Julianne Moore, actress of our times, in ‘When You Stop Saving the World’
Dec
23
2022
eisenberg, moore, courtesy variety studio at cannes Some guys have all the luck. Take Jesse Eisenberg, for example. As an actor he has inherited the mantle of stammering Jewish neurotic as a surrogate for Woody Allen, who is now in retreat. In his feature-film directorial debut, “When You Stop Saving the World,” he has a ...
A continuum of life, literature & film: ‘Living’ reviewed 1
photo: jamie d. ramsay What do you get when you combine British reserve and Japanese restraint with a dash of Russian pathos? A film experience that melds with our collective need for year-end contemplation, the exquisitely directed, acted, and written Living. The movie from Sony Pictures Classics opens in New York and Los Angeles on ...
Movie picks: by, for, and about grown women
The fascinating actress, Tilda Swinton, gives a pitch-perfect performance that traverses the wide-ranging emotions — tenderness, sadness, yearning, powerlessness, regret — of the mother-daughter relationship. The Eternal Daughter, the latest in a series of artistic collaborations between Swinton and director Joanna Hogg (prior forays, The Souvenir, Parts I & II), never jars as it moves ...
Blake Edwards cool neo-noir ‘Experiment in Terror’ in 60th anniv screening
Dec
1
2022
shot on location san francisco early 60s Movie director Blake Edwards, known primarily as a comedy specialist, followed the biggest hit of his early career, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, with a complete change of pace, the neo-noir thriller, Experiment in Terror. In this a taut suspenser released in 1962, Edwards utilized a full range of stylistic ...
Composer Inon Zur: symphonic scores for video games
noreen green, inon zur, emily bear (at piano)photo courtesy los angeles jewish symphony When The Grammys™ added a brand-new category earlier this year—‘Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media’—it was in acknowledgment of musical excellence. But it also had to do with business. Big business. In 2022, video gaming is primed to ...
French animated films, avec baguette
Nov
10
2022
Animation Fest at TRK, a compilation of 13 short French animated films created by young film makers from renowned French animation schools, contains themes best digested by adults — the richness and variety of the proposed selection tackle eclectic themes and current issues, turning a critical gaze on modern society using the power of animation. ...
Tyrone Power, still vital in his movies
Nov
10
2022
Hey, he was Ty Power. The dashing, dark-eyed actor, who descended from a long line of them, and whose name, in 1939, nearly topped the list of Twentieth Century-Fox’s biggest box-office earners, starred in dozens of movies, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads. His better-known titles include The Mark of Zorro, Marie Antoinette, Blood and Sand, The Black Swan, Prince of ...
A rose is a Jacqueline Bisset, in new movie ‘Loren and Rose’
It’s not Jacqueline Bisset. That’s the first thing you need to know. It seems to be; it’s tempting to think it is, but no. Even though we see Ms. Bisset at her most vulnerable and fierce, the new movie starring this enduring lady of the cinema is neither autobiographical nor a documentary. She’s playing a ...
Body size, the final frontier, subject of ‘The Whale’
Oct
17
2022
From Darren Aronofsky comes The Whale, the story of a reclusive English teacher living with severe obesity who attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter for one last chance at redemption. Starring Brendan Fraser and based on the acclaimed play by Samuel D. Hunter, the film opens December 9. I am hoping for compassion ...
Dance film ‘RISE’ at American French Film Festival
Film director Cédric Klapisch, seen above in action mode directing Paris Opera Ballet premiere danseuse Marion Barbeau and contemporary choreographer Hofesh Shechter, continues his balletmania in rendering his latest dance film, RISE. The movie, augured to include marvelous footage of life behind the curtain at the Palais Garnier, is slated for its West Coast premiere ...