Here are two delightful French releases: one a romantic comedy that takes quite a different look at relationships, and the other, a comic buddy-movie with social undertones. UN PEU, BEAUCOUP, AVEUGLEMENT *** (vo French) The talented, attractive Clovis Cornillac is back, this time in a film by and with him, with a surprising twist on a budding romance. […]
The Farewell Party ; A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence
THE FAREWELL PARTY (Fin de partie) ***1/2 (vo Hebrew) Here’s an upscale Israeli senior home with a group of old friends, now in the twilight of their lives. They share leisure moments, meals, sports and care for and know each other intimately. So when one of them is suffering from an incurable illness, the group hesitantly agrees to […]
Voyage en Chine; Big Hero 6 ; Child 44
VOYAGE EN CHINE ***1/2 (vo French and Mandarin) This tender tale of a French mother who goes to China to find the body of her dead son is a revelation due to Yolande Moreau’s delicate portrayal. But also for the minimalist technique of Hungarian director Zoltan Mayer, as he takes us on this journey through both urban and […]
The Water Diviner / La promesse d’une vie; Tehran Taxi
THE WATER DIVINER/ LA PROMESSE D’UNE VIE *** In 1919, four years after the infamous battle of Gallipoli, an Australian father goes to Turkey to retrieve the bodies of his missing sons. Russell Crowe has taken up quite a task for his directorial debut – a story of contrasting cultures, family ties and love against a […]
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT **** (vo Farsi) Thrilling, tender and tongue-in-cheek, this B-movie is simply a work of art. Even if you’re not into vampire movies, this sumptuous black-and-white tale will pull you into its dark, mysterious world of lonely people living in a ghost town named Bad City. A sort of Sin City […]
Cinderella
CINDERELLA ***1/2 “Always have courage and be kind”. What better advice could be given to a loved one, especially from a parent to a child? That is the delicate thread that winds through this latest version of the classic fairytale Cinderella, directed by the multi-talented Kenneth Branagh (the man who brought Shakespeare to the masses) […]
Selma; Still Alice
SELMA **** This is such a fine, true, important film – both for U.S. history and in honor of a great leader – that it should have walked away with best film, best actor, best direction and editing. It should have taken all the awards it deserved, and did not get. Except for only one, the inspiring hymn […]
Red Army; Birdman
RED ARMY **** Documentaries are flourishing in the cinema world, for if well-made, they are informative, often moving and entertaining. They serve a public service in opening our eyes to realities we didn’t know existed (like Wim Wenders’ brilliant Salt of the Earth), but they can also be exhilarating, like this one about a legendary hockey team out […]
American Sniper
AMERICAN SNIPER *** A huge box-office hit in the US, with each showing often sold out, this latest Clint Eastwood film, about the real Navy Seal elite sniper Chris Kyle, is a red-blooded, all-American tale of a war hero. As that, it is a gripping tale of a driven, dedicated man, brilliantly directed, edited and acted, with Kyle […]
Snow Therapy; The Interview
SNOW THERAPY (TURIST/FORCE MAJEURE) **** (vo Swedish/French) Powerful is the word that best describes this Swedish film that, among its other awards, deservedly won the Jury Prize in the Certain Regard section at Cannes last year. It starts as a pale, austere skiing tale about a man who momentarily fails his family in an […]
