Reviews

A terrific Spike Lee film with humor and gut wrenching truths. My first reaction was that the villains were too one dimensional, caricaturesque. It was impossible to stay with them for more than a few seconds - even that outrageous scene of connubial bliss where she expresses her willingness, in the most romantic terms, to kill Blacks. I recoiled in horror and kind of laughing nervously - what is this, a satire? And then, I realized - the real life villanis are one dimensional, they are caricaturesque, they are their own satire. John David Washinton is great and sounds just like his father. Adam Driver brings a presence that is nothing short of compelling, The final real life images are devastating, I highly recommend it.

I want to say that Free Fall was an experience. In many ways is like a 40's melodrama. He, his wife and the other woman. What makes it feel different is that the other woman is a man. Hanno Koffler and Max Riemelt are superb as the forbidden sides of this triangle. Frank, compassionate, truthful and painful, very painful. The love and passion, fear and guilt in Hanno Koffler's eyes are haunting and recognizable. Max Riemelt's Kay makes the alternative in Koffler's Marc's life totally plausible and fills it with a form of suspense that the ending didn't completely clear out. So I'm so happy there will be a part 2. I can't wait.

It's a one man show about one of the towering figures of the 20th Century and what a show it is. Gary Oldman has been able to be Sid Vicious in "Sid And Nancy" with the same outstanding commitment and extraordinary results. Joe Wright, the gifted director of "Atonement" presents us with an irresistible version of Churchill through the magic powers of Oldman but sometimes he doesn't seem to trust the power of what he has in his hand. Eccentric cuts in the middle of a famous speech for instance and other stylistic distractions arrive with irritating frequency but that doesn't spoil. too much, the joy and fun of seeing Gary Olman in action. Also interesting to notice, Dunkirk provides a very moving moment for the second time this year.

It was 23 years ago when I saw "Apartment Zero" for the first time. It terrified me then and it fascinated me. It also made me want to be an actor. That long before I discovered I didn't have any talent for it, but, it made me love movies. That intimacy that can be created between two characters is something I long for in a movie. Difficult to find now with all this loud super productions with things at its center instead of people. Last night I saw again "Apartment Zero" after so many years and it hasn't left my mind for a minute. What's with this movie? It gets under your skin and hints a something, something so private that it's even difficult to discuss it with people without revealing something about yourself. Colin Firth, now an Academy Award winner, was, then, already a sensational actor. His performance is so fastidiously detailed that I found new things this time. His longing is visible as well as his discomfort. Hart Bochner is terrific as a sort of chameleon becoming what his neighbor or victim needs him to be. A strange parallel because he doesn't seem to have a defined personality of his own. He's just anybody or everybody and nobody at the same time. The rest of the cast is an incredible collection of characters. Loved Fabrizio Bentivoglio as the neighbor with an emotional skeleton in his closet or the British spinsters out of an early Hitchcock film. I have never written a film review but I felt like talking about "Apartment Zero" and here I am, talking. Thank you for listening.