MY GOLDEN DAYS (2015) review
written by: Arnaud Desplechin and Julie Peyr
produced by: Oury Milshtein and Tatiana Bouchain
directed by: Arnaud Desplechin
rated: R (for some strong sexual content, graphic nudity, and language)
runtime: 120 min.
U.S. release date: October 17, 2015 (Chicago International Film Festival), March 18, 2016 and March 25, 2016 (limited)
Arnaud Desplechin’s “My Golden Days” is a mesmerizing and profoundly endearing look at the unforgettable memories we hold. We all have them. There are childhood occurrences, eye-opening moments during the teen years and that first love – all of which linger and rise to the surface of our minds, throughout years of life experiences. I’ve watched many coming-of-age films over the years, but none of them found me reflecting on my own memories so clearly as this resonating French film has done. Read more…
BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE (2016) review
written by: Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer
produced by: Charles Roven and Deborah Snyder
directed by: Zack Snyder
rated: PG-13 (for intense sequences of violence and action throughout, and some sensuality)
runtime: 153 min.
U.S. release date: March 25, 2016
Don’t let the subtitle of “Batman v Superman” fool you, justice has not dawned in this movie. There’s simply none to be found anywhere in the latest debacle from director Zack Snyder, in which he once again proves himself a master of destruction and little else. If you had no problem with the excessive collateral damage and the thousands that were killed in Snyder’s 2013 Superman reboot “Man of Steel“, then you’ll have no problem seeing more of the same in this movie. Once again, Warner Bros. is squandering the potential of their DC characters. Instead of giving us the World’s Finest, we get two brooding costumed quandaries who are a shadow of the heroes they could should be and the impotent, stammering rich kid who manipulates them. Where is the justice? Read more…
THE BOOST (1988) blu-ray review
written by: Darryl Ponicsan (screenplay) and Ben Stein (story)
produced by: Daniel H. Blatt
directed by: Harold Becker
rated: R
runtime: 95 min.
U.s. release date: December 28, 1988
blu-ray release date: March 22, 2016
There is a misconception regarding Harold Becker’s “The Boost”, which was released in 1988 and would become known as “the drug movie”, and that is that the main character becomes messed-up once he gets hooked on drugs. Well, drugs don’t come into play until after the thirty minute mark and it’s obvious before then that the insecure and unstable man we are watching is already messed-up. He’s played by James Woods, who excels at portraying frazzled characters who are a couple bad decisions away from blowing a gasket and endangering himself and everyone around him. Here is a movie that is certainly dated, but not necessarily in a bad way as it serves as a reminder of the hedonism that epitomized a decade of excess. Read more…
BREAKER! BREAKER! (1977) blu-ray review
written by: Terry Chambers
produced by: Samuel Schulman, Bernard Tabakin, Don Hulette and John Burrows
directed by: Don Hulette
rated: PG
runtime: 95 min.
U.S. release date: May 6, 1977
blu-ray release date: March 22, 2016
I’m kind of surprised Hollywood hasn’t remade “Breaker! Breaker!” by now with….oh, Mark Wahlberg or Dwayne Johnson. Considering the movie is subpar Chuck Norris, it would probably star someone like Charlie Hunnam or Jai Courtney, two actors studios have been trying ever so hard to convince us of their “it” status. The thing is, there’s potential here to turn this flimsy material around and make it something better than the original – that’s why you remake something Hollywood, not just for a money grab – but, it’d be a waste of money and resources, since this bland and generic movie should only be seen on an episode of “Mystery Science Theatre 3000”. Read more…
CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT (1965) review
written by: Orson Welles
produced by: Ángel Escolano, Emiliano Piedra, Harry Saltzman & Alessandro Tasca di Cuto
directed by: Orson Welles
rated: unrated
runtime: 119 min.
