History lessons don’t have to be boring. But when they are, the problem usually lies with the execution of the presentation of the information. This happens to be the unfortunate circumstance of accomplished writer-director Armando Iannucci’s latest film, The Death of Stalin, which takes a satirical look at the death of Josef Stalin and the…
My Cousin Rachel is a smart and evocative exercise in wrongfooting. Right from the beginning — or possibly the end — Roger Michell’s adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s novel expresses doubt and ambiguity, as narrator/protagonist Philip (Sam Claflin, “Me Before You”) asks “Was she? Wasn’t she?” By the end of the film, any answered questions…
Director Nicholas Hytner (“The History Boys”) serves up a poignant portrait of a disillusioned elderly British bag lady marching to the beat of her own distinctive drum in the uplifting and quirky dramedy The Lady in the Van. Hytner’s touching and slightly offbeat character study is certainly a triumphant turn for revered veteran actress Dame…
