and gaining an extraordinary amount of weight depending on the role. […]
FILM: Backstage documentary on the Opéra de Paris
14 April 2017. L’OPÉRA (The Paris Opera) **** (vo French) How is it to run an opera house, especially one as prestigious as the Opéra de Paris? In fact it is two opera houses: the grand old Garnier and the modern Bastille. With 1600 employees and a budget of more than €200 million, it does not […]
FILM: A United Kingdom – an African king marries a white British woman
31 March 2017. A UNITED KINGDOM *** How does one rate and describe a film that is not very well written, is overly sentimentalized, yet is a pleasing, touching film that should be seen? Seen for its intriguing, true historic story, and for its main star, David Oyelowo, the brilliant Nigerian/English actor who recently portrayed Martin […]
FILM: I am not your negro – incredibly moving and must be seen
24 March 2017. I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO **** Here is a searing, damning document on the black people’s condition in American history. The last work of the infinitely intelligent and eloquent writer and social critic James Baldwin (1924-1987) is narrated here by Samuel L. Jackson in this powerful documentary by Haitian director Raoul Peck. Baldwin’s […]
FILM: Moonlight – story of the life of a black man in three stages of his existence – boy, adolescent and man
17 March 2017. MOONLIGHT **** There is a captivating alchemy in Moonlight that is quite intangible. It is as delicate as a flower and as powerful as a fist in the stomach. This story of the life of a black man in three stages of his existence – boy, adolescent and man – is a full […]
Film: true story of three black women vital to the U.S. space program in the 1960s
10 March 2017. HIDDEN FIGURES **** Before the summer drought of mediocre films (already started after the long award-season culminating with the Oscars), check out this excellent film about a trio of black women who were vital (one of them – Katherine Johnson – was pivotal) to the U.S. space program in the 1960s. The beauty […]
