— by JAMES SHAW — “The Best Man Holiday” is a sequel to the 1999 film “The Best Man,” with both films directed by Malcolm D. Lee. “The Best Man Holiday” deals with the aftermath of the first film, so I would suggest re-watching “The Best Man” so it’s easier to understan[...]
Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category
Review: Aftermath (aka Pokłosie)
— by RON WILKINSON — Like still waters that run deep, “Aftermath” is an atmospheric triumph that will be too slow for most American audiences. Not that this is not a great film. It is a great film, but it is too studied and framed and there is not enough plot progression to keep the [...]
Review: Thor: The Dark World
— by JAMES SHAW — A little background first: I am an avid Marvel comic book reader, so I know what goes on in the Marvel Universe and my least favorite character is Thor. I have always found Thor to be a boring character and I only enjoy him in his storylines with Amora. As […][...]
Review: Last Love
— by RON WILKINSON — Directing her fourth big screen movie, emerging world-class filmmaker Sandra Nettelbeck directed this family grief drama. She also wrote the screenplay after Francoise Dorner’s French novel “La Douceur Assassine” (“A Moment of Sweetness”) publis[...]
Review: Last Vegas
— by ADAM DALE — A group of guys go to Las Vegas for a crazy weekend bachelor party filled with debauchery and (prescription) drugs — sounds familiar, right? Yes, “The Hangover” series immediately comes to mind when describing the premise for “Last Vegas,” but thankfully, t[...]
Review: Ender’s Game
— by ADAM DALE — Author Orson Scott Card’s popular young adult novel “Ender’s Game” is part of a series of books – 18 and counting – and a film adaptation has been nearly 28 years in the making. It turns out the wait was worthwhile as the feature film is filled with spectacul[...]
Review: These Birds Walk
— by RON WILKINSON — The film opens with a very old man washing small boys in a metal tub. As he washes the boys, who seem in a state of shell shock, he comments on their bodies. The old man is not talking to the boys. They are two to five years old, malnourished […][...]
Review: Alias Ruby Blade
— by BEV QUESTAD — Abigail Disney, niece of Walt, searches for true-life Peter Pan/Cinderella stories and supports their production into the best human rights films on the face of the Earth. “Ruby Blade” is one of the best. It has all the courage, perseverance and magic that makes a [...]
Review: The Missing Picture
— by RON WILKINSON — Screened at the 2013 New York Film Festival, Rithy Panh’s documentary is a scathing and heart rending tale of the Khmer Rouge campaign of terror. Using childlike clay figures, the film maker is able to put the audience into the place of a child who is incapable of [...]
Review: Sweet Dreams
— by RON WILKINSON — Screened November 2012 at the third annual DOC NYC documentary film festival, “Sweet Dreams” is the story of Kiki Katese, one of the few people in crisis-torn Africa who walks her talk. Rather, perhaps it should be said that she drums her talk. She did so by foun[...]
Review: The Square (aka Al Midan)
— by RON WILKINSON — This documentary is a firsthand account of the Egyptian revolution in the setting of Cairo’s Tahrir Square in 2011 through Mohamed Morsi’s overthrow in 2013. Screened at the 2013 New York Film Festival, it is directed by Jehane Noujaim, who also directed indie fa[...]
Review: 12 Years a Slave
— by JAMES SHAW — This year already has delivered several Oscar nominee-type films — including “Fruitvale Station,” “Gravity,” “Prisoners” and “Captain Phillips” — but Steve McQueen’s “12 Years a Slave” has moved right to the top of the list. In my opini[...]