One of the many issues with modern films is how they do not strive to be cinematic enough. Few filmmakers today take their time to properly design shots, use their frame in uniquely meaningful ways, and craft profoundly artful moments where the camera is both the artist and the tool. Daniel Kremer’s “Overwhelm the Sky” is a most welcome film that’s cinema to its very core. Alexander Hero stars ... more >
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Wading deep down the mysteries of “OVERWHELM THE SKY” | FILM REVIEW
Script is loosely based on an 18th century novel
Alexander Hero, Nima Slone and William Cully Allen
Directed by Daniel Kremer
Bigly shenanigans and desperate lying in “WHITE LIE” | REVIEW
When all you needed was faked medical records
Kacey Rohl, Amber Anderson and Martin Donovan
Directed by Yonah Lewis and Calvin Thomas
“The WORST thing you can do is to slip in ‘little’ white lies just to save yourself from confrontations & emotional conversations. ⁃ Sijdah Hussain In “White Lie” Katie Arneson is a university student who tries hard to keep her cancer diagnosis a secret. The fact that it is not true and there is no cancer is what Katie is hiding. What a cruel and unforgivable sin it is to commit in the ... more >
“COMING 2 AMERICA”: Prince Akeem, Lisa and the others–they’re back!
Eddie Murphy reprises his role for what turns out to be an uneven sequel
Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall and Shari Headley
Directed by Craig Brewer
John Landis’s 1988 smash comedy “Coming to America” was a hilarious feather in the cap for both the filmmaker and Eddie Murphy, who had the starring role. It was original, and funny, and it relied on well-written and -performed characters. Murphy’s Prince Akeem was a charming fellow that the actor played to the hilt. Thirty-three years later, Eddie Murphy and cast have returned, guided by ... more >
Prowling the streets of Istanbul : “STRAY”
The world of Zeytin, a stray dog living life on the streets
Directed by Elizabeth Lo
“I nuzzle the kind, bark at the greedy, and bite scoundrels.” - Diogenes Respect and compassion for the animals that we have dubbed “Man’s Best Friend” is what permeates throughout this kind and important documentary called "Stray." We are told that, since 1909, Turkish authorities have committed mass killings of street dogs in their quest to annihilate Istanbul’s stray dog ... more >
“THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BOY IN THE WORLD,” from child stardom to edge of the precipice
From this year's Sundance Film Festival
Annike Andresen, Björn Andrésen and Silva Filmer
Directed by Kristina Lindström and Kristian Petri
For Luchino Visconti’s cinematic adaptation of Thomas Mann’s “Death in Venice,” the filmmaker sought otherworldly beauty in whichever actor he chose to play Tadzio, the young teenager who is the subject of the main character Gustav’s infatuation. Fifteen-year-old Björn Andrésen was chosen, as his entire persona captivated the filmmaker. As Visconti’s casting director Margaret Krantz states, ... more >
“Passing” or when society quashes identity, forcing you into a corner
Pretending to be white
Tessa Thompson, Ruth Negga and André Holland
Directed by Rebecca Hall
Actress Rebecca Hall adapts and directs the intoxicating, and intricately-designed, “Passing,” a new film (Hall’s first as a director) based on the 1929 novella from author Nella Larsen. This is a story that confronts the realities of the act of “passing,” which refers to when members of minority communities (blacks, Jews, etc) were forced to pass as white to sidestep societal ... more >
She changed the future by simply believing in it. Nichelle Nichols in “WOMAN IN MOTION,” the Todd Thompson documentary on a one-woman drive to bring NASA into the 21st century
Nichelle Nichols, Vivica A. Fox, Ashley Eckstein and Michael Dorn
Directed by Todd Thompson
“We’re not just fancy little things. We are human beings and we come in all forms.” From the world of jazz and dance to an historical television series to leading the effort to get more people of color in the space program, actress Nichelle Nichols has had a full life on and off screen. It is a life of dotted with history-making accomplishments though one that, frankly, I was not familiar with ... more >