The benefit of foreign cinema is that they tend to tell stories that shed a light on their own culture and tell stories a U.S. production would probably warp and bend into something more palatable for our sensibilities, losing that bit of cultural spark that elevated the material in the first place. The drawback is…
Searching for the sublime, we are all explorers in our own way, seeking relief from “tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow creeping in this petty pace from day to day.” The quest for such a magical land is what drove British military officer, archaeologist, and explorer Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam, “Crimson Peak”) to search the Amazon…
There have not been many exceptional War War I films save for a handful like “Lawrence of Arabia,” “Grand Illusion,” “Dr. Zhivago,” “Joyeux Noel,” “The White Ribbon,” “Paths of Glory,” “Gallipoli” and “All Quiet on the Western Front” (okay, that may be more than a handful). Recent attempts such as “Flyboys” and “War Horse” and…
Mike Mills’ 2010 film “Beginners” was based on his relationship with his father who, at the age of 75, announced that he was gay and developed a relationship with a younger man. Mills takes another look at family life in 20th Century Women, a semi-autobiographical film about three adult characters looking back with nostalgia on…
Sport films can be annoying for non-sport fans, if they require a pre-existing interest in the sport itself. The more effective films in this genre, therefore, are often historical dramas that present the life of an individual through history, with the relevant sport part of his or her life. This gives filmmakers the opportunities to…
Observing, feeling, thinking, day dreaming, or simply throwing up your hands in exasperation. You may be engaged in all or none of the above when watching Terrence Malick’s (“Knight of Cups”) Song to Song, a dreamlike exploration of love and betrayal. Whatever does come up for you, however, and whether or not you have any…
“Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” — Matthew 7:14 Many reports from the aftermath of World War II describe the indifference and, in some cases, outright hostility that the general population in Europe felt towards the Jews, with even lifelong neighbors…
