Sibyl (2019)

I think I had the mistaken impression that Sibyl (2019) was an erotic thriller (the first act initially made me think of Francois Ozon’s Double Lover), which it isn’t. But there’s lots of intrigue and tension throughout, a psychological character study that is about a few things at once: sexual desire, substance addiction, creative process, […]

Security (2017)

Antonio Banderas’ soulful performance in Pain And Glory made me really re-appreciate him as an actor. But also seeing him carry a Direct to Video action movie called Security (2017) was another testament to his presence and talent. Banderas is not sleep walking through this moderately budgeted B-movie Die Hard rip off where he plays […]

The Power Of The Dog (2021)

Benedict Cumberbatch is the star of the new western drama, The Power Of The Dog (2021), directed by Jane Campion who is best known for The Piano, Holy Smoke, In The Cut and Bright Star. Based on a novel from the 1960s by Thomas Savage, an author I’m not familiar with, The Power Of The […]

After Dark, My Sweet (1990)

Adapted from a novel by Jim Thompson, After Dark, My Sweet (1990) is an underrated neo-noir that is set in the outskirts of Palm Springs, California. Wandering out of the desert is a drifter, Kid Collins (Jason Patric), an ex-boxer who tells us over voice over narration that he’s escaped from a mental ward. In […]

Too Late For Tears (1949)

A bag filled with money is a classic object and inciting incident in film noir, never an opportunity but a source of fatalistic consequences. So it goes in Too Late For Tears (1949) when a married couple (Lizabeth Scott and Arthur Kennedy) are driving down a lonely stretch of road when another car throws in […]