— by RON WILKINSON — Director Anne Fontaine’s narrative fiction bio-pic packs a powerful punch. It is a story of the most unlikely people coming together in the worst of times, and good coming of it. Lou de Laâge plays French medical student Mathilde Beaulieu, serving in a French Red Cross medical outpost in Poland. […][...]
Review: Miss Hokusai
— by BEV QUESTAD — A big “Oh My!” goes to the production company and director of this beautifully rendered animation on the life of the most famous Japanese painter of all time. However, I’ll tell you right now that after watching this film, I spent about four hours on the internet researching Hokusai’s life […][...]
Review: Fire at Sea
— by RON WILKINSON — Gianfranco Rosi’s genre bending documentary “Fire at Sea” is two stories. The first is the story of 12-year-old Samuele growing up in the Garden of Eden environment of Lampedusa, an island 200 kilometers south of Italy in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea. The second story is of the hundreds […][...]
Review: After Spring
— by BEV QUESTAD — There are three things to know before you see this film. First, Jon Stewart, past host of “The Daily Show,” is the executive producer, so expect a documentary with integrity. Second, one man, Charles Lee, knows the fundamental problem in refugee camps, so expect a solution. Third, all factions fighting […][...]
Review: Tanna
— by BEV QUESTAD — Based on a true Romeo and Juliet story, this tale of dangerous, forbidden love takes place on Tanna, one of the lush Vanuatu jungle islands in the South Pacific. Tradition rules that girls must marry outside their tribe, but Wawa and Dain, members of the same tribe, secretly fall in […][...]
Review: King Cobra
— by RON WILKINSON — Writer/director Justin Kelly’s (“I Am Michael”) film is based on the true story of a gay porn film star who switches his allegiance mid contract. The bloody violence that ensues is depicted as being caused by childhood pedophilic trauma, but there is so little back story it is hard to […][...]
Review: Theo Who Lived
— by BEV QUESTAD — “Theo Who Lived” is a documentary about a quirky journalist who was tortured and prepared for death by hanging. He returns to re-trace his steps for this documentary, re-enacting his exhilarated run across the Turkey-Syrian border as well as the self-imposed placement of a noose around his neck. Theo Padnos […][...]
Review: Do Not Resist
— by BEV QUESTAD — Remember the 2014 Ferguson, Missouri, protest for the police shooting of Michael Brown? Craig Atkinson, filmmaker and the son of a SWAT team officer and a participant in SWAT trainings, reveals that times are a-changing when it comes to police tactics and ideology throughout America. Snowden’s revelations are just the […][...]
New Blade movie won’t happen any time soon
It’s pretty much an accepted fact that the Marvel Cinematic Universe basically prints money. With a whopping 13 wildly successful films under its belt and another nine on the way (that we know of), it’s safe to say that the MCU is one of the most successful film franchises of all time. As Marvel continues […][...]
Review: Aquarius
— by RON WILKINSON — Emerging writer/director Kleber Mendonça Filho uncorks a simmering thriller with this Brazilian morality tale. Life in Recife 40 years ago is compared to life today and it does not measure up. Everything is about change, growth, speed and, above all, money. Gone are the altruistic values that steered the age […][...]