— by WILLIAM STERR — On March 5, 1953, Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, absolute dictator of the Soviet Union, died. For three days, he had lain in a coma as his condition declined following a massive stroke. For 31 years, from 1922 until his death, he ruled Russia and its vassal states wit[...]
Author Archive
Review: Fabian: Going to the Dogs
— by WILLIAM STERR — It’s the late 1920s in Berlin, Germany. The Wiemar Republic is beginning to crumble under the multiple onslaughts of a failing economy, social disintegration, and the rising Nazi party. Jakob Fabian (Tom Schilling) is a young man from Dresden who has moved to the c[...]
Review: A Banquet
— by WILLIAM STERR — Imagine you are a woman methodically cleaning a chair, scrubbing thoroughly. In the background, someone is coughing – very hard – trying to breathe. You go on scrubbing as the coughing gets more and more desperate. Finally, you rise and try to comfort a man who s[...]
Review: Gasoline Alley
— by WILLIAM STERR — Have you ever watched a movie and thought: “This wouldn’t be half bad if it wasn’t for that one actor”? (And especially when that actor is the draw for the entire movie?) Welcome to “Gasoline Alley” and Bruce Willis. I don’t know whether Willis is t[...]
Review: King Knight
— by WILLIAM STERR — Imagine the Brady Bunch from early 1970s television – but as a coven of witches in LA. The introductory scene to “King Knight” even has the three by three layout of pictures of the “family” with a cat in the center housekeeper position. We are introduced to[...]
Review: Strawberry Mansion
— by WILLIAM STERR — Released by Music Box Films, a distributor of foreign and independent films, this 2021 surreal production from Ley Line Entertainment deals with a future in which dreams can be recorded and played back to our conscious minds. Evidently everyone does this, and it is a[...]
Review: The Jump
— by WILLIAM STERR — This documentary, produced in 2020 but only recently released in the USA in Los Angeles, recounts a remarkable event that occurred on Nov. 23, 1970. At that time, a meeting was being held off the coast of Massachusetts between Soviet officials representing their fish[...]
Review: Ghosts of the Ozarks
— by WILLIAM STERR — Arkansas: The Ozark Mountains, densely forested plateaus, moonshine, Southern pride, ghosts. James McCune (Thomas Hobson – “Stone Fruit”) is making his way alone on horseback through the forested Ozark Mountains of northern Arkansas. He is headed for the town o[...]
Review: Lamb
— by WILLIAM STERR — One upon a time, there was a little family that lived on a farm, far, far from any village. Theirs was a simple, happy life until one day, their beloved daughter was taken from them in death. The father and mother continued to work their farm and care for their [&hel[...]
Review: WarHunt
— by WILLIAM STERR — It was a dark and stormy night. With crows. Let’s set the scene: It’s early 1945 and the war in Europe is nearing conclusion. Hitler’s Germany is desperate. Soviet troops are advancing from the east, while the Americans and their allies are closing in from the [...]
Review: Nightmare Alley
— by WILLIAM STERR — “The Shape of Water,” “Crimson Peak,” “Pacific Rim,” “Pan’s Labyrinth,” “Hellboy,” “ Hellboy II,” “Blade II,” “The Devil’s Backbone,” “Mimic,” “Chronos.” Guillermo del Toro – director, writer, imaginist – has had an imp[...]
Review: The French Dispatch
— by WILLIAM STERR — When is “Wes Anderson” too much Wes Anderson? His latest effort, The French Dispatch answers that question: “C’est moi!” One gets the feeling early on that Anderson, the director of “Moonrise Kingdom,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and many others,[...]
Review: Pig
— by WILLIAM STERR — “Purloined Porker.” Nicolas Cage is not noted for subtlety in his portrayals. Yet that is at the very heart of his performance in the new film “Pig.” Many fans are used to seeing Cage go “hog wild” in every film, exhibiting his trademark mania. Recent out[...]
Review: Out of the Blue
— by WILLIAM STERR — In preparation for viewing director Dennis Hopper’s “Out of the Blue,” I re-watched his seminal picture, “Easy Rider,” which I’d not seen since its theatrical release in 1969. The reason for this was Hopper’s own description of “Out of the Blue” as [...]