The eponymous Maggie of MAGGIE’S PLAN is a wisp of a winsome waif, a college career counselor with a gentle demeanor and a determined resolve that can move mountains. As played with a solemn quirkiness by Greta Gerwig, she is a woman who aims to live both honestly and ethically. Alas, her aim is less… Read More »
5 TO 7 with Victor Levin
When I spoke with Victor Levin by phone on April 3, 2015, I was surprised to learn that one of the thing that I appreciated most about his feature film directorial debut, the practicality of the women of the piece about extra-marital affairs in contrast to the shock evidenced by the men, was not something… Read More »
How to Wield A CANDLESTICK
It takes a great deal of moxie to begin a film by referencing Hitchcock in both title sequence and score, but director/co-writer Christopher Presswell’s CANDLESTICK does just that, and then, with an impudent wink at the audience, does a more than credible job of making good on its promise. An intelligently crafted plot, driven by… Read More »
3
3 is a German variation on the classic French bedroom farce. As such, in addition to the leaping from metaphorical bed to metaphorical bed with all the attendant cross-purposes and miscommunications, there are also robust and tantalizing morsels of semiotics, synchronicity, existential identity, with a romantic spirit at work that not only invokes, but also… Read More »
Nicolaj Arcel Reveals A ROYAL AFFAIR
Nikolaj Arcel’s big break, internationally that is, came when he was tapped to co-writer the screenplay for the Swedish version of THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO. When I spoke with him by phone on October 22, 2012, it was inevitable that we would get to that film after discussing A ROYAL AFFAIR. And when we… Read More »