PRISCILLA (2023)

Written & Directed by Sofia Coppola




Where & Where: TCL Chinese Theatres, Hollywood, CA. November 7, 2023 4:20 PM

Last year, Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis" brought the King of Rock & Roll's story to life in a kinetic, colorfully bombastic drama which went on to earn big box-office, eight Oscar nominations and made a star out of Austin Butler who delivered a dazzling performance as Presley. Priscilla Beaulieu, Presley's wife of six years, mother of his only child and longtime love since she was a teenager, appears in "Elvis" yet their romance is regulated into a minor subplot while the film largely focuses on the fraught relationship between Presley and his controlling manager, Colonel Tom Parker.

With "Priscilla", Sofia Coppola's captivating adaptation of Presley's 1985 memoir, "Elvis & Me", explores her version of events, capturing the loving, bewildering and highly traumatizing moments of her life involved with the "King". In 1959, a fourteen year old Priscilla (Cailee Spaeny) was living with her parents (Ari Cohen, Dagmara Domińczyk) in West Germany while her father was stationed there for the US Air Force. This was when she would meet Presley (Jacob Elordi) who is also stationed in Germany while serving in the army. Forced to put his blazing hot career on hold after being drafted, the twenty-four year old musician becomes infatuated with the young girl, leaving her parents unclear (and Priscilla herself) on what Presley really wants from their daughter. After convincing them that his intentions were purely honorable, Elvis began to see Priscilla, surprisingly unchaperoned. And Presley kept his word, stealing a few kisses and putting the brakes on when it began to get too heavy, and the relationship remained chaste.

Presley is soon discharged and returns to his career, promising to keep in touch with Priscilla. They would initially exchange letters but as time went on, his correspondence would become less frequent and soon stopped altogether. It would be two years later before Presley would contact Priscilla again, requesting her parents to allow her to visit Graceland, his home in Memphis. Once again reassuring them that their teenage daughter would be in safe hands, surrounded by his family, they reluctantly agree to let Priscilla fly to Tennessee alone.

This is when Priscilla would begin to see the wild, chaotic world that Presley was living in, filled with a rowdy crew of hanger-ons along with their jaded ladies who catered to his every whim and all night parties fueled by booze and amphetamines. Quietly observing her surroundings, this young teenager is easily fascinated and impressed with Presley's lavish lifestyle. Seven years after they first met, Priscilla marries Presley in Las Vegas, with her now transformed into a feminized, mirror image of the rock-n-roller.

"Priscilla" could seem like a companion piece to Luhrmann's extravaganza yet Coppola's bio-pic is far removed from "Elvis". Modestly scaled and emotionally grounded, Coppola explores a love story that seemed to be doomed for failure from the beginning. Presley's beloved mother, Gladys who he shared an unusually close relationship, had passed away a year before meeting Priscilla. And this deep sense of loss seemed to shape his views on women: some were available strictly for carnal desires while others are supposed to be just nurturing mothers and wives. And the two did not meet. After Priscilla gave birth to their daughter, Lisa Marie, Presley would make excuses not to touch her in an intimate way, leaving her confused and frustrated.

Coppola has made her film career focusing on female protagonists, usually young women, in search of their own identity and value in society while trying to lift the heavy shadow of the baffled men in their lives. With her reflective screenplay, she manages to keep the focus on the inner turmoil that Presley struggles with despite the hovering presence of the larger-than-life singer. The visual approach is subtle as cinematographer, Philippe Le Sourd begins with a warm and dreamy atmosphere as seen through the childlike eyes of Priscilla before a dramatic shift that is brighter and more garish as she enters into the real-life of Presley's inner orbit.

Spaeny (who won the Best Actress Award for her role at the Venice Film Festival) is extraordinary as she advances from a precocious, lovestruck teen fully convinced she can handle a mature romance with one of the most popular and desirable men on the planet to a less enamored young woman no longer willing to endure his erratic behavior and endless womanizing. And as for our Elvis, the Australian Elodi offers another well-crafted version of Presley, perfectly capturing the essence of the King, right down to his distinctive mumbling, Southern drawl.

