‘Arts’ Archives
The Killing of a Sacred Deer
“The Killing of a Sacred Deer”(2017) Drama/Thriller/Mystery Studio A24 **** out of five stars Heart-wrenching is what «The Killing of a Sacred Deer» is with irony of a doctor performing open-heart surgery in the opening scenes. Doctor Steven Murphy (Colin Farrell) is seen in a beautiful hospital standing outside his office talking to a teenage boy named Martin (Barry Keogham) who has made an unscheduled visit to see the doctor. Apparently, Steven is the one who operated on his father; who, sadly, has deceased. Steven takes an interest in Martin, a kid seemingly with few friends, a classic loner, someone in need for another person to talk to since his father is gone. Steven invites the lad over to his house to meet his ophthalmologist wife Anna (Nicole Kidman), and children,12-year old Bob (Sunny Suljic) and 14-year-old Kim (Raffey Cassidy). Martin takes up the invitation at the Murphys”' house with “normal” interactions. There is one scene in [...]
“American Made”
“American Made” (2017) Action/ Biography/ Crime / Thriller/Comedy by Universal Pictures *** and 1/2 out of 5 stars The key to the action/biography film “American Made” is no other than Tom Cruise, the same actor this director Doug Liman also uses in “Edge of Tomorrow” (2014). Cruise of course is the face of Mission Impossible films from 1996 to 2015, “The Mummy”(2017), “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” (2016) and the late Stanley Kubrick”'s dreamy-eyed, mystery “Eyes Wide Shut” (1999); furthermore, Cruise”'s best work (may be behind him?) “Top Gun” (1986), “The Color of Money” (1986), “Risky Business”(1983),”Taps”(1981),”Born on the Fourth of July”(1989), “A Few Good Men”(1992) and “The Firm”(1993). In “American Made» Mr. Cruise, plays Barry Seal, a real- life TWA pilot who is “bored” with his [...]
“Rebel in the Rye”
“Rebel in the Rye”(2017) *** out of five Black Label Media, Biography/Drama What is more joyful for a writer than to have his or her essay or novel published? Probably the reward of making a living at it or, at least, attaining some award for the efforts. In the world of J.D. Salinger (like many famous writers) success will not come easy, only great persistence pushes forward to that goal of being published. As for the young J.D. Salinger (Nicholas Hoult, “ About a Boy” , “A Single Man” , “X-Man: Days of Future Past” , “X-Man: Apocalypse” ) he almost sinks his own ambitions as a writer after being did-missed from NYU (New York University) and a few other universities before being accepted at Columbia. At Columbia, he has an extroverted professor Whit Burnett (Kevin Spacey) who sees a terrific talent below the young man”'s stubbornness. Burnett becomes Salinger”'s mentor and promoter as the latter is faced [...]
