Peneflix MOVIE REVIEWS BY PENEFLIX

Impossible to obliterate a highly creative monolithic monster, a mutant descendent of the dinosaur family;  thriving on   radioactivity,  deliciously dished by viable governments, determined to erase him from the globe; fortunately for viewers “Godzilla”, an amphibian of mammoth magnitude,  still possess pungently powerful immunities to weapons of mass extinction.   Interestingly “Godzilla” lacks the “fear factor”; being my first exposure to ... Read More »

Philip Seymour Hoffman (1967-2014) stars in this unfortunate, misguided,  sad film, based on a puny, weary working class town imbued with minor minds, alcoholic imbeciles, petty miscreants and derelicts. Directed by John Slattery, Jr. “God’s Pocket” (a metaphor for the mundane, struggling average man, in need of spiritual guidance, protection); Hoffman is “Mickey Scarpato” a meager thief confronted, confounded by ... Read More »

This interesting and intelligent film focuses on a minimally highlighted slice of slavery’s abhorrent effects, and the Civil War (1861—65), in North America. 1864. Thirteen- years- old, fatherless, and working for a bounty hunter, “Will” (marvelous, insightful performance by Ashton Sanders) is sent to find freedmen and runaway slaves; “Burrell” (pungently evil depiction by Bill Oberst, Jr.) rules with killing ... Read More »

Trouble threatened when I started rooting for the villains, their mission was clearly defined, whereas “Peter Parker” was in an indeterminate ennui, limbo; having graduated from High School (a real age stretch), debating between doing his laundry or saving the city from catastrophic electrocution; Spider Man falls into the malaise that so many contemporary juveniles experience; needing time to “find ... Read More »

For those of you with a challenged attention span I am giving this salacious sludge, staring the stammering savant (Woody Allen) 1/2 star. Mr. Allen has gifted his legacy to actor/writer/director John Turturro. “Fading Gigolo” is a pathetic scenario revolving around an inventive florist “Fioravante” (Turturro), financially destitute, who allows himself to be conscripted into male prostitution by his friend ... Read More »

On a recent trip to Amsterdam my friend and I spent time at the Portuguese Synagogue, Jewish History Museum and the Dutch Theatre (holding venue for thousands of Jews, before being sent to various concentration camps); painfully and powerfully connected to WWII, a shameful testimony to genocide, yet positive, because it challenges visitors to reflect and never forget the ultimate ... Read More »

If you can weather the profoundly profane opening scene, you’ll relish Jude Law’s lusciously entertaining characterization of a safecracker who has spent 12 years in jail for not “squealing” on his co- conspirators. Law gives his scintillating personal best as this grungy, witty, foul-mouthed ex-con; every sentence, sprinkled with nasty, at times poetic, epitaphs; he is the most likeable miscreant ... Read More »

Nicholas Cage, recently turned fifty; in his latest film “Joe” he time travels back to his acting prowess of “Leaving Las Vegas”; barely recognizable, bearded, inked he is an ex-con running a day- labor crew that poisons undesirable trees, making room for developers to civilize the land; Joe is a nice guy with a volatile, alcoholic temper; Cage is superior ... Read More »

Kevin Costner is commanding as  “Sonny Weaver Jr.”, fictional general manager of the Cleveland Browns football team; he looks the part and imbues it with the proper angst and intelligence. His father, the legendary coach of the Browns has recently died; Sonny’s mission to build a “team of dreams” fumbles, is stymied by catastrophic obstacles blocking his decisions. The owner ... Read More »

Jonathan Glazer’s creepy, disturbing science-fiction film, starring Scarlett Johansson as an alien embodiment of a Venus flytrap, is hauntingly meaningless; a circuitous journey of a lusciously robotic fake -female, as she victimizes real men in her quest to adapt to an unfamiliar world. Johansson has the attributes and uses them skillfully: cultured English accent paired with barely distinguishable Scottish brogues; ... Read More »