Coppola has created another fine feature film, thoughtful and poignant, yet "Priscilla" reveals something that may or may not have been intentional. Despite Presley's best efforts of wistfully presenting her story as a tragic romance, it is also a disturbing account of neglect and abuse. It's shocking that Elvis Presley was allowed, with her parents' blessing, to groom this young child into his ideal version of a woman only to essentially discard her emotionally once he had made her a mother. This only adds another more troubling layer to an already complicated history of one of the most significant cultural figures of the last century.

NYAD (2023)

Written by Julia Cox



Directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin



Where & When: Landmark Theatres Sunset, West Hollywood, CA. October 24, 2023 8:00 PM



Available to stream on Netflix on November 3, 2023



For the first narrative feature by the Oscar-winning documentary filmmakers, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, the married couple decided to continue in their fascination with themes involving intense sports and athletes. "Nyad" is an engaging yet safe recreation of Diana Nyad, the famed long-distance swimmer, and her dream of completing a treacherous sixty-hour, one hundred and three-mile swim from Havana, Cuba to Key West, Florida. Facing unpredictable weather conditions, fluctuating water temperatures, perilous marine life and her advanced age, Nyad had plenty of obstacles that made this extreme marathon seem virtually impossible to accomplish. Yet after several attempts, with fierce determination and a powerful ability to dissociate, Nyad was able to actually make the impossible possible.

We meet Nyad (Annette Bening) in 2010 on her sixtieth birthday and demanding to her friend, Bonnie (Jodie Foster) that she absolutely does not want a party. But having briefly been lovers and now her closest friend, Bonnie throws a thrilled Diana a surprise party, knowing very well what she really wanted. Aging also triggers in Nyad a strong desire to complete a swim from Havana to Key West she first attempted thirty-two years ago. Nyad begins extensive training and pushes a skeptical Bonnie into being her coach.

Hiring John Bartlett (Rhys Ifans), the captain of the fishing vessel who will follow alongside her as she swims, Nyad makes her second attempt a little over a year later escorted by a paddler in a kayak equipped with an electronic shark repellent. But ends the quest twenty-nine hours later after strong winds throw her off-course and begins to suffer some shoulder pain. Nyad attempts again a month later but is stopped once more after forty-one hours in the water due to multiple stings from jellyfish and Portuguese man-of-war when bad weather pushes her off-course. Nyad tries again yet is unable to finish although she covers more distance than her previous attempts. With Bonnie and the crew beginning to lose their patience, time and money on this more seemingly, crazy venture, Nyad knows she can do it if given one more chance.

Memory plays a large part of the film with Nyad continuously going over in her mind the errors that were made in her previous attempts to make the journey to Florida. She is also haunted by the abandonment of her father from the family and most troubling, the sexual abuse she suffered from her swim coach that Nyad had a crush on when she was a pre-teen.

One thing about Nyad is that she is no shrinking violet. Abrasive and demanding, this swimmer is confident in herself and her abilities and more than happy to share this information with anyone who will listen. Benning is a reliable commanding presence and delivers another terrific performance. Yet the four-time Oscar nominee still has some difficulty making the prickly Nyad an appealing protagonist and finding a way to make us really want to root for her. Luckily, Bonnie is around to try and soften Nyad's rough edges and lack of proper people skills. Playing her first queer character on screen, Foster comes across as jovial and relaxed, capturing a lighter side of the actor that has been rarely seen over her lengthy career. Together, these veteran performers make a great team, displaying genuine warmth and chemistry. 

