Whether it was because of the commotion over last year’s all-white Oscar nominations or simply a coincidence of the pipeline, this year’s top film crop has several entries with racial themes and likely African-American nominees in the performance categories. Here, in descending order of quality – as judged by my highly subjective opinion – are the best of 2016: … [Read more...]
‘Manchester by the Sea’: Enduring grief, finding grace
Throughout Manchester by the Sea, women fall, sometimes literally, at the feet of Casey Affleck’s brooding handyman. While on the job — albeit in the unromantic pursuit of unclogging a toilet — he overhears a client confessing her attraction to him, on the phone to a friend, through the bathroom walls. It leads to nothing more than a generous tip. At a bar, a comely female … [Read more...]