‘The Special Relationship’: a veiled return to ‘Monicagate’
I missed the HBO film “The Special Relationship” when it debuted on pay cable last spring. The movie sounded very enticing. Another modern political historical drama by Peter Morgan, who wrote...
View ArticleBright young New Yorkers facing the Age of Obama
There is a long tradition of plays and movies that have captured the lives of bright young people looking for friendship, creative work and romantic excitement as they struggle through their 20s and...
View Article‘Client 9’: Eliot Spitzer tries to explain himself (sort of)
Alex Gibney’s 2010 documentary, “Client 9,” covers some of the same territory as another non-fiction film from the same year “Inside Job” — the strange personal behavior of the super-rich men on Wall...
View Article‘Political Animals’: the Clintons in a cracked mirror
The new six part USA series “Political Animals” is likely to raise more than a few hackles because of its tasteless but very gripping reimagining of the Clintons and the contemporary political scene. I...
View Article‘The Gatekeepers’: Oscar-nominated Israeli ‘Fog of War’
The period between the winter Oscar movies and the summer blockbusters is a theatrical dead zone with the exception of the occasional kiddie hit like “The Great and Powerful Oz.” The multiplex chains...
View Article‘Death by China’: a new ‘We Will Bury You’ scenario?
Last week I read a piece in the new Vanity Fair that took exception to the global notion that the U.S.A. is a “dumb” country. A.A. Gill made many good points which were, unfortunately, undercut by the...
View Article‘Mobilize’: what cellphones might be doing to us
Kevin Kunze’s new documentary about the possible health risks of cellphones — “Mobilize” (TDC Entertainment) — is done in a very low-tech, low-key style that makes it all the more terrifying. Kunze...
View Article‘Weiner’: politics & sexual role-playing
At one point late in their documentary “Weiner,” Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg ask New York mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner the key question – Why did you agree to do this film? Weiner never...
View Article‘Waco: Rules of Engagement’ – 20 years later
Tired of Trump Administration scandals? A documentary celebrating its 20th anniversary this year – “Waco: Rules of Engagement” — is a terrible reminder of a very dark moment during the early months of...
View Article‘Burning Blue’: don’t ask/don’t tell
As streaming sources proliferate, we are being buried under more movies than we could watch in several lifetimes. The relatively new AT&T Audience channel – where the good but little talked about...
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