Monthly Archives: December 2022

British editor-turned-director David Lean is most widely-known for his epics. Starting with “Bridge on the River Kwai” and “Lawrence of Arabia,” on through to “Dr. Zhivago” and “A Passage to India,” he gave the cinema films of scale, scope and … Continue reading →

And just like that, Gerard Butler’s back to making B and C movies? Sure, he’s got the imaginatively-titled thriller “Plane” due out in January, and not everything Lionsgate releases is a B-movie. But is this it? Is “Last Seen Alive” … Continue reading →

Historical dramas are as much a reflection of their times as those they’re bringing back to life on the screen. That’s one reason why the many versions of the life and martyrdom of Joan of Arc play like harsh judgements … Continue reading →

“My Father’s Dragon,” the new film version of Ruth Stiles Gannett’s beloved 1940s children’s books, is an adorable and engaging fantasy and, in this interpretation, something of a parable. Animated by the Irish Cartoon Saloon team that gave us “The … Continue reading →

However lightly-regarded it might be in the canon of the filmmaker who gave us “The Red Shoes,” “Black Narcissus” and “The 49th Parallel,” Michael Powell’s “Age of Consent” seems something of a landmark,now. It’s a movie that had a reputation … Continue reading →

A horror movie parable, adapted from a novel, with a “Sophie’s Choice” dilemma. A February release.

He didn’t write it as a musical, but Roald Dahl might approve of the dark, mean yet sentimental and sweet confection that rolls off the screen as “Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical.” Writer Danny Kelly and composer/adaptor Tim Minchin’s stage … Continue reading →

Israeli actress turned director Hadas Ben Aroya continues her exploration of the love and sex lives of young Israeli Jews with “All Eyes Off Me,” her follow-up to “People That Are Not Me.” Her debut feature explored the curiosity, longing … Continue reading →

Long before Nicol Williamson broke character and fight choreography the sacred vows of the theater and went after a co-star, mid-performance, in “I Hate Hamlet,” he had a reputation. Scary. Dangerous. Volatile. Did not give a f—. I remember interviewing … Continue reading →

The neglected and abused elderly become avenging zombies in the German thriller “Old People,” a film with a clever hook, grisly details and a motivated, some would say justifiably so, “villain” class. Writer-director Andy Fetscher’s depiction of the horrors of … Continue reading →