Film Reviews
A Big Slice of “Licorice Pizza”
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 this “coming of age” study […]
West Side Story
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, there is not a moment […]
The Power of the Dog
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, he has long been revered […]
Delicious, Deadly Dysfunction- House of Gucci Review
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 her multitudes of fans, she […]
DUNE- Movie Review
“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, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) join […]