— by RON WILKINSON — Kathryn Bigelow’s shaky cam takes you right into the streets of Detroit during the 1967 12th Street Riots. Actually, her shaky cam takes you right into a scripted narrative fiction version of the riots, specifically the horrific Algiers Motel murders. The staged camera work is interspersed with real documentary footage […][...]
Interview: Filmmaker Robert Sickels
— by BEV QUESTAD — There is more to Robert Sickels and his work than immediately meets the eye, just like the little town he portrays. Five of his shorts, featured at the Northwest Film Center Aug. 2, were all shot in cozy, tree-lined Walla Walla, Wash., the complicated home of Walla Walla sweet onions, […][...]
Review: From the Land of the Moon
— by RON WILKINSON — This complicated psychodrama starts with Gabrielle as a very unhappy young woman. She is young and impetuous, to say the least, and sure to have her own way. This promises to be a deep look into the life and mind of a troubled woman. Unfortunately, there is so little convincing […][...]
Review: Atomic Blonde
— by RON WILKINSON — What a fantastic cast. Oscar-winner Charlize Theron, Eddie Marsan fresh off his starring success in “Ray Donovan,” John Goodman, one of the greatest actors alive, Toby Jones, spymaster supreme from “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” and Roland Moller, star of indie smash “Land of Mine.” How could such a pot of […][...]
Ocean’s Eleven: From criminals to superheroes
— by CHRIS ANDERSON — Superhero movies are at their biggest these days with the Marvel universe blossoming from countless storylines to come together for the climactic Infinity Wars films as well as DC working its way up the Justice League movie. “Black Panther,” “Captain Marvel” and “Cyborg” are just a few instances of titles […][...]
Review: Indivisible (aka Indivisibili)
— by RON WILKINSON — Meet 18-year-old siamese twins Daisy and Viola. They have no concept of secrecy between them, their most intimate thoughts and acts have been shared from birth. Born with extraordinary vocal talent, they are barely aware of their oddity even as adulthood begins to crack their spiritual solidarity. Is it possible […][...]
Interview: Nicholas Alexander, retired CIA
— by BEV QUESTAD — I’m becoming more interested not only in the content of a documentary, but in investigating its truth. This is why I interviewed a Sovietologist and retired CIA operations officer in the clandestine service of the CIA’s covert action section about Oliver Stone’s most recent controversial documentary, “Ukraine on Fire,” which […][...]
Review: The Exception
— by RON WILKINSON — There are love stories set in wartime, and there are war stories with love affairs. It is a rare film that succeeds in combining a nail-biting spy story with one of redemption through self-sacrifice. This movie does it by combining an ambivalent German SS captain with a dedicated Jewish spy. […][...]
All we know about Game of Thrones season 7
After months of waiting, “Game of Thrones” is finally returning. Season 7 will premiere on Sunday, and with so much excitement surrounding the HBO show, we thought we’d take a look at everything we know about this upcoming season so far. Can We Trust the Rumours? Due to the popularity of “Game of Thrones,” most […][...]
Review: The Reagan Show
— by RON WILKINSON — Fluffy and light hearted, as the final credits roll, political aficionados will wonder what it was they just saw. As it turns out, that is what this movie is all about. It is glossy, splashy and at times rib-ticklingly funny, but there is a lack of even the most basic […][...]