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BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

Director Bill Condon’s musical feat is a remarkable, joyous, feast for all audiences; an intelligent, insightful tale; its contemporary message, alive and pertinent, regardless of the era. Alan Menken’s musical score partners perfectly with a scintillating cast: Emma Watson is sublime as “Belle”, intellectually secure, more than just a pretty face, realizing her “uniqueness” is not an obstacle but an advantage ... Read More »

PERSONAL SHOPPER

Once again a performance transcends the film (“Jackie”, “The Founder”). If you are a fan of director/writer Olivier Assayas (“Clouds of Sils Maria”) the leap of faith required in “Personal Shopper” might be of no consequence but for others, the chasm is too vast to even consider; I fall into the latter category.  Kristen Stewart is marvelous in the challenging ... Read More »

KONG: SKULL ISLAND

2017’s “Kong” calls the shots; no longer shackled, beleaguered, more than a chest-thumping, roaring primate, he is “King” of this feral, enigmatic island; residents/tourists abide by his rules. It is 1973, and a myriad of agencies, government/civilian are behind a secretive, clandestine expedition to unearth the mysteries/monsters of Skull Island. Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts scores with a formidable cast: Tom Hiddleston, ... Read More »

GET OUT

Writer/director Jordan Peele climbs into a black man’s psyche and capitalizes on his worst fears; “Chris Washington” (phenomenal portrayal by Daniel Kaluuya) is going to “meet the parents” of his ever-so-white girlfriend, “Rose Armitage” (Allison Williams well-matched with Kaluuya), at their even whiter bastion of bland, homogeneous suburbia; Rose repetitiously refers to her family’s lack of racial bias, claiming they ... Read More »

LA LA LAND/THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG/SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS

Three profoundly poignant, powerful films that idiosyncratically adhere, to one’s memory; permanent, lifelong residents, quiet reminders of youth’s surging, electrifying passion; a love never experienced in the history of mankind; convinced of its uniqueness, permanence, consuming every waking moment, dominating dreams, allowing nothing, or no one, to trespass on its sublimity; its redolence lies in its universality; life’s serendipitous, karmic ... Read More »

BITTER HARVEST

1932-33, between seven and ten million Ukrainians were systematically starved to death because they refused to be part of Josef Stalin’s collectivization; resisting forced relinquishment of their land to state- owned collective farms. “Holodomor” (death by forced starvation), cancerous as the “Holocaust”;  Stalin and Hitler, bunk-mates in Dante’s ninth circle of Hell. “Bitter Harvest” directed by George Mendeluk tackles this ... Read More »

ACADEMY AWARDS ATROCITY

For a meager twenty seconds, there were two winners in the Peneflix contest; those twenty seconds destroyed the Academy’s legitimacy for years to come. How can viewers trust the sealed envelope? In retrospect, I bleed for Warren Beatty, lacking the prescience, when he realized the error, to speak out, he was rendered comatose, and poor Faye, spoke too soon. In ... Read More »

FINAL DAY!! Enter before midnight! – 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 24TH, MIDNIGHT. $150.00 TO THE WINNER. HAVE TO ANSWER ALL THE QUESTIONS CORRECTLY. *PENEFLIX PICKS* marked in the form below (PLUS THE WINNER HAS TO GET CORRECT NUMBER AWARDS FOR BEST PICTURE) Read More »

A UNITED KINGDOM

Director Amma Asante (“Belle”), British filmmaker of Ghanaian ancestry has masterfully crafted a dramatic, true love story around a political quest for autonomy; 1947, London, heir apparent to the Bechuanaland (present day Botswana) protectorate, Seneste Khama (polished performance by David Oyelowo), his studies complete, meets and plummets precipitously in love with typist Ruth Williams (enchanting portrayal by Rosamund Pike) whose blind ... Read More »

Just one day left!! 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 24TH, MIDNIGHT. $150.00 TO THE WINNER. HAVE TO ANSWER ALL THE QUESTIONS CORRECTLY. *PENEFLIX PICKS* marked in the form below (PLUS THE WINNER HAS TO GET CORRECT NUMBER AWARDS FOR BEST PICTURE) Read More »

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