WE’RE HEADIN’ FOR THE LAUGHIN’ PLACE! It’s not like this classic Disney flick is banned. Since its premiere, Song of the South has been rereleased in theaters on several occasions, the last time in 1986. It has been made available for home viewing in Europe and Japan. But that still hasn’t happened in the U.S. … Continue reading Song of the South: Disney’s Bad Conscience
POSSESS THEM ALL. Judy (Mckenna Grace), the ten-year-old daughter of famed demonologists Lorraine and Ed Warren (Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson), is being watched by a babysitter and her friend when they accidentally set Annabelle free… At this point in the Conjuring universe there is a pleasant familiarity over meeting the Warrens again. Farmiga and Wilson … Continue reading Annabelle Comes Home
YOU CHOOSE YOUR FAMILY. In the 1970s, Erik and Anna (Ulrich Thomsen, Trine Dyrholm) invite a few acquaintances to share their big house, but settling into a collective has its challenges. A film that tries something along the lines of Together (2000). It’s the wife who comes up with the idea of starting a collective, … Continue reading The Commune
WATCH YOUR ASSETS. Wall Street tycoon Michelle Darnell (Melissa McCarthy) loses everything; after a stint in prison, she moves in with her former assistant (Kristen Bell) and tries to build a new empire… As in most movies by McCarthy and her husband Ben Falcone, the star’s talents are well employed – this looks like a … Continue reading The Boss
THE TRUTH MATTERS. Shortly after 9/11, a group of Washington reporters find out that the Bush Administration is preparing to attack Iraq based on lies and faulty intelligence. This story is interesting as a reminder for reporters to always dig deeper and not just blindly trust the most obvious sources. But as a movie it … Continue reading Shock and Awe
LOSE YOUR HEART AND COME TO YOUR SENSES. On a November day in 1993, Emma Thompson came rushing over to her friend Stephen Fry. She was in the middle of writing her screen adaptation of Jane Austen’s ”Sense and Sensibility”, but the file had become corrupted. Her work had been rescued, but all the formatting … Continue reading Sense and Sensibility: Thompson’s Triumph
FRIENDS TO THE END. Young Andy (Gabriel Bateman), who’s lonely in a new city, receives a gift from his mom (Aubrey Plaza) – a hi-tech doll who wants to be his best friend. The 1988 slasher-comedy classic gets a remake, this time without Don Mancini as collaborator; he was unhappy about the project, but the … Continue reading Child’s Play
ONE GIRL. ONE CITY. ONE NIGHT. ONE TAKE. After a night of dancing and drinking, Victoria (Laia Costa) leaves a club in Berlin and runs into four young men, which is the start of an intense adventure. One of few films shot in one continuous take, and it’s obvious how much hard work and preparation … Continue reading Victoria
Merab (Levan Gelbakhiani) has been training Georgian dance together with his girlfriend (Ana Javakishvili) for years when a new dancer (Bachi Valishvili) makes an appearance… The love story may be familiar as young Merab realizes that he’s falling in love with the charming newcomer, opening a new world of passion, confusion and danger for him. … Continue reading And Then We Danced
FIRST CLASS PROBLEMS. SECOND CLASS DETECTIVES. New York beat cop Nick Spitz (Adam Sandler) takes his wife (Jennifer Aniston) on a trip to Europe where they become suspects in a high-profile murder case. A prominent screenwriter lies behind this very conventional whodunit comedy that has a likable American couple clashing with a colorful bunch of … Continue reading Murder Mystery
NOVEMBER 26, 2008… TERROR STRUCK THE HEART OF INDIA. An ambitious thriller, inspired by a 2009 documentary, about the terror attacks in Mumbai 2008 that left hundreds of people dead. Focus lies on the dramatic events at the luxurious Taj Mahal hotel where armed men murdered tourists and took hostages while the authorities tried to … Continue reading Hotel Mumbai
EVERYTHING IS ON THE LINE. When the ambitious Vincent Zaleski (Jesse Eisenberg) convinces his brilliant but socially awkward cousin (Alexander Skarsgård) to join him for a bold project that will have Wall Street’s attention, he has no idea what awaits him. A drama set in the world of trading where speed means everything – in … Continue reading The Hummingbird Project
THEY DON’T HAVE A CLUE. While attending a surprise birthday party at Buckingham Palace, Sherlock Holmes and dr. Watson (Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly) find a corpse hidden inside a huge cake, the work of Moriarty (Ralph Fiennes). A spoof of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s perennial detective that borrows from the 2009 Robert Downey, Jr. … Continue reading Holmes & Watson
