You Say Tommaso, I say Too Macho

Ok, I couldn’t resist the title, if anything, I felt for Willem Dafoe’s character to a point… But first, let me say that Abel Ferrara’s a new director to me. I did not see The Bad Lieutenant, but did love Herzog’s sequel Bad Lieutenant Port of Call. From what I’ve read of Ferrara’s filmography, he’s… Continue reading You Say Tommaso, I say Too Macho

Easy Girl, Complex Plot, Halcyon Memories

When I was just a lass, there use to be Saturday matinees at 2 pm on channel ten (showing my age when there were 4 channels: ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS) that were mostly foreign films. And in the tiny town of Perry, New York, Rochester was foreign enough, let alone artsy films from the… Continue reading Easy Girl, Complex Plot, Halcyon Memories

Creem: America’s Only Rock N Roll Magazine

I’d like everyone to read and see the combo I ate today. I started my day with Jason Whitlock’s recent blog on Howard Stern, detailing the demise of his subversive style equating it to the death of free speech. Of course, since he sold his soul to Sirius, this is no surprise, but nonetheless tragic.… Continue reading Creem: America’s Only Rock N Roll Magazine

First Cow, A Friendship Fable

First Cow, directed by Kelly Reichardt, known for her unmistakable ability to capture simple pleasures and universal pain, has another wonder with First Cow (now streaming on Itunes). This time she has re-teamed with Jonathan Raymond (Mildred Pierce, Wendy and Lucy) to bring the latter’s novel “The Half-Life” to cinematic life. A perfect circular plot,… Continue reading First Cow, A Friendship Fable

If You Could Read My Mind, You’d See a 7…

While I thoroughly enjoyed the company (my Mom and dear Jack), I don’t think the narrative aspect of Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind was well organized. At least twice, I remember hearing a random comment, out of sync with the previous sequence…for instance, Martha Kehoe and Joan Tosoni (newbies so forgiven) establish… Continue reading If You Could Read My Mind, You’d See a 7…

I Use to Go Here, A Pleasure!

I Used to Go Here (written and directed by Kris Rey) was a delight, even overcoming my ‘I miss the theater’ nausea caused from at home video. But no kidding, right? Since I love Jemaine Clement and really like Gillian Jacobs (who I adored in the Netflix series “Love”). With the aid of an outstandingly… Continue reading I Use to Go Here, A Pleasure!

The Sunlit Night: ‘Coulda’ been a Contender (if only…)

I use to be disappointed in kids who cheated when I was a teacher, but downright angry when a super smart kid would cheat. That’s why The Sunlit Night made me slightly mad. It’s probably a screenwriter issue, which is a shame in this instance, Rebecca Dinnerstein Knight wrote the book from which the movie… Continue reading The Sunlit Night: ‘Coulda’ been a Contender (if only…)

Intelligent and Believable! Burnt Orange Heresy

Burnt Orange Heresy, from a Charles Willeford’s novel, has been spun into a marvelous screenplay by Scott B. Smith (nominated for a screenplay Oscar back in 1999) and film directed by Giuseppe Capotondi. Set in Italy, Claes Bang (absolutely fantastic in the foreign film The Square and currently playing Dracula on Netflix) plays an edgy… Continue reading Intelligent and Believable! Burnt Orange Heresy

An Ironic Mutiny: The Ghost of Peter Sellers

Ironically, I abandoned ship on a movie that WASN’T about a ship, since Peter Medak’s doc The Ghost of Peter Sellers was poignant enough to keep me engaged. Realize, I rarely give up on a film anyway, but my increasing impatience with the distractions of home cinema is fraying my ability to make it to… Continue reading An Ironic Mutiny: The Ghost of Peter Sellers