“the american” left me cold. clooney as a super skinny, morose assassin is such a waste.

brilliantly written in english, with the rich flavor and music of african proverbs and words. an inside look at how worlds and cultures were rendered irrelevant and brusquely replaced by the colonial/missionary enterprise. i found the use of the english … Continue reading →

by far the best film of 2009.

cries and whispers explores the uncomfortable relationship between life and death and how a prolonged, painful illness can be a swing door between both worlds. what struck me most was the disconnectedness exhibited by some of the characters, an inescapable … Continue reading →

“there are as many paths to god as there are souls on earth.” thus starts “bab aziz” a film by tunisian artist, writer and director nacer khemir, which explores sufism – the islam of mystics. khemir believes that sufism represents … Continue reading →

CHRIS. [...] Well, let me put it this way. Everybody has a sense of reality of some kind or other, some kind of sense of things being real or not real in his, his – particular – world… MRS. GOFORTH. … Continue reading →

jane campion’s “bright star” recounts the love story of john keats and fanny brawne. keats is played by ben whishaw, a slight young man with an intelligent demeanor and sensitive eyes. abby cornish plays fanny brawne as a bold, youthful, … Continue reading →

i give it a B+ (definite A+ for james gandolfini tho):

i know it’s unfair to compare everything tarantino does to “pulp fiction” – it’s just never gonna happen again. i know that. but “inglourious basterds” left me disappointed. the premise of the film is unusual – an alternative end to … Continue reading →

so after years of being egged on by my brother, i finally saw “donnie darko” last night. what a trip! the film is a rich mix of psychological thriller, science fiction, comedy and drama. it doesn’t have a single dull … Continue reading →

dark woody allen film in the tradition of “crimes and misdemeanors”. inspired by greek tragedies, it explores the apparent steadiness of family bonds, the moral blindness engendered by ambition and greed, the finality of crime and the psychosis that it … Continue reading →

directed by andrucha waddington, “the house of sand” was shot in brazil’s northern state of maranhão with its pristine beaches, lagoons and sand dunes. the landscape is so stunning and otherworldly that it conflates into mood, theme and character. the … Continue reading →

here is saleh bakri once again in a film that sounds terrific – “the time that remains” directed by elia suleiman. i like what suleiman says about being surrounded by politics and using film to escape that oppressive influence. check … Continue reading →

i like this.

many reviews describe “laila’s birthday” as funny and humorous. some go so far as to compare the film’s lead actor mohamed bakri to buster keaton. i got a different vibe from the film. filmed in ramallah, in the west bank, … Continue reading →

shot in southern kazakhstan, “tulpan” has the feel of a documentary. it proceeds at a languorous pace, exploring in great detail the life of nomadic sheepherders, etched against the vastness of the kazakh steppe. tulpan means tulip. it is the … Continue reading →

just saw an extraordinary documentary at the high falls film festival: “youssou ndour: i bring what i love”. visually stunning, larger than life, like africa, and infused with the beauty of ndour’s voice and personality. a work of art. a … Continue reading →

revolutionary road: steep descent into hellish world of disjointed marriage, 9 to 5 corporate bondage, and anesthetic, skin-deep suburban life. kate winslet is radiant as usual. she is trapped, suffocating in her perfect family life. leo dicaprio is uneasy in … Continue reading →

most people seated in the orchestra section of the eugene o’neill theater (april 4th, matinee performance) probably knew that i was a jane fonda fan. when i turned to my neighbor, a middle aged woman with forbiddingly short hair, and … Continue reading →

doug rice, who was director of artwalk for 10 years, has now renovated an old church building on atlantic avenue and created the latest theater space in rochester. small and intimate, with excellent acoustics and ample lights, the space is … Continue reading →

il y a longtemps que je t’aime (i’ve loved you for so long) a quiet, insightful performance by kristin scott thomas. not many actors can have the camera glued to them for the major duration of a film and come … Continue reading →

two girlfriends and i went to buffalo yesterday to listen to joan copjec talk about “the imaginal world: islam, psychoanalysis, and the cinema of abbas kiaostami”, part of a lecture series at the albright knox art gallery. we left a … Continue reading →

saw the hottest play in london “entertaining mr sloane”. it was cool to see imelda staunton on stage – just loved her in vera drake. the acting was solid. the humor was dark and twisted with loads of sexual innuendo … Continue reading →

this is a lovely song by eddie vedder from the film “into the wild”. directed with an artist’s eye by sean penn, the film has much lyricism. it’s the true story of christopher mccandless, a bright young man who decided … Continue reading →

saw “the wrestler” last week. i know that everyone’s saying it but nevertheless, mickey rourke is magnificent in this film. his performance is so honest, it’s heartbreaking. don’t get me wrong, this is not a sentimental film. like it’s hero … Continue reading →

attended a lecture by dr jonathan shay last sunday at the memorial art gallery. dr shay uses the study of homer’s iliad and odyssey to understand the plight of soldiers today. he recommends training and various techniques of cohesion and … Continue reading →