The Debt Is A Gripping Thriller

The Debt is an a remake of the 2007 Israeli Ophir-nominated thriller, Ha-Hov, and follows its cast through both the past and present. The 2007 film did not get a theatrical release in the United States although it played film festivals and aired on TV. Despite this, British filmmakers would still remake the film for English-speaking audiences. After all, it did pick up four nominations in the Israeli version of the Academy Awards. The names…

"The Debt Is A Gripping Thriller"

Interstellar: One Of The Best Sci-Fi Thrillers Ever Made

Interstellar is a science fiction thriller–now a classic–incorporating real science in the quest for new worlds and the fate of humanity. One does not necessarily need to understand the science behind the film to find it entertaining. Having an understanding would probably help. In any event, it is very much a Christopher Nolan thriller. His films have a way of getting bigger in terms of scale through the years. Dunkirk brought things back down to…

"Interstellar: One Of The Best Sci-Fi Thrillers Ever Made"

Zero Dark Thirty Marks 10th Anniversary

While Zero Dark Thirty is about the manhunt for terrorist Osama bin Laden, the film has not aged particularly well on its 10th anniversary. In early 2013, I would have said that this film was one of the best films of 2012. But now, I’m not so sure especially with what The Report had to say about it. It is through the lens of having watched The Report in which I watched Zero Dark Thirty…

"Zero Dark Thirty Marks 10th Anniversary"

The Good Nurse Is Now On Netflix

Eddie Redmayne and Jessica Chastain star as a pair of nurses in The Good Nurse, a new thriller that is now streaming on Netflix. The film premiered last month in Toronto before having a brief theatrical release in October. I had a chance to check out the film ahead of its theatrical release. Because of timing, I’m just now having a chance to jot down my thoughts and get them online. In short, The Good…

"The Good Nurse Is Now On Netflix"

The 355: The First Dud of 2022

January is a month that studios typically use as a dumping ground for the not-good films and The 355 is no exception to the rule. The 355 is billed as a fast-paced espionage thriller but it didn’t feel fast-paced nor much of a thriller. This film takes us to the likes of Paris, Morocco, and Shanghai. There’s a star-studded cast but unfortunately, they can’t elevate the material no matter how much they try. The gist…

"The 355: The First Dud of 2022"

The Eyes of Tammy Faye – Toronto 2021

The Eyes of Tammy Faye, starring Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield, is one of many Oscar contenders to launch in Toronto. The film focuses on the rise, fall, and later redemption of Tammy Faye Bakker (Jessica Chastain). Listen, I don’t need to rehash the biography here. If you want to know more, watch the documentary that this film is based on. Or maybe yet, go over to search for her Wikipedia page. The same goes…

"The Eyes of Tammy Faye – Toronto 2021"

The Zookeeper’s Wife: How A Zoo Saved Jews

The Zookeeper’s Wife tells the story of the heroic efforts by Dr. Jan Żabiński and Antonina Żabińska to save Warsaw’s Jews from the Nazis. When we first meet Dr. Jan Żabiński (Johan Heldenbergh) and Antonina Żabińska (Jessica Chastain) in 1939, the two are caretakers for the Warsaw Zoo. They go through their daily routine until the Nazis begin their occupation of Poland. It’s not long thereafter when the Reich’s chief zoologist Lutz Heck (Daniel Brühl)…

"The Zookeeper’s Wife: How A Zoo Saved Jews"

Dark Phoenix closes out X-Men saga with a bang

Dark Phoenix makes for a satisfying conclusion to the X-Men series while we wait for the proper return of the mutants into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. “What you choose to do with your gift is entirely up to you,” Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) tells eight-year-old Jean Grey in 1975. While Simon Kinberg now moves into the director’s chair, he also makes up for the single worst X-Men film.  It’s no easy task.  For one, the…

"Dark Phoenix closes out X-Men saga with a bang"

Chicago Film Fest 2018: This Changes Everything

Addressing the gender disparity that troubles Hollywood, This Changes Everything is one of the most important documentaries of the year. I can’t exactly point to when all the focus started turning to women directors not getting the same opportunities as men.  That being said, This Changes Everything is equally important to the Amy Adrion-directed Half the Picture.  This two films go hand in hand with a similar focus on women directors. “The door has to…

"Chicago Film Fest 2018: This Changes Everything"

Woman Walks Ahead: Poor In Execution

Woman Walks Ahead sounds like a great idea in theory but the film goes poorly in its execution. Catherine Weldon (Jessica Chastain) has an interesting story.  The Swiss immigrant arrived to the United States in 1852, where both she and her mom settled in Brooklyn.  She would later have a marriage to Bernhard Schlatter end in divorce in 1883.  It’s what happened after her marriage ended in which her life would truly begin to get interesting.…

"Woman Walks Ahead: Poor In Execution"