Big Night [1996] – ★★★★ They say there can never be two chefs in the kitchen, but Campbell Scott and Stanley Tucci proved there can be two directors on a movie set and a glaring success. This drama-comedy is based on a book by Joseph Tropiano and set in the 1950s, telling of two very…
Tag: Comedy
San Francisco: 7 Films Showcasing the City
“San Francisco has only one drawback – it is hard to leave“, once said Rudyard Kipling, and it is very easy to see the city’s glorious appeal: situated on hills and surrounded by a vast bay, it looks almost like some fairy-tale land with its jaw-dropping landmarks, including the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island,…
“Harvey” Review
Harvey [1950] – ★★★★ 🐇While perhaps trivialising some serious issues, Harvey still presents a sweet and delightful comedy-drama about one eccentric man who befriends an imaginary (or possibly just invisible!) giant rabbit. This play-based film focuses on a 42 year-old bachelor Elwood P. Dowd (James Stewart) who is in the habit of talking to his friend…
Short Reviews: Dark Waters (2019), & Thank You for Smoking (2005)
Dark Waters [2019] – ★★★1/2 Directed by Todd Haynes (Far from Heaven (2002), Carol (2015)) and based on a magazine article that tells of a true story of one corporate lawyer who challenged a multi-billion chemical empire, Dark Waters focuses on Rob Bilott (Mark Ruffalo) who travels to his home-town in West Virginia to discover evidence…
“In Fabric” Review
In Fabric [2018] – ★★★ 👗 A critique of consumerism and employment culture invades a ghost story, and with the 1970s aesthetics, and enough eccentricities and humour, culminates in a very unusual viewing experience. Peter Strickland is known for such unusual and, in some way, “brave” films as Berberian Sound Studio (2012) and The Duke of…
Paris: 10 Great Films Set in the City
To follow from my Rome-location film list which I made last April, here is the list of 10 films that showcase the delightful City of Light – Paris, a permanent place for romance, charm, elegance and sophistication. As usual, this is a subjective, in no particular order, slightly “off the beaten path” films list.
“Downsizing” Review
Downsizing [2017] – ★★★ Alexander Payne’s Downsizing has the recipe to become one of a kind film – thought-provoking, funny and engaging. In the film, Paul and Audrey Safranek (Matt Damon and Kristen Wiig) are a couple who decide to undergo a revolutionary “downsizing” procedure to become four inches’ tall people and, from then on,…
The Workplace in Film & TV Blogathon: Fawlty Towers (1975/79)
“Cleese’s work [here] is even better than anything he did for the Monty Python troupe. Yes, it’s that good.” (John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis) Debbie at Moon in Gemini is hosting The Workplace in Film & TV Blogathon, and my entry is a British TV series from the 1970s called Fawlty Towers. Written by John…
“Florence Foster Jenkins” Review
Florence Foster Jenkins [2016] – ★★★★1/2 Directed by Stephen Frears (The Queen (2006) & Dangerous Liaisons (1988)), Florence Foster Jenkins is a comedy based on a true story[1] of Florence Foster Jenkins (Meryl Streep), a New York socialite whose desire to be a well-known opera singer greatly surpassed her natural abilities.[2] Unaware that she has a poor…
“Love & Friendship” Review
Love & Friendship [2016] – ★★★★1/2 🏰 Like its main heroine, the film puts a special charm on the viewer, and its intriguing, witty, playful and engaging nature is hard to resist. Love & Friendship is a new film by Whit Stillman and an adaptation of a short novel by Jane Austen Lady Susan. The…
“Chinese Puzzle” Review
Chinese Puzzle (Casse-tête chinois) [2013] – ★★★★ Chinese Puzzle is the final film in Cédric Klapisch’s travel trilogy (other films are L’Auberge Espagnole (2001) and Russian Dolls (2004)). The film presents Xavier, a French writer (Romain Duris (Populaire (2012)), who leads a confused and stressful life in Paris. When his girlfriend of 10 years, Wendy (Kelly…
“Caramel” Review
Caramel [2007] – ★★★★ Caramel is the first feature film of a Lebanese director Nadine Labaki. The film follows the lives of five Lebanese women, three of which are working in a beauty salon Si Belle in Beirut, Lebanon. Each of the five women has her own problem: Layale (Nadine Labaki) has an affair with…
Spotlight on Film 