by Carole Di Tosti . . . Benedetta, written and directed by Paul Verhoeven (Robocop, Basic Instinct) opening at the New York Film Festival 2021 on September 26th is an epic adventure, loosely inspired by true events that took place in 17th century Tuscany. The titular...
59th New York Film Festival Documentary Review by Carole Di Tosti . . . Israeli filmmaker Avi Mograbi (Avenge But One of My Two Eyes, 43rd NYFF) has plunged whole heartedly into his exploration and shocking expose of Israel’s Occupation of...
The Last Call (PFG Films) commences August 9, 2021 in Morristown, NJ. The supernatural-psychological thriller stars Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner Bruce Davison, Rachel True ("The Craft") and Tony Award nominated and multiple Emmy...
By Tania Fisher A self confessed theater rat, Daniel Keith has no regrets about his musical rock star status that never happened. He’s found a new kind of star-status, in the form of his multi-award winning film, “Love in Kilnerry.” What started out as...
Film Review by Carole Di Tosti . . . Noah Catala, Gregory Diaz IV, Corey Hawkins, Anthony Ramos In its long-awaited adaptation to film, the award-winning musical In The Heights that premiered on Broadway in 2008, arrived to celebratory fanfare as the...
Summer movies are finally starting to heat up this week with the much-anticipated debut of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “In the Heights.” The sweaty, vibrant musical about a close-knit Washington Heights neighborhood during a citywide black out is undoubtedly meant...
New York Times August 11,1929 by Alix Cohen . . . Far from a headline out of Jules Verne, the New York Times announcement above referred to an actual around the world flight of the world’s most successful commercial airship, built in Germany and named for...
Lainie Kazan - Renee Taylor Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award winner Renée Taylor (“The Nanny”) will be seen in the independent film TANGO SHALOM, directed by Gabriel Bologna, which will make its New York City debut as part of the Brklyn Film Festival. The film...
A FILM FAN’S FAVORITES by David L. Meister 1939 is widely considered the greatest year for movies, and it’s hard to argue against that. Nine films were nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award: DARK VICTORY, LOVE AFFAIR, MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON,...
Frances McDormand - Chloe Zhao . . . by Sandi Durell . . . From Union Hall in L.A. to London, and around the world, the 93rd Oscars, socially distanced, presented a lot of glitches. Producers Steven Soderbergh, Stacey Sher and Jesse Collins seemed to have missed...
Screen of Consciousness: An Amusement Column by Harry Haun . . . Nomadland . . . You know you’re in a pandemic when the movies up for Oscars come to you rather than you going to them in a movie theater. Remember movie theaters? They all faded to...
Merely Marvelous: The Dancing Genius of Gwen Verdon . . . by Carole Di Tosti. . . Can-Can...
A Pair of Popcorn Pix for Pandemic Pleasures By David L. Meister. . . I enjoy Popcorn movies. The ones that allow you to relax throughout, munch away on your favorite snack, and watch a film whose sole purpose is to entertain you. No pretenses of social...
By Marcina Zaccaria . . . Invitations to theaters are trickling in, however, this week, I played it safe and tuned in to Broadway HD to watch the MGM classic, Brigadoon. With Music by Frederick Loewe and Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, this outstanding musical,...
By Alix Cohen A 2005 Documentary Directed by Linda Atkinson and Nick Doob New to Broadway HD . . . Dancer/Choreographer Carmen de Lavallade (1931-) and Dancer/Choreographer/Director/ Artist/Designer Geoffrey Holder (1930-2014) had been married almost 5 decades when...
Written and Directed by Leslie Zemeckis By Alix Cohen . . . bur·lesque /ˌbərˈlesk/ 1. an absurd or comically exaggerated imitation of something, especially in a literary or dramatic work; a parody:2. a variety show, typically including striptease: This terrific...
By Carol Rocamora “I knew it was witty, I knew it was well constructed and I also knew that it would be a success,” wrote the great British playwright Noel Coward with characteristic flair, upon completing his draft of Blithe Spirit in 1941. Let’s hope that...
by Carole Di Tosti . . . Casey Affleck, Dakota Johnson, Jason Segel . . . With a cast boasting superb actors Dakota Johnson, Casey Affleck and Jason Segel, Our Friend, shines with poignance and humor. Based on a true account by journalist Matt Teague, the indie film...
To the Western World - Films and Panel Discussions . . . By Marcina Zaccaria . . . Origin 1st Irish Theatre Festival is offering films, talk-backs, and chats about theatrical work in a unique 2021 approach to their annual showings. Traveling back in time to the...
by Carol Rocamora No question about it: August Wilson’s 20th Century Cycle is one of the towering contributions to the history of the American theatre. These ten plays – one for each decade - are a lasting record of the Black experience in our...
By Marcina Zaccaria This holiday season started looking a little brighter, after viewing Mame on BroadwayHD. While I was certain I knew the words and the music, I had forgotten the socio-politically charged story, first on Broadway in 1966, and then at the...
By Marcina Zaccaria BroadwayHD takes us back to 1950 to reveal a bit of movie magic in “Summer Stock.” An overhead crane shot leads the viewer to a large farm. Judy Garland begins with the musical “If You Feel like Singing.” After calling above,...
by Carol Rocamora It looks so familiar, doesn’t it? Two homeless men, standing along a highway… waiting … waiting … If Beckett’s masterpiece comes to mind, that’s just what playwright Antoinette Nwandu intends. But instead of Godot, they’re waiting for...
By Marilyn Lester In 1966, a young journalist and newly turned playwright named Tom Stoppard, debuted his absurdist, existential play, Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The play went on to great success. In...
by Carol Rocamora So much has been written about Hamilton, Lin Manuel Miranda’s marvel of a musical that has taken our country – and the world – by storm. We’ve read the gamut of reviews and commentary – featuring ecstatic raves ever since it opened in...
By Ron Fassler “She came along at a time when you weren’t supposed to have versatility. They didn’t know how to pigeon-hole Kaye Ballard.” - Rex Reed Kaye Ballard, a musical comedy performer par excellence, died in January of 2019 at the age of...
By Ron Fassler Virtual cinema is on the rise. With no theatres open to present them, more films are premiering online these days than ever before. This might not be the best news in the world for blockbuster movies that cost a fortune to produce,...
by Carole Di Tosti Ode to Passion, is a movie musical of sophistication, heat and light. The film, though a musical, is actually a genre hybrid, a drama which begins and ends with the protagonist’s poetic lament. Indeed, the film is a cautionary tale...
by Edward Medina Feathers of Fire the stage production debuted theatrically at BAM in 2016 and was presented at the Metropolitan Museum of Art the same year. Produced, conceived, and directed by artist Hamid Rahmanian it has since...
by Hazen Cuyler Hideous and scarred and abandoned, a nameless creature roams the countryside. He’s shaped like a man and educated by a blind, retired professor over the course of a year. After learning of love, The...
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