 Kino Lorber, 2021. "Identifying Features" was just named the Best International Feature by the Gotham Independent Film Awards, and it's available this Friday, January 22nd, 2021, as part of The Film Lab's Virtual Cinema locally.
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 01 Distribution, 2020. There is a timeless quality to "Martin Eden," a film shot and produced in modern times but with a look and feel as if it might have been made several decades ago. The young actor at its center, Luca Marinelli, gives an amazing, lived-in performance that deserves all the praise it's been getting...its no wonder that Marinelli won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival, and that his name might be one that Americans will need to learn come Oscar season.
 Megabox Plus M, 2020. South Korea produced last year's Oscar-winner for Best Picture, "Parasite," against all odds. That film was the South Korea's first in history to garner any accolades from the Academy, so naturally in its wake, people have been awaiting the next gem to come out of the country. That gem has arrived with "Beasts Clawing at Straws," a black-comedy crime thriller that will be available on VOD Tuesday, December 15th, 2020, and is most-worthy of seeking out.
 Sony Pictures Classics, 2020. Marco Bellocchio might not be a household name in the United States, but he's been churning out films in Italy for over half a century. His latest film, "The Traitor" (Il traditore) is being billed as "the true story about the man who brought down the Mafia," and it's playing here in Michigan at the Detroit Film Theater this weekend.
 Amazon Studios, 2020. "Les Misérables" is maybe an unfortunate title for this electric thriller that will confuse viewers who are expecting to see Jean Valjean and a few song and dance numbers. But in telling a more modern story, themes of inequality, class oppression and street-level rage eerily feel like echoes from Victor Hugo's classic novel, and send home the message that the more things change, the more things stay the same.
 Lionsgate, 2017. Read Tom's quick reviews of these movies at the following link: http://www.axs.com/movie-reviews-john-wick-2-lego-batman-and-fifty-shades-sequel-offer-ch-114489 Read Tom's full review of this movie at the following link: http://www.axs.com/movie-review-a-man-called-ove-a-darkly-funny-deeply-moving-portrait-107824  Music Box Films, 2016.  Rating: 4 out of 5 starsGenre: Drama, Foreign
Run Time: 2 hours 20 minutes, Rated R Starring: Aleksey Serebryakov, Vladimir Vdovichenkov, Elena Lyadova, Roman Madyanov Co-Written & Directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev (Elena, The Banishment, The Return) Leviathan (opening today) is a powerful, well-written drama that was just recently nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. It comes to us from Russia, and it's no surprise that the film was included as one of the best international entries this year.  Rating: 4 out of 5 starsGenre: Drama, Foreign
Run Time: 1 hour 35 minutes, Rated PG-13 Starring: Marion Cotillard, Fabrizio Rongione, Catherine Salee Written & Directed by Jean-Pierre Dardenne & Luc Dardenne (The Kid with a Bike, The Silence of Lorna, L'enfant) Two Days, One Night (opening today) is the latest effort from the filmmaking duo, the Dardenne brothers, a Belgian directing tandem responsible for one of the best films of 2012, The Kid with a Bike. With their latest effort, they once again show their brilliance in creating small, human stories rich with raw emotion. It stars Marion Cotillard, whose stripped-down performance just earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.  Rating: 3 out of 5 starsGenre: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Foreign
Run Time: 1 hour, 57 minutes, Rated R Starring: Romain Duris, Audrey Tautou, Cecile De France, Kelly Reilly Written & Directed by Cedric Klapisch (My Piece of the Pie, Russian Dolls, Paris) Chinese Puzzle (or "Casse-tete chinois," opening today) is an examination of how, despite growing older, one does not necessarily grow up. It follows a group of middle-aged people who, basically, act like children, in this fantastical and whimsical romantic comedy. |
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tom santilli movie reviews
Tom Santilli is a professional film critic, TV personality, host and
the Executive Producer of Movie Show Plus.
He also is the film critic for WXYZ Channel 7 Action News in Detroit,
and appeared weekly on FOX-2 in Detroit from 2016-2020.
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