Ah yes, a simple favor indeed. This comedic drama is fun to watch with all the baits and switches leading down one path and then another and with plenty of comedy that stays just short of slapstick. The entertaining novel by Darcy Bell, on which Jessica Sharzer has based her screenplay, has been translated to the screen […]
Someone hailed this as “Glenn Close best performance yet” prior to its debut at The Toronto International Film Festival. It’s not, but Close is especially good in this film about marriage and celebrity. What surprised me most about simple drama The Wife, was the secret that’s uncovered within the story, albeit in a rather retrospective
In 2011 Brother and sister duo Jesse and Evgenia Peretz made a film called Our Idiot Brother and it was very bad. They return with yet another quirky comedy, but this time, the script and direction are genuinely entertaining. Evgenia’s script examines the different aspects, responsibilities, and regrets of middle-age dating. She also explores idol obsession and
Former Google employee Aneesh Chaganty’s first film Searching has an uphill battle thanks to disposable horror film “Unfriended”. The latest disposable feature film trend moves from i-Phone shot movies, to having everything displayed on a computer screen, webcam, facetime or security footage. Essentially, it’s the evolution of the “found footage” concept but Chaganty’s intelligence within
A remake of the 70’s film starring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman, director Michael Noer (who has directed nothing you would recognize) updates the arguably true story of Henri “Papillion” Charriere with modern technology. “Papillion” is an epic story in the telling but not always in the watching. The introduction to our main character is
I’ll admit, when I first heard the title “Crazy Rich Asians”, I thought this was some insensitive comedy spoof. Turns out, it might be one of the most talked about and celebrated films of the summer. It’s based off a best-selling book that is the first part of a trilogy; something Warner Bros. hopes to
For far too long, Kelly MacDonald has been a supporting actress in award-winning films where she’s gotten little to no recognition. Performances in “Elizabeth” (the poisoned dress) or the innocence she portrays in the final scenes of “No Country For Old Men” are samples of her range. “Puzzle” brings the Scottish actress front and center, a lead role
Name me the last skater film you saw… Now name the last skater film you saw about female skateboarders. There are none, making “Skate Kitchen” something of a rarity. Crystal Moselle makes her feature film directorial debut here on a script she also wrote, based on her short film of the same topic with the same
The opening sequence with Alec Baldwin is meant to set the tone for the rest of the film. However, don’t be confused by the trailers for “BlacKkKlansman” that try selling this as a Tarantino-style comedy. This film is serious. Spike Lee hasn’t been able tor recapture the success he had in the early 90’s. In
Disney’s new film “Christopher Robin” is not to be confused with 20th Century Fox’s “Goodbye Christopher Robin” Last year, “Goodbye” showed us the dark origins of young boy Robin and how the famous characters like Pooh and friends came to be. The latest is a fictional story along the lines of “Paddington” where a grown-up