11 December 2020. I had to leave out many fine examples (7 BRIDES FOR 7 BROTHERS, GIGI, SWEENEY TODD, MOULIN ROUGE, MARY POPPINS, PURPLE RAIN, LA LA LAND…), but here are the absolute jewels. We need such uplifting talent and joy in these grey, uncertain times… AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (1951) Gene Kelly was at […]
FILM: 5 favourites for that desert island
4 December 2020. This week I’ve picked five of my favorite films for you. Each is completely different in theme and genre, yet there is a common thread of intelligence, charm and nostalgia to them. Another similarity is the excellence of their directors, the ultimate visionary behind any unforgettable film. There are obviously many more […]
FILM: Intelligent comedies of old
27 November 2020. There are so many exceptional, intelligent comedies of old…though few good new ones, as they mainly go for vulgarity these days with juvenile below-the-belt crassness (in the vein of Judd Apatow films). As we certainly need humor in these morose, uncertain times, here are some choice picks from way back to lighten […]
FILM: THRILLERS FROM 1964 to 2004
20 November 2020. Hello Cinephiles. If you managed to see any of last week’s suggestions on romantic comedies, you know I won’t lead you wrong. But come on, admit it, you’ve been too busy watching multiple Netflix series… they can be addictive. This week, let’s go for some exceptional classic thrillers – starting from the […]
FILM: THE SINGING CLUB
23 October 2020. THE SINGING CLUB **1/2 Based on true events, this English dramedy is in the usual vein of sweet, entertaining films out of Britain, much like “The Calendar Girls” or “The Full Monty”. It tells the story of a group of military wives waiting for their men to come home from the war […]
FILM: I AM GRETA
17 October 2020. With these awfully grey, cold days weighing upon us, and new restrictions due to a spike in Corona cases, I am not in the mood to write…especially about films that are just ok… So forgive the brevity this week. I AM GRETA **1/2 I believe everyone’s heard about Greta Thunberg by now. […]
FILM: NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS
9 October 2020. NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS *** If you think these words are about love, you’re sorely mistaken. This film is the short odyssey of a young girl trying to get an abortion. Incisive like an operation, in an ice-cold atmosphere with very little dialogue, the trying story is recounted almost like a documentary. […]
FILM: BILLIE – the tragic life of a jazz legend
FILM: NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS – 9 October 2020 – click here 2 October 2020. BILLIE *** Billie Holiday was a legend in jazz with a unique, plaintive style of singing the blues whose life was both turbulent and tragically short. One could compare her existence to that of the great Edith Piaf of France, […]
FILM: UNDINE – a fine German film
25 September 2020. UNDINE ***1/2 (vo German) It’s excellent that we are finally getting more examples of fine German films in our Suisse Romande theaters, right after the compelling “Schwesterlein” which had two Swiss directors but mainly German actors and settings. This one is a strange and haunting love story by the talented writer/director Christian […]
FILM: THE SECRET GARDEN
18 September 2020. THE SECRET GARDEN ** If you watch this film as an adult you will love or hate it. Love because it will remind you of a wonderful book you read in your childhood. Hate because it is such a departure from that book, which you probably liked a lot, that you somehow […]
