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LOVE, CECIL

The eponymous scion of fashion flamboyancy, an heir of the Belle Époque, Cecil Beaton (1904-1980) is a delicious concoction of all that was madly, passionately, aesthetically “gay” during his tenure as the monarch of glamour, style and outlandish individuality; his photographic ingenuity has frozen, for posterity, images of the renown: Queen Elizabeth, Greta Garbo, Marilyn Monroe, Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud ... Read More »

LEAVE NO TRACE

Writer/director Debra Granik (outstanding “Winter’s Bone”, launching Jennifer Lawrence’s meteoric explosion on the screen), in “Leave No Trace” with the immaculate skill of a surgeon, dissects a father/daughter symbiotic relationship; “Will” (Ben Foster) and his thirteen-year-old daughter “Tom” (Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie), living by their wits “off the grid” in a forest, outside of Portland, Oregon; for years they have cauterized, ... Read More »

SORRY TO BOTHER YOU

Powerful. Provocative. Problematic. Boots Riley, in his directorial debut, pushes the boundaries between contemporary consumer culture, science fiction and disparities between black and white perceptions of today’s world. Massively metaphorical (reminiscent of “Get Out”) the film commences with “Cassius Green” (outstanding, Lakeith Stanfield, “Get Out”), financially-strapped, he applies for a position at a telemarketing firm; lusting for success and approval ... Read More »

WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?

In Jewish mysticism there are, at any given time, thirty-six righteous people, roaming the world; unaware of their spiritual status they transcend age, gender, ethnicity, religious affiliation, referred to as Lamedvavniks, their giftedness, uniqueness stains magnificently their lifespan and those fortunate to be infected by their aura. Watching this sensitively filmed documentary (splendidly directed by Morgan Neville) I felt Fred ... Read More »

SANJU (HINDI: ENGLISH SUBTITLES)

Director Rajkumar Hirani (“PK”, “3 Idiots”, “Monna Bhai M.B.B.S.”) creates a viscerally stunning film based on the legendary Bollywood “bad boy”, Sanjay Dutt (1959-) son of iconic parents , Sunil Dutt (1928-2003) and Nargis (1929-1981) a love partnership commencing with the filming of “Mother India” (1957); multi-proficient, Sunil, acted, directed, played a dominant role in politics; Sanjay felt emotionally dwarfed ... Read More »

SICARIO: DAY OF THE SOLDADO

“The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones.” Watching director Stefano Sollima’s gruesome scenario of “hitmen”, Marc Anthony’s pungently ironic oration at Julius Caesar’s funeral kept interfering with my concentrative faculties; blackness permeates this film, it is intentional, smothering, blurring lines of propriety on all sides; Mexican cartels have increased their resume, ... Read More »

JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM

The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of endangered species has exceeded 16,000 including: Amur Leopard, Black Rhino, Orangutan, Mountain Gorilla and the Giant Panda. Nature activists should find director J.A. Bayona’s “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” fascinating in its concept. The Dinosaur’s extinction is heralded at some 66 million years ago when a behemoth asteroid wiped them ... Read More »

SUNDAY’S ILLNESS, NETFLIX (SPANISH/FRENCH: ENGLISH SUBTITLES)

Director/writer Ramon Salazar’s “Sunday’s Illness” is as good as any film playing in today’s theaters; opening earlier this year at the Berlin Film Festival, Netflix’s prescience is a boon to those who crave watching excellence in one’s living room. Unlike any mother/daughter relationship you’ve experienced, nuances subtly revealed, profound performances, make this film a thrilling, psychologically titillating scenario. “Anabel” (Susi ... Read More »

HEREDITARY

“Who knows what evil, lurks in the hearts of men? The shadow knows.” It took a week of intense contemplation before I decided to visit “Hereditary”, director/writer Ari Aster’s highly controversial film, saturated in demonology, horrifying mysticism and creepy spiritual forces, up to no good. This is not a movie for the faint of heart, mind and those seeking a ... Read More »

HEARTS BEAT LOUD

Emanating from the screen is a slice of poignant perfection, a rarity in the age of “Marvel Mania”; “Hearts Beat Loud” with tenderness and grace encompasses a father/daughter relationship; Nick Offerman and Kiersey Clemons as “Frank and Sam Fisher” glowingly, beautifully depict a unit built on trust, respect and a genuine pride in each other. Nick, a musician, whose light ... Read More »

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