new films

It seems in many ways that Paul Bowles led a charmed life.  The new sounds of jazz had been forbidden in an inordinately strict household—though his mother’s reading of Edgar Allen Poe became an inspiration for his later stories.  A closeted homosexual and a fatalist at heart, he had tossed a coin:  heads he would take his own life, tails he would head for the City of Light.  His early musical talents caught the ear of composer Aaron Copland, his traveling companion for his first trip to Tangier.  But it was in Paris that Gertrude Stein discovered her “Freddie.”  

Hopefully, summer will push 2014 movies in the right direction because things have been so bleak thus far that “Non-Stop” – a silly-but-enjoyable thriller – stands as a highlight. The movie, which allows Liam Neeson to continue his run as an action hero, is fun from start to finish, but it is equally convoluted, meaning anyone who values plausibility is left in the cold. Neeson plays Bill Marks, a troubled air marshal who – despite the requirements of his job – hates to fly. 

A 500-mile journey through Spain, the Camino de Santiago is an ancient and world renowned pilgrimage path. The destination is the city of Santiago de Compostela, where the bones of St. James are supposedly buried. Hundreds of thousands of people make the trip each year in search of something. Walking the Camino is a short documentary that follows six particular travelers—all from different countries and all with different intentions—as they cross the Camino.