Robert De Niro, Al Pacino & Martin Scorsese Cinematic Icons Bring The Irishman to Life Adding to Their Catalog of Mob Mayhem by Brad Balfour While master actor Robert De Niro and director Martin Scorsese have separately established voluminous and highly praised careers, their work together has stirred hurrahs that have made them Olympians of … Continue reading
THE GARDEN (SOMMERHÄUSER) (2017) Starring Thomas Loibl, Laura Tonke, Ursula Werner, Günther Maria Halmer, Christine Schorn, Inge Maux, Mavie Hörbiger and Emilia Pieske. Screenplay by Sonja Maria Kröner. Directed by Sonja Maria Kröner. Distributed by 20th Century Fox. 96 minutes. Not Rated. Screened from Kino! 2018 Festival of German Films The Garden (Sommerhäuser) is not … Continue reading
Ethan Hawke, Patricia Arquette, Ellar Coltrane & Richard Linklater Boyhood Is About Growing Up by Brad Balfour Far too much of the buzz and ballyhoo about this season’s indie awards darling Boyhood has focused on the fact that the film was made in real time – sort of. Director Richard Linklater took his core ensemble … Continue reading
John G. Avildsen – Rocky Road To a Classic by Jay S. Jacobs In the summer of 1976, Philadelphia was the home of the American Bicentennial. However, it turned out that celebration was only the second biggest thing to come out of the City of Brotherly Love that year. A small movie about a ham-and-egg … Continue reading
Michael Haneke Makes A Loving Statement in Amour by Brad Balfour A cultivated couple in their 80s, retired music teachers Georges and Anne have a nice apartment in a fine Parisian neighborhood. One night, after seeing a former student perform, Anne blanks out at home, presaging the condition to come. Afterwards, surgery to correct her blocked … Continue reading
Asghar Farhadi Iranian Writer/Director Gets Oscar For A Separation & Retrospective at Lincoln Center by Brad Balfour Iranian director Asghar Farhadi manages to both enlighten and mystify. Maybe that’s why he’s been able to evade both the censors and jailers who police filmmakers for thought crimes against the mega-fascist Iranian state. Or maybe because this … Continue reading
Michel Hazanavicius Silences the Skeptics with the Oscar Favorite The Artist by Brad Balfour Wily provocateur and indie screen mogul Harvey Weinstein sees beyond the obvious and recognizes value in some rather offbeat films. Thankfully, that support has so far paid off. Four of Weinstein’s pictures won awards at this year’s Golden Globes, with a … Continue reading
Martin McDonagh Going Back to Bruges by Jay S. Jacobs Irish playwright Martin McDonagh has never played by the rules in the theater, so it should be of no surprise that his feature film debut as a screenwriter and director would be a quirky, fascinating affair. In Bruges tells the slightly surreal, definitely funny and often … Continue reading
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