A Warm Round of Applause for “Self-Help”
Near the beginning of Self-Help, one of the main characters—a beleaguered actor married to another actor—yearns for the satisfaction of “a warm round of applause.” Well, that’s what the cast…
Truth and Deception Inhabit “Eleanor the Great”
Eleanor the Great begins with two elderly women who are best friends waking up in their Florida home—a fitting beginning to a film that treads the lines between dreaming and…
“One Battle After Another” Evokes Hope
Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film stands as one of the best movies of the year. While watching One Battle After Another, I drew parallels to Eddington, Ari Aster’s newest film…
Of Faith, Family, and a “Miracle”
Tempesta, Bowers, Bolyard, Peters and Lyons About half-way through the second act of Tom Dudzick’s 90-minute, two-act play Miracle on South Division Street, a character makes a timely observation:…
Chicago Delivers the Hits and More
After nearly 60 years, what more is there for a successful Hall of Fame classic rock band to do? Well, my financial adviser has been working that long, too, with…
Double Trouble for Troubled Doubles in “Twinless”
When I first read the logline for James Sweeney’s new film Twinless, which is billed as a dark comedy, and saw the accompanying photo of two likable looking fellows, I…
Raise a Glass to the Melodrama at 50
Wow . . . 50 years. How can you possibly sum up all the people, performances, and applause produced over five decades by The Great American Melodrama in Oceano? Well…
Short Films Focus on Hispanic Heritage
The Cambria Film Festival is sponsoring “Voices Through Time,” a celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month on Saturday, September 6, at the Cambria Center for the Arts Theatre and Studio Gallery.…
Why Is “The Roses” Just “Almost”?
The opening credits of The Roses, directed by Jay Roach from a screenplay by Tony McNamara, bill the movie as a love story. The initial loving relationship of Ivy (Olivia…
“Honey Don’t!” Lives Up to Coen Name
Ethan Coen and his brother Joel, when working together, are known for their quirky, genre-bending films, off-of-center characters, and skewed movie themes and styles. Ethan, now directing on his own,…