By - Gareth Jones For fans of Jeremy Saulnier, Aaron Pierre, Rambo action films with a strong message Every once in a while you see a film with a new actor and instantly you know this person is going to be a huge star. I had that feeling when I watched Winter’s Bone with Jennifer Lawrence, and I had the same feeling the minute I finished Rebel Ridge and Aaron […]

By - Gareth Jones For fans of Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant, George Cukor, and early Queer Cinema George Cukor was still at the beginning of his career as a Hollywood director when he directed Sylvia Scarlett, but it starred for the third time Katherine Hepburn.  They would go on to work together on 10 films.  Even before he had directed the film The Women, Cukor was already being labeled a […]

By - Gareth Jones For fans of psychedelic horror from the 70s, crazy overacting by Zalman King, alopecia Jeff Lieberman has become a bit of a cult diretor for two films he directed in the 70s and one in the 80s, Squirm (1976), Just Before Dawn (1981), and most impressively with Blue Sunshine in 1977. All were innovative low-budget genre films that showed great creativity and a sense of humor. […]

By - Gareth Jones Fans of The Nightingale, Here Evil Lurks, and Speak No Evil, historical folk horror, unnerving Austrian Horror NOT RECOMMENDED FOR EVERYONE Fair warning, as stated above, this film is not made for all audiences.  It depicts violence towards children and that is extremely challenging.  Even if you are not a parent, these are difficult films to process. However, art is not meant to always be beautiful […]

By - Gareth Jones For fans of Olivia Coleman, true stories from British history, profanity Olivia Coleman is at an all-time high.  She has become an international treasure, beloved for her performance as Queen Elizabeth on The Crown, her Academy Award performance in The Favorite, and just recently for her small, but powerful role as Andrea Terry, the chef mentor to Carmine.  She can even sing like an angel (look […]

By - Gareth Jones For fans of the Blue Tongue Collective, Joel Edgerton and Sean Harris, intense true-crime films Written and directed by Thomas Wright, The Stranger is an astonishing film.  I must admit that I was attracted to the film by the two lead actors, Joel Edgerton and Sean Harris, both of whom’s careers I have followed closely.  Here, the direction and writing gives these two incredible actors a […]

By - Gareth Jones For fans of independent Irish films, low budget but inventive horror, and Gothic chamber piece films Caveat is the first film for Irish writer/director/editor Damian Mc Carthy. It is a remarkable debut.  It shows all the signs of creativity and ingenuity of an artist with a distinct vision.  It was released in October of 2020, and although it was filmed before the pandemic, it feels like […]

By - Gareth Jones For fans of Elaine May and Mike Nichols, political humor and satire, Kathy Bates I recently finished the fantastic biography, Elaine May Does Not Exist, and have been rewatching her films including those that she wrote the screenplay for.  Elaine May is one of the greatest minds of the last century.  Her collaborations with Mike Nichols at the start of their careers helped shape and form […]

By - Gareth Jones For fans of Alice Rohrwacher, Italian Neorealism, Fellini, and Josh O’Conner I was fortunate to see La chimera in the cinema at Sidewalk Cinema as part of a collaboration with Hypercritic Kate Burney, who gave an excellent intro to Italian cinema and specifically located Alice Rohrwacher in that wonderful cinematic tradition.  I highly recommend attending an event like this.  It was a great crowd with a […]