“The View From Tall” (USA) Directed by Caitlin Parrish and Erica Weiss This first feature for directors Parrish and Weiss is based on the play written by Ms. Parrish and revolves around the relationship between a young woman coming out … Continue reading 52nd Chicago International Film Festival Screening #20: “The View From Tall” (USA)
“Soul On A String” (China) Directed by Zhang Yang Zhang Yang’s mysterious epic is, above all else, beautiful to look at and a worthwhile experience. Set in the mountainous regions of Tibet, at its outset “String” feels like a Sergio … Continue reading 52nd Chicago International Film Festival Screening #19: “Soul On A String” (China)
“Doctor Strange” Directed by Scott Derrickson I went in to “Doctor Strange” utterly ignorant of this Marvel character’s history. And, usually, that’s not a problem with Marvel films, because, unlike DC Comic films, Marvel films are filled with an underlying … Continue reading “Doctor Strange”
“Gimme Danger” Directed by Jim Jarmusch There is a quote in Jarmusch’s effusive documentary about The Stooges, spoken by Iggy Pop, that goes something like this: “When I look out at [current] audiences that come to see The Stooges, I … Continue reading “Gimme Danger”
“The Handmaiden” (South Korea) Directed by Chan-wook Park You gotta give it to Chan-wook Park (“Oldboy”, “Lady Vengeance”). He really knows how to create a beautiful looking film. He also knows how to write an epic script about incredibly simple … Continue reading 52nd Chicago International Film Festival Screening #18: “The Handmaiden” (South Korea)
“Olympic Pride, American Prejudice” (USA) Directed by Deborah Riley Draper This may sound like the rantings of a voice-over professional, but, in many ways, the most important element of any documentary film which utilizes a narrator, is the dispassionate telling … Continue reading 52nd Chicago International Film Festival Screening #17: “Olympic Pride, American Prejudice” (USA)
“You’re Killing Me, Susanna” (Mexico) Directed by Roberto Sneider So you say you’re looking for a cute RomCom featuring charming characters, incredibly steamy sex scenes, and maybe even a fish-out-water element? Well, as long as you don’t care that there … Continue reading 52nd Chicago International Film Festival Screening #16: “You’re Killing Me, Susanna” (Mexico)
“Kaleidoscope” (UK) Directed by Rupert Jones Oy, this film. Part psycho-social character study, part who-dunnit and part very dark comedy…”Kaleidoscope” is all kinds of boring. While it does have some positives to offer, when all is said and done, “Kaleidoscope” … Continue reading 52nd Chicago International Film Festival Screening #15: “Kaleidoscope” (UK)
“Karl Marx City” (Germany) Directed by Petra Epperlein & Michael Tucker Okay…if you start a film with a title card that states the images and sounds we are about to see were taken directly from Stasi (East German Secret Police) … Continue reading 52nd Chicago International Film Festival Screening #14: “Karl Marx City” (Germany)
“The Last Laugh” (USA) Directed by Ferne Pearlstein “The Last Laugh” is a joyful, yet occasionally difficult, documentary that picks up in some ways where “The Aristocrats” left off…analyzing a very specific subset of humor in Western culture. However, in … Continue reading 52nd Chicago International Film Festival Screening #13: “The Last Laugh” (USA)
The No Spoiler Critic 