It's clear that Chai Vasarhelyi and Chin are still trying to find their way to make a smooth transition from documentary filmmaking to narrative storytelling. They lean a little too much on actual footage of the real Diana Nyad and her journey throughout the film, undercutting the actors' achievements to some degree. The film is a solid debut feature film yet ultimately, "Nyad" feels conventional, never pushing to challenge us narratively or visually. We are left to be moved by the sheer will and determination of Nyad, trying to beat the odds of this incredible quest. And while the film certainly succeeds as an inspirational biopic, it's not really enough to keep "Nyad" afloat as a compelling drama.

2023 AFI FILM FESTIVAL

AFI Fest is the premiere event in Los Angeles that celebrates world cinema and this year's thirty-seventh edition will feature over one hundred and forty films from across the globe. The festival will once again be held in the heart of Hollywood at the historic TCL Chinese Theatres.

The Opening Night Red Carpet Film that is making its world premiere will be "Leave the World Behind", Sam Esmail's adaptation of the novel by Rumaan Alam. Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali and Ethan Hawke star in this dystopian thriller about two couples, who are complete strangers and holed up in a house in Long Island, having to decide how best to survive a mysterious disaster threatening the world.



The Centerpiece Screening is "Maxine's Baby: The Tyler Perry Story", a documentary by Gelila Bekele and Armani Ortiz that examines the complicated life and groundbreaking career of the African American actor, filmmaker and media mogul, allowing us access into the little-seen, inner world of Perry.



And the Closing Night Red Carpet Film selected is Bradley Cooper's latest turn as a director, "Maestro", a bio-pic in which he also stars as the composer Leonard Bernstein. This drama takes us on an emotional journey through this gifted musician's life, his artistry and complicated relationship with his wife Felicia Montealegre, played here by Carey Mulligan.



There are various sections in the Fest that include World Cinema which will feature several films selected by their country to be the submission for this year's Oscars; Discovery which highlights new voices in contemporary cinema; Luminaries offers a selection of the latest films from important filmmakers; Documentaries; Special Screenings and a shorts competition.













This year's Guest Artistic Director is Greta Gerwig, the actor and director who was behind "Barbie", the summer blockbuster hit that became an unlikely cultural phenomenon. She has curated five films to be screened during the fest that had an impact on her as an artist and filmmaker. The classic films selected are "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" (1985) and "A Matter of Life and Death" (1946) (which Gerwig will be on-hand to do in-person introductions for these films); "All That Jazz" (1979), "An American in Paris" (1951) and "Wings of Desire" (1988).







For the complete list of films and to purchase tickets and passes, please click below:

2023 AFI Fest

WALT DISNEY ANIMATION STUDIOS @ 100

Warner Bros. is not the only movie studio celebrating a centennial. This year Walt Disney Studios came into existence on this day one hundred years ago. Far removed from the global media conglomerate that it has now become, Disney began as a scrappy, yet innovative animation company started by two midwestern brothers, Walt, who was the creative driver and Roy who handled the production side of the studio.

Arriving in Los Angeles from Kansas City, MO in 1923, the brothers got their start producing a series of silent shorts that merged live-action and animation about a young girl named Alice and Julius, her cartoon cat. Another creation by Disney was "Oswald the Lucky Rabbit" with the animated shorts were done for Universal Studios. But after a contract dispute over money and not owning the rights to Oswald, Disney began secretly working on a new character with a mouse named "Mickey".

The first Mickey Mouse short appeared in 1928 was silent and with sound on the horizon, the next film, "Steamboat Willie" was released later that year and became the first with synchronized sound. It became a major success and Disney began work on a second cartoon series, "Silly Symphonies" the following year. All of the initial animated films were in black & white and after the studio made a deal with Technicolor and their three-strip color film process in 1932, Disney made the first color "Silly Symphonies" short, "Flowers and Trees".

Walt Disney began considering a feature length animated film in 1934, deciding to base the story on the Brothers Grimm's German fairy tale. This expensive project, at over a million dollars and taking three years to complete, was extremely risky and if it failed could bankrupt the company. But "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" became a critical and commercial success, earning more than eight million globally during its initial release.

