— by RON WILKINSON — “The Wailing,” South Korean writer/director Hong-jin Na’s labyrinthine tale of possession, follows on the heels of his well-received “The Chaser” and “The Yellow Sea.” Incorporating elements of a number of western films, including the well-meaning police officer who will have a very bad day, the perky daughter who will play […][...]
Review: The Witness
— by RON WILKINSON — There is something beautiful abut a documentary that takes on a life of its own. In 1999, filmmaker James Solomon began researching a scripted film for HBO based on a story that defined the mean streets of New York City. The story is that of the 1964 murder of Kitty […][...]
Review: Weiner
— by RON WILKINSON — If you think you have seen all of the most amazing documentaries in the world, you have another think coming. This much everybody knows: Former U.S. representative Anthony Weiner was a rising star. He won seven terms to the US House of Representatives but resigned after a sexting scandal. He […][...]
Review: Unlocking the Cage
— by RON WILKINSON — Directors Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker (“The War Room”) have covered some strange stories but this one may be the strangest so far. Steven Wise is described as an animal rights lawyer. That is a significant understatement. He is not only fighting for increased rights for animals, he is making […][...]
Review: Dheepan
— by RON WILKINSON — “Dheepan,” Jacques Audiard’s winner of the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, is a masterful tale of survival as well as a harrowing cautionary note about the perseverance of the violence of war. The story centers on Dheepan (Antonythasan Jesuthasan), a Tamal Tiger child soldier grown into leader during […][...]
Review: The Man Who Knew Infinity
— by RON WILKINSON — Jeremy Irons is great, as usual, but the rest of the cast seems to be just going through the motions in “The Man Who Knew Infinity,” the story of a nerd underdog who makes good. Irons does a fantastic job playing Cambridge mathematics Fellow G.H. Hardy but it is not […][...]
Review: Money Monster
— by RON WILKINSON — Jack O’Connell blasts out of screen as Kyle Budwell, a New York truck driver who has lost his life savings in a securities gamble. He sneaks into the TV studio where finance TV show host, talking head and investment clown Lee Gates (George Clooney) is starting his weekly song, dance […][...]
Review: Rabin In His Own Words
— by RON WILKINSON — Director Erez Laufer’s documentary “Rabin In His Own Words” is true to its title. The film tells Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s story through archival footage and descriptions by the man himself. It is a touching movie, a documentary of unusual force and intimacy. One cannot help but listen to […][...]
Review: Dough
— 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 End. Against all odds, he keeps the tiny […][...]