Category: Reviews

The Salesman: Arthur Miller & Sexual Assault in Iran

~ Lincoln Spector

A Drama Written & directed by Asghar Farhadi An intruder assaults a woman in her own bathtub. As she slowly recovers physically and tries to recover emotionally, her husband's obsession with finding and punishing the perpetrator only makes things worse. In The Salesman, all points of view, and all emotional reactions, are understandable and believable--even when … Continue reading The Salesman: Arthur Miller & Sexual Assault in Iran

Julieta: A sad yet sexy tale of love and loss

~ Lincoln Spector

A drama Written by Pedro Almodovar; adapted from three stories by Alice Munro Directed by Pedro Almodovar The opening credits appear over what looks like deep-red curtains. We know we're in for a lush, romantic story with high emotions. When we meet the middle-aged Julieta (Emma Suárez), she seems to have everything she could want: a … Continue reading Julieta: A sad yet sexy tale of love and loss

The Brand New Testament takes God down several notches

~ Lincoln Spector

A Comedy Written by Thomas Gunzig & Jaco Van Dormael Directed by Jaco Van Dormael In this funny, silly, sacrilegious, and surprisingly touching comedy from Belgium, God proves to be a real asshole. He finds great joy is making innocent people suffer. He pronounces new rules for the universe, such as the one that requires … Continue reading The Brand New Testament takes God down several notches

Old Stone finds drama and violence from society’s inhumanity

~ Lincoln Spector

B Drama turned thriller Written and directed by Johnny Ma Intended as a critique of Chinese society, Johnny Ma's first feature shows us a man economically trapped for committing a good deed. But Old Stone loses its way in the third act, when it shifts from serious social drama to attempted thriller. In the confusing … Continue reading Old Stone finds drama and violence from society’s inhumanity

Mifune documentary enjoyable and enlightening

~ Lincoln Spector

B+ Documentary Directed by Steven Okazaki If you have any interest at all in Japanese cinema, you're bound to enjoy Mifune: The Last Samurai, a love letter to the legendary movie star. Even if you already know a great deal about Toshiro Mifune, you'll probably learn something new. For instance, I discovered through this film that … Continue reading Mifune documentary enjoyable and enlightening

To Pixar and Beyond: Animating the business end of filmmaking

~ Lincoln Spector

You'd expect a book on the history of Pixar to include lots of drawings, models, and frame blowups. But you'll find only words in Lawrence Levy's To Pixar and Beyond: My Unlikely Journey with Steve Jobs to Make Entertainment History. But then, To Pixar and Beyond is not about animation, design, or storytelling. It's not even … Continue reading To Pixar and Beyond: Animating the business end of filmmaking

Warren Beatty plays Howard Hughes for laughs in Rules Don’t Apply

~ Lincoln Spector

B+ Romantic comedy Written and directed by Warren Beatty Story by Beatty and Bo Goldman Don't be fooled by the posters. Rules Don't Apply isn't a thriller. It's a romantic comedy. Warren Beatty returns to the director's chair for the first time this century, wringing laughs out of billionaire recluse Howard Hughes. (He also returns … Continue reading Warren Beatty plays Howard Hughes for laughs in Rules Don’t Apply

Elle: Very much a Paul Verhoeven movie

~ Lincoln Spector

B- Mystery/drama Written by David Birke; from the novel by Philippe Djian Directed by Paul Verhoeven Paul Verhoeven's new film, Elle, is silly, tasteless, and unbelievable. And kind of fun to watch. But then, that's what you should expect from the man who made Basic Instinct, Total Recall, and Showgirls. Paul Verhoeven makes strange, violent, disturbingly … Continue reading Elle: Very much a Paul Verhoeven movie