17 December 2021. By Neptune SPIDER MAN – NO WAY HOME *** Spider man (a very earnest Tom Holland) is probably the most human of the Marvel characters, and that’s what makes this film so endearing and so much fun. After all, he’s still a teenager and it’s not his fault that he got bitten […]
FILM: WEST SIDE STORY!
9 December 2021. By Neptune WEST SIDE STORY **** One is very protective of a beloved classic like the original Leonard Bernstein/Robert Wise/Jerome Robbins 1961 musical, loosely based on the tragic tale of Romeo and Juliet. It has been a favorite of almost everyone, one of the great musicals of all time, and a ten-time […]
FILM: THE HAND OF GOD – a special event
3 December 2021. By Neptune We’re in good hands this week with 3 excellent directors who give us a taste of their worlds. Run to them. THE HAND OF GOD (ESTATE LA MANO DI DIO) **** (vo Italian) As for any great master of his art, Paulo Sorrentino’s films are a special event. He, who […]
FILM: HOUSE OF GUCCI – unforgettable
26 November 2021. By Neptune HOUSE OF GUCCI ***1/2 There are films that from the get-go you know you are in good hands. There’s a feeling of anticipation, of mastery of the situation, of the melding of fine acting, dialogue and pacing. But then, it’s a Ridley Scott film – he of such diverse works […]
FILM: POWER OF THE DOG **1/2
Despite the vast western vistas (actually filmed in New Zealand), a haunting soundtrack and the magnificent cinematography of threatening skies and cattle roundups on rolling hills, this latest Jane Campion film is really about internalized personal struggles. Two wealthy, very different brothers run a huge ranch in Montana in the mid-1920s. One is a brilliant […]
FILM: STILLWATER – inspired by Amanda Knox murder trials
STILLWATER ***1/2 This film is inspired by – but is a fictionalized account of – the 2007 Amanda Knox murder trials in Italy. The key word here is fictionalized, for the country has been changed from Italy to France, as has much of the gripping context of the story. The gist of the film is […]
FILM: ALINE – a brilliant biopic on Celine Dion’s life
12 November 2021. By Neptune ALINE ***1/2 (vo French) Whether you are a Celine Dion fan or not, this biopic on Dion’s life by and with Valerie Lemercier is a brilliant, moving homage to a fine singer. Lemercier takes us on a beautiful journey about an incredibly close-knit French Canadian family with 14 children. The […]
FILM: COMPARTMENT No. 6
5 November 2021. By Neptune COMPARTMENT No. 6 ***1/2 (vo Russian, Finnish) A Finnish archeology student (Seidi Haarla) who has made a few friends in Moscow wants to go to Murmansk to see some rare cave paintings. On the long train ride she has to share a compartment with a drunken Russian fellow. This case […]
FILM: LAST NIGHT IN SOHO
29 October 2021. In the past two weeks we have had six excellent films released, four of them French. This week is unfortunately the opposite, with three disappointing films from important directors and one crazy black comedy. Even known talents can’t win all the time. Next week has a few fine works coming out, so […]
Vote launched against new Swiss Netflix law
In response to complaints by Switzerland’s cinema association, Switzerland’s government created a new law requiring online streaming services to pay money into a Swiss cinema fund. A group of young politicians view the move as a tax that will ultimately be paid by consumers and is organising a referendum to have the law thrown out, […]
