Cheese. Beloved by Wallace and Gromit; source of comedic consternation for George Clooney in “Burn After Reading;” key ingredient for Remy in “Ratatouille.” Hardly the most disturbing food to be portrayed on screen. Nonetheless, writer-director Darren Darnborough succeeds in making his short film about cheese sinister and sexy in equal measure, as well as exquisitely…
When distilled down to its basest elements, con drama Focus is a light and airy attempt to hearken back to the days of movie star vehicles that require nothing more than mega movie star wattage and a smooth smile to keep their exploits afloat. Even when viewed at surface level, there’s nothing more to the…
In a letter to Lou Andreas-Salome, the German Poet Rilke wrote, “The bird is a creature that has a very special feeling of trust in the external world, as if she knew that she is one with its deepest mystery.” Using magic realism together with impressive camera work and CGI effects, Bird People reflects that…
Despite the fact that all the characters’ stories were nicely tied up in bow by the end of “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” “Shakespeare in Love” director John Madden has decided to return to the helm to treat viewers to the continuing adventures of the residents in The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. In this…
Watching Siskel and Ebert on television during the 80s and 90s was an important weekly event in my family. Their movie reviews, that included clips from each film, was a learning experience that offered entertaining and insightful opinions as to whether or not a film was worth seeing. Gene Siskel’s death in 1999 felt like…
The Theory of Everything is a powerful, sincere film about one of the twentieth century’s greatest minds. That it never becomes mired in maudlin sentiment is astounding, given the standard succeeding-despite-the-odds story of its legendary subject, the esteemed physicist Stephen Hawking. The leads are more than adequate; they own the roles of Hawking and his…
“For what else is the life of man but a kind of play in which men in various costumes perform until the director motions them offstage?” – Erasmus Once you add up the upcoming films from Marvel and DC studios, there are twenty-two “superhero” films being planned over the course of the next four years….
