The Two Faces of January
After a overly long gestation period this lesser-known psychological thriller from novelist Patricia Highsmith finally makes it to the big screen. The year is 1962 and the story opens on the sunny steps of the Acropolis where two American tourists, Chester McFarland and his much younger bride Collette, are having fun enjoying the splendor of the … Continue reading
The Wall
On paper this very pared-down thriller that happens at the end of the Iraq war and which is essentially a two-handed story would seem like a tough sell, but in the hands of director Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity) and with a tour-de-force performance from Brit actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson, the result is a stunning riveting … Continue reading
The Wedding Plan
When Israeli Michal (Noa Koler) chose to become ultra-Orthodox she soon discovered her conversion didn’t exactly make every day life easier for her especially as she wanted to get on with the next stage in her life. Now 32 years-year-old and still single and desperate to marry, Michal visits Hulda (Odelia Moreh-Matalon) an oddball sort … Continue reading
The Women’s Balcony
If you have never been in an Orthodox Synagogue before than you may not even be aware that the sexes do not mix and that women must worship from an upstairs balcony overlooking the (holier?) men. In this particular case the balcony actually collapses in the middle of a Bar Mitzvah in this small run … Continue reading
The Zookeeper’s Wife
For her latest starring role the twice Oscar Nominated actress Jessica Chastain has ignored the old Hollywood adage ‘never work with animals and children‘ in this highly emotional biopic set in WW2. Chastain plays a real life character Antonina Żabiński, who with her husband Jan (Flemish actor Johan Heldenbergh) run the Warsaw Zoo which they turn … Continue reading