THE OTTOMAN LIEUTENANT is a slight but eminently humane story, lushly filmed, and richly romantic. It follows the classic tropes of the romance genre, enhanced with nuanced performances that elevate what might otherwise be stock characters in a plot with few surprises. The biggest surprise being that it is so satisfying as entertainment, and as… Read More »
MONSIEUR IBRAHIM (MONSIEUR IBRAHIM ET LES FLEURS DU CORAN)
MONSIEUR IBRAHIM is a journey from darkness to light, literally and figuratively. The guide is the M. Ibrahim (Omar Sharif) of the title, a guardian angel, metaphorically, who intervenes at the perfect moment to save Moses (Daniel Boulanger), a neighborhood kid, from despair and worse. Moses is being raised by his dour father, a man… Read More »
EAT PRAY LOVE
EAT PRAY LOVE is a glossy travelogue of a flick, full of stereotypes and caricatures providing a colorful backdrop to Julia Roberts’ glamour lighting. Based on the book of the same name by Elizabeth Gilbert, it is the personal journey towards inner happiness taken by Liz (Julie Roberts) as she learns the lessons of the… Read More »
Jacques Perrin Follows A WINGED MIGRATION
Few have had as varied and rich a career as Jacques Perrin, whose resume includes appearing in and co-producing the classic political thriller Z for Costa-Gavras, making an extended cameo in the French potboiler THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF, and making fascinating films in homage to the natural world. His MICROCOSMOS took the world by storm… Read More »
Dean DeBlois & Clark Spencer & LILO AND STITCH
Dean DeBlois and Clark Spencer, co-director and producer respectively of LILO AND STITCH are, like so many Disney folk, big kids masquerading as grown-ups. Stitch, the alien of the title, is like nothing so much as Buster Keaton’s evil alter ego, and Lilo, the little girl who adopts him, is more like the typical Disney nemesis, not heroine.… Read More »