I dragged myself through the first third of Lena Dunham’s Independent Spirit Award nominated Screenplay Catherine Called Birdy. I loved Girls up until the last season and have either loved or hated Dunham’s antics over the years. Odd upbringings make for creative geniuses (Safdies, Robert Downey Jr) and Dunham (psychiatrist and artists as parents) is… Continue reading Kicking and Screaming: Catherine Called Birdy
The Cathedral: Brilliant, Haunting and Heady
Deciding to shift down from the Thanksgiving/Birthday Go Go Go, I decided to take in an at home film nominated for the 2023 Independent Spirit Awards. After all, these are the folks that acknowledged Uncut Gems, Red Rocket and Zola. The Cathedral, written and directed by Ricky D’Ambrose is a former winner at the Sarasota… Continue reading The Cathedral: Brilliant, Haunting and Heady
The Fabelmans, Adults are Overrated
I think this every holiday season: without children, we don’t need the traditional celebrations. If I was Queen, I’d say screw the turkey and save the Christmas (Or Hanukkah) gift money and let’s do an activity; philanthropic donations and bowling perhaps. I say this to introduce how I felt about The Fablemans, directed by Steven… Continue reading The Fabelmans, Adults are Overrated
Bones and All-Most
Please email me your comments at irun2eatpizza@hotmail.com…I have not cracked the code of getting WordPress to be my friend re. comment availability. I promise to answer all humans who reply. Bones and All is based on a book by Camille DeAngelis and certainly not anything I’d ever read. The horror/love story genre’s not my cup… Continue reading Bones and All-Most
Broker, Positive End-Orphans
PREFACE: Please email me with your comments at irun2eatpizza@hotmail.com I promise to respond to every human:) I’ve been a fan of Hirokazu Koreeda ever since having my heart broken open by his film Shoplifters, so my expectations were gigantic for his newest, Broker. Koreeda went solo on this film, managing both the screenplay and direction… Continue reading Broker, Positive End-Orphans
Chile ’76, A Fine First Feature Filet
Manuela Martelli has quite a few acting roles under her belt, but this is her first feature directed film. I had to do a double take as her resemblance to the main female lead played by Aline Kuppenheim is astounding! Martelli shares the writing credit with Alejandra Moffat and must be thrilled with the international… Continue reading Chile ’76, A Fine First Feature Filet
The Banshees of Inisherin: Location, Location, Loc-
Sometimes your location really matters when it comes to where one views a movie. If I had seen The Banshees of Inisherin in my new hometown of Sarasota, the sultry outside may have been too much of a mismatch for me to enjoy the film as thoroughly as I did. But in my OLD hometown… Continue reading The Banshees of Inisherin: Location, Location, Loc-
A Love Song: Gorgeous
I missed A Love Song when it appeared at Burns Court this past spring, but had heard from a good friend that it was profound. On my Delta flight to Rochester, it was the perfect chance to see if this was hyperbole. But profound is apt. Dale Dickey is a triumph as the middle-aged lead… Continue reading A Love Song: Gorgeous
Raymond and Ray: Doubly Dynamic
I should just start all my podcasts with confessions…but Ethan Hawke is an acting God to me, from his luminous start in Dead Poet’s Society to his poignant Before Sunset Linklater trilogy to what should have been a no brainer Oscar in First Reformed, Ethan Hawke is THE man. And I was fortunate enough to… Continue reading Raymond and Ray: Doubly Dynamic
Call Jane Makes 2022 Look Almost Utopian
I sometimes lament our 2022 technology obsessed culture, but 1968, to borrow a phrase from a former colleague of mine, was no Swiss picnic. Racial strife and the constrictive gender roles look so dystopian and are the key topics of Call Jane, Phyllis Nagy’s first feature film. The screenwriters Hayley Schore and Roshan Sheti need… Continue reading Call Jane Makes 2022 Look Almost Utopian