Welcome to “Flipping the Script,” a monthly column where I will reconsider recent films that have been panned, frowned upon, or simply under appreciated. I believe that movies should speak to us on a deep, personal level, and this column will consist of films that have done that for me despite widespread derision or apathy. Join me on my noble quest for cinematic redemption!
Playing this week at Laemmle’s Royal Theatre, “Panique” is a French classic where romanticism and existentialism collide like bumper cars, leaving various victims in its wake. A new digital restoration, coupled with the film’s nuanced storytelling, are just several reasons to check out this unforgettable cinematic experience.
A billionaire playboy and business and a vigilante at night, Bruce Wayne is the “dark knight” of the DC Universe. Created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger back in 1939, Batman continues to gain momentum thanks to his stature in comic books, cinema, and video games. No matter which corner you turn, the Caped Crusader is just a few steps away!
Welcome to “Flipping the Script,” a monthly column where I will reconsider recent films that have been panned, frowned upon, or simply under appreciated. I believe that movies should speak to us on a deep, personal level, and this column will consist of films that have done that for me despite widespread derision or apathy. Join me on my noble quest for cinematic redemption!
As someone with a short attention span who also embraces opportunities to learn more about the world, I have always appreciated the allure of documentary shorts. As usual, however, the 2017 crop of Academy Award nominees in the Documentary Shorts category fixate on weighty, worldwide topics: Three out of the five nominees deal with the humanitarian crisis caused by the violent rise of ISIS (“4.1 Miles,”“The White Helmets,”“Watani: My Homeland”), while a third spotlights end-of-life care (“Extremis”). Yet there is a common theme threaded throughout all of these docs, and that is the unwavering kindness of strangers, and the undaunted strength of the human spirit. In a cruel and chaotic world, that’s definitely something to root for.
Like animated short films, live action shorts need to pack an immediate emotional punch. As a result, short films often tap into themes already loaded with drama, such as bigotry, bullying, and of course, death. The 2014 Academy Awards Live Action Short winner, “Helium,”about a young boy with a terminal illness and the hospital janitor who befriends him, preps your soul for a big, cathartic sobfest, while Tribeca Film Festival favorite “Listen”bubbles with tension as a woman in a burqa attempts to report her husband’s abuse.
Welcome to “Flipping the Script,” a monthly column where I will reconsider recent films that have been panned, frowned upon, or simply under appreciated. I believe that movies should speak to us on a deep, personal level, and this column will consist of films that have done that for me despite widespread derision or apathy. Join me on my noble quest for cinematic redemption!
