The Coen Brothers transport us back in time to the 1960s folk music scene in their 2013 smart and funny masterpiece, Inside Llewyn Davis. I’m writing this review while listening to the Cannes press conference following the film’s premiere in May 2013. Not that it has anything to do with the film–other then the Coens being Jewish–but there was a question from a German TV reporter about humor in Germany and whether it was German…
"Inside Llewyn Davis: Another Coen Brothers Masterpiece"Tag: Carey Mulligan
The new film from Promising Young Woman filmmaker Emerald Fennell, Saltburn, is a film that will not be for everyone. I delayed writing my review because I wasn’t really sure what to say about the film. Truth be told, I still don’t know what to say about the film. What I can say for certain is that there are scenes in this film that will leave people cringing. That was certainly the case when I…
"Saltburn Won’t Be For Everyone"
The troubles for Maestro started not with the first images of ethnic cosplay but as soon as Bradley Cooper won over Jake Gyllenhaal. I wish I could take credit for coining “ethnic cosplay” as a term but no, I can’t. It was used by a colleague after the release of first-look images in 2022. In my opinion, the remarks still hold up today. The push for authentic representation in Hollywood somehow does not include Jews.…
"Maestro: A Showcase of Ethnic Cosplay in Leonard Bernstein Biopic"
She Said follows a pair of New York Times investigative reporters as they research and report on the Harvey Weinstein scandal. The Harvey Weinstein scandal had a domino effect in Hollywood as it was the biggest story of its day. After he was exposed, many survivors had the bravery to speak their truth. Myself included, albeit around the subject of transphobic abuse. You can call this the Spotlight of Hollywood-adjacent newspaper films but it’s so…
"She Said: One Of The Most Powerful Films Of The Year" Bradley Cooper’s upcoming Leonard Bernstein biopic, Maestro, is facing a backlash following the first look images being released. Cooper stars as Leonard Bernstein while Carey Mulligan stars as his wife, Felicia Cohn Montealegre. Mulligan’s casting has been rightfully called out for being a white British woman starring as a biracial Latina woman of Jewish descent. Bernstein’s wife later converted from Catholicism to Judaism but her paternal grandfather was Jewish. It is seriously wrong for a…
"Maestro: Leonard Bernstein Movie Facing Backlash"
The Dig is one of those pre-World War II films that is going to end up going under the radar but Carey Mulligan is phenomenal. Edith Pretty (Carey Mulligan) is a widow living on a Sutton Hoo, Suffolk farm. This farm just happens to be the home of a few burial mounds. Could the mounds have a treasure buried inside? This is what Edith suspects and she hires amateur archaeologist Basil Brown (Ralph Fiennes) to…
"The Dig: Carey Mulligan Is Phenomenal"
If there’s a film that you should go into without watching a trailer or reading reviews, Promising Young Woman is that film. The large majority of filmgoers will have until mid-April December before they can see this film. As a result, I’m going to be extra careful in writing about this film. It’s a film that ought to be treated like that of a Marvel or Star Wars film. Go into it knowing very little…
"Sundance 2020: Promising Young Woman"
The Chicago International Film Festival honored actress Carey Mulligan with an Artistic Achievement Award in connection with the Centerpiece screening of Wildlife. Prior to the screening, Mulligan and festival founder/CEO Michael Kutza posed for photos on the red carpet. The actress also took questions from select press before the screening. The festival would formally present the award after the screening. The actress received several Oscar nominations for her breakout role of Jenny in An Education. …
"Chicago Film Festival Honors Carey Mulligan with Tribute" With first-time director Paul Dano at the helm, Wildlife benefits from a stand-out performance from actress Carey Mulligan. Based on Richard Ford’s book of the same name, we view the events through the eyes of teenager Joe Brinson (Ed Oxenbould) in Great Falls, Montana. As his parents struggle financially, Joe decides to quit the football team to work for a photographer. Meanwhile, Joe’s dad, Jerry (Jake Gyllenhaal), decides to run out of town to fight fires some…
"Wildlife: A Career-Best for Carey Mulligan"
With first-time director Paul Dano at the helm, Wildlife benefits from a stand-out performance from actress Carey Mulligan. Based on the book of the same name, we view the events through the eyes of teenager Joe Brinson (Ed Oxenbould). As his parents struggle financially, he decides to quit the football team to work for a photographer. Having lost his job at the golf club, Jerry (Jake Gyllenhaal) runs out of town to fight fires in Montana. …
"TIFF 2018: Wildlife"