Disney would continue to achieve great success with other popular animated features ("Cinderella", "Bambi", "Dumbo", "Peter Pan", "Alice in Wonderland") and live action films ("Treasure Island", "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", "Mary Poppins", "The Shaggy Dog", "The Parent Trap"). The company expanded to build a brand amusement park in Anaheim, Ca named "Disneyland" in 1950 and moved into television, offering such shows as "Walt Disney's Disneyland" and "The Mickey Mouse Club". Disney was in the process of developing a second theme park in Orlando, Fl and near completion of production on their nineteenth animated feature, "The Jungle Book", when Walt Disney, a heavy smoker, passed away from lung cancer in 1966.

The studio continued on, opening "Disney World" in 1971 and finding some success in live-action films and television yet struggled for a number of years in the animation division. But it was in the late 1980's with the release of "The Little Mermaid" that helped return Disney back into a reliable studio that created critically acclaimed and globally popular animated movies.



Disney’s 1937 animation classic, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" will be coming to Disney+ in a new 4K restoration that will premiere on Oct. 16th to celebrate the company’s 100th anniversary.

INVISIBLE BEAUTY (2023)

Directed by Bethann Hardison and Frédéric Tcheng

Where & When: Laemmle Royal, West Los Angeles, CA. September 28, 2023 7:00 PM


You may not be familiar with the name Bethann Hardison unless you're really intrigued by the inner workings of the fashion world. And Hardison's story would be fascinating enough with her being an unassuming African American woman from Bed-Stuy who managed to beat the odds at the time by becoming a popular international model then going on to start her own successful modeling agency. But what the documentary, "Invisible Beauty", co-directed by Hardison and Frédéric Tcheng, brings into focus is what the former model has become best known and greatly admired for by many who work in the style industry: her outspoken activism in fearlessly challenging the status quo and being extremely vocal in regard to how the business over the years has inadequately dealt with race, more than willing to call individuals out by name when necessary.

Born and raised in New York City, Hardison attended FIT and NYU Tisch School of the Arts before landing a job as seller in the garment district. Her life would make a dramatic change after meeting designer, Willi Smith, the man behind the whimsical fashion line, WilliWear and would go on to be regarded as one of the most successful African American designers after his passing in 1987 from complications of AIDS. First becoming his fit model, Hardison smoothly transitioned into working in front of the camera.

A highlight of her modeling career came when she was a part of the largely African American models who came to France in 1973 for the Battle of Versailles Fashion Show, a fund-raising, face-off event between French and American designers. While the French had an elaborate yet stiff presentation, the Americans (which included Oscar de la Renta, Halston and Anne Klein) only had the models to display their clothes on the runway which they did with a carefree style and exuberance, bringing the audience wildly to their feet.

By 1981, Hardison changed her focus from modeling to becoming a model booking agent. Three years later, she formed the Bethann Management Agency which represented a diverse range of models that most agencies probably would never have considered. Some of the beautiful faces that Hardison repped included Roshumba, Kimora Lee Simons, Veronica Webb (who became the first African American model to land a major cosmetics contract) and Tyson Beckford, one of the world's most famous male models who enjoyed a long, exclusive contract with designer Ralph Lauren.

And it was around this time that Hardison went on to form Black Girls Coalition with fellow former model, Iman to celebrate these women, uplifting and guiding these models to give back to the community. Later she became a major force not long after the turn of the century when the industry went backwards by actively not using models of color. Hardison quickly went to work organizing a town hall meeting to address this lack of diversity in fashion and advertising.

Originally, Hardison wanted to make a film about the fashion industry but people around her wisely suggested she narrow her focus. She teamed up with Tcheng, who has a history of creating captivating documentaries on important figures in fashion (Valentino, Diana Vreeland, Halston) and together came up with the concept to shape "Invisible Beauty" around her struggle to write her memoir, allowing this film to organically reflect back on her life.

