C+ Drama Written by Hanif Kureishi Directed by Roger Michell If the shockingly misleading trailer for Le Week-End makes you want to see the movie, don't. It is not, as you may have been led to believe, a romantic frolic about an aging couple rekindling their romance in the city of lights. Quite the opposite. … Continue reading Before Monday: My review of Le Week-End
Category: Reviews
Quick Opinions on The Past and Dallas Buyers Club
I know. I haven't been writing much lately aside from the weekly newsletter. I've been busy. But I have managed to get to a couple of current films. And I chose well. I really loved both of these pictures, although The Past is definitely the best of them.. A The Past Between this new film … Continue reading Quick Opinions on The Past and Dallas Buyers Club
Cinematic Romance: My Review of Liv & Ingmar
B Film history documentary Directed by Dheeraj Akolkar Ingmar Bergman and Liv Ullmann comprise one of the great teams in film history. Their collaborations include Persona, Cries & Whispers, Scenes From a Marriage, and Autumn Sonata. As a romantic couple, they lasted only five years. But their artistic collaboration, and their friendship, lasted nearly 40, … Continue reading Cinematic Romance: My Review of Liv & Ingmar
The Once-Great John Sayles Makes a Pretty Good Mystery in Go for Sisters
B Mystery/thriller Written and directed by John Sayles Back in the 1990s, independent filmmaker John Sayles turned out one great film after another. But he's been turning out mostly disappointments for a long time now. His latest film, Go for Sisters, didn't disappoint me, but that's only because I've lowered my expectations about this once-great … Continue reading The Once-Great John Sayles Makes a Pretty Good Mystery in Go for Sisters
Sweet Dreams: Drumming, Ice Cream, and the aftermath of genocide
C+ documentary Directed by Lisa and Rob Fruchtman This upbeat, everything-turns-out-okay documentary tries to tell three different stories in 84 minutes. While it has its high points, it doesn't do justice to any of them. The location, modern-day Rwanda not quite 20 years after the genocide, promises something fascinating and disturbing. In 1994, one of … Continue reading Sweet Dreams: Drumming, Ice Cream, and the aftermath of genocide
My Thoughts on Night of the Living Dead
Tuesday night, in the seasonal holiday spirit, I finally saw the original Night of the Living Dead. It really is one of the greatest horror films ever made. This is fear without compromise. The terror and suspense never let up. There's absolutely no room for a happy ending. The slow, nearly unstoppable ghouls (no one … Continue reading My Thoughts on Night of the Living Dead
Fanciful Thriller About Israeli-Palestinian Bonding: My Review of Zaytoun
C+ Heartwarming wartime thriller Written by Nader Rizq Directed by Eran Riklis Think Hell in the Pacific. Two soldiers on opposing sides must work together to survive. And in doing so, they find each other's humanity. Except that this time, one of the soldiers is a pre-teen, and the world they're trying to escape from … Continue reading Fanciful Thriller About Israeli-Palestinian Bonding: My Review of Zaytoun
Did You Hear the One About the Documentary? When Comedy Went to School
B Documentary Directed by Mevlet Akkava and Ron Frank I didn't know it at the time (after all, I grew up in Los Angeles), but I was raised on Catskills Mountain humor. Jerry Lewis, Danny Kaye, and Buddy Hackett taught me to laugh. As I grew older, Carl Reiner, Woody Allen, and Tom Lehrer took … Continue reading Did You Hear the One About the Documentary? When Comedy Went to School
Serious Farce: My review of Afternoon Delight
B+ Officially a comedy Written and directed by Jill Soloway The plot sounds like broad, comic farce--a feminist take on Down and Out in Beverly Hills. A bored, Jewish young mother and housewife (Kathryn Hahn) worries about the lack of sex in her marriage. Then, for reasons that are never really explained, she invites a … Continue reading Serious Farce: My review of Afternoon Delight
Rethinking Dial M for Murder
The last time I saw Alfred Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder on the big screen, or in 3D, was the first time any paying audience had seen it in decades. That was in 1980, at San Francisco's York Theater. I finally experienced the film properly again Thursday night at the Rafael, and it's a much … Continue reading Rethinking Dial M for Murder
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