Seems Oscar wasn’t enough for director Martin Scorsese. Seems he couldn’t rest until he’d made “a Holocaust film.” But despite all the talented people involved (including wonderful actresses Patricia Clarkson, Emily Mortimer & Michelle Williams), this film is a total mess. Barely 5 minutes in, it was already close to unwatcheable, & by the end (minute 138), I was ready to tear my hair out!!!
Shout out to screenwriter Laeta Kalogridis: Better luck next time L
17.Apr.10 
Raving/Ranting about Male Filmmakers, Reviews: Q-S 
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Click HERE to download WomenArts review as a pdf file.
In Floria Sigismondi’s new film The Runaways, Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart play archetypes: two wide-eyed innocents, fractured halves of one whole, negotiating the drug-fueled, gender-bending, mind-blowing ‘70s.
How much is historically true? Who cares? The Runaways is a feature film, not a documentary, and what moved me most were the performances. That said, writer/director Floria Sigismondi and her team have all worked very hard to capture The Runaways’ actual milieu.
Countless films have depicted the role rock music played in breaking down racial barriers, now Sigismondi has done the same for feminism. And through their brilliant portrayals of Cherie Currie and Joan Jett, Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart will now inspire a whole new generation of girls. Bravo!
Click HERE to read Jan’s WomenArts review online.
Click HERE to read FILMS FOR TWO haiku.
Click HERE for historical background on The Runaways.
22.Mar.10 Reviews: Q-S Read more Comments (0)
Miguel ‘Sugar’ Santos (Soto) is a Dominican teenager with a great arm. Nurtured in local baseball camps, he’s brought north to play on a Minor League team in
Iowa. Everyone’s got great intentions, but the pressure weighs heavy on Sugar’s young shoulders. Well-told, intimate story contrasting first world/third world expectations & lifestyles. Click
HERE for FF2 haiku.
16.Oct.09 Reviews: Q-S Read more Comments (0)
Incredibly violent, sexually abusive sci-fi/rogue cop mash-up written by James Cameron. Despite Bigelow’s directorial skill, this future world is way too ugly for us & inadvertently obsolete (everytime characters said “2K” instead of “Y2K,” we groaned). Fiennes & Lewis are OK, but acting by everyone else is way over the top. Click HERE for FF2 haiku.
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Act One: Tikrit. Superb! Act Two:
Texas. Very Good! Act Three: Road Trip. Um, unfocused & meandering. We both wanted this heart-felt, well-intentioned film to be better, but still applaud Peirce’’s direction & all the acting. No matter what you think about
Iraq, we should all realize that sacrifices have not been equally shared. We owe our troops both gratitude & consideration. Click
HERE for FF2 haiku.
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Not seen by Rich. May NEVER been seen by Rich. Definitely “a chick flick,” & definitely recommended by Jan, even tho PANTS #2 isn”t quite as strong as PANTS #1. Click HERE for FF2 haiku.
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Too much of a good thing: Nesher locates his excellent cast in a school for young Orthodox women, where they’re surrounded by the ghosts of prior generations of Kaballah scholars who also walked up & down these same stone steps of Sfat. Add in a murder mystery, fine. But then he went one step too far… at least for us… Click HERE for FF2 haiku.
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Thirtysomething Manhattanite (Linney) puts her own life on hold when her estranged father (Bosco) succumbs to dementia. Caring for him with a brother she knows only slightly better (Hoffman) becomes life-changing for both of them. Jan’’s agog, but while Rich loved performances, he found frequent “shifts-of-tone” between comedy & tragedy disorienting. Click HERE for FF2 haiku.
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Nair’s first film (made with frequent collaborator screenwriter Sooni Taraporevala) achieved instant acclaim, winning multiple awards worldwide & receiving a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar nomination.
Bombay street kids survive amidst the squalor and danger of the adult world around them. Click HERE for FF2 haiku.
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Sincere drama about a withdrawn man (Bacon) nursing his cancer-striken wife (Hardin). When a kid appears in the life of this childless couples, they take him in, but the story unfolds naturally with strong character development & a well-earned tear-filled ending. Click HERE for FF2 haiku.
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