NEW AND NOTABLE FILM BOOKS December 2019
There’s never enough time to read, so please consider this a survey rather than a series of reviews. I’ve only included books that interest or intrigue me. THE MOVIE MUSICAL! by Jeanine Basinger (Knopf) In addition to…
THE ULTIMATE PRE-CODE MOVIE
If there hadn’t been a Production Code crackdown brewing in Hollywood before The Story of Temple Drake (1933), this astonishing film might have tipped the scales. Based on William Faulkner’s sensational novel Sanctuary, it’s the story of a carefree Southern belle who…
KNIVES OUT: A SHARP BLEND OF COMEDY AND WHODUNIT
Writer-director Rian Johnson has only made a handful of films, from his high-school noir debut Brick to the most recent Star Wars epic. Now he’s applied his ingenuity to an old-fashioned whodunit. As a longtime Agatha Christie fan he’s called on deep knowledge…
THE TWO POPES: ONE OF THIS YEAR’S FINEST
One of the most unpredictable and satisfying films of the year, The Two Popes represents a collaboration of great talents: writer Anthony McCarten (The Theory of Everything, Darkest Hour), director Fernando Mereilles (City of God, The Constant Gardener), and two of…
THE CURE FOR WHAT AILS YOU: SERIALS
I came of age after Hollywood stopped making serials, but I still got to see a few during the waning days of Saturday kiddie matinees and I’ve never lost my fondness for them. That’s why I’m happy that VCI…
QUEEN & SLIM: ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Comparisons to Bonnie and Clyde may be inevitable, but even with its faults Queen & Slim stands on its own. It’s sure to provoke an emotional response, especially from African American audiences. The film reflects a seething anger borne of police shootings we’ve…
