A Liberal Arts Education Solves All Your Problems
2 years after writing and directing Happythankyoumoreplease, Josh Radnor delivers yet again a witty and efficient romance tale. This time, it is narrated to a college background. The plot focuses on the reality following a Liberal Arts education and the complex attraction between a 35-year-old and a college freshman. Radnor chooses to explore a fascinating classical-music-mixtape-themed epistolary relationship. This is especially cute in this day and age. It strikes me as a beautiful modern ode to Dangerous Liaisons
. And it's really enjoyable to witness actual handwritten human interactions in a recent movie. The whole cast is magnificent and works very well with each other. Allison Janney is her usual fantastic self, Elizabeth Olsen is a gem, Richard Jenkins is funny, and it is nice to see Elizabeth Reaser as well as Kate Burton for a little while. Even Zac Efron - and I never thought I'd say this - plays his uncommon part with no misstep. Josh Radnor knows how to pick his soundtrack which is a flawless combination of classical music and indie rock. The storyline surprises me as it doesn't turn out to be your typical Rom Com. Liberal Arts
is a very good silver-screen moment that combines a high-quality college story and a surprisingly non-mushy and unusual romance.
. And it's really enjoyable to witness actual handwritten human interactions in a recent movie. The whole cast is magnificent and works very well with each other. Allison Janney is her usual fantastic self, Elizabeth Olsen is a gem, Richard Jenkins is funny, and it is nice to see Elizabeth Reaser as well as Kate Burton for a little while. Even Zac Efron - and I never thought I'd say this - plays his uncommon part with no misstep. Josh Radnor knows how to pick his soundtrack which is a flawless combination of classical music and indie rock. The storyline surprises me as it doesn't turn out to be your typical Rom Com. Liberal Arts
is a very good silver-screen moment that combines a high-quality college story and a surprisingly non-mushy and unusual romance. 
, through its trailer, I felt instant infatuation. The black and white esthetics, the New Yorker thread, the witty humor, 
. Everything caught my attention. When I finally managed to get a first date - the 9pm screening - I was nervous and excited. Excited because I couldn't help but think about this movie everyday. Nervous because I was afraid my expectations were too high. Like before any date, I took forever to choose my outfit. I opted for something casually fashionable. I brought a friend with me so it would be more like an informal get-together. No pressure. Then I apprehensively bought my ticket and sat down in the theater. And that was it, I definitely fell for Frances Ha as soon as the movie started. Not Frances, the protagonist, who reminds me too much of myself. But Frances Ha, the movie. This is a very touching and hilarious picture directed by Noah Baumbach. The black and white esthetics highlight the modernity of the tackled themes and give a certain depth to the comedy. The screenplay written by both Gerwig (who plays Frances) and Baumbach is a genuine reflection of the main character's personality. It is witty, quotable and seems a little disjointed but it holds itself together in the end. I could easily identify with Frances. She is lost somewhere between childhood and adulthood. She is a 27-year-old non-graceful apprentice for a dance company, lives in New York City, has an intense bond with her roommate and college best friend. When Sophie - the best friend - decides to move out of Brooklyn and ditch her friend for a hip apartment in Tribeca, Frances will have to finally force her way into adulthood. This is an unusual love story to tell on screen since it deals with the love between two best friends. Frances is the adorable friend you wished you had. Passionate and a little crazy, Greta Gerwig delivers a very convincing and natural performance. The rest of the cast is also very credible. 
is a violent and truthful painting of Manhattan. This movie takes you through the ghetto where a bunch of kids made a pact to share their fortunes, their loves, their lives. Over 30 years later, Noodles comes back to the Lower East Side to face his past demons and regrets. If you ever decide to watch Once Upon a Time in America, keep in mind that it is 229-minutes long. It doesn't seem that long when you watch it because the storyline is energetic but you still need to clear your schedule for almost 4 hours. This masterpiece covers a wide time frame taking you from the 20's to 1968. It is an epic tale on the prohibition era. A full immersion in a cosmopolitan New York City and the Jewish mafia. The cast is obviously impressive. De Niro and James Woods form a perfect duo. They are both flawless and cruel. Their friendship takes loyalty to a whole new level and betrayal gets baleful. Joe Pesci is only starring in the movie for a few minutes but it's a pleasure to watch him perform as a mobster. The classic soundtrack composed by Ennio Morricone is an important piece of this crime puzzle. His tune is raw, dramatic, and authentic. I have once attended a Morricone concert and listening to this theme live is a magical feeling. The natural touch of the soundtrack comes quite close to recreating that magical feeling, which is a rarity among films. 
It may not be the movie of the century but certainly a nice directorial and writing debut for Josh Radnor and a relaxing movie session. It won the Audience Award at the 26th Sundance Film Festival. And I believe you can always trust Sundance. 
is a pretty neutral movie that deals with
secrets and lies within families. By neutral I mean that I wasn’t bored
watching it and found it quite entertaining but the plot didn’t pin me to my
seat either. There is a fistful of good actors : namely Andy Garcia, Julianna Margulies and Ezra Miller. The latter being the most interesting one and the reason why I watched City Island in the first place... OK, Andy Garcia in the role of the wannabe-actor is not so bad either. The characters
are very relatable as they have common jobs or activities and their fair share
of problems. The Rizzo family has secrets like any other and thinks that keeping them hidden from their relatives will prevent a major crisis. Obviously, they’ll discover
that their secrets are the root of their
family issues. I liked that City Island treated several topics like past
mistakes, aspirations, and uncommon desires. I enjoyed discovering another part of New York City that isn’t
usually shown. It’s a nice part of the Northern suburbs that is revealed :
definitely another perspective of the Bronx.