Monthly Archives: January 2022

I avoid checking out early sound films as a rule. The bulky cameras and sound gear make for static productions. The acting is of a more theatrical “classical” pre-“Method” era and seems as stagebound as the blocking and camera work. … Continue reading →

If you’re not watching Netflix’s series adaptation of Luke Pearson’s “Hilda” books, about a little Scandinavian girl interacting and learning about the magical creatures all around her, the feature-length film “Hilda and the Mountain King” may not be the most … Continue reading →

Here we go, here it is, so on.

“The Laureate” is a biography of the “trinity” that the British poet, novelist and translator Robert Graves shared with his painter/illustrator wife, Nancy Nicholson and American poet, critic and essayist Laura Riding. Writer-director William Nunez narrows the focus of the … Continue reading →

One of the traps of this profession is leaning too hard into sweeping generalities. You can’t say “The Holcroft Covenant” is the “worst” film of John Frankenheimer’s career, a new low in a particularly low period for Michael Caine, or … Continue reading →

It begins with that socially awkward moment, a “Do you remember me?” that quickly transitions from embarrassment to “triggered” for the 30ish writer Alina. A Londoner whose latest collection of short stories, “Italian Studies,” has gained her a measure of … Continue reading →

Doggone it, this comedy should have worked better, ticked-over like a fine Swiss watch. “The Little Switzerland,” an Around the World with Netflix farce from Spain, is about a mountainous Basque town long frustrated in its efforts to be recognized … Continue reading →

“The Contrast” is a slight, slim comedy of manners that is widely considered the “first American comedy,” as it was written and produced on the stage in 1787, and George Washington was among its first fans. It’s an arid, dry … Continue reading →

When it comes to casting your B or C movie, it always helps to have a “name” you can use to get the thing funded. Here’s a hot hack for that process. Give Mickey Rourke an eyepatch and a check … Continue reading →

Kudos to whatever outsourced functionary working for Netflix who changed the title of the Mexican film “El comediante” to “This is Not a Comedy” for Norte Americano consumption. That’s truth in advertising. And I’m just guessing here, but I’ll bet … Continue reading →