Author Archive
An Analysis – 2021 Oscar Reflections
The Academy Awards last Sunday were different in many ways due to the pandemic, with only the nominees and their guests being in the crowd as well as the presenters in a much smaller intimate setting. There was also no host and, beyond one moment…
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Film Review – Promising Young Woman
At times hauntingly depressing, with depths of righteous anger, star Carey Mulligan and director Emerald Fennell have made something deftly original, tantalizing, and fulfilling in Promising Young Woman. Cassandra (Mulligan) is working at a coffee shop, living at home after dropping out of medical school…
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Film Review – The Sharks
The slow build of The Sharks is too subdued to make a strong impact. Rosina (Romina Bentancur), a fourteen year old girl who is very much an enigma as a character, keeps her face blank through much of what is happening around her. All we…
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Film Review – Church & State
Church & State has its heart in the right place but it takes on too many personalities, which causes it to lack a central focus. Mark Lawrence, an older gay man with no history of activism, starts Restore Our Humanity to oppose Article 3 that…
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Film Review – Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Céline Sciamma‘s Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a meticulously done film of scenes of time passing that put together a thoughtful and intriguing idea about romance and camaraderie in extraordinary situations. In the 18th century Marianne (Noémie Merlant), a female painter, is sent…
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Film Review – Queen of Hearts
Queen of Hearts takes an idea that has been done to death and adds layers to it by strong direction and brilliant acting from its lead actress. Anne (Trine Dyrholm) has it all: twin daughters that she loves, a successful doctor husband Peter (Magnus Krepper),…
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Film Review – Pain and Glory
Pedro Almodóvar has too much he wants to talk about and that keeps the film from reaching great status, which is a shame because what he wants to discuss is really fascinating. In Pain and Glory Salvador (Antonio Banderas), a stand-in for Pedro Almodóvar, is…
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Film Review – Jojo Rabbit
Jojo Rabbit tries to ride a tightrope of humor and tragedy but wobbles way too much. Nazis and comedy can be a surprisingly strong combination, with classics like The Producers and more recent films like Inglourious Basterds making fun of the worst monsters of history…
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