Vanya On 42nd Street (1994)

My main knowledge of the Anton Chekov play Uncle Vanya is through its rehearsal and performance in the Japanese film, Drive My Car, directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi. I have always been aware of Vanya On 42nd Street (1994), a film adaptation of Vanya that reunited actors and playwrights Andre Gregory and Wallace Shawn, with the […]

Black Widow (1987)

There’s more than one Black Widow on Disney Plus – you can also check out the neo-noir Black Widow (1987) directed by Bob Rafelson (Five Easy Pieces, The King Of Marvin Gardens). I remember watching this when I was a kid on TV and being a bit underwhelmed – I thought there was going to […]

Redbelt (2008)

I love Redbelt (2008) in spite of myself. Writer-director David Mamet has a way with words, but despite all his pretensions, he’s in love with macho bullshit as any other blockbuster action type. The movie is set in the world of Mixed Martial Arts competitions and has an eclectic cast that mixes Mamet regulars like […]