A Drama Written & directed by Alfonso Cuarón Opens Friday What an amazing film! Alfonso Cuarón, after making Children of Men and Gravity, returns to his native Mexico to create a loosely-plotted study of Mexico City, 1970-71, through the eyes of an indigenous maid who works for a comfortable middle-class family. At first, Roma seems … Continue reading Roma: Alfonso Cuarón recalls his childhood
Category: Reviews
Monrovia Indiana: Not much to see here
C documentary Directed by Frederick Wiseman Frederick Wiseman's latest documentary studies life in a small, agricultural town in what we might call Trump country. We see people at work. We see people exercising. We see people joking around and telling funny stories. We see people in church and in town meetings. And when we don't … Continue reading Monrovia Indiana: Not much to see here
A celebration of The Great Buster
B+ Showbiz documentary Directed by Peter Bogdanovich There's no question in my mind that film historian and filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich (The Last Picture Show) considers Buster Keaton to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest, physical comedian since the invention of the movies. I agree completely. I'm such a big fan of the … Continue reading A celebration of The Great Buster
A Private War made public by a brave reporter
A Biopic Written by Arash Amel, from a Vanity Fair article by Marie Brenner Directed by Matthew Heineman This is the sort of film that makes me proud to be a journalist. On the other hand, it also makes me feel ashamed that I never, in the course of my profession, did anything really important … Continue reading A Private War made public by a brave reporter
Museo: Another heist gone wrong – but in a good way
B+ Heist thriller Written by Manuel Alcalá, Alonso Ruizpalacios (as Alonso Ruiz Palacios) Directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios You know how this kind of movie works. The protagonist, never working alone, plans and executes a brilliant crime and, at least initially, gets away with it. Then everything falls apart because crime doesn't pay. That's pretty much … Continue reading Museo: Another heist gone wrong – but in a good way
The War at Home seems so far away now
B Restored documentary Directed by Glenn Silber and Barry Alexander Brown I usually review new films. But this time, I'm reviewing a new restoration of a nearly 40-year-old documentary. Some people may find it nostalgic; I didn't. From the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s, America was in a hopeless, unwinnable, far-away war in Vietnam. College students, … Continue reading The War at Home seems so far away now
The Hate U Give comes back to you
A- Drama Written by Audrey Wells, from a novel by Angie Thomas Directed by George Tillman Jr. Of this year's many impressive films about the African-American experience, The Hate U Give must be the most thematically ambitious. It covers police brutality, inner-city neighborhoods, being black in an overwhelmingly white school, drug dealing, black-on-black violence, demonstrations, riots, … Continue reading The Hate U Give comes back to you
The Happy Prince & the very sad story
C- Period drama Written & directed by Rupert Everett Opens Friday Many assume that if a movie focuses on very unhappy people wallowing in their many past mistakes, it must be a great film. This is especially true if the photography is conventionally beautiful, the cast British, and the main character an actual historical figure. Many … Continue reading The Happy Prince & the very sad story
Bisbee ’17: Small town with a cruel past
B+ Documentary Directed by Robert Greene Special screening at New Mission, Monday, 7:00 Opens Friday Written text on a red background tells us the story before the movie really starts. In 1917, Bisbee, Arizona was a prosperous mining town. But many of the miners wanted a part of that prosperity and joined the International Workers of … Continue reading Bisbee ’17: Small town with a cruel past
Complex moral issues go to court in The Children Act
A- Courtroom drama Written by Ian McEwan, adapted from his novel Directed by Richard Eyre Note: I saw this film at this year's SFFILM Festival, and wrote this review soon afterwards. Since then, I've been holding this review, waiting for the Bay Area theatrical run. That run has not yet happened, but the film is … Continue reading Complex moral issues go to court in The Children Act
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