Documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles dies at 88
NEW YORK (AP) — Albert Maysles, the revolutionary documentary filmmaker who helped pioneer nonfiction movies by turning a keenly observant eye on both the famous and the ordinary in films like “Gimme Shelter” and “Grey Gardens,” has died. He was 88. Read More: http://news.yahoo.com/documentary-filmmaker-albert-mayles-dies-88-172352640.html;_ylt=A0SO81TJD_pUfX0ArBNXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEzbmMzNW92BGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDVklQNTMxXzEEc2VjA3Nj
On the radar: Sugar and spice Sydney style in ‘Recipe For Murder;’ cherchez la femme; Cannes kudos
Yesterday I found out about an intriguing new movie, “Recipe For Murder,” and I look forward to speaking with writer/director Sonia Bible. It was news to me that in the early 1950’s, Sydney was a city in the grip of a deadly crime wave. In just over a year, more than 100 people were poisoned; […]
8mm sizzles with noir-tinged rock: Friday at the Roxy
With a haunting voice, retro-glam sexiness, and material both subtle and raw, Juliette Beavan of 8mm melds a femme fatale’s sophistication with flinty rock energy. From the first searing notes, often punctuated by smoke and shadow, the songs draw you in like a Hitchcock thriller; lyrics linger in your head well beyond the show’s end. […]
What Zee sees
“I love movies,” Joe Zee, creative director of Elle, recently told Alex Williams of The New York Times. About a Jennifer Lopez photo in 2008 by Carter Smith, Zee said: “I wanted a Polanski feel about it, so that’s why it was a black-and-white, with that sort of pained, but very glamorous, look on her face.” […]
‘L.A. Confidential’ a first-rate depiction of sun-baked sleaze
L.A. Confidential/1997/Warner Bros./138 min. Life is good (and glitzy) in 1953 Los Angeles, if you don’t mind smoke and mirrors, hidden crime, rampant racism and more than a few dodgy cops. Corruption in the police force, long an undercurrent in classic noir, takes center stage in “L.A. Confidential,” a wry, stylish and devastating police drama […]
‘Black Swan’ charts madness, dreamily voluptuous terror
Black Swan/ 2010/ Fox Searchlight Pictures/ 108 min. With the Oscars this Sunday, I want to highlight a contender with intriguing noir elements: “Black Swan.” Critic Michael Wilmington shares his thoughts on director Darren Aronofsky’s latest foray into tortured psyches and Natalie Portman’s startling performance. Who makes crazier art movies — agonized characters, trapped in […]
Successful Premiere of New Marlon Brando Documentary
The world premiere of Listen to Me Marlon at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival was a big success. Built around Marlon Brando’s personal archive, the film has been getting a wonderful response (see review links below), and will receive a world wide release later this year. Variety: http://variety.com/2015/film/reviews/sundance-film-review-listen-to-me-marlon-1201420110/ Hollywood Reporter: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/listen-me-marlon-sundance-review-770073
Christopher Columbus: The Discovery
John Glen directed this throwback to the costume dramas of the 1930s and 1940s, but without a smidgen of their energy and verve. George Corraface plays Christopher Columbus as a dynamic and muscular comic-book hero. He has a dream to set sail to find a new passageway to India, but he needs the backing of […]
Banish dull skin with a gentle, fragrant scrub
I just realized that I haven’t talked about cosmetics or beautifying since Jan. 12; how very unlike me! This has been a bad winter for dry skin and so I’m searching for products to help my parched hide. One of the first things I turn to is a good exfoliator to remove flaky skin. (Shaving […]
‘The Night of the Hunter’ a wondrous poem of terror, family, false gods and redemption
The Night of the Hunter/1955/United Artists/93 min. By Michael Wilmington Some movies take a while to reach their audiences. Take, for example, Charles Laughton’s great Faulknerian film noir “The Night of the Hunter,” based on Davis Grubb’s Southern Gothic novel. Beautifully scripted by James Agee, spellbindingly directed by Charles Laughton, evocatively shot by cinematographer Stanley […]