New TV on MHz Choice – Easy to choose [TELEVISION REVIEW]
“Agatha Christie’s Criminal Games: The 70s” The third season of this fun French adaptation of Agatha Christie short stories and novellas has arrived and it’s a delight. Setting these 10 episodes in the era of gogo boots, miniskirts, leather jackets and polyester shirts, Flore Kosinetz, Hélène Lombard and others have had a field day in […]
“Based on a True Story” and “The Horror of Delores Roach” [TELEVISION REVIEW]
“Based on a True Story” – Story, in any case “Based on a True Story” is a dark comedy that pokes fun at podcasts and the public’s penchant for gore, thrills, chills and mayhem. Following the adventures of Ava and Nathan, LA westsiders whose aspirations haven’t quite made it over the first hurdle. Ava, a […]
“Revoir Paris” – For the first time [MOVIE REVIEW]
Immersed in the effect a tragic event holds over memory, denial, shame, self and the ability to move on, Alice Winocour’s “Revoir Paris” is that and more. Delving into the life of Mia, a survivor whose memory has been erased by the horrific night when she was one of the few to come out alive […]
“Close to Vermeer” – Very personal [MOVIE REVIEW]
Alas and alack. The extraordinary Vermeer exhibition in Amsterdam at the Rijksmuseum is over. Running from February 10 until June 4, 450,000 tickets were allotted and quickly sold out, almost before it opened. There have been other exhibits of this Delft artist, but none as comprehensive. There are only 37 known Vermeer paintings and the […]
“They Cloned Tyrone” – Not a copy but an original [MOVIE REVIEW]
“They Cloned Tyrone” is never entirely what you think it will be. Crossing genre lines many times, Juel Taylor, director and co-writer (with Tony Rettenmaier) surprises at almost every turn. Rather indeterminate in time frame, it might be the recent past or the near future. Cinematographer Ken Seng uses a dark, muddy palette with a […]
“The Miracle Club” Lourdesie Lourdesie [MOVIE REVIEW]
If “The Miracle Club” starred Jane Brown, Susie White and Mary Jones this slight piece would have gone straight to the Lifetime Channel. But director Thaddeus O’Sullivan found a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for this little Irish film written by Jimmy Smallhorne, Timothy Prager and Josh Mauer. That pot of […]
“Afire” – Flames without heat [MOVIE REVIEW]
Christian Petzold, writer and director of “Afire,” is a metaphorical storyteller. His movies “Phoenix,” “Transit” and “Undine” are films where the narrative is only the beginning of what he really wants to say. Although not as immersive or allegorical as his previous films, “Afire” is, nevertheless, an exploration of emotions that are hidden in plain […]
“Primo” – First in many ways [TELEVISION REVIEWS]
“Primo,” is a coming of age comedy based on the life of Shea Serrano, a former middle school science teacher, humorist and journalist mining his own experiences. A native of San Antonio, “Primo” is centered there with a laser focus on Rafa Gonzales, an underperforming high schooler whose test scores belie his casual attitude toward […]
“The Out-Laws” – Should be outlawed [MOVIE REVIEW]
“The Out-Laws,” conceived by Evan Turner and developed by Turner and Adam Devine as a starring vehicle for Devine, started out as a pretty good idea. Straight-arrow bank manager Owen is about to be married to Parker and is thrilled to discover that her long absent parents will actually be coming to the wedding. That […]
“Make Me Famous” – or Rich [MOVIE]
Brian Vincent’s documentary, deceptively about artist Edward Brezinski, isn’t really about Brezinski at all. “Make Me Famous” asks more questions than it answers, opening a veritable Pandora’s box of issues because this isn’t about fame or even money. It’s about the existence of artists who paint to live, who hope to make enough to continue […]
“Biosphere” – A safe place? [MOVIE]
“Biosphere” is that rare creature that has only two characters and a fixed set, common in theater and rare on film. It is unusual for film because, unlike theater, movies are primarily a visual medium, less dependent on the words, relying much more heavily on action driving the narrative. Amazingly, “Biosphere” succeeds on more levels than […]
“Scarlet”- A fable [MOVIE REVIEW]
“Scarlet” is a poetic fairy tale, often floating like the red sails the heroine longs for. Directed by Pietro Marcello (“Martin Eden”) and co-written with Maurizio Braucci, Maud Ameline and Geneviève Brisac, it is loosely based on Aleksandr Grin’s novel “Scarlet Sails.” Watching this film is like reading a lovely, lyrical elegy with a beginning […]
Dylanfest 33
Photos by Garth Meyer The 33rd annual, eight-hour Dylanfest took place May 27 at Torrance Cultural Arts Center, celebrating songs written or co-written by Bob Dylan.
“All Man: The International Male Story” – Male order [MOVIE REVIEWS]
Peter Jones, an Emmy Award-winning writer, has constructed a lovely, fluffy biography of the mail order catalog that swept the 70s and 80s and changed the face (and body) of mens’ fashion and fashion photography. Directed and edited by Bryan Darling at a breezy pace, “All Man: The International Male Story” tells the origin story […]
“Blue Jean” – A bit faded [MOVIE REVIEW]
It’s easy in this day and age of same sex marriage to forget about the years of discrimination faced by gays and the acceptance (still not entirely acknowledged) that homosexuality was not a lifestyle choice but rather was rooted in the DNA, the person’s biology. It can’t be prayed out; it can’t be wished out; […]
“Monica” – Schmonica [MOVIE REVIEW]
There’s no way around it. This is an excruciatingly long movie on a topic that could have been interesting had it been presented less portentously. The camera opens on a close-up of Monica’s beautiful face, all perfect angles and lush lips. The next shot reveals her to be a gorgeous redhead climbing into a convertible, […]