“Santosh” Exceeding and falling to expectations [MOVIE REVIEW]
It is unlikely you will see a bleaker movie than”Santosh,” the outstanding feature directorial debut of documentarian Sandhya Suri. Opening this Pandora’s Box filled with poverty, racism, caste hatred, corruption and governmental incompetence is gut wrenching because it goes beyond the horror of everyday life in rural India telling the journey of young widow Santosh […]
All the Light We Cannot See – Blind to storytelling [TELEVISION REVIEW]
When watching a filmed version, whether good or bad, of a popular or beloved novel, there are several things one needs to do. First, drop all expectations. Some things work on screen, others don’t. Directors and adapters have their own agendas, sometimes enhancing and often detracting from the underlying material. The resurgence of the mini- […]
“Paris Police 1905” – Into a modern era kicking and screaming [TELEVISION SERIES]
“Paris Police 1905” is the sequel to “Paris Police 1900” and almost as juicy. Like the original series, many of the characters are based on real people. Louis Lépine, head of the Paris police, was tasked with bringing order to the streets, excising corruption from the ranks and bringing the police into the twentieth century […]
Honorable mention: “Hermosa Rainbow.” photo by Homer Herandez “Francesca and Padrino.” story by H.E. Kamiya
Foster family letters trace Italian family’s rise from poverty to prosperity by H.E. Kamiya I was young, single and well employed in 1961, racing sports cars and partying, in near equal portions. Then, for reasons long forgotten, I decided to give up smoking. To demonstrate my resolve, I chose to give my cigarette money to […]
CW Comedies – Blame Canada [TELEVISION REVIEWS]
TV New, Now and Soon So many shows, so little time. Some of these new series you will have already heard about and maybe even seen; others are about to appear with or without fanfare. All of these are Canadian so the content comes with a slight accent, eh? It’s cheaper to buy ready-made and […]
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 […]
“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 […]
“Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence” – Hard to retrieve [TELEVISION REVIEW]
Under the category of “truth is stranger than fiction,” “Stolen Youth,” the story of the cult of ex-con Larry Ray, defies even that category. A group of eight Sarah Lawrence students bonded their freshman year in 2009. They had all worked very hard to get into this prestigious New York college. Several were on full […]
“Welcome to Chippendales” – Undressed [TELEVISION REVIEWS]
“Welcome to Chippendales,” the salacious and sordid account of the now-iconic role-reversal strip club should be better than it is. A compelling story filled with larger than life characters and a stranger than fiction true crime tale is somehow lacking a core. I’ve been struggling to put my finger on why such an outrageous true […]
“Cheeky Business” or Dial 3615 Monique [TELEVISION REVIEW]
He’s a geek, she’s beautiful, and the third thinks he’s cool. Welcome to the world of “Cheeky Business,” the new French series created by Emmanuel Poulain-Arnaud and Armand Robin about the Minitel Revolution. It’s France in the 80s, the end of the conservative Giscard D’Estaing presidency and the cusp of the Socialist tsunami of François […]
“Kinpika” – Peaks your interest [TELEVISION REVIEW]
Based on a series of books by Jirô Asada, written for television by Shin’ichi Hisamatsu, and expertly directed with style by Masaki Nishiura, “Kinpika” is a Japanese limited series to be savored. It is about a disgruntled and cynical retired detective who assembles an unsanctioned trio of convicted criminals and gives them free reign to […]
“Reasonable Doubt” – Justifiable [TELEVISION REVIEW]
Legal shows are a dime a dozen. Well maybe not a dime because most of them are about very expensive lawyers. But, as the saying goes, it’s how you tell the story, not whether the story is new. “Reasonable Doubt,” created by Raamla Mohamed, tells it pretty darn well. Kerry Washington, who executive produces, directed […]
“Reboot” – Again Please [TELEVISION REVIEW]
“Reboot,” from the deviously clever mind of Steven Levitan (“Modern Family”), is one laugh out loud moment after another, played in front of the curtain of Hollywood and behind the wall of family dysfunction. And it all works! Ostensibly about the making, or rather remaking, of a popular early 2000’s sitcom, we are given an […]
“Paris Police 1900” – Yesterday and Today [TELEVISION REVIEW]
Corruption, murder, right wing fanatics, anarchists, sex, blackmail. As the French would say, “délicieux.” 1900, thought of as the Belle Epoque, all fashion, society, wealth, art, and music, was anything but beautiful. The members of the Haute Sociétée were also members of groups promoting ultra right wing causes, government overthrow, and price fixing. President Félix […]
“Tell Me Lies” – Tell something I don’t know [TELEVISION REVIEW]
“Tell Me Lies,” the new Hulu series, sets out to fill in that gap we didn’t know existed between “Beverly Hills 90210” and “Melrose Place.” “Tell Me Lies” begins at the end with the wedding of Bree, one of a tight trio of girlfriends, and quickly segues to their meeting as freshmen at a small […]