As David Ehrlich noted some weeks ago, an American remake of “Toni Erdmann” was a “bad idea”, but it was also inevitable. And how could it not be? Not just because it was the best film of 2016 – in the opinion of many critics, myself included – but because it was a story with […]
One of the five Best Foreign Film Oscar nominees, “The Salesman” is the latest film from Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, who won the best foreign film oscar in 2011 for “A Separation”. After having seen both films, I find Farhadi to be an exceptionally talented artist. He appears to be serving a personal vision that […]
I’ve got my own list, and it’s not my five favorite films. Actually, I don’t know that I could honestly declare the “greatest” of all time. How many lifetimes would it take to see every good film, much less the dregs too? No, the list is exactly what it says: I liked them all a […]
Sensitive but strong most of the way, Moonlight turns soft at the end. But its tight focus on the punishment awaiting gay youth in black culture is original and bold. This makes it an Oscar contender. Although Barry Jenkins is listed as both director and screenwriter, he was using material that had been written about […]
Once this gorgeous, heartfelt homage to movie musicals settles into the deep feelings of its two lead characters, it started to involve me more. I admit that movie musicals are not usually among my favorites. I like films with strong stories, and, frankly, musicals rarely emphasize the story. And the musicals with some of the […]
Media Contact: [email protected] 718-429-2579 Bemyoswald.com FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Dec5th, 2017- NY, NY – BE MY OSWALD -10 year anniversary screening of Don Cato’s subversive film about finding yourself through terrorism. A dark tale about a woman out to assassinate Santa, the feature film examines the friction between myth and real life and takes on some […]
If I were to introduce a “veteran screen actress who is beloved by fans all over the world”, you’d have a good selection of women to pick from. Judy Dench, for instance, would certainly be one top choice. But if I were to add that the most recognizable traits of the characters she plays are […]
This new film, the Weinstein Company’s Oscar hopeful, is in a genre that I call “Life Affirmance”. Such films are usually based on the compelling experiences of real people, and are designed to connect to audiences on a deeply personal level. They nearly always end on an upbeat note, where some kind of triumph […]
Revenge, as the saying goes, is a dish best served cold. There is little warmth to be found in Park Chan-wook’s brilliant The Handmaiden, but the filmmaker makes sure to serve bunches of wit and sexy fun along with it. It is essentially a dark tale, however, that sits comfortably alongside Park’s other work, like Oldboy, […]
This is one of the more curious docudramas I’ve seen recently, and it’s still unclear to me what the filmmakers were trying to do. The story, which is well-known, is about the libel suit filed in England by David Irving against Deborah Lipstadt, an American, because she accused him of falsifying his research in […]
