Academy Award nominee for best foreign film in 2008, “12″ is a Russian interpretation of “12 Angry Men” (1957) starring Henry Fonda and Lee Cobb.
If “Twelve Angry Men” argued for the right to a fair trial in the time of McCarthyism, “12” dramatizes anti-Semitism, anti-immigration, class warfare,...
“Bernie”– A Texas Tale
This indie film defies easy categorization because it is sometimes comedic, often sad particularly with regard to the old and lonely, and always quirky.
Based loosely on a true story, which took place in a Texas hamlet called Carthage, the small-community culture is faithfully and mercilessly presented. The writer-director, Richard Linklater...
“Jiro Dreams of Sushi”–Not Just Another California Roll
This is a nuanced documentary about the 85 year-old Jiro Ono, considered to be the world’s greatest sushi chef. Ono is the proprietor of Sukiyabashi Jiro, a 10-seat, sushi-only restaurant inconspicuously located in a Tokyo subway station, where a sushi dinner starts at approximately $400 per person. Despite its humble appearance, Restaurant...
Netflix–Give Me What I Want to Watch!!
We are all familiar with recommendations that are “pushed” towards us on e-commerce sites–think Amazon.com, Netflix, Pandora, and even Facebook (who suggests “friends”). We never seem to receive Netflix recommendations that we like without suffering through a lot of misfires. For every movie we really love, there...
“A Separation”–Between Truth and Lies
I haven’t seen a film from Iran that I have loved as much as “A Separation” since I enjoyed “Children of Heaven” (1997). “A Separation”, winner of this year’s Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, is an Iranian “Rashomon”. This masterpiece of cinema lays out multiple stories unfolding from six...
“Foyle’s War”–Crime Foiled
I am addicted to the series “Foyle’s War” (six extraordinary seasons –2002-2010–on BBC Television) now available through Netflix. Set in a small coastal town, Hastings, in Great Britain during World War II, a middle-aged police chief, Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle (the underrated Michael Kitchen)...
