Peneflix MOVIE REVIEWS BY PENEFLIX

SALT When I think of summers past it is not picnics, beaches or lemonade stands that come to mind; it is the theme parks with tilt-a-whirls, parachute plunges, but primarily the roller coaster with its palpating ascent and paralyzing descent that remains a frozen memory; sitting alone (my cowardly friends watching in horror) in the front seat, the world vanished, ... Read More »

AGORA (A Place of Assembly) On a recent trip to Spain I succumbed to my craving, my ambrosial addiction, and went to a movie. How pleased was I that Alejandro Amenabar’s (“The Sea Inside”, a classic favorite ) “Agora” with the enchanting Rachel Weisz had just premiered in Madrid.Sadly, the movie fell far short of my expectations. I admired the ... Read More »

THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE It is surprisingly good. As a major advocate of Stieg Larsson’s trilogy I counted the days before I saw “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”, my expectations were met and exceeded by the film. “The Girl Who Played with Fire” is the weakest of the trilogy, so I went with limited anticipations. What a ... Read More »

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT Or “Scenes from a Contemporary Marriage”. It is timely, well-acted and I fall into the minority that found it tedious, boring, with minimal interest in any of the principals, the exception being the children. Mia Wasikowska as Joni, the soon to be college freshman captures the essence of a bright, sophisticated, mature young woman: credit ... Read More »

RESTREPO A year ago I saw, along with young physically challenged veterans, the staggeringly remarkable “The Hurt Locker” directed by Kathryn Bigelow. It concentrated on the war in Iraq but its brilliance rested it its lack of politics; no whys, if onlys, or Bush bashing; just focusing on getting the job done. I knew it was one the finest films ... Read More »

CYRUS On a recent trip to Minneapolis John C. Reilly sat in the seat behind me: immediately recognizing him I was ginger about approaching him: many known personalities are protective of their privacy and this I respect. As I went to deplane I mentioned how much I was looking forward to seeing “Cyrus”; he was instantly gracious, asked which carry ... Read More »