Arianna Encountering heretofore unknown aspects of your own identity is the stuff of any coming-of-age story. In Arianna, a movie about a young person of an ambiguous sex, this concept is taken to its apogee. This is a lyrical coming-of-age story set …Read more
Nervous laughter is usually reserved for dramedies of manner and wriggles only into the best of horror movies. The scares in The Wailing, a tale of impressive genre-blending, elicit laughter just until you realize what’s going on, but by then it’s to …Read more
Even though Carol Reed had his biggest Hollywood success with 1968’s Oliver! For which he won the Best Director Academy Award, one could suggest the industry was just catching up – rather late as is their want – and retroactively honoring him for his …Read more
Rooftop Films officially kicked off its twentieth season on May 20th with a program of short films, the first of over fifty outdoor screenings they’ll host this summer. I have to admit, I’m not familiar with most of the films on the docket this year, …Read more
When you’re offered an intimate portrait of Anthony Weiner, part of you wonders, “What more is there left to see?” Besides the literal over-exposure of the former New York congressman, the psychological profile of Weiner isn’t exactly opaque either. …Read more
Julio Medem’s Ma Ma takes the melodrama to the nth level, by crafting a story that combines elements from Mildred Pierce, Terms of Endearment and Not Without My Daughter. In essence, it’s a story about the courage of mothers, and how they will go to …Read more
As audience members gear up for the 2016 summer blockbuster season that will bring an infinity of new CGI extravaganzas, a film originally released almost 100 years ago would probably give any of them a run for their money in terms of creativity and …Read more
Roberto Minervini’s The Other Side, a documentary about a small group of poor Louisianians, is as raw as a plate of tuna tartare. This portrait of life in the deep South does not shy away from any aspect of how these people live. Minervini shows on …Read more
Pervert Park is a documentary written and directed by Frida and Lasse Barkfors which challenges us to empathize with those we are encouraged never to think about: sex offenders. The film is set in a trailer park called Florida Justice Transitions, a …Read more
Elvis Martini (Nickola Shreli) is an unusual name. The kind that winks at you from the pages of a hardboiled thriller or dime novel. Fittingly it’s the name of the protagonist in Cash Only, which is indeed a crime thriller, the kind with gangsters an …Read more
