Category Archives: Historical Drama

The Luckiest Man in America review — The price isn’t quite right

April 9, 2025 flawintheiris

Directed by Samir Oliveros | Written by Oliveros, Maggie Briggs, and Amanda Freedman | 91 min | ▲▲1/2 Loosely inspired by actual events, here's a story about the insincerity of American media and how someone found a way to game it. Is that the American dream? Go a little deeper it's about an average man…Read More

The Penguin Lessons review — The bird’s the best bit

March 27, 2025 flawintheiris

Directed by Peter Cattaneo | Written by Jeff Pope, from the book by Tom Michell | 110 min | ▲▲ This is one of those sweet stories aimed at an older audience where its curmudgeonly lead character has to face up to an unresolved trauma and troubling current affairs. It's all going to make him…Read More

Nickel Boys review — Colson adaptation both artful and artsy

March 1, 2025 flawintheiris

Directed by RaMell Ross | Written by Ross and Joslyn Barnes, adapting the book by Colson Whitehead | 140min | ▲▲▲ 1/2 | Amazon Prime This is the only film nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards that didn't play in cinemas in Halifax. It's a dubious and disappointing distinction. The film is distributed…Read More

September 5 review — Powerful media thriller goes back to Munich ’72

January 28, 2025 flawintheiris

Directed by Tim Fehlbaum | Written by Fehlbaum, Moritz Binder, and Alex David | 95min | ▲▲▲▲ 1/2 Oh, the regret when your faithful film reviewer stumbles upon a feature having just been released, though it's officially from the previous year, making it too late to include on your list of the Top 10 Films…Read More

A Complete Unknown review — It’s all new to me, like some mystery

December 25, 2024 flawintheiris

Directed by James Mangold | Written by Mangold and Jay Cocks, from the book Dylan Goes Electric! by Elijah Wald | 142 min | ▲▲▲▲△ | Crave I slouched into the screening room for A Complete Unknown with more than a few reservations about what I was about to see. I've gone on the record…Read More

The Return review — Fiennes and Binoche elevate Homeric adaptation

December 5, 2024 flawintheiris

Directed by Uberto Pasolini | Written by Pasolini, Edward Bond, and John Collee, based on Homer's epic poem The Odyssey | 116 min | ▲▲▲△△ This is a loose adaptation of the final segment of The Odyssey. The film tells the part of the story where Odysseus (Ralph Fiennes) finally arrives in Ithaca, Greece after…Read More

Maria review — Jolie impresses, but the aria misses a few notes

December 2, 2024 flawintheiris

Directed by Pablo Larraín | Written by Steven Knight | 124 min | ▲▲▲△△ One of the most famous women of the 21st Century plays one of the most famous of the 20th. You can see why Angelina Jolie would choose the role, to be Maria Callas. Anyone can see their parallel relationships with the…Read More

Gladiator II review — We are entertained, but this movie doesn’t echo in eternity

November 22, 2024 flawintheiris

Directed by Ridley Scott | Written by David Scarpa and Peter Craig | 148 min | ▲▲▲△△ I was never a part of Gladiator's rabid cult. I recognized it as an unexpectedly popular throwback entertainment, swords and sandals at a time when neither were cool, but to anoint it with five Oscars in 2000, including…Read More

Widow Clicquot review — Champagne drama goes flat

November 17, 2024 flawintheiris

Directed by Thomas Napper | Written by Erin Dignam and Christopher Monger, from a book by Tilar J. Mazzeo | ▲▲△△△ | Netflix At first it's hard to say why this picture is a dud, given the talent arrayed in front of the camera and even behind, and the cinematography is lovely. The themes are…Read More

Here (2024) review — Make America Fake Again

November 1, 2024 flawintheiris

Directed by Robert Zemeckis | Written by Zemeckis and Eric Roth, based on a graphic novel by Richard McGuire | 104 min | ▲△△△△ | Amazon Prime I guess I shouldn't be surprised Here is a powerfully retrograde, deeply hokey bit of entertainment — it was made by the director and screenwriter of Forrest Gump,…Read More