A girl walks into a movie theater, intent on seeing Little Women, but just as I veer towards the men’s group at any Super Bowl party, the minute I heard a woman say how Little Women dripped a little too much maudlin, I spun and drove for a power lay up back into Uncut Gems.… Continue reading A Girl Walks Into a Movie Theater…
Month: December 2019
Finishing the Safdie Iron Man: “Heaven Knows What”
I can now place the Safdie full length narrative film Iron Man medallion around my neck after watching “Heaven Knows What” from 2014. Here’s some tried and true Safdie-isms based on the fill complement of narratives (Daddy Longlegs, Good Time, Heaven Knows What, and Uncut Gems): 1. eerie soundtrack music with a mixture of futuristic… Continue reading Finishing the Safdie Iron Man: “Heaven Knows What”
Uncut Gems: Sparkling!
Not sure how to write a review about a revelation without spoiling this film written by my cherished Safdie brothers (Good Time, Daddy Long Legs) and their writing partner Ronald Bronstein. BUT I will keep my promise!! Suffice to say it’s a must see and certainly breaks into my top ten at ‘lucky’ number 7… Continue reading Uncut Gems: Sparkling!
Murder She Wrote was Only an Hour Long for a Reason: Knives Out
Here’s where the easily entertained American Public wins the ratings war: “Knives Out” scored a higher Rotten Tomatoes audience review than Bombshell. Enough said. I had higher hopes than normal about a movie like Knives Out after hearing over and over that Rian Johnson really brought something novel to the murder mystery genre. Something novel… Continue reading Murder She Wrote was Only an Hour Long for a Reason: Knives Out
Tale of Two Shells: Bomb & Smucker’s Magic
Jay Roach’s latest directorial film Bombshell has something in common with Smucker’s Magic Shell. You remember Smucker’s….you pour it over your ice cream and it becomes a crunchy shell. I don’t know about you, but I always thought the shell ruined the pleasure of ice cream, just as I felt at the beginning of Bombshell… Continue reading Tale of Two Shells: Bomb & Smucker’s Magic
Richard Jewell, What a Gem!
Do you care if a movie strays from a historical tale IF it is a well told story? I guess I’ll find out after I write this review as I had avoided the articles about the controversy after finding a key piece of plot surprise that I did not want to know about the actual… Continue reading Richard Jewell, What a Gem!
The Second Time Around
2019’s been such a great year in film that I’ve seen several a second and some even a third time around. Do I have a movie addiction(?), probably, but thank goodness for the directors. screenwriters and actors making it a tremendous buzz. Here’s what I noticed on my recent second time films: A Beautiful Day… Continue reading The Second Time Around
Almost Toxin, West Virginia
Mark Ruffalo deserves some credit. He could choose pretty roles at this point in his career, fun stuff like all comic book movies or even hold out for the ninth Tarantino, but no, Ruffalo has consistently chosen movies he finds important: Spotlight, Foxcatcher and now the well written and directed “Black Waters”. “Black Waters” details… Continue reading Almost Toxin, West Virginia
Inside Game, A Tremendous Rebound
Say what you might about the B level soundtrack and some of the clunky performances, Inside Game (directed by Randall Bantinkoff and written by Andy Callahan) has the true to life gritty feel of a quality reality show. It’s the perfect movie for sports fans, especially NBA fans, a hot topic right now considering that… Continue reading Inside Game, A Tremendous Rebound
I’d Buy a High Mortgaged House Just to be Mr. Roger’s Neighbor
Thank you Marielle Heller! As you did in Can you Ever Forgive Me (for which you personally weren’t nominated for direction, a shame) you’ve done it again here, once again with the forgiveness theme, in “A Beautiful Day on the Neighborhood”. The story written by the team of Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster (both also… Continue reading I’d Buy a High Mortgaged House Just to be Mr. Roger’s Neighbor