— by RON WILKINSON — Golden Globe-nominated Jonathan Pryce takes the lead in “Dough,” an easygoing sit-com about immigrant life in the big city. Nat Dayan (Pryce) owns and operates the kosher bakery Dayan and Son, which he started with his father in 1947 in London’s East En[...]
Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category
Review: High-Rise
— by RON WILKINSON — Tom Hiddleston finds himself in the middle of a very bad year in “High-Rise,” Ben Wheatley’s pot boiler about a social crucible in melt down. This should not be a huge surprise after his high tension “Kill List” and “Sightseers.” If anything, th[...]
Review: Elvis & Nixon
— by RON WILKINSON — “Elvis & Nixon,” Liza Johnson’s narrative fiction retelling of the White House meeting between Elvis Presley and President Richard Nixon, packs the most entertainment per ounce of any film this year. This is an exploration into what did happen, and[...]
Review: The Measure of a Man
— by RON WILKINSON — Vincent Lindon uncorks a spectacular, if understated, performance in “The Measure of a Man,” writer/director Stéphane Brizé’s essay on the present day working class. The screenplay, co-written by Olivier Gorce, features Lindon as Thierry Taugourdeau, [...]
Review: Demolition
— by RON WILKINSON — In “Demolition,” Jake Gyllenhaal pulls out a remarkable performance as bereaved executive Davis Mitchell looking for relief when there is none in sight. Driven to the edge of insanity by the sudden death of his wife, we witness his breakdown. Actually, we[...]
Review: Louder Than Bombs
— by RON WILKINSON — Emerging writer/director Joachim Trier’s family drama “Louder Than Bombs” (co-written with Eskil Vogt) has a lot of content — if you are willing to work for it. Dealing with a sullen teenager as a lead has never been easy. Although Devin Druid doe[...]
Review: Dependent’s Day
— by JOSUE SANCHEZ — I would like to tell you about a movie that lassoed my head — and heart — and charmed me for its entire duration. I laughed hysterically, and even cried in bewilderment. It’s called “Dependent’s Day.” Yes, it is a romantic comedy, and yes, it is raunchy a[...]
Review: The Boss
— by RON WILKINSON — Breakout director Ben Falcone teams up with Oscar nominated Melissa McCarthy (“Bridesmaids,” “Spy”) to produce a geyser of belly laughs. If you saw “Bridesmaids” and thought it was gross, do not bother to take in this pratfall-fest of unbridled shock line[...]
Review: Neon Bull
— by RON WILKINSON — Writer/director Gabriel Mascaro has created a great film in “Neon Bull” (“Boi neon”). It is a movie with the breath-taking simplicity and courage of Charles Burnett’s “Killer of Sheep,” combined with the flabbergasting scope of “Mondo [...]
Review: Midnight Special
— by RON WILKINSON — Michael Shannon does the heavy lifting in Jeff Nichols’ sci-fi yarn of Alton (Jaeden Lieberher), a child with peculiar abilities. Nominated for the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, Nichols is racking up an enviable record of awards with only his first four [...]
Review: Remember
— by RON WILKINSON — Zev Guttman is a man on a mission, but suffering such severe dementia at an advanced age he can hardly remember what it is. Guided by a written letter, he relies on those around him to refresh his memory. The memories are those of his family killed by the Nazi [&hell[...]
Review: Born to be Blue
— by RON WILKINSON — Most people identify jazz with the east coast, the south or maybe the mid-west. In his early career, Chet Baker became the icon of the west coast “Cool School” of jazz, bringing a multi-talented, if checkered, personality to that jazz scene. As his life unfolded,[...]
Review: My Golden Days
— by RON WILKINSON — Writer/director Arnaud Desplechin (co-written with Julie Peyr) has developed quite a picture of the tempestuous youth of Paul Dedaulus (Mathieu Amalric). Screened as part of the Directors’ Fortnight section of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the SAC[...]
Review: Eye in the Sky
— by RON WILKINSON — Helen Mirren stars in “Eye in the Sky,” director Gavin Hood’s examination of the people who fight wars and the toll the fight takes on them. Appearing to be a war thriller featuring high tech drone aircraft, Guy Hibbert’s screenplay is actually a surg[...]