Rent it now: ‘A Prophet’
The terrific 2009 French crime drama ‘A Prophet’ arrives on DVD Tuesday and it should go to the top of your Netflix queue. Earlier this year, writer-director Jacques Audiard received a well-deserved...
View ArticleOscar roulette: or, don’t forget the year ‘Crash’ won
QUICK VIEW- Who will win? Best Picture | Director | Actor | Actress | Supporting Actor | Supporting actress | Screenplay For a few weeks every year, people who aren’t even that interested in movies get...
View ArticleThe sexy gangster who turned on Italian women
The Italian gangster drama “Angel of Evil” didn’t get much theatrical play early in 2011, but it deserves a second life on DVD. Directed by Michele Placido (who is also a fine actor), the movie is...
View Article‘The Wolf of Wall Street’: celebration or takedown?
For the umpteenth time, an engrossing and extremely well-made film about criminal behavior — “The Wolf of Wall Street” — is being accused of aiding and abetting what it shows us. A similar thing...
View Article‘Train Robbery’: two sides of a crime story
Netflix has added an excellent 2013 BBC miniseries to its line-up, “The Great Train Robbery,” which examines the famous 1963 case from two different angles. The first part of the two-part series...
View Article‘Spotlight’ vs. ‘The Big Short’ for top Oscar
If you can believe the movie industry forecasters, one of two films will win the Oscar for best picture on Feb. 28 – “Spotlight” or “The Big Short.” “Spotlight” was viewed as the frontrunner until “The...
View Article‘Margin Call’ vs. ‘The Big Short’: no contest
The critical endorsement of “The Big Short” baffles me. The movie borrows the hyped-up style of Martin Scorsese’s “GoodFellas” and “The Wolf of Wall Street” but the technique wears out its welcome as...
View ArticleThe solid craftsmanship of ‘A Bronx Tale’
Two innovative hits, “Hamilton” and “Dear Evan Hansen,” have set a high bar for the contemporary Broadway musical. “A Bronx Tale” isn’t a show for the ages, like those two instant classics, but it’s...
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