Monthly Archives: April 2020

“Closeness” is a drama set in the Kabardino-Balkaria Republic of the Russian North Caucasus. It is depicted as a place of limited options, an uneasy “tribal” ethnic mix of populations and a grim, grey beauty that mirrors the hard people … Continue reading →

  “Dangerous Lies” isn’t the dumbest whodunit to come along. There’s enough here to make you guess, second guess and maybe third-guess who is doing what to whom. Maybe the situations seem a little prime-time soapy and the acting a … Continue reading →

Revisiting “The Age of Innocence” for the first time in many years doesn’t erase first impressions of the film. But it does make you marvel at the many times Martin Scorsese chose to tackle ambitious projects far removed from the … Continue reading →

You’d expect Mindy Kaling’s take on a teens-on-the-make sitcom to be edgy — kids and teachers lobbing profanity back and forth across the net, an Indian-American teen daring to call her mother a “bitch” in mid-tantrum, a 15 year-old brazenly … Continue reading →

    “Scared of Revolution” takes us back to the pre-history of hip-hop, to The Last Poets, young African American slam poets (before that was a thing) who got up on stage, accompanied by a conga player or an ensemble, … Continue reading →

There are two ways and two ways only that the rom-com “It’s for Your Own Good (Es por tu Bien)” can turn out, given the set-up. It’s about three brothers-in-law, concerned at what they see are poor choices their three … Continue reading →

Do yourself a favor, if you’re stuck at home and craving something to watch. Netflix of Amazon Prime “The Lunchbox,” the best Western showcase for the soulful Indian actor Irrfan Khan. He died this week. He was just 53. His … Continue reading →

Universal may have shown a little too much glee in bragging about how well they did by streaming the middling “Trolls World Tour” thanks to cinemas being closed thanks to COVID19. AMC Theatres has threatened that it will no longer … Continue reading →

Scream it into the void, even though no one will hear. Email the board rooms, the film school deans, even though none will reply. “ENOUGH with the zombie movies!” Even if you set your zombie apocalypse on an Indian reservation … Continue reading →

“The Reliant” probably played better in 2019, when it came out (VOD) than it does today on Netflix. Why? It’s a trigger-happy faith-based survivalist thriller. A couple of weekends of pot-bellied, camo-wearing AK-47 brandishing rubes with “I need a haircut” … Continue reading →