Tangerine: A Christmas in July cinematic gift

July 14, 2015July 14, 2015 ~ Lincoln Spector

A Drama Written by Sean Baker & Chris Bergoch Directed by Sean Baker Sometimes a new movie blows apart every concept you had about what a motion picture can be, and delights and excites you with the ever-growing possibilities of cinema. New attitudes, new concepts, and new technologies combine with a visionary filmmaker, and the … Continue reading Tangerine: A Christmas in July cinematic gift

Finally Catching Up with Apu

June 17, 2015June 17, 2015 ~ Lincoln Spector

I finally saw Satyajit Ray's Apu Trilogy in its entirety this week. And yes, I loved it. Epic in scope, the trilogy follows the life of poverty-born Apu from birth through young adulthood. None of the three films has a plot in any conventional sense, but they all brim with drama, laughter, joy, suspense, and … Continue reading Finally Catching Up with Apu

Death and families: Bergman’s Cries and Whispers (Blu-ray review)

April 2, 2015July 23, 2015 ~ Lincoln Spector

No horror movie can come close to the fear, dread, and dark hatreds of Ingmar Bergman's great chamber drama, Cries and Whispers. To watch it is to face the end of a slow and painful death by cancer. But that's not all. This film, centered around four women and set almost entirely in one house, … Continue reading Death and families: Bergman’s Cries and Whispers (Blu-ray review)

French Girls in the hood in Girlhood (my review)

April 1, 2015March 16, 2015 ~ Lincoln Spector

B+ Coming of age drama Written and directed by Céline Sciamma When we first meet Marieme (Karidja Touré), she's part of a school all-girl football team. Soon afterwards, an unseen counselor tells her that her grades aren't good enough to get her into high school. (Apparently high school has requirements in France.) she's failed the … Continue reading French Girls in the hood in Girlhood (my review)

Divorce Israeli Style. Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem

February 25, 2015February 12, 2015 ~ Lincoln Spector

A Courtroom drama Written and directed by Ronit Elkabetz, Shlomi Elkabetz Viviane Amsalem moved out of her husband's home years ago. But her remote and stubborn husband won't give her a divorce. The resulting court case spans years in this chamber drama from Israel. The filmmakers chose a simple, direct, inexpensive, and very effective way … Continue reading Divorce Israeli Style. Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem

Whiplash and the All-Male World of Jazz

February 20, 2015 ~ Lincoln Spector

I saw Whiplash a couple of nights ago. I liked it. It was tense. I very much wanted the protagonist to succeed, even though he was kind of a dick. Veteran actor J.K. Simmons, playing the most evil music teacher since Hans Conried in The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T., finally got the juicy part … Continue reading Whiplash and the All-Male World of Jazz

Timbuktu: Tyranny works slowly

January 28, 2015January 9, 2015 ~ Lincoln Spector

A political drama Written by Abderrahmane Sissako and Kessen Tall Directed by Abderrahmane Sissako At first glance, life in the fabled city and the surrounding prairie seem to have changed little over the centuries. But there are changes far more unsettling than the ubiquity of cellphones. An armed group of Muslim fundamentalists have taken over … Continue reading Timbuktu: Tyranny works slowly

Godard and Wilder: Friday Night at the Pacific Film Archive

January 24, 2015 ~ Lincoln Spector

What do Jean-Luc Godard and Billy Wilder have in common--aside from the obvious? The Pacific Film Archive is currently running series on both of them: Jean-Luc Godard: Expect Everything from Cinema and Ready for His Close-Up: The Films of Billy Wilder. Friday night, the PFA screened one film from each series. This was not a … Continue reading Godard and Wilder: Friday Night at the Pacific Film Archive

Bisexual Iranian Immigrant Comedy Not Great–But Appropriate

January 14, 2015January 14, 2015 ~ Lincoln Spector ~ 1 Comment

C Comedy Written and directed by Desiree Akhavan There's nothing really wrong with Desiree Akhavan's autobiographical tale about a twenty-something woman trying to find her place--professionally but mostly romantically and sexually--in Brooklyn. But there's nothing really right about it, either. The concept is very much like Girls, but the execution lacks the HBO series' humor … Continue reading Bisexual Iranian Immigrant Comedy Not Great–But Appropriate

My Thoughts on The Imitation Game

January 4, 2015September 2, 2019 ~ Lincoln Spector ~ 2 Comments

The Imitation Game takes considerable liberties in dramatizing the life of Alan Turing. But the result is an effective, entertaining, and sympathetic tragedy about a man who played important roles in both winning World War II and in laying the groundwork for computer technology, and who was hounded to suicide by an intolerant society. The basic … Continue reading My Thoughts on The Imitation Game