Film Reviews
Welcome to FilmFestSalon! Read our reviews on domestic films, foreign films and the classics.
Film: “Velvet Buzzsaw”
Today, one of the most universally despised cultural targets is the art world, which seems to prosper from cynically exploiting the public’s appetite for the “new”, the undiscovered genius who will “disrupt” the snobby elites who control the business. This viewpoint has been expressed in recent films, including Ruben Ostlund’s “The Square” and “Boogie Woogie”.…
“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” and Oscar nominees
I usually see the latest Coen brothers movie as soon as it comes out. It’s like a food craving; I can’t wait for the next one. “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” is their latest. It’s six separate stories about the Old West. Well, the meal was a little unsatisfying this time. Still, one of the…
Film: “Take Point”
This is the first time I’ve ever written the words “you won’t be bored” and not meant it as total praise. In the case of “Take Point“, written and directed by South Korean Kim Byung-woo, the excitement comes at a cost. The excitement will likely be accompanied by a measure of confusion and frustration. In…
Film: “Cold War”
It seems there are critics who were expecting this film, probably due to its title, to be a serious historical drama, one that exposes the bureaucratic tyranny of the early communist regime in Poland. I think that audiences will be similarly disappointed if they go to it thinking it will illuminate that historical period, which…
Film: “Roma”
It’s no mystery why so many distributors wait until the very end of the year to release the most competitive quality films. This is certainly the case with Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma, which is in very limited release, and can now be seen on Netflix. There’s little chance that a Spanish subtitled film, in black and white,…
Film: “The Favourite”
Directed by Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos, The Favorite is a sly, mostly on-target story of royal back-stabbing under the reign of Queen Anne that has been getting a lot of critical praise. As satire, it sets a high standard for itself, and, more often than not, it reaches it. But, whatever its limitations as satire –…
Film: “Burning”
Lee Chong-dong’s brilliant film, Burning, from South Korea, is an international prize-winner. It is sure to be a strong contender for best foreign Oscar. It’s a genre film, in a way, the genre being stories based on William Faulkner’s famous line: “The past isn’t dead yet. It isn’t even past.”(from “Requiem for A Nun”). The…
Film: “The Sisters Brothers”
A good film will often seem even better if you go in without knowing much about it. I went with my friend Carlos to see “The Sisters Brothers”. I knew nothing except that the title was too “cute” (often a warning), but he had read the novel it was based on, liked it and was…
Festival
Here is the report from this year’s Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) by our correspondent, Evelyn J. Mocbeichel: HIFF 2018 Film Festival Offered Eclectic Variety By Evelyn J. Mocbeichel all fotos by Herb Mocbeichel October 15, 2018 The weather couldn’t have been nicer for this year’s Hampton International Film Festival (HIFF) held for five days…
Film: “Shoplifters”
A main slate selection at the New York Film Festival, “Shoplifters” is extraordinary and original. Japanese master Hirokazu Kore-eda wrote and directed the film, and he clearly meant it to both entertain, and to disturb. The film was the surprise winner of the Palme D’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. It establishes a tone…