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‘The Falling Star’ (‘L’étoile filante’)

It’s always frustrating to walk out of a movie and ask yourself afterward, “What did I just watch?” That was my reaction to this scattered, unfocused offering from the writing-directing duo of Dominique Abel and Fiona Gordon, and that’s unfortunate given that this release has some definite strengths in its corner.

2024-03-11T21:12:51+00:00March 3rd, 2024|

‘Spaceman’

From time to time, a movie comes along that’s hard to define, and, hence, it’s hard to know what to make of it. Such is the case with the second feature outing from filmmaker Johan Renck, a director best known for TV commercials and music videos, a reputation that bleeds through at times in this production. Viewer opinions and interpretations of this one are all across the board, making “Spaceman” one of the most challenging releases to peg in recent memory.

2024-03-02T04:42:30+00:00March 2nd, 2024|

‘The Unknown Country’

In telling a story with surreal and/or other-worldly aspects, there’s a big difference between “mystical” and “mystifying,” and that’s where this second feature from writer-director Morissa Maltz misses the mark.

2024-02-28T01:02:42+00:00February 28th, 2024|

‘Priscilla’

When a film seeks to depict the life story of a beloved public figure, it generally works best when it paints a comprehensive portrait of said individual. However, in this biography of the wife of rock ʼn roll icon Elvis Presley, viewers get a picture that seemingly tells only half of the story.

2024-02-28T00:25:17+00:00February 26th, 2024|

‘Io capitano’ (‘I’m the Captain’)

Movies about the flood of new immigrants into Europe from Africa and the Middle East have been growing in number in recent years. Depictions of the many hardships these individuals face (sometimes graphic and disturbing in nature) have been making their way into the cinematic community, showing exactly what these desperate freedom seekers are up against. And this latest offering in this genre does just that in telling the story of two Senegalese teens as they make the perilous attempt to find their way to a new life in Italy.

2024-02-26T07:12:20+00:00February 26th, 2024|

‘This is Not Me’ (‘Bu ben değilim’)

For those in the LGBTQ+ community who reside in the West, the greater freedoms and civil liberties that have emerged in recent decades have made life more fulfilling for this once-persecuted constituency. But, for those who live in more conservative lands, such rights and privileges have been slower to surface (and in fewer numbers at that). This is true even in somewhat more lenient countries like Turkey, where the somewhat more tolerant and cosmopolitan nature of cities like Istanbul have shown some progress but still lag behind other locales.

2024-02-22T14:45:44+00:00February 22nd, 2024|

‘BlackBerry’

With the release of such innovative communications products as the Apple and Android smartphones, questions began to circulate about the future viability of onetime market leader BlackBerry, a line of devices that subsequently went into rapid decline. Ironically, that real-life business world narrative itself raises comparable questions about the viability of a movie that tells the BlackBerry story.

2024-02-22T02:45:44+00:00February 22nd, 2024|

‘Kokomo City’

I often find it fascinating when a documentary provides viewers with an in-depth, inside look at a world seldom seen by those who aren’t part of it, yet that’s clearly the greatest strength of this debut feature from filmmaker D. Smith.

2024-02-20T16:36:51+00:00February 20th, 2024|

‘The Color Purple’

In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve routinely made it clear that I’m not a big fan of movie musicals. In addition, less known is the fact that I’ve also never been particularly enamored with the original dramatic version of this story (1985), a picture in which director Steven Spielberg still had his training wheels on when it came to making serious cinematic fare. With those admissions in mind, then, it would appear that this latest iteration of the classic Alice Walker novel would have two prejudicial strikes against it going in, and that assessment would be accurate.

2024-02-19T20:16:40+00:00February 19th, 2024|

‘Shortcomings’

When life doesn’t quite turn out as planned, it’s easy to become frustrated, cynical and embittered, falling into a trap of unrelenting wallowing and victimhood from which it’s difficult to escape. But what will staying in such a rut accomplish? That’s the harsh reality that an aspiring but unsuccessful Bay Area filmmaker (Justin H, Min) must face when his plans never materialize as hoped for.

2024-02-15T13:11:10+00:00February 15th, 2024|
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