Hardison married young and briefly, having a son, Kadeem who would become known as an actor, appearing in "The Cosby Show" spin-off sitcom, "A Different World". She's aware that she never achieved a perfect balance between her career and motherhood, leaving her relationship with her son today complicated and, at times, strained. Yet Hardison is maternal and nurturing, caring for the young models that came her way, mentoring and offering her home as shelter when needed.

"Invisible Beauty" is an inspirational document which details of a life well-lived. Hardison is certainly filled with contradictions yet she's a generous spirit who offered her experiences and created opportunities to made sure that those who followed after her could also benefit to have an equal and fair chance to flourish in the arduous fashion business.

2023 NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL

The 2023 New York Film Festival is set to begin on September 29th and running through October 15th. This event has served as the first opportunity in the US to preview many of the films that will be vying for attention during the upcoming awards season. The 61st edition of NYFF will be held at Film in Lincoln Center as well as utilizing theaters in all five boroughs of New York City.



The fest will open with "May December", the latest from Todd Hayes based very loosely on the story of Mary Kay Letourneau. Natalie Portman stars as an actress researching to play on-screen a woman (Julianne Moore) that became a tabloid figure years ago when she was a teacher who got romantically involved with her teenage student, now her husband (Charles Melton).



The Centerpiece Selection is "Priscilla" from Sofia Coppola which explores the life of Elvis Presley's teenage bride, Priscilla (Callee Spaeny who won Best Actress at Venice) and her complicated relationship behind closed doors with the "King of Rock & Roll", played here by Jacob Elordi.

And The Closing Night Film will be "Ferrari", Michael Mann's look into the life of the legendary, Italian car manufacturer with Adam Driver portraying Enzo Ferrari. Patrick Dempsey, Jack O'Connell, Shailene Woodley and Penélope Cruz co-star.



Many of the films in the Main Slate have previously been screened in other film festivals but will be making their US or North American premieres at the New York fest. Some of these international films selected include the Turkish drama from Nuri Bilge Ceylan, "About Dry Grasses"; "The Beast", a French drama from Bertrand Bonello based on the Henry James short story; "The Delinquents", Rodrigo Moreno's heist drama set in Argentina; "Evil Does Not Exist", Ryûsuke Hamaguchi's follow-up to his Oscar-winning film, "Drive My Car" and Agnieszka Holland's controversial "Green Border" which details the harrowing story of a Syrian family trying to escape the violence in their home country only to endure further trouble in Poland.





The films in the Spotlight section will showcase some of the season's most anticipated works. This will feature the first animated feature from the acclaimed Japanese filmmaker, Hayao Miyazaki in ten years, "The Boy and the Heron"; Steve McQueen's four and a half hour long documentary, "Occupied City" which examines Amsterdam under Nazi occupation during World War II while offering contemporary parallels in the British filmmaker's adopted home; the North American premiere of Yorgos Lanthimos' black & white, silent short film from last year, "Bleat" that features Emma Stone (Lanthimos and Stone's current feature length project together, "Poor Things", which won the Golden Lion after making its premiere at this year's Venice Film Festival, will also be screened in the Main Slate) and Pedro Almodovar's second English language short film, "Strange Way of Life", an unconventional western which will be followed by an in-person conversation with the Spanish filmmaker.



And the Revivals section will feature remastered and restored films from distinguished filmmakers. The fest will feature the world premiere of the restored version of Nancy Savoca's 1993 comedy, "Household Saints" that stars Lili Taylor, Tracey Ullman and Vincent D'Onofrio. "Return to Reason: Short Films by Man Ray" spotlights the celebrated photographer's first foray into filmmaking with these silent shorts accompanied with new music by Jim Jarmusch (the indie filmmaker who designed this year's poster for the fest) and Carter Logan who together are known as the band, SQURL. There will also be screenings of Oscar-winning actress Lee Grant's 1980 directorial debut, "Tell Me a Riddle", Jean Renoir's final feature film from 1947, "The Woman on the Beach" and "La Roue (The Wheel)", a seven hour long 1923 French film from Abel Gance that merged early narrative silent cinema with an experimental style.





