Netflix and Beyond

Weathered, whiskered Liam Neeson is the archetype of a disillusioned, alcoholic Federal air marshal; “Bill Marks”, running on empty, neurotic about flying, shortly after take off on a New York/London flight, receives a “text”, on a secure line, demanding 150 million dollars be transferred to a numbered  account or someone will die every twenty minutes. Hence the flight takes off ... Read More »

PENEFLIX  5th ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARD CONTEST It is that time of year, when once again I prove incapable of separating my mind and heart; they are so entwined that an autopsy would prove inconclusive. I vote for the film and nominees that I consider the best in their category. I do not play the odds; so many “winners” do, regardless ... Read More »

This provocative, unlikely Bollywood flick revolves around the bombardment of the norm, society’s dictates and  breathtaking freedom gained from being involuntarily ripped from one’s comfort zone; a kidnapping releases the chained, frustrated spirit of a traditional, wealthy, urban, spoiled sophisticate, engaged to the perfect prospect (cad of a man), “arranged” by the families of the mismatched pair. Alia Bhatt (daughter ... Read More »

Written, directed and starring George Clooney  as  “Fred Stokes” (George L. Stout), Harvard art conservationist, commissioned by the US Army in 1943 to lead “The Monuments Men”; a team of seasoned curators, architects, historians recruited to capture Nazi- looted masterpieces and return them to their rightful owners. A compelling story based on the 2009, “The Monuments Men” by Robert M. ... Read More »

Two enchanting and mystical weeks of temple -trekking through ancient, sacred monuments: iconic reminders of a people’s dedication and love for their gods; the might of their of their dynasties (Chola in particular): Shiva, Vishnu and Buddha, their avatars, miracles, mysteries laid bare by the inimitable scholar, Dr. Maduvanti Ghose, Alsdorf curator of Indian, Southeast Asian, Himalayan, Islamic art at ... Read More »

PENEFLIX  5th ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARD CONTEST It is that time of year, when once again I prove incapable of separating my mind and heart; they are so entwined that an autopsy would prove inconclusive. I vote for the film and nominees that I consider the best in their category. I do not play the odds; so many “winners” do, regardless ... Read More »

My seventh excursion to India; a country and its people that refuse to relinquish its magnetic hold on my heart and spirit. AVOID “AT MIDDLETON”. It is an embarrassing, sophomoric “soap” about a love connection between two adults (Andy Garcia and Vera Farmiga) who take their college -age children on an introductory tour of “Middleton”; behaving like juveniles , getting ... Read More »

Laborious. Talented Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin cannot salvage this poorly written, tremendously tedious tale of star- crossed lovers, “Adele” and “Frank”, bonding over a sweltering Labor Day weekend in 1987; narrated by Adele’s  adult son “Henry” (Tobey Maguire), (child, Gattlin Griffith) approximately twelve years old, at the time. Adele, a depressed, barely functioning agoraphobic, with formidable trepidation, takes Henry ... Read More »

Buffed and beautiful Salman Khan (“Jai”) with robotic precision slays the nefarious, defends the righteous, woos  newcomer Daisy Shah (young enough to be his daughter); and nauseously encourages all he encounters to “help three other people.” Controversial box office receipts has Khan taking full responsibility for “Jai Ho’s” troubles. Directed by Sohail Khan, Salman’s brother, the film is a narcissist ... Read More »

Prolifically ponderous, what could have been a scintillating, titillating  love story, never leaves the “shadow”, foggy plodding scenario of a genius gone awry, a young woman bereft of options, encouraged by her mother to fall from grace, into the arms of a married man, twenty-seven years her senior. The man was Charles Dickens (1812-1870); the woman, Ellen “Nelly” Ternan (1839-1914). ... Read More »