Peneflix MOVIE REVIEWS BY PENEFLIX

Sensationalism is “King” in the latest of “scales vs. fur” epic; director Adam Wingard, relies monumentally on one’s lust for digitally amplified confrontations and destruction; these battles are rendered flawlessly; anthropomorphically acceptable, especially Kong, earns our reverence; unfortunately, the flimsy, dismal dialogue and one-dimensional villain (Demian Bichir, fizzles) are sappily depicted and the ultimate message too blatantly delivered. Saving the ... Read More »

“I am Nobody! Who are you? Are you – Nobody – too?” Emily Dickinson’s pithy poem was resoundingly appropriate and applicable to “Hutch Mansel” a nine-to-five, redundantly predictable, encroaching on “Groundhog Day”, repetitiveness, average bloke, until his dark side is excavated by a home invasion; actor Bob Odenkirk’s physiognomy, demeanor, equanimity was crafted for the role; he melds, anonymously into ... Read More »

Anthony Hopkins a cinematic chameleon, once again proves his divinity in his portrayal of “Anthony”, a wise man dealing with the uninvited invasion of dementia. He is blazing as he combats the unaccommodating specter of depreciation; the evaporation of control, memory and accountability. In the care of his daughter “Anne” (Olivia Colman, the English actor, “that keeps on giving”) we ... Read More »

Peneflix will be on a two week hiatus. More when we return! Read More »

There are characters that harbor, rent free in fatty corners of one’s brain; they are friends, making their presence known serendipitously, surprisingly when least expected. Over the years I have embraced numerous subjects for a myriad of inscrutable reasons: “House” (a Doctor of cantankerous genius), “Foyle” (WWII British detective), “Morse” (Renaissance man, solving crimes), “Nikki Alexander”, forensic pathologist (“Silent Witness”) ... Read More »

Billie Holiday (Eleanora Fagan, 1915-1959) as viewed through the lens of director Lee Daniels is flawed, but impressively watchable;  Andra Day’s soaring interpretation of “Lady Day”, nascent jazz singer whose iconic gift and influence have resonated through the ages; Day mimics to perfection Holiday’s inimitable voice, style, and egregious drug addiction; astoundingly, she captures Holiday’s fearlessness, fortitude, in an era of segregation, where society was defined by color and the government held ... Read More »

Not being a fan of heavy metal, I initially skipped director Darius Marder’s study of an absence of sound, not a choice, a lifestyle; two respected cinephiles pleaded the worthiness of Marder’s scrutiny of profound hearing loss and its effect on musician, “Ruben” (Riz Ahmed) and his altered state. Growing up in a cacophonous household, I have always craved quiet, ... Read More »

THE WORLD TO COME (in theatres)       Two contemporary films about same sex relationships that beg comparisons. Notably, the grander of the two is “The World to Come” directed by Mona Fastvold starring Katherine Waterston and Vanessa Kirby; two finely- tuned, intelligent women in boorish marriages, narrowly earning a livelihood in 1856; farmland unrelenting in its ruthlessness; even ... Read More »

Profoundly sad, agonizing to watch; director Chloe Zhao (“The Rider”) and actor Frances McDormand take viewers on an educated, unveiling journey; a journey, countless travel; those whose jobs, towns have vanished, consumed by advanced technology or outdated worthiness; “Fern” (McDormand at her peak of poetic dramatis) is “houseless”, not “homeless” as she, with the utmost dignity, in her battered van, ... Read More »

Admittedly, I had not heard of, nor read the book, “Guantanamo Diary” by Mohamedou Ould Salahi;  a portrait of endurance despite horrific odds; he was imprisoned for fourteen years, on the flimsy pretext of an affiliation with Osama Bin Laden, at Guantanamo Bay; he was never charged; Salhi is blazingly, percipiently depicted by French actor Tahar Rahim (“The Prophet”); maintaining ... Read More »