Category: Reviews

Pregnant nuns, and no; it’s not a comedy. My review of The Innocents

~ Lincoln Spector ~ 1 Comment

B+ Religious drama Written by Sabrina B. Karine, Alice Vial, Pascal Bonitzer, Anne Fontaine Directed by Anne Fontaine Religion at its worst--stern, rule-based, shameful, and dictatorial--comes up against basic human values in this drama about a nunnery experiencing a rash of new-born babies. Yes, that description suggests a Monty Python-like farce, not a serious drama. … Continue reading Pregnant nuns, and no; it’s not a comedy. My review of The Innocents

Frank Zappa doc forces you to Eat That Question

~ Lincoln Spector

B- Documentary Directed by Thorsten Schütte Early in this documentary on the legendary musician and provocateur, Frank Zappa insists that you can't possibly know someone from an interview. It's artificial; it's unpleasant; it's only two steps away from the Inquisition. And that captures the film's biggest problem. We hear a lot of Zappa's words, but … Continue reading Frank Zappa doc forces you to Eat That Question

The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble

~ Lincoln Spector

A- Music documentary Directed by Morgan Neville In the year 2000, cellist Yo-Yo Ma decided to take his musical career in a new direction. He gathered up musicians from various countries, all experts in their own cultures' music, and created The Silk Road Ensemble. The idea was to find the beauty in their different traditions … Continue reading The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble

Life at the gym through young eyes: My review of The Fits

~ Lincoln Spector

A- Doesn't fit any genre Written by Anna Rose Holmer, Saela Davis, and Lisa Kjerulff Directed by Anna Rose Holmer This impossible-to-categorize narrative film shows us the world of a public, inner-city gym through the eyes of the teenagers and pre-teens who use it. Specifically, we see it through the eyes of Toni (Royalty Hightower). … Continue reading Life at the gym through young eyes: My review of The Fits

Disability, sexual preferences complicate growing up in remarkable Margarita with a Straw

~ Lincoln Spector

A Coming of age drama Written and director by Shonali Bose Laila (Kalki Koechlin) has issues that few college students have to deal with. She was born with cerebral palsy, and is confined to a wheelchair. Even writing and talking takes some effort. But in many ways, she's doing surprisingly well. She has friends at … Continue reading Disability, sexual preferences complicate growing up in remarkable Margarita with a Straw

When Evening Falls on Bucharest Or Metabolism: Not Quite Jim Jarmusch

~ Lincoln Spector

C+ Drama Written and directed by Corneliu Porumboiu May 12, 2016: I wrote this review in 2014, on the assumption that this film would get a theatrical release in the Bay Area (it had screened in that year's San Francisco International Film Festival). The release never happened. However, on discovering that this film is available on … Continue reading When Evening Falls on Bucharest Or Metabolism: Not Quite Jim Jarmusch

Sold

~ Lincoln Spector

B+ Social issue drama Written by Jeffrey Dean Brown and Joseph Kwong Directed by Jeffrey Dean Brown Sold is a message movie. The filmmakers want you to know that something horrible is going on, and that we all need to do something about it. The film has the sort of single mindedness of message that … Continue reading Sold

Steampunk at its best: April and the Extraordinary World

~ Lincoln Spector

A- Animated fantasy Written by Franck Ekinci    and Benjamin Legrand, from the graphic novel by Jacques Tardi Directed by Christian Desmares and Franck Ekinci This charming, French, animated alternative history takes place in Europe, 1941. But it's not the 1941 we know. If you look quickly, you'll get a glimpse of Adolf Hitler, drawing caricatures of … Continue reading Steampunk at its best: April and the Extraordinary World

The Wave loses power in last act

~ Lincoln Spector

B Disaster triller Written by John Kåre Raake and Harald Rosenløw Eeg Directed by Roar Uthaug Scandinavia created more than just democratic socialism. In recent years, it's also created some exceptional thrillers--Headhunters being the best of them. Norway's latest heart stopper almost reaches that level of frightening entertainment, but then it sags in the final stretch. … Continue reading The Wave loses power in last act