The latest from Noah Baumbach. Conceived and written for the stars who act in it, it is a smart reflection on the relationship between parents and children and the expectations and the emotions that this can engender. Harold Meyerowitz is growing old and seeking a final recognition of his art in New York. It is mainly his son Danny who keeps up the relationship with him. Dustin Hoffmann as the gruff old man and Adam Sandler as the failed piano teacher son with a bad hip make a great duo. 
Then there are Jean (Elizabeth Marvel), the frumpy daughter who is also ignored by her father and has stories to tell and Matthew (effective Ben Stiller)
who has made it big out west and is the apple of his father’s eye. This jostling for parental approval takes place under the eye of his current wife Maureen (an interesting composition by Emma Thompson)
who is an alcoholic travel guide. Various cameos add to the show: Sigourney Weaver as herself, Judd Hirsch as a famous artist and Candice Bergen as an ex-wife. The overall effect is one of the typical washing of dirty laundry inside a Jewish family, done with a good dash of humour and authenticity. And a good vehicle for the talented cast.
★★★+
Well, of course, it was to bring a best seller to the screen, a type of psychological thriller.
Trouble is that the film is so hard to follow between countless flashbacks
and the blurry memories of the alcoholic protagonist that the audience loses patience in finding out whodunit.
I thought that this was pretty much a bore but for two features: the acting of Emily Blunt,
which apart from being intense, somehow manages to maintain nuances until the end and the atmospheric music of Danny Elfman. Most of the rest
gets lost in the aforementioned blur.
and later for the dying victim of the Indochinese wars
– both relationships a figment of her fervent imagination.
as the long suffering Spanish husband and Louis Garrel
holding up their end against the magnetic and persuasive Cotillard. 
The photography is lovely with Provence and Switzerland providing the man attractions but the story is pretty empty (it was a novella first) and the characters just don’t warrant all this fuss and time. Nicole Garcia could have got her editing knife out but then again, why film this rather fake melodrama in the first place? Gabrielle is a spoilt girl who chooses what she wants to do and lives on a cloud. This is not a grand romance. 
And perhaps this is the point. If we take the movie as a cautionary tale about taking fantasies too far, maybe then it has some value. Somehow I don’t think this was the director’s intention.
is a pretty messy and stereotypic affair that can’t end quickly enough for me. Clichés about Argentina and Buenos Aires, clichés about Spaniards that sometimes get a cheap laugh, cardboard characters or the other extreme: overly hysterical ones like Luis Luque’s
security guard, it has it all right down to the good guys win ending that convinces no one. Three things save it from complete disaster. A) the story and plot in the first half is somewhat intriguing but then shoots into hyperspace, B) Imanol Arias
as the main character and straightman handles his part well and C) Dario Grandinetti,
as the seemingly mad stalker actually steals the whole film with just the right comments and looks, showing that he for one knew just what he had paid up for and could handle the comedy of it all.
Otherwise not really worth it.
The inspiration for the film is Sven Hansen-Love and it is his sister Mia, a talented up and coming director, who directs it with plenty of musical and artistic input from her brother. The story is nothing special, the humble beginnings, the euphoria of the growth of raves and the alternative clubs with the two protagonists
getting a trip to New York in the height of the Daft Punk boom 
and then the inevitable downside as others start to ascend and become flavour of the month, when the effects of the coke habits kick in and when you get to your mid-thirties and money is tight.
The film flows very smoothly but is overlong and could have had 20 odd minutes chopped off it. Felix de Givry has a compelling authenticity in the main role but is not a very interesting character.
Pauline Etienne as the longest of his several girlfriends stands out among the inner circle as does Arsinée Khanjian as his mother. But what I found best about the film was the music, a seamless soundtrack like a good DJ should produce and the recreation of the period.
Greta Gerwig has an awkward cameo, her character and situation are awkward so that might explain the acting. Stars from the scene (NY electronic dance era) are more convincing. Despite its length it grew on me as a record of a period of Parisian life and as a good example of movies that reconstruct musical eras.
makes a good fist of the Munshi, Victoria’s Muslim Indian servant with whom she forms a close bond in the latter years of her life, much to the chagrin of the court. Eddie Izzard 
has fun with Bertie and Michael Gambon, Tim Pigott-Smith,
Olivia Williams, Fenella Woolgar and Adeel Akhtar try to breathe life into stereotypic roles as members of the court or royal household.
I thought Lee Hall’s script was rather plagued with anachronisms and Thomas Newman’s music was rather obvious but the scenery in Scotland and the photography accompanied this rather bleak period in Victoria’s life rather well. Stephen Frears knows enough about directing to save this but the lack of surprise or creativity and some long drawn out final scenes bring it down. Still, Dench
is always a joy.
It starts out as a sort of family film as a white girl takes her black boyfriend
home to meet the folks and turns into a horror movie with some surprising twists and a racial political message to boot.
The cleverness and seamlessness of the film are keys to its success, possibly making it the first in a new genre. Daniel Kaluuya is excellent
as Chris in the lead role and Alison Williams is convincing as his girlfriend. Bradley Whitford and Catherine Keener
convince as the highly talented and somewhat strange parents and there are a host of minor cameos
that fit the bill. Lil Rel Howery 
provides a good counter as Chris’s best friend, witnessing the whole weekend through phone calls and social media. All in all, a pleasant surprise.
walk into a deal that Dima, a Russian money launderer 
wants to do with the British government: names of UK parlamentarians who have allowed mafia money into London in return for asylum for him and his family.
The trouble is, only one agent in MI6, Hector (Damian Lewis) is really interested in striking the deal and he cannot get easy approval.
With the help of our couple he engineers a deal to save them on his own. A lot of talk and bluff, an insight into the lavish Russian parties now held all over Europe and a couple of fiery endings. The film intrigues for the first half or so and then goes downhill. What saves it is the fine performance by Stellan Skarsgard as Dima,
a bear of a man and a subtle nuanced performance. Crisp technical values.
to Florida, Benny (Matthew Frias) meets Christopher’s mum (Amy da Luz).
It turns out that she was responsible for a tragedy in Benny’s family many years prior to this and the opening up of this threatens to destroy the boys´ relationship
and bring more sadness to the family. Benny’s mum Lenora (Andrea Burns)
has to work very hard at forgiveness. Edmund Donovan does well as Christopher and the relationship has a nice natural feel. The rest is understandable and reasonably well portrayed 
but the movie lacks raw sparks and spontaneity in my opinion. Pleasant to watch and rather forgettable.
and part of an urban development project dating back decades. On the back of this is a sort of Before Sunrise story of two strangers meeting, walking, talking, viewing the buildings, bridges, staircases
and trying to sort out their stuck lives. Jin is a 40-ish son of an architect who has been taken ill here and Jin returns from Korea where he lives now to accompany his father, somewhat unwillingly, in his recovery or not.
He is at something of a crossroads in his life and work. The only other person he knows here is Eleanor (Parker Posey),
his father’s assistant on whom Jin had a crush many years ago but who is off-limits. Casey is a local school graduate and architect fan who would like to be a local tour guide. She seems intent on staying in Columbus to look after her mum who is a recovering meth addict. She has a co-worker Gabriel (Rory Culkin) at the local library who is keen on her but she is not interested. Casey, beautifully played by Haley Lu Richardson
seems older than her years and makes a perfect walking companion for Jin. As they meander, Jin insists that Casey go away to university and exploit the talent she has.
Elisha Christian is right on form here and the music by Hammock, a sort of electro ambient sound fits in well. Not a fast moving film but definitely an intriguing blend of people and place.
passionfilm 