The gangster movie is a genre with a long and distinguished history. From “The Public Enemy” to “The Godfather” to “Infernal Affairs” to “Black Mass,” the exploits of gangsters around the world have delighted audiences and encouraged filmmakers to produce works that are familiar yet innovative. The British gangster film includes some prominent and memorable…
“The real voyage of discovery lies in not seeing new landscapes but in having new eyes” — Marcel Proust Taking risks and taking responsibility can be two sides of the same coin but never seem to mesh in Thomas Vinterberg’s (“Far from the Madding Crowd”) comedy-drama Another Round, Denmark’s submission for Best Foreign Film at…
The romantic comedy is my favorite genre, and because I have watched so many, I have developed quite a discerning eye for what’s good or bad in the rom-com world. So where does director V.W. Scheich’s Stars Fell on Alabama fall? Well, it’s not an absolute train wreck, but it’s not exactly good either. James…
As a famous nanny once said, “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.” And in the case of actor turned director Craig Roberts latest film, Eternal Beauty, there’s a lot of sweetness to help digest this painful tale. And with such acting talents as Sally Hawkins and David Thewlis starring within it, this…
Fisherman’s Friends tells the true(ish) story of a Cornish folk band signed by Universal Records in 2010. Understandably, the £1 million deal made national headlines — a collection of working sailors, bellowing out sea-shanties whilst on their shore leave, make for unlikely pop stars. Nonetheless, the aptly named “The Fisherman’s Friends” were a hit, with…
“. . . something is happening here but you don’t know what it is? Do you, Mr. Jones?” — Bob Dylan Mr. Jones, directed by Agnieszka Holland (“Julie Walking Home”) from a screenplay (Holland’s first) is based on the real life story of Gareth Jones (flawlessly played by James Norton, “Little Women”), a young Welsh…
To the Stars is probably my favorite film of the year thus far, and will still rank high in my estimation come end of the year. The film initially premiered at Sundance last year in black and white, but has since been given the color treatment. The change to a colored setting doesn’t take away…
