Peneflix MOVIE REVIEWS BY PENEFLIX

Who doesn’t like magic?  Magic is transformative, the unimaginable becomes a reality; it is awe -inspiring, defies logic and has been around since Jesus Christ did the “loaves and fishes” number a couple of thousand years ago; yes, magic can sway, even convert the most ardent disbeliever. Its fascination is proven ubiquitously by David Copperfield, Doug Henning, Siegfried & Roy, ... Read More »

Michael Douglas and Matt Damon connect beautifully as star -crossed lovers: Liberace (1919-1987) and Scott Thorson (1959-). Flamboyantly talented and weirdly, wildly famous Liberace capitalized on his skill as a pianist in combination with his outrageously creative style; encased in plumage, furs, jewelry, capes, rhinestone studded boots, he epitomized the “bling” in bling.  His fingers flew like diaphanous feathers across ... Read More »

This post is for the diehards, Eastern and Western moviegoers addicted to this genre; falling into the latter, I made a recent pledge regarding the countless films generated every year from this prolific source; NEVER again will I subject  myself to silly, frivolous, scatterbrained themes that gush, at the tsunami level, from a myriad of India’s filmmakers. NEVER again will ... Read More »

Based on the novel by Henry James (1843-1916) directors Scott McGehee and David Siegel gift audiences an engrossing, captivating film starring Onata Aprile as “Maisie”, an enchanting sprite of a girl, whose penetrating, enthralling gaze, mesmerizes viewers and simmers with volumes of wisdom; wisdom that a six-year-old should not possess. Maisie is the product of parents from Hades; “Suzanna” (incomparable ... Read More »

There a few iconic department stores throughout the world that are destination places in, and of themselves: Harrods’s and Harvey Nichols,  London; Galleries Lafayette, Paris; David Jones, Sydney; KaDeWe, Berlin; (and once magnificent, now defunct, Marshall Field’s, Chicago); none can touch the mythical, legendary reputation cemented by Bergdorf Goodman in New York City; it is the crystallization of glamour, epitome ... Read More »

There are limited times when rules have to be broken; I never read another critic’s movie review until I post mine; but while watching “Star Trek Into the Darkness” I realized that I was totally ignorant, a pure neophyte, incapable of enjoying the Star Trek genre (admittedly, I never watched the television show nor the prior films); I felt absolutely ... Read More »

If Michael Shannon (“Revolutionary Road”, “Take Shelter”) has not registered on your film Richter scale, “The Iceman” should pole-vault him into the upper echelons; his brooding, intimidating intensity; lethal, black gaze nails the conscienceless killer “Richie Kuklinski” (1935-2006); Shannon is riveting in conveying a man whose decency was robbed by a father who beat and annihilated his moral compass. Yet ... Read More »

Director Francois Ozon (“The Swimming Pool”) serves arguably, one of the most intriguing, conversation-provoking films of the year; wickedly psychological, creepily voyeuristic “In The House” explores the relationship between a beleaguered, bored, high school English professor “Germain” (caustic, keen-witted performance by Fabrice Luchini) and his precocious student “Claude” (titillating portrayal by handsome newcomer, Ernst Umhauer). Lonely, manipulative Claude, writes about ... Read More »

From the first cords of Dean Martin’s “That’s Amore” I was bamboozled emotionally; tearfully -smiling, heart- swelling, loving  the company of these compelling, real people: “Philip” (glorious performance by Pierce Brosnan,  magnificently aged, even his wrinkles have integrity), a widower, stringent, workaholic, living in Denmark; collides with “Ida” (enchanting portrayal by Trine Dyrholm, her incandescent smile, defines “love”) a hairdresser ... Read More »

Once upon a time, in a century long gone bye, I was a feature writer; great, easy fun, face-to-face with press -worthy subjects;  interesting, entertaining, some controversial, some fascinating individuals, but periodically I would meet, as I pejoratively referred to as  “flatliners” , those I could not engage, waves of resentment, that a lifejacket could not ward off, buttressed me ... Read More »