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RECENT HOLOCAUST/WWII FILMS, CAN BE VIEWED ON NETFLIX

A week ago I reviewed the brilliant Hungarian film “Son of Saul”. I realized that the Holocaust attraction/repulsion is still very much alive in the twenty-first century; filmmakers and viewers alike are still trying to make sense of a modern culture bent on the extermination of one of the oldest, most sterling and profound religions/race ever manufactured. Here are a ... Read More »

Peneflix Annual Academy Awards Contest – Select and win!

To enter: 1)   You must be a subscriber to Peneflix.com 2)   You may only enter once. 3)   ALL  ENTRIES MUST BE SUBMITTED BY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26TH, MIDNIGHT. $150.00 TO THE WINNER. HAVE TO ANSWER ALL THE QUESTIONS CORRECTLY. Best Supporting Actress: PENEFLIX PICK: ROONEY MARA “CAROL” Best Supporting Actor: PENEFLIX PICK: TOM HARDY “THE REVENANT” Best Actress: PENEFLIX PICK: BRIE ... Read More »

KUNG FU PANDA 3

Animation, even as a child, failed to titillate my imagination, and it is with trepidation that I venture into the genre, unless compelled by the hype, critics raves or piqued curiosity; in this case the “hat trick” ignited my plunge into the  American-Chinese, computer –animated adventure of “Po”, a likeable, naive panda, partially skilled in martial arts. Another irritant is ... Read More »

THE FINEST HOURS 3-D

Not a “perfect storm” but one that should be seen, especially in 3-D; never has man appeared so negligible, nature’s puppet, plummeted by Thor and his buddies. Based on a U.S. Coast Guard rescue mission that took place in February, 1952, off the coast of Cape Cod. Knowing the outcome does nothing to diminish the harrowing expedition. Chris Pine, trying ... Read More »

THE LADY IN THE VAN

“The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” (1969) is a lifetime favorite, its themes, as universal and compelling today, as almost a half century ago; Maggie Smith brought impeccable royalty to the role of an avant- garde art and music teacher in a private girls’ school; “Miss Brodie” was a free thinker, fearless, flawed but tangibly prescient in her logic; “give ... Read More »

Peneflix Annual Academy Awards Contest

To enter: 1)   You must be a subscriber to Peneflix.com 2)   You may only enter once. 3)   ALL  ENTRIES MUST BE SUBMITTED BY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26TH, MIDNIGHT. $150.00 TO THE WINNER. HAVE TO ANSWER ALL THE QUESTIONS CORRECTLY. Best Supporting Actress: PENEFLIX PICK: ROONEY MARA “CAROL” Best Supporting Actor: PENEFLIX PICK: TOM HARDY “THE REVENANT” Best Actress: PENEFLIX PICK: BRIE ... Read More »

45 YEARS – Second Posting!!

Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay give subtle,  profound performances as a retired couple on the verge of their forty-fifth wedding anniversary. Directed by Andrew Haigh, based on a 10-page story by David Constantine, this quietly brilliant psychological scenario will haunt one long after its initial viewing. After two screenings I am still unsettled, pondering, contemplating the conclusion. “Geoff” (Courtenay) receives ... Read More »

13 HOURS: THE SECRET SOLDIERS OF BENGHAZI

Knowing the outcome of this disastrous debacle in no way diminishes the intensity of Michael Bay’s film based on the book (“13 Hours: the Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi”) by Mitchell Zuckoff; sensationalized depiction of the days leading up to September 11, 2012, in little-known Benghazi, Libya. Driving through the circuitous, dusty streets the soldiers are met ... Read More »

ANOMALISA

Strange, eerie Lilliputian-like puppets depict a lugubrious, despondent “slice of life”, pervasive and experienced in the real world, simply “Michael Stone” (voice of David Thewlis) a self-help maven, is suffering from a catastrophic mid-life crisis. His perilous condition leads him to seek out an old flame, cultivate a new one, “Anoma”Lisa” (voice of Jennifer Jason Leigh); she is an anomaly, ... Read More »

GOLDEN GLOBES, TARNISHED BEYOND REPAIR

In life (if one lives long enough)  negative epiphanies must be dealt with; “never again” to suffer the indignities and remorse of over-eating, smoking, drinking or in this case enduring 180 minutes of inane and foolish repartee by supposedly talented individuals. From commencement to conclusion beer-swilling host, Ricky Gervais, did not disappoint with his iconoclastic slurs, humorless barbs, toothy guffaws; ... Read More »

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