Youth
Italian writer/director Paolo Sorrentino was responsible for one of my favorite foreign films of the last few years, The Great Beauty aka La grande bellezza. That film dealt with a…
Carol
The film Carol is gorgeous.The clothes, the sets, the cinematography. And the actresses - Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara - are both fabulous in this 1950s era forbidden love drama…
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is a beautifully crafted old-fashioned story about a young Irish immigrant coming to America in the 50s. Saoirse Ronan (Hanna, The Grand Budapest Hotel) plays Eilis who is struggling…
Tangerine
There's a whole lot of buzz around this one. The characters are interesting, to be sure. And the way it was shot on iPhones is pretty cool, too. But I'm…
Trumbo
Trumbo is set in Hollywood in the 1940s and 50s during the Red Scare, when the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) was convinced that there were Commie spies planting propaganda…
Spotlight
This one has Oscar written all over it. It features a fabulous ensemble cast in a compelling docudrama based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation that still reverberates. Spotlight is the…
Straight Outta Compton
I really liked this film, even though I'm not normally a fan of hip hop, because it has a great story and great characters and, I have to admit, some…
Love & Mercy
I will admit right up front that I was never a fan of The Beach Boys. So I put this film off and that was a mistake. While Brian Wilson…
Woman In Gold
As the year comes to a close, I'm catching up on some of the films that slipped through the cracks. Woman in Gold tells the true story of Maria Altmann…
Bridge of Spies
Directed by Steven Spielberg. Starring Tom Hanks. (Re)written by the Coen Brothers. Start polishing the Oscars. Based on a true Cold War international incident, Bridge of Spies feels like an…
Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter
Looking for a strange but entertaining little flick? This is the ticket! It made the rounds at festivals last year to great acclaim, and it is currently streaming on all…
Beasts of No Nation
The saddest aspect of many of today's conflicts is the presence of child soldiers, conscripted into becoming killers at a time they should be learning to read and write and…
Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom
Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom is only available on Netflix right now, so if you don't have a subscription, you're missing a very powerful, well-made documentary. The bulk…
Sicario
If you've ever wondered how violent and insidious the Mexican drug cartels and our persistent war against them are, this is the movie for you! From the first frame you're…
Tower to the People-Tesla’s Dream at Wardenclyffe Continues
When people hear the name Tesla these days, most probably think of the car from Elon Musk. But Musk named that car after one of the great unsung inventors of…