Paul Thomas Anderson, writer and director (read “auteur”) of “Licorice Pizza” has a fondness of Los Angeles that infuses every scene of his latest film. It’s 1973 in the San Fernando Valley – that vast string of bedroom communities north of the Hollywood Hills and Mulholland Drive. During the 2 hours and 13 minutes of […]
Spielberg+ Bernstein+ Kushner+ Sondheim= AMAZING
The wait for West Side Story is finally over as the pandemic release of Steven Spielberg’s rendering of the class has finally hit the theaters, just in time for the holidays. And, it is …AMAZING
From the opening credits through to the final heart-rending high angle shot of the impromptu funereal parade, […]
Streaming on Netflix
The Power of the Dog is a masterful, engaging, intricate film that serves as a bully pulpit for both director Jane Campion and actor Benedict Cumberbatch. Campion has long been considered one of the elite writer/ directors ever since The Piano debuted in 1993 and the awards community went on hyper-drive.
As for Cumberbatch, […]
Very early in the unfolding saga of the catastrophic decline of the Gucci family, it becomes obvious that Producer/Director Ridley Scott wants us to understand that the avalanche was internally created, simply waiting for the right earthquake to make the mountain tumble. Lady Gaga (Patrizia Reggiani) is the earthquake, and much to the delight of […]
“Is the Juice Worth the Squeeze?”
There is something ominous about the closing line of Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune. The film, delayed for release because of the pandemic and its likely influence on worldwide box office, has finally appeared in theaters and, simultaneously on HBO Max.
As Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) and his mother, […]
The critic for The Guardian may have said it best. “… a neat and gripping thriller …” What was true in that send up of 1962’s Dr. No, the first of the James Bond film franchise, seems equally appropriate for No Time to Die, playing locally at most theaters.
This is Daniel Craig’s “goodbye” in the […]
STILLWATER
Rated “R”
Playing at theaters locally
Stillwater is a film that offers so much that the handful of critics that have decided to be, typically, “snarky” and show off their critical credentials may have truly missed the point. Matt Damon stars in the film as Bill Baker, an Oklahoma oil rigger prone to stupid decisions and dead-end […]
PIG
Playing at The Moviehouse, Millerton, NY and Triplex Cinema, Great Barrington, MA
Rated R
Fair warning. Pig is not a film for everyone. The “R” rating should be enough to steer families looking for an evening out with the kids to look elsewhere.
Which is not to say that Pig is a film that should be ignored, avoided […]
On screens locally and streaming on Hulu
There was a time when “I was there” referred to being one of the 400,000 at the four days of rain, mud, music and mayhem that was known as Woodstock. The event has been revered as the turning point for rock and roll … the moment the “counterculture” found […]
IN THE HEIGHTS
PG
At local theaters and streaming on HBO Max (one month)
If, as singer/songwriter Harry Chapin once observed, “All my life’s a circle …” then let’s begin where we end. Full circle.
DON’T MISS THIS FILM!
There, now that we’ve settled that, let’s give you a few of the thousand reasons to head out to a cinema […]