THE PENGUIN LESSONS

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Based on Tom Michell's 2016 memoir about his time spent teaching English during a coup in Argentina in 1976, "The Penguin Lessons" is a stellar politically-minded comedy, packed with subtle and not-so-subtle humor, historic political perspective, and Steve Coogan's infectious wit.

And, there's a penguin. I know what you're thinking, another shaggy dog story. Not so fast.

"The Penguin Lessons" is all about metaphors. As such, our penguin guide gifts us with the power of identifying underlying meanings in pretty much everything that the movie has to offer.

Facing up to social responsibility is on the list for Steve Coogan's instinctively truth-telling rendition of Tom Michell. Lying takes too much effort. It's easier for Tom to rip off the band-aid when touchy questions arise.

Throw in a dramatic tearjerker aspect, and you've got some sublime entertainment.

Björn Gustafsson is excellent as Tom's taller-but-less-confident co-worker.

Serious and funny in equal parts, the well-paced narrative gravitates toward deeper truths than you realize until you are stuck in its deep water. 

However potentially treacherous the dramatic terrain of working with children and/or animals, Steve Coogan dances through the tricky narrative like the experienced dancer he proves to be in one of the movie's pivotal sequences.

It's always value-added when there's dance involved. This sequence shines.

Here is a family movie built to stand the test of time. "The Penguin Lessons" will be a safe bet when you see it available to watch on an airplane.

Steve Coogan's comic genius seems to always find its level. This thematically rich material perfectly matches Coogan's advanced skill-set.

Hilarious. I couldn't possibly count how many times I laughed or cried during this masterful picture.

Director Peter Cattaneo ("The Full Monty") captures every microscopic nuance of comedy, tragedy, satire, romance, and mystery in this wonderful movie. 

Impressive.

Rated PG-13. 110 mins.

WALLACE & GROMIT: VENGEANCE MOST FOWL

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Director/co-writer Nick Park and his brilliant team of animators deliver the most delightful children's comedy you could ever imagine.

Aardman Animations has been a household name for decades. Their painstaking approach to stop-motion claymation kids' movies sits head-and-shoulders above, well, every other animation studio.

Ingenious.

Neither Studio Ghibli nor Disney has anything on Aardman Animations.

The love is on the screen.

Everything you see is an actual miniature model being filmed frame by frame.

Painstaking work.

Respect.

With a distinctly British sense of humor, this outing for inventor Wallace and his assistant dog Gro mit finds Wallace creating a gardening assistant gnome robot.

Gromit has good reason to be suspicious of the all-too-efficient robot that looks like a crazed elf.

Wallace gains a lot of public enemies when he rents out his elfin creation to do landscaping for his neighbors.

The action shifts into high gear when the robot gnome creates a troupe of clones under the command of a diamond thief penguin.

Gnome clones! Oh no!

Every frame of "Wallace & Gromit; Vengeance Most Fowl" is a thing of artistic perfection.

Normal filmmakers never have to the lengths that Nick Park and crew do in making a story that works at every millisecond of screentime.

The chase scenes are amazing, and every little joke and nudge hits your funny-bone just right.

At its heart is the friendship between Wallace and Gromit, our two classic comic characters from way back.

Here is a super fun kids' movie that has just as much entertainment punch for its adult audiences.

It could be a great Thanksgiving or Christmas movie tradition.

What joy springs from this delightful movie.

I'd watch it again right now!

Love it to pieces.

Rated PG. 82 glorious minutes!

HARD TRUTHS

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This ad-free website is dedicated to Agnès Varda and to Luis Buñuel.

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Mike Leigh continues to forge new filmic ground in his signature social-realist cinema that has now lasted six decades.

The effect can be overwhelming.

Audience tears flow freely during this cathartic reflection on mental illness and the effects it has on others.

Pansy is a lost human being.

To quote Iggy Pop, "she, not right."

Marianne Jean-Baptiste gives a fearless tour de force performance as Pansy, a woman haunted by trauma, fear, anger, and regret.

Pansy's loving sister Chantelle (Michelle Austin) keeps a brave face in encouraging Pansy to soften her attitude while providing positive support for her sad sister.

London's Black Caribbean community forms Leigh's narrative setting from which he examines emotional and external forces that his characters navigate.

"Hard Truths" is up there with the best films of John Cassavetes.

I dare say "Hard Truths" carries the potential power to alter the relationship behavior of its audience.

If you want kitchen-sink drama, here it is.

You will feel the feeling.

Special thanks to the late, great Sam Cooke.

Rated R. 97 mins.