AFIDOCS Reviews Part One
Another Year at AFIDOCS. Four days of back to back documentary films in Washington, DC (and Silver Spring, MD, though we stayed downtown this year.) We've been going since 2014…
Atomic Homefront Review
This is one extremely scary movie! But it isn’t zombies or slashers. It’s invisible, and it’s killing men, women and children right here in the U S of A. And…
Lost in Paris Review
And the award for this year's best slap-stick movie goes to ... Lost In Paris, hands down! And though I'm not really a fan of most modern slap-stick, I loved…
The Women’s Balcony Review
Right now is a great time for Israeli cinema. In the past month I've seen The Wedding Plan and Past Life, and now comes The Women's Balcony. (And Wonder Woman…
Churchill Review
Another movie about Winston Churchill? There have been dozens over the years illuminating various eras and roles in his life. This one takes on just a few days. But what…
Past Life Review
Set in Jerusalem in 1977 and based on a true story, Past Life is a tangle of secrets. Safe in Israel after escaping the Nazis during World War II, Dr.…
God of War Review
In this historical epic from China, you get it all - Samurai, Pirates, Shaolin Warrior Monks, battles galore, and kick-ass female fighters, too. Based on a true story, during the…
The Wedding Plan
In this fun little chick flick from Israel, Michal (Noa Kooler) is finally getting married. She has the fiancé, the wedding hall, and has invitations ready to go out for…
Citizen Jane: Battle for the City
If you love lower Manhattan, especially Soho, Little Italy, and the Village, you have one person to thank -- Jane Jacobs. In this inspiring documentary from Matt Tyrnauer (Valentino: The…
The Lost City of Z
The Lost City of Z (pronounced zed in the British fashion) tells the "true" story of the intrepid Lieutenant Colonel Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam of Sons of Anarchy) who was…
Cézanne et Moi
Cézanne et Moi offers a view of a friendship that spanned nearly a lifetime. It's the story of the bond formed in an Aix-en-Provence childhood between two great artists of…
Toni Erdmann
This father-daughter dramedy/farce from German director Maren Ade may clock in at 162 minutes, but I never got bored and it certainly didn't drag. The film starts with a familiar…
Frantz
French writer/director François Ozon has made some of my favorite films these last few years. With The New Girlfriend, In the House, and Potiche he's shown himself to be very…
Live Action (Short Subject) Nominees
This is also a hard category, because the films are all so different, and the art of telling a story in a short time without either rushing it or shortchanging…
John Wick: Chapter 2
He's back! And he's still a bad ass killer. I called the original John Wick stylishly violent, and this one takes it up another notch, both on the style and…