Take away the mid-18th century periodicity of Belle, and you’ve got a movie about social justice that’s as contemporary as they come. Directed by Amma Asante and loosely based on a true story, Belle is the story of Dido Elizabeth Belle, the illegitimate daughter of a Royal Navy captain and a slave. The movie begins […]
Archives for April 2014
Astrology: Film: Review: ‘Ida’ (2014)
April 28, 2014 by
Can a sacrificial offering really count if the person making the gesture has no clear idea of the value of what’s she’s giving up? That’s the question at the heart – literally – of Pawel Pawlikowski’s Ida, a Polish-language movie whose breathtakingly austere black and white cinematography underscores the all-or-nothing dimensions of its subject and […]
Astrology: Fashion: Pocket Squares on ‘Mad Men’
April 28, 2014 by
Don Draper has always prided himself on running the show, even when his baser drives have been the instruments steering his car. So the final moments of last night’s episode of “Mad Men,” as SC&P’s partners deliver to Don the terms of employment he must accept to be re-absorbed into the fold of his agency, […]
Astrology: Film: Review: ‘Locke’ (2014)
April 21, 2014 by
There’s no end to the drama that can place in the confines of an automobile. Drag racing, sudden death and frisky mayhem in the back seat are only a partial vehicular legacy. But if you’re looking for the “Mother of Car Movies,” it’s Locke, a riveting piece of cinema in which the protagonist deconstructs his […]
Astrology: Film: Review: ‘Transcendence’ (2014)
April 17, 2014 by
It’s a safe bet, judging from its title alone, that Transcendence will sharply contrast the density of matter with the non-corporeal energy that exists beyond the realm of the physical. Directed by Wally Pfister, the movie does explore archetypal Neptunian themes involving divinity, compassion, saving what one loves, and heavily blurring the lines between concrete […]
Astrology: Fashion: Peggy Olson’s Beret in ‘Mad Men’
April 14, 2014 by
Just about anyone who’s ever worn a beret – okay, berét for you purists – has all but marked their foreheads with the words “I Am An Artist.” It’s head gear quirkily worn at an angle, as if proclaiming that one’s thought processes and self-expression are delightfully skewed off center. Which makes Peggy Olson’s (Elisabeth […]
Astrology: Fashion: Bucket Bags
April 9, 2014 by
They’re called bucket bags for good reason. Like pails, they’ve got a broad base that nicely balances your hoard for easy transport. If you jam-pack them in well organized fashion, these babies evoke the mythic Cornucopia or Horn of Plenty. One account of the legend involves the baby god Jupiter, whose mother Rhea had him […]
Astrology: Film: Review: ‘Only Lovers Left Alive’ (2014)
April 8, 2014 by
There’s a tasty question posed in the title Only Lovers Left Alive. Are the film’s two protagonists the only two very long term lovers allowed to endure another day, until they’ve racked up centuries’ worth of togetherness? Or are “lovers” – those passionate, caring, committed loyal few under the archetype of Venus – the only […]
Astrology: Film: Review: ‘Joe’ (2014)
April 7, 2014 by
Fighting for and protecting another person usually mean one thing. You’re already pretty good at wielding your fists on your own behalf. That’s an apt description of Joe Ransom (Nicolas Cage), the titular character of the movie Joe, directed by David Gordon Green and based on a book by Gary Brown. Toiling in an impoverished […]
Astrology: Film: Review: ‘Cuban Fury’ (2014)
April 6, 2014 by
Bullies will stop at nothing to brutalize their victims. But making a male teen eat the sequins from his salsa dance costume is one for the books. It’s also a critical plot point in Cuban Fury, an appealing tale of a sad sack who pulls himself up by his bootstraps – make that dancing shoes […]
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