Aquarius
Aquarius is the name of an apartment building overlooking the beach in Recife, Brazil. Clara (Sônia Braga) is the only resident there. A beautiful woman in her mid-sixties, she loves…
Marguerite
Every few years two movies come out about the same subject at the same time, and one is lauded, while the other is overlooked. I hope that doesn't happen with…
The Lobster
Without doubt, The Lobster is one of the most unconventional love stories I've seen. The film stars Colin Farrell as David, a recently dumped man in an alternate world where…
Action/Adventure
Award Winning
Chick Flick
Comedy
Drama
Family Fare
French
Indie
Mainstream Chick
Sequel
CinemaClash Podcast: Batman v Superman; My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2; Marguerite; Eye in the Sky
I recorded the latest CinemaClash podcast with Charlie Juhl before I had a chance to actually see Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but I knew it would crush the…
The Big Short
I'm behind on my Oscar nominees viewing, but I finally caught this one. I'd expected it to be more like Margin Call, but thankfully, though its subject matter is kind…
45 Years
Going into the Academy Awards, Charlotte Rampling had a very good chance of winning a Best Actress statue -- for a while. But her ill-conceived remarks about the diversity problems…
Oscar Nominees — Short Film [Live Action]
The Short Film category is where new filmmakers get to shine. Several of this year's directors show a lot of promise, both in terms of directing actors and in creating…
Oscar Nominees — Documentary [Feature]
I've seen all of the nominees this year, thanks to attending the AFI DOCS and Full Frame festivals and Netflix. If you're filling out your Oscar ballot, here are my…
Oscar Nominees — Animated Short Film
I always love seeing all the shorts before the Oscars. And I always lament that we don't get to see one of them before a feature, as we should. Sure,…
AFI DOCS (Days 3 & 4)
So many films, so little time. Running back and forth from DC to Silver Spring, it was impossible to see all the films that were available. Anyone who can, should…
AFI DOCS 2015 (Days 1 & 2)
Another year, another great set of documentaries! Last year it seemed the festival had more of a theme. This time around, I saw a lot of different kinds of stories.…
The Salt of the Earth
I've been a fan of Sebastião Salgado's work for decades, probably beginning with his photographs of the gold miners of Brazil's Serra Pelada in the mid-80s. Beyond being beautiful images,…
Clouds of Sils Maria
The first I heard of Clouds of Sils Maria was the news that Kristen Stewart won the French version of the Oscar (the Cesar) for her supporting role in it,…
Mr. Turner
When I think of Mike Leigh, I think of great female characters -- Vera Drake, Secrets and Lies, Happy Go Lucky. And with Mr. Turner he proves that he is…
Maps to the Stars
David Cronenberg has always brought us characters and situations that are unsettling. His early films were smart horror flicks like The Fly and Dead Ringers, and I thought he'd moved…