Thanks to my sweet son Liam, I have the Criterion Channel for a few months. Thus far, I’ve had a lot of entertainment! One small piece, meaning time wise, was Scorsese’s American Boy: The Steven Prince Story. Steven Prince is a wiry Jewish man from NYC who became buddies with Scorsese back in the 70’s… Continue reading Criterion Fun: Small, Medium & Large
Month: January 2024
Driving Madeleine: C’est La Vie
Driving Madeleine is a quality drama with a splash of comedy. Cyril Grey who helped with Chocolat had a hand in writing this as did the director, Christian Carion, BAFTA nominee for 2006’s Merry Christmas. The story sounds like it’d be a nice light watch, MAIS NON! It’s a dramatic retelling of a woman’s life,… Continue reading Driving Madeleine: C’est La Vie
My Top Five Of 2023
A big cheat, but a tie for Number One: Poor Things for it’s originality and whimsy, Holdovers for it’s homage to my favorite decade (the 1970’s) Number Two: Going way against my original first impression, Past Lives. The film making from the grand sweeping shots of New York, to the smaller melancholic reflections in mud… Continue reading My Top Five Of 2023
All of Us Strangers aka Fever Dream aka Pillow Talk
Warning: The first paragraph contains no spoilers and then the rest of the review is straight talk. All of Us Strangers is an Andrew Haigh film (45 Years, Lean on Pete) which he adapted from a novel by Taichi Yamada. The film has received 3 BAFTA Awards (film, screenplay director) and rightly so. Though I… Continue reading All of Us Strangers aka Fever Dream aka Pillow Talk
“American Fiction” Aims at the Truth
Jeffrey Wright is my second favorite character in Asteroid City. That’s not a slam since the cast of Wes Anderson’s film is humongous (Hanks, Brody, Norton, Johansson, etc), I just happened to be in love with Jason Schwartzman. Wright is an acting dynamo who hasn’t gotten enough leading man roles. His most famous award thus… Continue reading “American Fiction” Aims at the Truth
Godzilla, My Kind of Thrilla
Godzilla is my kind of thrilla, one that doesn’t go into scary human territory, but more outrageously size reptilians. The plot was well written (by director Takashi Yamazaki) and sent a great message about community spirit and how everyone can and should participate, reminiscent of The Little Engine that Could. Additional themes presented were: If… Continue reading Godzilla, My Kind of Thrilla
Monster: Mash and Oxymoron
Monster is both unique and familiar. The novelty comes from a rather non-linear use of story telling, even though Saltburn (horrible film) waits until the final 15 to go back in time, Monster, directed by Hirokazu Koreeda (who also directed Shoplifters, one of my favorites of all time) restarts his story at midpoint. The childhood… Continue reading Monster: Mash and Oxymoron
Roxanne on Demand: In the Mood For Love (2001)
Since I was a mom of an 8 year old and a full-time teacher in 2001, I didn’t see many independent films. But a film savant suggested I see In the Mood for Love, so I took the leap. I watched the Alternate Version on Criterion which after researching found that the difference is the… Continue reading Roxanne on Demand: In the Mood For Love (2001)