Wearying of Marvel mania, I skipped the theatre, paying the hefty fee to view on Disney+; it has its redeeming moments but in the end, yawning, I could of passed on this familial saga; parents, “Alexei” (always perceptive David Harbour) and “Melina” (unblemished Rachel Weisz) after a twenty year hiatus connect with their super daughters “Natasha” (pinnacle role for Scarlett ... Read More »
Director Heidi Ewing serves a delightful dish of sublime poignancy; a love story peppered with a quest for personal growth; “Ivan” (Armando Espitia) enters the United States illegally, from Puebla City, Mexico, to pursue his dream of becoming a chef, leaving his lover, “Gerardo” (Christian Vazquez) behind; both men have suffered from abuse at the hands of their homophobic fathers; ... Read More »
From 2001 the action defined “Fast & Furious” franchise has plummeted audiences; this, the 9th version was my first, and in all likelihood, my last; not because it wasn’t good, the thrills, death defying chases, special effects were stupendous, but have been replicated ad nauseam in filmdom: Marvel movies, James Bond, Liam Nesson escapades, cannot neglect the Terminator series; staleness, ... Read More »
A lifelong Stephen King devotee, my fantasy has been to wander the dark, blighted, possessed corridors of his fecund imagination, just for a palpable hour, touching, feeling, experiencing the wizardry pulsating beneath his unorthodox artistry; “Lisey’s Story” might not share the hierarchy of “The Stand”, “The Shining”, “Misery” or one of my favorites “Thinner” but is hefty, semi-autobiographical and sensationally ... Read More »
“Oslo”, based upon the Tony Award- winning play (J.T. Rogers), which is gloriously reminiscent and equally worthy of experiencing as a film, choreographs an incredulous moment in history: the power of a visionary couple blending intransigent advisories, Israel and Palestine, channeling their missions into a viable solution for peace; Ruth Wilson and Andrew Scott with remarkable aptitude depict Mona Juul ... Read More »
Christoph Waltz in his directorial debut and starring as the obsequious, uxorious “Ulrich Mott” (loosely based on the murder of socialite Viola Herms Drath) validates, once again, his transformative powers; with chameleon aptness he imbues Mott’s pathological gallantry with slithering, scintillating charm; he convinced Washington Grand Dame, “Elsa Brecht”, (indomitable Vanessa Redgrave) besting him by forty years, to become his ... Read More »
“THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD” HBO MAX & THEATRES Really? Angelina Jolie, with a face capable of launching a fleet of warships, Rapunzel tresses, a fire fighter? A role Frances McDormand could have pulled off; director Taylor Sheridan bombs with his choice of Jolie as his heroine; her attributes were a hinderance, detraction from, ... Read More »
“Revenge is best served cold”; two prime protagonists, serving vigilante reparation after the death of loved ones; Mads Mikkelsen stars as “Markus” a frigid, calculating Afghani soldier, returning to Denmark to avenge the death of his wife, killed in a horrific train accident; Mikkelsen’s deliciously terrifying performance anchors this sublimely well-written (writer/director Anders Thomas Jensen) scintillating scenario; beautifully balanced, “Riders ... Read More »
Explosively staggering, Philip Glass’s brilliant exegesis of Mahatma Gandhi’s (1869-1948) flowering as a pacifist, exponent of truth and non-violence is profoundly depicted by the Metropolitan Opera (original, premiered in 1980); Glass infuses “Satyagraha” with a blend of historical impacts on Mahatma’s (“great-souled”) youth, commencing with Russian author Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910), his philosophy of “Bread Labour”, and the value of “simplicity ... Read More »
Artists are perpetually striving to portray the innovative within their own discipline: paint, marble, bronze have been substituted, traded for contemporary mediums: digitalization, interactive technology ignites unprecedented techniques; parameters of “what is art” are swelling; “The Man Who Sold His Skin” with remarkable depth focuses on Syrian refugee “Sam Ali” (spunky Yahya Mahayni) escaping to Beirut and selling his back ... Read More »
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