— by RON WILKINSON — Imperious as she was, L.S. Lowry loved her. What is more, he reflected on her every day for that day’s vision of himself. His outside reality was to stay as far from reality as possible. It was a hard life and he did not want any more to do with […][...]
Author Archive
Review: Dolemite Is My Name
— by RON WILKINSON — Eddie Murphy gambles that he is able to make a movie about Blaxploitation that is not Blaxploitation. Win or lose, he is having a heckuva good time making the film, and at least some of that heartfelt love of the craft is bound to rub off. In the fast changing [&hell[...]
Review: The Laundromat
— by RON WILKINSON — There are some bad people out there and you should not be one of them. At least do not be one of them who gets caught. From what we can tell, the rest do fine. In this hilariously dumbed down condemnation of organized crime, murderous fraud and simple good old [&hell[...]
Review: Closure
— by RON WILKINSON — Debut writer/director Alex Goldberg comes out swinging in this remarkably well put together second effort. The star of the film is Los Angeles and the film maker strips it naked without judgment or sentimentality. A young cast and crew anchor a drama about the younge[...]
Review: Je T’aime Moi Non Plus
— by RON WILKINSON — Anyone who saw the raw energy of Marlin Brando in “The Wild One” knew he was exactly that. Then came James Dean in “Rebel Without a Cause,” followed by his next (and last) two flicks in which he was even wilder. “Easy Rider” and “Five Easy Pieces” fol[...]
Review: Entangled
— by RON WILKINSON — A life crisis finds its way to the screen along with a young cast and crew. Deep seated fears about growing up in the modern material world are made worse by wealth and privilege. There are temptations aplenty here, fame, fortune and exotic, if glossy, sex. The shots[...]
Review: A German Youth
— by RON WILKINSON — History is ignored at the risk of repeating it, and this movie grapples with the junction of art and memory. It may not be possible to convey historic images without distortion. This does not stop director Jean-Gabriel Periot from splashing “ripped from the headlin[...]
Review: In the Shadow of the Moon
— by RON WILKINSON — Director Jim Mickle stays on safe ground with this routine, if well produced, sci-fi thriller. A serial killer stalks Philadelphia, offing seemingly random people in an outlandishly gruesome way. Lots of gore ensues, as the weapon of choice is a hemorrhagic toxin tha[...]
Review: Diego Maradona
— by RON WILKINSON — Born in the slums of Argentina, Maradona soared. The Golden Boy of 1980s world class soccer, his debut with Barcelona football club was the most expensive contract to date. The biggest paycheck with the most powerful club in the world. Still, Pele, his predecessor an[...]
Review: Monos
— by RON WILKINSON — Children taking on adult roles is inherently scary. Perhaps it is scary to adults because we are afraid of what might happen if we were ever confronted with kids who had unquestionable, absolute control over everything we did. Combine that with a feeling of isolation[...]
Review: Official Secrets
— by RON WILKINSON — When a narrative fiction film is made based on a true story there cannot be a surprise ending. The viewer knows where the movie starts and where it ends. The fun is seeing how it gets there. Good supporting work helps, but in this flick Keira Knightley does it all. [[...]
Review: Luce
— by RON WILKINSON — At first glance, a story about a traumatized and miraculously healed former Eritrean boy soldier. Adopted by near-perfect parents and plunked down in solidly middle class America, Luce has blossomed into the perfect teen. Charismatic, adult beyond his years and prodi[...]
Review: The Girl in the Fog
— by RON WILKINSON — A girl leaves her silent house in a silent neighborhood saturated in fog. She leaves for a religion class, but she never arrives there. She has disappeared without a trace, leaving nothing behind her but the wet miasma. Fog outside, fog inside, fog in dreams and fog [...]
Review: [Censored]
— by RON WILKINSON — It is all here. The hidden snippets of obscenity Aussies never got to see. The censors plowed through 26 years of films, redacting scenes that were detrimental to the mental and spiritual health of the citizenry, and the film maker assembled a fantastic sample of the[...]