Monthly Archives: April 2022

Sigfried Sassoon, WWI “shellshock” survivor, closeted gay man, great poet. “Benediction” was scripted and directed by Terence Davies (“The House of Mirth,” “A Quiet Passion,””The Deep Blue Sea”). Coming soon.

You’ve got to get yourself into a Bollywood headspace when settling in for “Dasvi,” an Abhishek Bachchan star vehicle about an ignorant Indian politician who goes to prison and sees the light — and gets his GED. Be prepared for … Continue reading →

Touchy feeling for an”Thor” trailer, but it pushes some buttons. Funny ones. That “Guardians” Pratt guy and Natalie Portman are on board. July.

“Marvelous and the Black Hole” is an endearing, sometimes amusing coming-of-age tale of teen angst, grief and prestidigitation. It was conjured up by first-time feature director Kate Tsang, a writer of children’s TV (“Adventure Time,” “Steven Universe”) who transfers some … Continue reading →

A “doomed first love” thriller from the tinder box of Europe? “Tabija” was this country’s Best International Feature Oscar entry and opens on Friday.

“Peace by Chocolate” is a charming, almost achingly-sweet fish-out-of-water comedy about Syrian Civil War refugees adjusting to life in small town Canada. Considering the family business they try to establish — chocolate making– “sweet” is pretty much a given. We … Continue reading →

The opening moments of “Navalny,” the biographical documentary of Russian dissident, muckraker and opposition political candidate Alexei Navalny establish just how gutsy the guy is. A photogenic 40something lawyer who became a big thorn in president-pretty-much-for-life Vladimir Putin’s side, important … Continue reading →

A Syrian chocolatier flees to Canada? Sounds cute. This one opens April 29, and I’m getting to it shortly.

You can search high and low, making your “Around the World With Netflix” journey, and never have much luck disproving the premise of Albert Brooks’ political farce, “Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World.” The odd not-that-amusing rom-com from Indonesia, … Continue reading →