Neruda
Chilean poet Pablo Neruda received a Nobel prize for literature in 1974 and is considered by many to be one of the greatest who ever lived. More poem than biopic,…
The Handmaiden
Korean director Chan-wook Park's (Oldboy) latest film The Handmaiden is an amazing adult thriller. It is twisty and erotic and romantic and funny and utterly surprising. And very hard to…
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…
Hooligan Sparrow
I love gutsy women and Ye Haiyan aka Hooligan Sparrow has got to be one of the gutsiest around. As a Chinese women's rights activist she has put herself in…
Ixcanul (Volcano)
This fascinating drama takes its audience into a culture few of us will ever experience. Ixcanul means volcano and the film takes place in a village that is just on…
A Man Called Ove (En man som heter Ove)
This adaptation of Fredrik Backman's bestselling novel is one of my favorite films of the year. Written and directed by Hannes Holm, it's 'a Swedish curmudgeon finds his humanity' story…
Mainstream Chick’s Quick Takes on Two Indies: A Tale of Love and Darkness; Morris from America
A Tale of Love and Darkness is obviously a passion project for Oscar-winning actress Natalie Portman. She not only stars in the film, which is primarily in Hebrew with English…
Mia Madre
This is not a film you will enjoy, but you may relate. The main character Margherita (Margherita Buy) is a film director whose life is falling apart around her. Her…
Demon
Demon is a strange little Polish horror flick that mostly takes place during what I’d call a blow-out wedding. Handsome young couple Peter (Itay Tiran) and Zaneta (Agnieszka Zulewska) have…
Microbe & Gasoline (Microbe et Gasoil)
Sounds like a science flick, but it's actually a sweet little French coming-of-age film. Theo meets Daniel when he transfers into his school, and as two outcasts often do in…
The Innocents
The Innocents is a brutally beautiful film based on the true story of a young woman doctor sent to Poland with the French Red Cross to aid survivors of the…
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…
Action/Adventure
Adaptation
Cinema Clash podcast
Crime
Drama
Family Fare
Foreign
Indie
Mainstream Chick
Mexican
Romance
Sequel
Spanish language
Mainstream Chick’s Quick Takes: Alice Through the Looking Glass; Maggie’s Plan; A Monster with a Thousand Heads
Alice Through the Looking Glass - I didn’t see Tim Burton’s 2010 re-imagining of Alice in Wonderland, but did read up on it a bit before heading into this sequel…
Action/Adventure
Adaptation
Comedy
Documentary
Drama
Family Fare
Foreign
Indie
Mainstream Chick
Sequel
Mainstream Chick’s Quick Takes: Barbershop: The Next Cut; The Dark Horse; First Monday in May
Barbershop: The Next Cut is the second sequel (or maybe the third if you count the spin-off, Beauty Shop) to the 2002 surprise hit, Barbershop, about a day in the…
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…