Harry Belafonte is a great performer and a great activist. This reverential documentary emphasizes the activism. B Musical & political documentary Directed by Suzanne Rostock My mother was a big Harry Belefonte fan. She loved his singing voice. She very much approved of his political activism. And I suspect she found him very sexy. There [...]
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The British make great television and have a great comedy tradition. But does that mean you should pay to see their television commercials? C Collection of television commercials If you’re like me, you probably mute or fast-forward through TV commercials. So why on earth would you go to a movie theater and buy a ticket [...]
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A remarkable film from Iran reveals the tensions in two families. A drama/mystery Written and directed by Asghar Farhadi One seldom finds clear heroes and villains in family turmoil. When marriages fail and people lose their temper, you’re most likely to find good people on both sides, angry and flawed, but trying to do the [...]
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A Tibetan Buddhist master and his westernized son clash over the young man’s place in the old man’s cultural and religious world. It’s a story as old, or older, than The Jazz Singer. But in My Reincarnation, a documentary by Jennifer Fox, it’s made new again. B+ Documentary Directed by Jennifer Fox Chögyal Namkhai Norbu [...]
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All middle-aged men are irresponsible jerks who romanticize their youth to the point of psychosis. At least that seems to be the theme of I Melt With You, a new film that is not The Big Chill of the punk rock generation. D Buddy drama · Written by Glenn Porter · Directed by Mark Pellington [...]
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A Dramatic Comedy Written and directed by Michel Hazanavicius The question with which I opened my Hugo post applies even more to Michel Hazanavicius’ new silent film: Did I–and other cinephiles–love The Artist because it is a very good motion picture, or because the story, setting, and style are so close to any cinephile’s heart? [...]
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B+ Sex Comedy Written by Theresa Rebeck Directed by Amy Glazer Charlie Barker (Stephen Barker Turner) is not a happy man, and wild sex with a young, gorgeous, horny, yet stupid sociopath will not improve anything. Seducing Charlie Barker starts as a comedy and grows serious, a trick few films successfully pull off. It helps [...]
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I sometimes wonder whether Singin’ in the Rain really is the greatest movie musical ever made. I think it is, but I may be prejudiced because Singin’ is, after all, a movie about film history–something I care very much about. Other critics and historians may have a similar prejudice. And so we come to Hugo, [...]
Filed under: Restorations, Reviews, Silent Films | 1 Comment »
B- Documentary · Written and Presented by Robert X. Cringely · Directed by Paul Sen Even an Apple cynic like myself must admit that Steve Jobs drastically changed the world we live in, and mostly for the better. I’m writing this on a Windows computer, I have a Creative Zen music player, and my smartphone [...]
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A No genre that I can reasonably identify Written by Lech Majewski & Michael Francis Gibson Directed bt Lech Majewski Even when the subject was mythical or Biblical, Peter Bruegel the Elder always painted the world he lived in–16th century Flanders. And he did it with an affectionate eye towards the daily lives of common [...]
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