Archive | October 2015
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Therese Raquin on Broadway
There’s a river onstage at Studio 54 for Keira Knightley’s Broadway debut, in the malevolent “Therese Raquin”. It has to have some depth to it, because three of the lead actors (Ms. Knightley included) tumble into the drink midway through this two-act, sexually charged period thriller. And I don’t know if all of that real […]
Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem
Wow. I’m a little late to the game on this one, and I almost let it slip by. Fortunately, I got to it…because it’s one of 2015’s best films. And it’s collection of actor close-ups that barely leaves one room. A courtroom. For an Israeli divorce hearing. And it’s absolutely fascinating, and frustrating, watching this […]
Cinderella
I’ve greatly missed the Shakespeare-maverick, period piece Kenneth Branagh. “Henry V”, “Much Ado About Nothing”…hey, even the ill-advised, “Love’s Labour’s Lost”, hold a place in my classical theatre heart. And 1996’s 4-hour, full text “Hamlet” feature, was a remarkable achievement. Seeing it at the Paris Theater in NYC that winter–was thrilling. But mass audiences didn’t […]
Hotel Transylvania 2 3D
I liked it. In fact, I can’t quite understand the critical pounding it has taken. There’s plenty of reasons to beat on Adam Sandler, but this isn’t one of them. Am I biased because I attended this with my 7-year-old son (who had a blast, btw)? In fact, this sequel, along with its original animated […]
Flashback: on 1980’s “Mad Max”
Alright, 1979. But since it didn’t open officially until early 1980 in North America–that’s the year I’m going with. Yes, “Mad Max” has been with us for 35 years, but there was a 30-year gap between 2015’s phenomenal “Mad Max; Fury Road”. and 1985’s “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome”. Those are the only two I experienced […]
“Therese Raquin” will feature Keira Knightley’s Broadway debut!
Taking a chance this coming weekend, and attending a preview performance of “Therese Raquin”…aka Keira Knightley’s Broadway debut! Now, this preview show is just days away from the official October 29th opening, so odds are excellent that any remaining kinks have been worked out. Plus, I just couldn’t resist the opportunity to experience Keira in […]
“Bridge of Spies”-wary
A new film from Steven Spielberg is always a reason to pay attention, but I believe most critics and audiences give him way too much of a pass on his weaker work. I’m probably guilty of that myself a little bit, in fact. It’s difficult to pan the work of someone who so universally holds […]
The Walk IMAX 3D
I’ve never been more frightened sitting in a movie theater. Now, when I was in my early teens, I sneaked into 1978’s gore-fest “Dawn of the Dead”, with my friend, Leon. Not long after that, it seemed that my entire high school freshman class jumped out of their seats, when young Jason Vorhees emerged from […]
Ned Rifle
The most unlikely trilogy of the last twenty years, has finally wrapped up. It would be difficult to fully explain the impact that 1998’s “Henry Fool” had on me back in 1998, but it was a watershed moment for me. Director Hal Hartley was a hot indie director back then, and I think it’s safe […]
The Martian 3D
Ridley Scott’s reputation precedes him–and it often blinds multiplex audiences. It’s no secret to critics though, that his work hasn’t been top-notch for most of the last decade-and-a-half, or so. But when your second feature is 1979’s iconic “Alien”, and your 3rd was 1982’s classic “Blade Runner”–you garner a lot of gravitas. And you want […]
Reviewed by Mark Leonard 