The opening shot of “The Immigrant” shows the Statue of Liberty’s back turned toward the camera. She represents defiance, and wants her new visitors to know that their trip across the Atlantic will ultimately make for an elegiac, if not beautiful, tale. James Gray’s newest film, which debuted in competition at the 2013 Cannes Film […]
Category Archives: Film & TV
Out of Focus: New series calls attention to work by Polish filmmakers
France, Italy, Germany – these are the countries most represented in lists of European cinema’s most beloved films. There are exceptions, yes – you have your Ingmar Bergman movies and your Andrei Tarkovsky pictures, but the trend is unmistakable. A new series that recently debuted in Los Angeles, however, threatens to destroy the notion of […]
Movie Review: ‘Fed Up’
Sugar pervades our modern food system. It’s in cereal, yogurt and, of course, soda. However non-threatening these sugars may currently seem, after a viewing of the engaging documentary “Fed Up,” they will seem nothing short of sinister. “Fed Up” has a clear purpose: attacking the sugar industry for its direct connection to the worsening obesity […]
Movie Review: ‘Neighbors’
For all their beer-soaked, neon-splattered glory, college movies are rarely told from the point of view of a traditional frat house. When “classic college films” come to mind, they summon images of dorky social climbers, a la “Revenge of the Nerds,” or outcasts and riffraff, a la “Animal House.” “Neighbors,” directed by Nicholas Stoller, the […]
Movie Review: ‘Palo Alto’
The teenager – a pimply, awkward, lovesick species – has provided universal themes of angst, rebellion and loss of innocence for generations. Gia Coppola’s debut directorial film, “Palo Alto,” takes advantage of these recurring themes and offers a fresh, compelling look at the strife of the everyday teenager. Based on James Franco’s book of short […]
Out of Focus: Kurosawa’s ‘Ran’ a beautiful take on ‘King Lear’
Blood stains the rolling hills of the Japanese countryside. Arrows fly through the air as warriors in phalanx formations march across the plains. In Akira Kurosawa’s “Ran,” these images are beautified – we see poetry in the bloodshed, poetry in war. The film will be screening Sunday at The Cinefamily on Fairfax Avenue with lead […]
Fulbright Film Festival to highlight members’ work, global network
Filmmakers from all over the world will gather in UCLA’s James Bridges Theater this Saturday to showcase their work at the Fulbright Film Festival. The festival aims to bring more attention to the filmmakers involved in the Fulbright Association – a global network of scholars, professionals, business people and students who aim for diplomacy through […]