Jockey is less about horse racing—although the sport is seen through windows of the plot—as about human relationships and their uncertainties from different perspectives. The first window we see about being a jockey is the toll it takes on the body. Jackson (Collins) and his mates in something of a group therapy session recount all the ways they […]
Filmmaker Michel Franco’s latest film “Sundown” didn’t make much of a splash at Toronto last year — in fact, I don’t think it was included in my extensive coverage of the film festival. That’s too bad, because “Sundown” was a particularly shocking surprise, especially with its effective 83-minute running time. Franco has been a steady
The biography of writer/director of Memoria, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, gives clues as to what his films will be about. Born in Thailand (and still residing there) as the son of two doctors, he studied at the School of Art Institute of Chicago, worked as an architect and multimedia artist, and is now known as a creator of experimental
Filmmaker Pablo Larraín has garnered a reputation for his particular use of style as seen in Oscar-nominated films “Jackie“ and “A Fantastic Woman.” His prolific nature, releasing on average two movies a year, combined with such an idiosyncratic vision doesn’t always prove a revelation. Case and point, earlier this year his English remake of “Gloria
Just when you think you have had about as much cancer drama as you can stand, Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s latest pivots to a different perspective. Aptly titled, “Our Friend” is a film about that friend we all wish we had who gives up everything to help his best friends through the most difficult event in their
My continued complaint with filmmakers is they don’t watch enough other films. “Blackbird” might have been an award-worthy, groundbreaking new take on the terminally ill/assisted suicide moral dilemma if a handful of other films on the same subject hadn’t gotten their first. Roger Michell (“Notting Hill,” “My Cousin Rachel“) isn’t known for originality, in fact,
There are few movies that can land a genuine smile on your face. I’m talking pure unfiltered joy coming from the creativity beaming on screen, something we need now even more than when I first reviewed this film back in Toronto last fall. “The Personal History of David Copperfield” manages to do that more than
Mother and daughter as protagonist and antagonist is a common theme in film. “The Truth” is different from the rest because, among other things, it’s directed by the brilliant Hirokazu Koreeda who caught lots of attention last year with “Shoplifters.” It’s his first film in a language other than Japanese and some of the discourse
Finally, a somewhat uplifting VOD release for the Stay Homer’s desperate for new feature film content. Although “Military Wives” missed the prime Mother’s Day release window, Peter Cattaneo’s (“The Full Monty”) film shines a light on the often unsung heroes of the military: Wives and their resilience to support those defending freedoms. Based on a
Another film that came and went from at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival that is finding its way to a wider audience thanks to the pandemic is “Hope Gap”. Based on writer/director William Nicholson’s own experience (and adapted from his play), watching his parents go through a divorce late in life. “Hope Gap” is