Robert Redford Finds All is Lost Stirs Accolades at This Year’s NYFF by Brad Balfour If any movie suggests both the pleasure and torture of solitude, it’s J.C. Chandor’s NYFF main slate entry, All Is Lost. Only such a seasoned actor as the 77 year old Robert Redford could propel such a simple narrative — of … Continue reading
Waifish Rooney Mara Reveals Some of Herself in Ain’t Them Bodies Saints by Brad Balfour Against the backdrop of 1970s Texas Hill Country, Ain’t Them Bodies Saints tells a gothic American tale of three characters straddling various sides of the law – outlaw Bob Muldoon (Casey Affleck), his wife Ruth Guthrie (Rooney Mara), and local … Continue reading
Barry Levinson The Veteran Director Takes A Horrifying Dip Into The Bay by Brad Balfour Who would have thought that Oscar-winning director Barry Levinson – better known for Rain Man, Diner and Wag the Dog – would team up with the producers of Paranormal Activity and Insidious to make a nerve-shredding tale of a small … Continue reading
Eric Bana – Australian Actor Electrifies with Brit Spy Thriller Closed Circuit by Brad Balfour Melbourne-based actor Eric Bana has played his share of heroes and villains. Initially thanks to his rugged good looks and naturally buff physique, he’s been cast as a heroic good guy in The Hulk or Munich even as a romantic … Continue reading
Liv Ullmann The Legendary Swedish Actress Recalls Life with Ingmar Bergman in Film and in Person by Brad Balfour One of the many things a benchmark film festival like the New York Film Festival can do is anoint a new documentary with the stamp of importance just by inclusion in the fest. Such is the … Continue reading
Pablo Berger Gives a Spanish Flavor to a Beloved Fairy Tale with Blancanieves by Brad Baflour Spanish director Pablo Berger took a leap with his second film, Blancanieves, in re-imagining of the Snow White fable with enough grit to validate the film. However to construct it as a silent film was a real jump into … Continue reading
Director Spike Lee Has His Red Hook Summer by Brad Balfour When New York-based director Spike Lee makes a film, it’s almost always an event. That’s been the case virtually from the moment he emerged as a hot young indie filmmaker breaking both the color barrier by dealing with subject matter most mainstream directors neither touched … Continue reading
Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, Samantha Barks and Tom Hooper – Bringing a Broadway Classic to the Big Screen with Les Misérables by Brad Balfour Based on the legendary Victor Hugo novel – by way of the operatic stage musical created around it – the recently released cinematic version of Les Misérables spans 17 … Continue reading
Christoph Waltz Unchained by Brad Balfour When Vienna-born Christoph Waltz got the part of Nazi Colonel Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds, few thought this Austrian actor – well known back home, but a question mark for film fans here – would so define a character and himself through this Quentin Tarantino film. Now with Django Unchained, Tarantino … 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
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