Film & TV

Conde’s joy is infectious, as it is impossible to not be happy simply at the fact of this man’s appreciation and happiness for life. A 51 year-old African drummer and dancer, Conde is an inspiration to us all to live a little better, reach a little higher and push ourselves to be the ultimate best. Conde’s spirit shines through as he both teaches and dances. More scenes of his dancing would have made a more vibrant film. But what’s most captivating about the film is Conde himself. 

“This Is the End” features a huge collection of youthful Hollywood players, but the apocalyptic comedy – written and directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg – isn’t nearly as funny as the talent would lead one to believe.  Along with co-writing and directing, Rogen spends a good deal of time on screen, portraying a fictionalized version of himself. In fact, the most interesting thing about the movie is that all the actors are offering absurdist versions of their public personas.     

A recurring theme in Shakespeare is the elusive nature of symbolic identities, particularly their relationship to gender. Many of his plays feature gender-bending moments, with characters that dress differently in order to expose the superficial differences between them. This theme runs throughout Notre Univers Impitoyable, and its disjointed narrative plays out two different scenarios involving the power couple of Victor and Margot. 

After a tremendous franchise introduction, the “Iron Man” series fell into a sophomore slump. “Iron Man 2” wasn’t nearly as witty or fun as its predecessor, so it was a big deal when the metal-clad hero regained his luster in the 2012 blockbuster “The Avengers.” Fans should be equally excited about his showing in “Iron Man 3.” Shane Black, previously best known for writing the “Lethal Weapon” franchise, co-wrote the screenplay and took over directorial duties. 

"So, the best we can do is to remain in a small corner eating some potatoes… while there is some left," thus states the artist in Fernando Trueba's latest feature The Artist and the Model.  This aforementioned declaration, or, perhaps, exhalation, summarizes well the central thesis of this mesmeric, black and white masterpiece:  war is an interruption, an impediment in the way of beauty and its purveyors.  

Writer-director Sophia Coppola’s “The Bling Ring” is a fascinating exposé of American celebrity and consumer culture. The film is based on Nancy Jo Sales’ terrific Vanity Fair article, “The Suspect Wore Louboutins,” and it focuses on the real-life story of several teens and young adults who robbed celebrity homes in exclusive Los Angeles neighborhoods. In the film, the youth use the Internet to determine when Hollywood stars are away from home and plunder their places at will. 

The New York Times reported some “happy news” in January 2013: “9 percent of the top 250 movies at the domestic box office last year were made by female directors. That’s substantially higher than the 2011 figure of 5 percent.” While the increase in women directors has fostered the visibility of gender politics, the relationship between films made by women and films about the complexities of being a woman remains mystifying. 

Bier does a lot of things right with “Love is all You Need.” Most importantly, she draws fantastic performances from her actors. Every character in the film is well drawn even though there’s a lot going on. This is particularly true when the action moves to Italy for the wedding of Ida’s daughter, Astrid (Molly Blixt Egelind), and Philip’s son, Patrick (Sebastian Jessen).  . Bier, Brosnan and Dyrholm do such a fine job fleshing out the characters individually that it’s natural to want more interaction between them, especially since they are the engine that drives the project.