‘Arts’ Archives
A Real Pain (2024)
from the series Movie Corner... Drama/ComedySearchlight Pictures By HOWARD MCQUITTER II Howard McQuitter II Searchlight Pictures Jesse Eisenberg (The Squid and the Whale , The Social Network ) is director, actor, and writer of A Real Pain. Mr. Eisenberg and his costar Kieran Culkin (The Cider House Rules , No Sudden Move ) makes A Real Pain very captivating. The two men play first cousins. David Kaplan (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji Kaplan (Kieran Culkin) meet in Warsaw, Poland’s airport to visit the Holocaust sites with an experienced tour guide, along with a handful of others of Jewish descent. The two men were close growing up, but over time became further apart. David is married with one small daughter living in a townhouse in a city in the U.S. while Benji is a drifter who hasn’t figured out a clear path for his future.Even though A Real Pain can be treated as a film that can easily fall into a category with a similar (if not an identical) theme, it successfully [...]
The Substance (2024)
Howard McQuitter II from the series Movie Corner... 4 out of 5 Stars Horror/DramaWorking Title Films By HOWARD MCQUITTER II Source: MUBI The Substance is no ordinary horror-drama film. A good part of the film’s strength lies with the actresses Demi Moore (Elisabeth Sparkle) and Margaret Qualley (Sue) and the other is the social piece dealing with society’s preoccupation with being young, especially for women. The premise is that Elisabeth Sparkle is a fitness presenter/trainer on a national morning TV show. (Many of you who read this column may not have been born when the late Richard Simmons had a TV fitness show in the 1980s.) Ms. Sparkle is fired by her self-serving television executive boss Harvey (Dennis Quaid) whose only problem with her is that she is now “too old”. She’s mystified and disheartened by her cruel dismissal from her career. Rather than moving on to a less glamorous job, she stumbles onto a black market lab that promises [...]
Love Notes
(written on November 9th, 2016) go about your day, dear ones.write your words and speak your stories.sweep the house and fill the pot with water. there’s no going back, darlings.your life is now the revolution you always sought externally.tidy your closet and turn the burner on. i know you feel tiny, loves.there is no ‘later, later’ anymore, only right now.wipe the table and scoop the grounds. know your strengths, beautiful.things have been unmasked; you have not been blinded. drink your coffee and rebelliously love. Mattie Wong is the editorial layout coordinator for the alley. She has been connected to the Phillips Community for many years through various jobs, projects, and community events.