release date: March 17, 1967 (Cannes) and March 18-24, 2016 (limited)
It is a big deal to finally see Orson Welles’ “Chimes of Midnight” as it was only recently made possible to view what is considered to be a masterpiece from the writer/director since it was tangled in distribution rights. For a film that was initially maligned by critics and eventually praised as one of Welles’ best, it had unfortunately not received the audience it deserved. The rare screening of the film in art house theaters over the years found the film in dire need of good cleaning and thanks to Janus Films, we can now see a beautiful, crisp, full-restored print in American theaters for a limited time. Film enthusiasts, Welles completists and lovers of William Shakespeare shouldn’t miss it. Read more…
ESSAY: Users and Losers of Film Noir
At first, I was going to write about femme fatales in film noir and how they represent smart, strong and alluring women, albeit with dubious intentions. I wondered if film noir would be the same if such characters were absent. For decades, many have lamented the lack of great roles for women, but back in the hard-boiled films of the 40s and 50s, there were plenty. Having watched 1947’s “Out of the Past” and 1944’s “Double Indemnity “recently – both of which include manipulative femme fatales – what I’ve come to notice is how the genre also consists of men who give in to weakness and are suckered into a tangled web, due to a soft spot in their hearts or a hard one in their pants. In my experience with the genre (so far), I’ve come to observe that film noir is full of users and losers. Read more…
EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT (2015) review
written by: Ciro Guerra and Jacques Toulemonde Vidal
produced by: Cristina Gallego
directed by: Ciro Guerra
rated: unated
runtime: 125 min.
release date: May 15, 2015 (Cannes), February 17 & March 11, 2016 (limited)
The five films nominated in the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 88th Academy Awards this year were a better assembly of films than the ones nominated in the Best Picture category. Now, that may not seem all that strange to point out for those film enthusiasts in the know or anyone who’s been paying close attention to Oscar picks over the years. It’s nevertheless important to pick out since most moviegoers have never even heard of the nominees in this category – plus, the films are hard to find. They either make it to art-house theaters in major cities for a week or two at the end of the year in order to qualify for awards or they wind up getting a theatrical run once the Oscars are over. The latter can be said about the exquisite “Embrace of the Serpent”, the first-ever nominee from Colombia. Read more…
19th Chicago European Union Film Festival 2016 – AFERIM!
written by: Radu Jude and Florin Lazarescu
produced by: Ada Solomon
directed by: Radu Jude
rated: unrated
runtime: 108 min.
release date: March 6, 2015 (Romania) and March 6 & March 9, 2016 (Gene Siskel Film Center, Chicago, IL)
The one film of the festival that feels like Bergman, Kurosawa and John Ford all wrapped in one Don Quijote type tale is director Radu Jude’s “Aferim!” This dark black-and-white dramedy with its ironic title (which means “Bravo!”) earned Best Director at the 2015 Berlin Film Festival and pays homage to timeless classics of the westerns and samurai genres. Read more…
written by: Juris Kursietis
produced by: Vicky Miha and Ingmar Trost
directed by: Juris Kursietis
rated: unrated
runtime: 98 min.
release date: September 9, 2015 (TIFF) and March 8 & 15, 2016 (Gene Siskel Film Center, Chicago, IL)
This 2014 character study from Latvia was the country’s submission last year the 88th Academy Awards consideration, but it did not receive a nomination. Nevertheless, this feature-length debut from writer/director Juris Kursietis is an atmospheric and desperate tale of a directionless teenager who has been making bad decisions for too long and now finally must feel the repercussions of his unfortunate choices. But, one can’t help but to think whether the young man that we follow in “Modris” if he was capable of excepting help or if he ever had a chance. Read more…
written by: Anna Heinämaa
produced by: Kai Nordberg and Kaarle Aho
directed by: Klaus Härö
rated: unrated
runtime: 98 min.
release date: March 13, 2015 (Estonia/Finland) and March 8 & 11, 2016 (Gene Siskel Film Center, Chicago, IL)
This is the kind of ‘based on a true story’ film I gravitate to – one that informs its viewers of a person or event that the world would mostly likely never have heard of, it not for one particular film. “The Fencer” falls in that category. The film was selected as the Finnish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film for this year’s Oscars, but was not nominated, even though it made the December shortlist of nine films. Add it to the list of the many great foreign films that didn’t make the cut. Read more…
