The ambitious psychological drama Blessid is sobering and challenging because of its unique brand of storytelling ambivalence. On one hand, director Rob Fitz’s (“God of Vampires”) unflinching narrative embraces the conventional elements of melodramatic mechanisms (i.e., the harried heroine, love and loss, strained marriage, the unlikely guardian angel, psychotic suitors, tortured childhood memories complimenting adulthood…
According to military historian Antony Beevor, “The subject of the Red Army’s mass rapes in Germany and elsewhere in Europe has been so repressed in Russia that even today veterans refuse to acknowledge what really happened.” A Soviet war correspondent has said that, “It was an army of rapists,” that Russian soldiers raped every female…
Recipient of a Golden Globes nomination for Best Actress in a musical or comedy, Lily Tomlin (“Grace and Frankie” TV series) may be a bit over-the-top as the tough, outspoken, and cantankerous 70-something Elle in Paul Weitz’ (“Little Fockers”) Grandma, but she is also very funny and very real. If you’ve heard of tough love…
British social realism is a cinema movement that developed in the 1960s with an eye to portraying the dour and grim reality of working class life in Britain. Such titles as “Kes” (1969), “Saturday Night and Sunday Morning” (1960) and “My Beautiful Launderette” (1985) explored social tensions around race, gender and sexuality, as well as…
It’s been twelve years since Abby (Angela DiMarco) last saw her sister, Rebecca (Kate Alden), and she’s very nervous about spending time with her again. Accompanied by Abby’s fiancé Calvin (David S. Hogan), they travel to the family cabin in the woods to spread their mother’s ashes in the lake she loved. The weekend is…
Although Expecting is advertised as a comedy drama, it’s undeniably much more of a drama, with the occasional laugh thrown in. This format is not necessarily problematic within itself, but when it comes packaged in such a joyful poster, it invariably comes as a bit of a curve ball to suddenly be faced with so…
There’s nothing more rewarding than bringing a baby into the world; sure, it’s scary, and it’s a lot of responsibility, but there’s just nothing like it — it’s a life-changing experience. That’s what I hear anyway. I’m not a mother, and I don’t expect to be any time soon, but my friends have kids and…
