With his newest film Isle of Dogs, Wes Anderson creates what has become for him a routine effect; he delivers a refreshingly unique and unpredictable story experience in film. And this time he adds a couple more items: he makes a pun out of the title while probably promoting stop-motion animation to a new level of legitimacy. That he chose a near-future Japan as his setting can only make me curious. Did anime’ influence him? Old Godzilla films? In a day and age of horror and zombie films, and movies that rely so heavily on CGI, it was a great relief to experience lower tech and  more organic storytelling— which is not to suggest that the film was simple. Perhaps it was a canine version of

I had to go into the movie with some expectations because Steven Spielberg does not make bad movies, and the cast had Tom Hanks and Merrill Streep for starters. It’s always hard to know whether the times make the movie or the movie makes the times; culture and Art seem to take turns leading the way. In any case, I was just young enough to not understand what the Pentagon papers were in the early 70s. I distinctly remember that phrase as having been constantly in the news while I was in high school. What I didn’t know was that the events covered so well in this film blazed a trail that made it more possible for the press to act in the role of

When I hear the Star Wars theme and see the text scrolling up and away from me into the stars, it arouses the wonder in me. And because for over three decades I have been rewarded for accepting the reality projected in these stories, I suspend whatever disbelief I encounter. This episode (VIII) has its share of potential distractions in the form of questionable plot points, but if you can silence those interruptions of reason, the film and the story take you –as all worthy stories do–full circle: from your own human experience to an imagined one and back again. The point, of course, is to see what changed in the process. I hope that enough of the other hundreds of millions of viewers changed as

Much as with the Star Trek TV series, the first BladeRunner was not immediately appreciated. Sometimes, society does not immediately recognize itself in the mirror that Art holds up to it. The fact that as time went on, both efforts became epic and sacred for TV and film implies that they had tried to share a vital human experience that we didn’t recognize yet. But after another decade and the emergence of the Digital Age, it grew clear that within a generation we would be presented with choices and changes to our existence that would redefine what it meant to be human. Then, when these prescient films held up the mirror a second time, we recognized ourselves. The first thing to say about the sequel

Six Movies to See La La Land I am pretty sure it’s La La Land for Best Picture. This film left me thinking I just saw the Oscar Winner. It was bold and unpredictable: music, drama, the quest for fame—it’s all there. Passenger It was good Sci-Fi, like a futuristic Robinson Crusoe tale on an island surrounded by a sea of space. Oh, and Friday is a woman. My friend’s wife called it a “chick flick” and a “love story.” Lion It reminded me of Slumdog Millionaire award winner. It made a lot of people cry. Okay, I couldn’t help it, I got weepy. Fences Acting showcase for Viola and Denzelle. Potent stuff. It will win some Oscars. 20th Century Women Sleeper indie film that

Jessica Chastain probably gets herself nominated for an Oscar as she plays a very determined and capable woman—reminiscent of her character in Zero Dark Thirty. The film is about a force of a woman—though it’s not necessarily about women, and part of the plot is about gun control in politics—but it’s not really about gun control. It’s about the lobbying industry and the ruthlessness with which big money chases votes, paying mercenaries (lobbyists) to fight their wars for them: if a new or changed law means billions, you quickly pay millions to try to make it go your way. Power is ruthless, so the driving conflict of the film is “winning” or  achievement in pitched battle against conscience and morality. The machines of industry and

  I saw a number of films—some still playing—that do not merit a full review, so I will suggest a couple and try to create some energy around new ones on the way. Here are the shortened versions: Inferno Though I loved watching Felicity Jones, I got bored pretty quickly. Tom Hanks—it feels terrible to say this about a great performer—is getting tiresome. The plot did not grab me as in the prior stories. Ugh. The Accountant It was worth the price of admission, but would have been a better film if Ben Affleck had convinced me his character was autistic. He reminded me more of the programmed killer played by Matt Damon in parts of Jason Bourne than anything like Dustin Hoffman in Rain

The fact that one man and a group of supporters stood up against the most powerful elements in the world in order to defend our freedom is not something that needed to be sensationalized or otherwise embellished. And while there are those who want to demonize Snowden, I say with more confidence than I have said about anything else I know about life, history will make him a great hero. – That is, as long as we follow his lead. Because if we if we allow the government into the most private rooms of our homes and our minds, then Orwell’s terrible vision will have coalesced around us. As you recall, it was the job of Winston Smith himself to be part of the team that rewrote

After I watched the trailer for Florence Foster Jenkins, the new movie starring Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant, I didn’t think I’d like it. The idea of listening to someone who thought they could sing–but couldn’t– seemed like two hours of torture. I say that as someone who likes to sing from time to time, but knows better than to believe those incurably polite people who say “you have a beautiful voice.” But when my mother suggested we go to a movie, I knew it was the only one to see. So imagine my relief when, despite a number of scenes where “Florence” indulges her dream of singing for the public, I experience a solid film based on a true story, set in New York

  Is Captain Fantastic is a fantastic film? –Yes. Is it a fantasy? –I hope not. Is Captain Fantastic a fabulous film experience? –Yes. Is it a fable? –I suppose, but in a good way. For everything else it might or might not be, it is one of most inspiring movies I’ve seen in a long time.  It’s an organic film, though that could be construed to mean that it’s about carbon footprints and healthy food and hippie philosophies. It’s beyond those things. The story carries themes of independence and self-reliance. It’s also about a family that rejects conformity and convention–not to be rebellious, but because they see modern conventions as flawed and wrong. And it’s about courage–not the physical kind (though that’s there too),