For the complete list of films, events and to purchase tickets, please click below:

2023 New York Film Festival

BOTTOMS (2023)

Written by Emma Seligman and Rachel Sennott



Directed by Emma Seligman



Where & When: AMC The Grove 14, Los Angeles, CA. September 5, 2023 7:30 PM



"Bottoms" is a teenage, romantic comedy from filmmaker, Emma Seilgman that is very far removed from your standard comedy in this genre. What Seilgman's film delivers is unhinged, extremely dark and features a couple of horny, young lesbians as our unexpected protagonists in this wildly, offbeat story. And while it's not entirely successful, "Bottoms" is a teen comedy that boldly presents queerness as a natural state of being, propelled by an insane, manic energy and off-the-wall laughs.

PJ (Rachel Sennott) and Josie (Ayo Edebiri) are best friends in high school who happen to be nerdy, unpopular and lesbians. They are both lusting after two of the popular cheerleaders at school who are also best friends: Josie has the hots for Isabel (Havana Rose Liu) while PJ is infatuated with Brittany (Kaia Gerber). After an incident involving an argument between Isabel and her boyfriend, Jeff (Nicholas Galitzine), the quarterback for the school's football team, a rumor spreads around that PJ and Josie spent the summer in juvenile detention and had beaten up Jeff during this quarrel. Now this didn't actually happen yet none of the participants correct this misinformation especially after the girls are called into the principal's office demanding an explanation for injuring the quarterback (who was never seriously hurt but enjoying the attention).

In order to avoid expulsion, PJ comes up with the excuse they had been practicing in order to start a self-defense club for the girls at school. This leads to a plan to actually start a fight club and after PJ points out this will be a great way for them to meet girls, a reluctant Josie agrees to the crazy idea. With teacher, Mr. G. (former football player, Marshawn Lynch) on board as an advisor, the girls begin teaching female students how to fight. But PJ is disappointed that the girls attending are not attractive enough until Isabel and Brittany show up for lessons.

Seligman first became noticed with her NYU senior-thesis short, "Shiva Baby" which was later selected for the South by Southwest film festival in 2018. The Canadian-born filmmaker later further developed this comedy about a young bisexual Jewish woman (also played by Sennott) who attends a shiva with her parents where her complicated love relationships collide into a feature length film. I will admit I was not a big fan of this film, but I certainly recognized her potential gifts as a director and admired what she accomplished in telling a rarely told story in cinema involving the "B" in the LGBTQ communities.

"Bottoms" began with Seligman and Sennott wanting to create a film that featured queer characters prominently in your standard Hollywood-style comedy. I'm sure there were several films that sparked their imagination, but the clear inspiration behind "Bottoms" seems to be "Heathers", the 1989 cult film that has gone on to become the quintessential dark teen comedy. And while they both share in gleeful, irreverent humor, quirky characters and unexpected bursts of bloody violence, "Bottoms" is not fully formed enough to become memorable in the high school comedy canon. The script by Seligman and Sennott features some emotionally grounded moments in between the weird, zany humor but the writers are just not there yet to make it work together cohesively. At times in the film, some moments are heavy-handed, the pacing is ragged, the jokes are not always sharp and the motivations behind some of the characters are wobbly. And as "Bottoms" progresses to its conclusion, the situations become far more surreal and shockingly brutal, making it feel like we have suddenly entered into another movie.

As a teen comedy, "Bottoms" feels fresh and modern by successfully challenging traditions of the genre and aggressively flipping expectations regarding gender and sexual identity. The film is further elevated by solid performances and a hilarious, edgy vibe. But with a little more work to refine some details, "Bottoms" would have easily shifted from a good to a great comedy.