Netflix and Beyond

“Brevity is the soul of wit” Polonius said it, I am attempting to practice it. TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY Based on the John Le Carre 1974 novel is a throw- back and excellent adaptation of this spy thriller. If you were intrigued by the novel you will relish this deliberately slow, quiet trek through the dark, murky corridors of subterfuge, ... Read More »

Meryl Streep is indisputably a titan, a genius in the world of film: it is unlikely that her abilities will be mimicked or duplicated in this century. Margaret Thatcher is also a remarkable woman, who with a will of steel triumphed and altered the political arena in England and the universe; a greengrocer’s daughter whose intelligence, vision and ambition led ... Read More »

This harsh and provocative title references a brilliant portrayal of a gifted seventeen-year-old student coming to terms with her sexuality. “Alike” (sensational performance by Adepero Oduye) has few doubts about her sexual proclivities; her middle-class family poses the vicissitudes, tumult; shedding pain, confusion and obfuscation on daily life. A fractured marriage, parents in denial: Audrey and Arthur (solid, fine, legitimate ... Read More »

This riveting film revolving around the atrocities of the Bosnia-Herzegovina war (1992-1995) is irrefutable proof that Angelina Jolie is a powerful “woman of substance”; she tackles and fearlessly adheres to the horrific genocide (euphemistically coined “ethnic cleansing”) perpetrated against the Muslims by Serbian Nationalists. The movie commences with a man and a woman connecting and dancing in a local bar; ... Read More »

Soon to be in theatres. This creepy but compelling film recalls only the supine position of the fairy tale princess. “Sleeping Beauty” a darling of the Chicago Film Festival, an enigmatic movie written and directed  by Julia Leigh delves into the deepest, deviant male sexual fantasies; a pathetic metaphor for man’s incapacity to relate to or legitimize the emptiness, inadequacies, ... Read More »

It has been a year of breath- defying heights and devastating lows but constantly the movies offer a palliative hiatus from the wonders and woes of the day. I will continue to be immensely grateful and appreciate your continued readership; from all corners of the globe you represent lovers of the magical world of film and its transformative powers. Roman ... Read More »

Based upon the book by Benjamin Mee, “We Bought a Zoo: The Amazing True Story of a Young Family, A Broken Down Zoo, and the 200 Wild Animals that Changed Their Lives Forever”. Succinctly stated and accomplished. The actual Zoo is in England; the movie takes place in California. Matt Damon, whose seasoning as an actor keeps pungently improving, is ... Read More »

This spectacular version of the dazzling play does not disappoint; once again I was ambushed emotionally and shed copious tears as I did in Lincoln Center. Steven Spielberg’s genius translates beautifully from stage to screen, one of the most original stories of the century; based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo. “War Horse” is a visual extravaganza and no one ... Read More »

Rollicking, roller-coaster, ceaselessly entertaining 2 hours and thirteen minutes of Tom Cruise as “Ethan Hunt” is the best and the fourth “Mission Impossible”. Cruise pours his money, heart and body into this non-stop, galvanizing, at times implausible, but always fun flick. I admire Tom Cruise (regardless of his religious convictions); he is fearless and embraces the challenges of his roles ... Read More »

The good news: it is an excellent film; the not so good news: it is redundantly predictable.  For those who did not devour the trilogy written by Stieg Larsson( “The Girl Who Played with Fire”, “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest”) or see the Swedish movie versions or are returning from an alternate universe; entertainment, mystery, engrossment are yours ... Read More »