Solo: A Star Wars Story **** Short Take: The Star Wars franchise continues to expand with an episode for the original faithful – a back story about everyone’s favorite pilot / smuggler from a galaxy far, far away. REEL TAKE: With the last chapter in the Star Wars franchise releasedContinue Reading
A Tale of Two Rachels: Comparing the 1952 and 2017 Versions of My Cousin Rachel by Chip Kaufmann. The Hendersonville Film Society recently screened the restored 1952 version of Daphne Du Maurier’s My Cousin Rachel. As it coincided with the release of the 2017 version, it gave me the idealContinue Reading
My Cousin Rachel – 4 Stars Stars: Rachel Weisz, Sam Claflin, Iain Glenn and Holliday Grainger Short Take: A young man seeks vengeance on the woman he believes has murdered his guardian only to find himself besotted by her beguiling charm and helpless to resist her. Based on the novelContinue Reading
**** Stars La La Land – A Musical Love Letter for Hollywood Dreamers Short Take: The old school, Cinemascope Hollywood musical gets a 21st century millennial makeover as an aspiring actress and a struggling jazz musician find love and dream big. REEL TAKE: La La Land is one of theContinue Reading
This past week I realized we were in the waning days of the summer, and I found myself lamenting its quick passing. In my world, it’s been a strange season filled with life slapping challenges, change and metamorphosis. In May an illness in the family yanked the rug out ofContinue Reading
Rating: 4 Stars Short Take: ‘Inspired by actual events,’ Florence Foster Jenkins is an off-key delight that tells the story of a middle-aged, wealthy heiress and patron of the arts who, possessing no vocal talents, aspires to become an opera singer in 1944. Directed by: Stephen Frears Stars: MerylContinue Reading
by Michelle Keenan & Chip Kaufmann – Criminal *** ½ Short Take: While Criminal is nothing special, it is well made and harks back to a time when that’s all most movies needed to be. REEL TAKE: Criminal is just one more example (and these examples are recurring with increasingContinue Reading
by Michelle Keenan & Chip Kaufmann – 10 Cloverfield Lane **** Short Take: A woman fleeing from a relationship suffers a car wreck and wakes up in a prepper’s underground bunker in an allegedly post-apocalyptic world. REEL TAKE: Whether you saw 2008’s ‘found footage’ monster movie Cloverfield should hold noContinue Reading
by Michelle Keenan & Chip Kaufmann – Hail Caesar! **** Short Take: A playful homage to 1950’s Hollywood from the Coen Brothers. It may not be one of their best films, but it’s incredibly fun, especially for movie buffs. Reel Take: Hail Caesar! is a satirical look at the oldContinue Reading
