I, Tonya

“I, Tonya” stars Margot Robbie in the role of Tonya Harding ably supported by Sebastian Stan, Allison Janney and Bobby Cannavale in this bio-drama regarding  the events that took place prior to and during the 1994 Winter Olympics, the infamous assault on Nancy Kerrigan and the aftermath that followed these events. Written by Steven Rogers and directed by Craig Gillespie, the film is exhibited more as a documentary than a feature film with various asides by the actors to the viewing audience which lends great authenticity to the telling of this tale. More than  anything, though,  it is the sad and tragic story of Ms. Harding who endured the prison of a dominating mother’s influence to the loss of her one chance to find acceptance and recognition on the floor of an arena only to find that her whole future was atop thin ice. I give the film 3 stars with special  kudos to Ms. Robbie without whom the characterization of Mr. Harding would have had less credibility and meaning.

Call Me By Your Name

“Call Me By Your Name” stars Arnie Hammer, Timothee Chalamet and Michael Stuhlberg in this film directed by Luca Guadagnino. This is basically the story of a 17 year old boy and an older male house guest of his parents who, together, bond in an intense romantic relationship. Filmed on location in Italy, this is a wonderful travelogue and visual description of the beautiful town in which all of the scenes take place and the outstanding cinemaphotography must be acknowledged. Unfortunately, that is where the depth and beauty of the picture ends. There is basically no story save the love the two lead characters find with each other and taking 2 hours and 12 minutes is too long a period of time to tell it. Against the tide of so many positive reviews, all of which I cannot understand, I give this film 1 star and suggest that many will find the film as boring and tedious as I did.

Molly's Game

“Molly’s Game” was written and directed by Aaron Sorkin and is based on the memoir and true story of Molly Dubin Bloom, a Colorado native who invaded the New York and California gambling scene running the highest staked poker games either State ever encountered. Jessica Chastain plays the lead role and is exemplary in her performance of this self-confident gaming hostess aided and ably abetted by Idris Elba, Kevin Costner and Chris O’’Dowd. Mr. Elba and Mr. O’Dowd are British and Irish, respectively, and a knowing audience will be conscious of the effort these two actors make to sound “American”. That being said, they do justice to Mr. Sorkin’s fine writing and directing as the film examines this almost hidden part of society that caters to the whims, addictions and games of extraordinarily wealthy and successful men. Ms. Chastain gives one of her finest portrayals and, for this viewer at least, appears to wear the face of more than one beautiful woman (thanks to changing hair-dos and eye make-up) but, throughout, a lady who played a great hand.  I give the film 3 stars for, even considering that the story is limited to the basic facts without the help of a writer's embellishment, it’s still a good deal

Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story

“Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story” is a documentary written and directed by Alexander Dean. It is, as the title indicates, the story of the life of movie star and inventor, yes inventor, Hedy Lamarr. Born of 2 Jewish parents in Vienna in 1914, Ms. Lamarr soon became a film favorite there and later in America due in no small part to her incredible beauty. But unbeknownst to her audiences, she was, in her own right. also an inventor including the development of a frequency hopping system insuring safe communications. Her know-how and patent served as the basis, not only for FM transmissions but, more importantly, for

wi-fi,  GPS and Bluetooth technology. Originally aired as a PBS special, this 90 minute film is now being exhibited theatrically. No screenwriter could write a more compelling drama than the story of Ms. Lamarr’s talents, history and unjust treatment by the country she adopted and loved. Despite her loyalty and efforts resulting in the sale of millions of dollars of US Bonds during World War II, her patent was confiscated by the government who labelled her a hostile alien. I give this documentary 3 and ½ stars for it relates, in a truly jaw dropping manner  a story that needed to be told.

Loving Vincent

“Loving Vincent” was co-written and co-directed by Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman and includes in its cast Saoirse Ronan and Chris O’Dowd who appear, as do all of the other “actors” in this unique film as characters from the paintings and works of Vincent Van Gogh. Utilizing the services of 100 artists the paintings of the great Van Gogh come to life in this, for want of a better word, animation of his subjects, landscapes, flowers and starry starry skies. However, and in addition to this  unorthodox film, it also  attempts to solve the mystery as to how this artist died. Van Gogh, who painted over 800 works of art in his short life (and sold only 1while he was alive) is an intriguing subject and the filmmakers waste no time or footage in exploring his complicated and troubled existence. I give the film 3 and ½ stars and urge all who have any appreciation of the work of Vincent Van Gogh and who are ready to allow themselves the pleasure of an extraordinary theatrical experience to see the film.

"The Post" stars Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks in this bio-drama written by Liv Hannah and Josh Singer and directed by Steven Spielberg. This film is more than the story of the publishing of the infamous Pentagon Papers for it relates to the role of Kathryn Graham, the first female publisher of a major newspaper and the culture that brought her to that position, as well as the basic issues of press freedom and whether any one person in government can be more powerful than the media and its position in our society. Ms. Streep, as Mrs. Graham, and Mr . Hanks. as Ben Bradlee, render superb performances as protectors of the public’s right to know. For anyone growing up in this era and for those who are unfamiliar with the events of the time, it is a story well told as Mr. Spielberg educates and entertains the audience. For all of those reasons. I give the film 3 and ½ stars and recommend that it be viewed by as many as possible.