A Talent for Trouble: The Life Of Hollywood’s Most Acclaimed Director, William Wyler by Jan Herman is one of two Wyler biographies. Earlier this year during what feels like forever ago in quarantine, I was reading Five Came Back by Mark Harris. I saw where there were two different Wyler biographies in the bibliography–both this one and the one by Axel Madsen. This is the book recommended by Mark and so it became my 20th…
"A Talent for Trouble by Jan Herman"Month: October 2020
What 537 Votes does is revisit the 2000 Election and in doing so, audiences get to relive the trauma that came with all the chads. Al Gore won Florida. No, wait a minute, George W. Bush won Florida. Well, I guess it means time for Gore to concede the election. The dreaded words: TOO CLOSE TO CALL! So much for Gore’s concession, we’re going to recount the ballots! Gore brings in former Secretary of State…
"537 Votes Reminds You Why Every Vote Matters"
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm joins a list of politically charged films that must be watched prior to the Election Day in November. Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan–hereafter Borat Subsequent Moviefilm or Borat 2–features some scenes that will certainly shock you. If you’ve been paying attention to news articles, some appearances will not come as a surprise. That being said, I’ve been asked not…
"Borat Subsequent Moviefilm Is An October Surprise"
Netflix announced the list of movies, television series, and specials that are coming and leaving the streaming service in November. ? denotes a part of the Netflix holiday slate. All titles and dates are subject to change Coming Soon ARASHI’s Diary – Voyage – ep 15-17 — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY Twenty years after their debut, join the beloved members of Arashi on a new journey as they showcase their lives, talents and gifts to the world.…
"Netflix: Coming and Leaving in November"
Sir Anthony Hopkins delivers yet another top-notch performance as an aging father with dementia in The Father, which is emotionally moving. When the film premiered during Sundance earlier this year, Hopkins was in the closing weeks of the Oscar race for The Two Popes. While he may have lost out, he’s back in the running and is almost certainly the front-runner. It’s not unlike Hopkins to deliver a masterclass performance and here is on display…
"AFI FEST 2020: The Father"
Grant, which aired earlier this year during Memorial Day weekend on the History Channel, is now available to take home on DVD. While Ron Chernow’s Alexander Hamilton biography inspired a musical, his definitive Ulysses S. Grant biography, Grant, led to a three-part miniseries. Chernow produced the miniseries alongside Appian Way’s Jennifer Davisson and Leonardo DiCaprio. Like several History Channel documentary miniseries, they weave in dramatic recreations, interviews, and archival images. The main focus is Grant…
"Grant: History Miniseries Available On DVD"
Sienna Miller delivers one of her finest performances in Wander Darkly but the film’s narrative approach is where viewers might get lost. Adrienne (Sienna Miller) and Matteo (Diego Luna) are in a car accident shortly after the film starts. Following the accident, the film takes us on a confusing narrative where the two are in a different sort of state. We’re seeing them through the events of moments the duo shared together at previous points…
"AFI FEST 2020: Wander Darkly"
Uncle Frank is a period piece following a closeted gay man who is reluctantly returning home for his father’s funeral and unresolved trauma. While conditions have improved to an extent for the LGBTQ community, things are certainly better than they were in 1973. This is when South Carolinian teenager Beth Bledsoe (Sophia Lillis) heads off to New York University. The move leads to a reunion with literature professor and Beth’s uncle, Frank (Paul Bettany). What…
"AFI FEST 2020: Uncle Frank"
Nine Days features a unique take on the concept of life as one man has the sole power to decide which souls will be born on Earth. Will (Winston Duke) spends his days watching human life on older television sets thanks to videos recorded by Kyo (Benedict Wong). Think of him as a gatekeeper as he watches people living their daily lives. It’s a thankless job but I suppose somebody has to do it. The…
"AFI FEST 2020: Nine Days"
Pink Skies Ahead takes us back to the Los Angeles of the late 1990s when a college students drops out and moves back in with her parents. Aspiring writer Winona (Jessica Barden) drops out of college and gets diagnosed with an anxiety disorder after moving back home with her parents, Robert (Michael McKean) and Pamela (Marcia Gay Harden). She’s in denial about Dr. Cotton’s (Henry Winkler) diagnosis. After all, she’s never had a panic attack…
"AFI FEST 2020: Pink Skies Ahead"