Drama
Even the Rain
EVEN THE RAIN On Columbus Day 2017, scratch that, on Indigenous People’s Day, I watched the news as Native Americans were getting arrested for a pipeline/sacred grave protest, 28 arrested. In their honor, I watched Even The Rain, a Spanish protest film about the realization of past and current atrocities. This fictional film is about…
Dhanak
DHANAK (transl. RAINBOW) Dhanak is the most original road trip movie I’ve ever seen, if you don’t mind watching endearing 8 & 10-year old kids. Older sister Pari (Hetal Gada) trying to find sight for her 8-year old brother Chotu (Krrish Chhabria) by the time he is nine. No earbuds in India so on their…
The 100 Year-Old Man
THE 100 YEAR-OLD MAN WHO CLIMBED OUT THE WINDOW AND DISAPPEARED At the time of its release in 2013, The 100 Year-Old Man who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared was the highest grossing Swedish film. Now this Swedish film is the third highest grossing Swedish film, only The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and…
A Thousand Times Good Night
A THOUSAND TIMES GOOD NIGHT “Was the picture worth it?” asks the daughter Steph (Lauryn Canny) to her war zone/conflict photographer mother Rebecca (Juliette Binoche). A Thousand Times Good Night’s opening scene is an intense war scene with no dialogue for almost 15-minutes. The middle of the movie is about her family life with kids…
- 2013
- Drama
Sing Street
SING STREET Sing Street is a well done Irish movie set in Dublin in the 1980’s. This film is part drama, part musical, but mostly a good movie. Poor troubled family takes the middle kid Connor (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) out of private school and sends him to a free school run by bully Jesuit Brothers and…
Wake In Fright
WAKE IN FRIGHT Wake in Fright begins in a tiny and remote township in the Australian outback called Tiboonda. John Grant (Gary Bond) a teacher, reluctantly must work in Tiboonda for two years to pay back government student loans. Going on holiday, John Grant must spend a night in Bundanyabba (Yabba to the locals) to…
Paterson
PATERSON “The Line” There’s an old song my grandfather used to sing that has the question, “or would you rather be a fish?” (this fish line is heard at 1:54 in the above link) Paterson (Adam Driver), the Paterson New Jersey poetic bus driver, is then interrupted, as he is every time he tries…
Voice of My Father
VOICE OF MY FATHER Voice of My Father is a German, French & Turkish drama in Kurdish and Turkish with English subtitles. An illiterate Kurdish mother Basê (Basê Dogan) and a never at home father, Mustafa, raise two sons in Turkey. Movie shows their life around the year 2009. Mustafa has always worked elsewhere, and…
The Trip to Italy
THE TRIP TO ITALY Was planning a trip to Italy so watched this travelogue movie, The Trip to Italy, about two English/Welsh actors (Steve Coogan & Bob Brydon) traveling down the east coast of Italy (Liguria – Piemonte – Toscana – Roma – Campania). These two good friends find a reason to have someone pay…
Padmaavat
PADMAAVAT I was very excited about Padmaavat the grand big screen epic Indian drama. Heard about it since 2016 since it was starring my favorite Indian actress, Deepika Padukone, although at this point I am only aware of two Indian actresses. Set in the 13th Century Afghanistan/Western India. Alauddin Khilji (Ranveer Singh), the Sultan of…
The Burial Of Kojo
The Burial Of Kojo The Burial of Kojo is an African Indie film shot in Ghana with the assistance of the African Film Society. An African-borne musician (Samuel “Blitz” Bazawule) working in Brooklyn, New York, did it all – wrote and conducted the music – wrote the screenplay and is a first time Director. The…