It would be tempting, in the current media narrative of Woody Allen’s now-tarnished career in the United States, to view his first foreign-language film as a necessary retreat. After all, the story goes, the guy can only shoot overseas because no American actors will agree to work with him anymore. Allen’s cancellation is regional, not global. Maybe there is some truth to … [Read more...]
The View From Home: A shattering colonialist neo-Western, and ennui on the French Riviera
The most innovative foreign-language films often are not the ones jostling for the five coveted slots on the Academy Award ballot. They’re the films with miniscule if any distribution, that drop on DVD or a streaming service with little fanfare. Memory House (Film Movement, $24.95 DVD, $3.99 digital rental), the stunning debut from Brazilian writer-director João Paulo … [Read more...]
Capsule reviews: Four movies at the Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival
Here are capsule reviews of four films showing in the Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival, which opens Sunday and runs through Feb. 12. The Last Resort: What begins as a nostalgic look at the changing face of Miami Beach turns much darker in The Last Resort, a history of the 1970s cultural transformation of the area as seen through the lenses of two fascinated young … [Read more...]