Category: Reviews: N-P

Warm-hearted, family-friendly RomCom Americanizes beloved German indie MOSTLY MARTHA. Source focuses mostly on “Martha,” but here Breslin steals the show as orphaned niece Zoe, while Clarkson adds a soupçon of skinny-chic menace as restaurateur “Paula.” Philip Glass score supplemented by Italian arias (!) plus tracks from Mark Isham soundtracks (?). More on NO RESERVATIONS.

While Rich wanted more “symbolic content,” Jan was deeply moved by the universality of Hardwicke’s naturalistic approach, presenting Castle-Hughes (“Mary”) & Isaac (“Joseph”) as two good-hearted young people who must learn to trust one another so they can succeed as parents. Jan also loved score by Mychael Danna. More on THE NATIVITY STORY.

Humiliated by her husband’s infidelities, a woman hires a prostitute to seduce/torment him. What begins with exploitation quickly becomes symbiotic as the two women become more interested in each other than in him. Intense, erotic psychodrama. Ardant’s icy cold, Beart’s burning hot, & Depardieu’s baffled by both of them. More on NATHALIE.

Altman’s Personal Best–with an excellent screenplay by Joan Tewkesbury–is set midway between Nixon’s resignation & the Bicentennial 4th. Like Prospero, Altman marshals disparate forces into a tornado coiling ever tighter towards an inescapably violent conclusion. The huge cast is enormously rich, showing increasing depth with each successive viewing. Nevertheless, FF2 specifically applauds Ronee Blakely as… Continue reading Film Review: NASHVILLE