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Disaster! opens
on Broadway on March 8 at the Nederlander Theatre.
My comments will appear in next week's column.
Film
Society of Lincoln Center and MoMA are presenting
press screenings for New
Directors/New Films March 16-27. Under
the Shadow, by Babak
Anvari, UK/Qatar, 2016, is a horror movie
about a djinn, a supernatural spirit, who invades
the apartment of a mother (Narges
Rashidi) and her young daughter in Tehran.
All sorts of horrible things happen to the two of
them. And, believe me, it will leave the viewer on
the edge of his seat. For people who like scary
films, they will enjoy it.
The Apostate,/El
apostata, by Federico
Veiroj, Spain/France/Uruguay, 2015, is about
a young man, who wants to leave the Catholic Church
in Madrid. I have not the slightest idea what his
problem is. Just do not attend church. However,
apparently his family is ashamed of him, and he
seems, anyway, to be a mental case. We are forced to
view him frontal nudity, not a pleasant sight. He is
unattractive, and has uncombed hair, and wears the
same dirty clothes daily, plus he dreams of naked
people, both men and women. It is ridiculous film.
Thithi, by Raam
Reddy, India/USA, 2015, is a wonderful film,
one of the highlights of the festival. It takes
place in a small village in India, where three
generations of a family hold a thithi, a funeral for
the 100-year-old grandfather, a nasty old man. The
family consists of greedy men, who want to acquire
his property, which belongs by tradition to the
eldest son. That elderly son is an alcoholic, who
enjoys walking and drinking. He becomes friendly
with shepherds, who tend to flocks of sheep, and
joins them. His son then claims that he has died, so
that he could inherit the property. The film is full
of eccentric characters, who are delightful to
watch. It is also educational for the life in a
rural Indian village is revealed. It is one of the
most enjoyable films that I have seen this year.
Neither Heaven Nor
Earth, (formerly titled The
Wakhan Front)/Ni
le ciel ni la terre, by Clement
Cogitore, France/Belgium, 2015, takes place
in Afghanistan, where French soldiers are protecting
a mountain village. While that is a realistic view
of the boredom and horror of war, the film becomes a
supernatural tale as soldiers begin to disappear.
Apparently, the djinn is at work in Afghanistan as
well as in Tehran. Although, the story becomes
unbelievable, the acting is excellent, the
atmosphere is realistic and the futility of
Europeans and Americans trying to solve the problems
of that country are self evident. It is a fine film.
Nakom, by T.W.
Pittman & Kelly
Daniels Norris, Ghana/USA, 2016, is the
second wonderful film of the festival. It takes
place in Ghana, where a medical student is forced to
return to his village, after the death of his
father. The family wants him to remain in the
village as head of the family. There are problems
galore and one sees the conflict between tradition
and the desire to pursue a modern life. Everyone in
the film is terrific. Like Thithi,
it is also educational for the life in a rural
African village is revealed
Kill Me
Please,/Mate-me por favor, by Anita
Rocha da Silveira, Brazil/Argentina, 2015, is
also a horror movie about teenage girls obsessed
with sex and murders of young girls in Rio de
Janeiro.
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The world wide epidemic of young people obsessed
with the internet is seen in the film. Bea (Valentina
Herszage) and her brother, who sit by the
computer all day long when at home, are
representative of the new generation. The language
is vulgar, the scenes are depressing, but it is
realistic view of life today in every country.
Life After Life/Zhi
fan ye mao, by Zhang
Hanyi, China, 2016, is another supernatural
tale about a wife who died and returns as a spirit
to inhabit the body of her young son. The reason for
her return is that she wants a tree removed from her
courtyard and buried elsewhere. We watch leisurely
as the father and son wander around the countryside
to try to get help unsuccessfully and end up
removing the tree themselves. It is a quiet, simple
tale.
The Fits, by Anna
Rose Holmer, USA,2015, is about an
11-year-old girl (Royalty
Hightower) training to be a boxer. She sees a
group of dancers, called the Lionesses, and decides
to join them. It takes place in Cincinnati, mainly
in a gym. Gym enthusiasts may enjoy watching the
young girls go through the motions. By the way, many
of the young girls collapse from a mysterious
illness. Had that theme been explained, it might
have been a more interesting film.
Evolution/Evolution,
by Lucille
Hadzihalovic, France, 2015, takes place on a
small island inhabited by strange women and young
boys. The boys are taken to a hospital, where
strange experiments are performed on them. A
10-year-old named Nicholas is the subject of this
horror film, which I found tasteless and disgusting,
with no redeeming purpose whatsoever.
Lost and
Beautiful/Bella e perduta, by Pietro
Marcello, Italy/France, 2015, is another
weird film, combining real people with commedia
dell'arte characters, one of whom rescues a buffalo
calf that talks to him. It also concerns an
abandoned palace in Southern Italy looked after by a
local shepherd named Tommaso, who died while the
director was making the film. and the film is
dedicated to him. This film has a convoluted plot
that most of the viewers will not be able to
understand. But I did feel sorry for the calf,
I Promise You
Anarchy/ Te prometo anarquia, by Julio
Hernandez Cordon, Mexico/Germany, 2015, is a
grim and depressing picture of Mexico City. I
married my first wife in Mexico City in 1956, and we
lived happily together for 39 years in both that
city and New York City, before she passed away. I am
glad she did not see this repulsive film, which
again has no redeeming virtue. It is a squalid tale
of two worthless young boys, who spend their days on
skateboards, hustling people to donate blood to
gangsters for money, indulging in illegal drugs,
having sex and using vulgar language. I am forced to
believe that many of these new filmmakers of this
series have serious mental problems.
Leslie Margherita and Robert
Cuccioli were
two of the performers at the CT's Shakespeare on the
Sound Gala at an exclusive private club.
Author, entrepreneur, life changer Shalina
Vadhera held
a wonderful reception for the launch of her Power Beauty
Living at
the United Nations Millenium Hotel, One United
Plaza.
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