WILDCAT

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More Direct Cinema than documentary, "Wildcat" takes an invisible approach to capturing its unfolding narrative.

Melissa Lesh and co-director Trevor Beck Frost spent several years working in the Peruvian rainforest with American wildlife rehabilitation specialist Samantha Zwicker and British Afghanistan war veteran Harry Turner.

Samantha and Harry have what it takes to handle living in the middle of the jungle. They make for a badass team. Naturally, carnal romance enters their entwined lives.

Both Samantha and Harry do battle with personal demons, his from war experiences, hers from growing up with an abusive alcoholic father.

Harry struggles with depression.

Samantha is more of a trooper. She doesn't wallow in the past.

Raising a lost ocelot cub for the 18 months it takes for the fierce creature to be released into the wild, allows for a similar trajectory for our complex leading characters, Samantha and Harry.

This is the first time such a rescue and release has ever been attempted.

No rule book for this shit.

Suffice it to say "Wildcat" is a deeply personal film that makes a transparent comparison between the jungles of Peru, and the jungle of society that we all traverse.

Challenging, thought-provoking, and suspenseful, "Wildcat" is a lot of movie.

Hearts will be broken.

Hearts will be healed.

Long live the wildcat.

Rated R. 106 mins.

IS THAT BLACK ENOUGH FOR YOU ?!?

       Groupthink doesn't live here, critical thought does.

Welcome!

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

Get cool rewards when you click on the button to pledge your support through Patreon.

Thanks a lot acorns!

Your kind generosity keeps the reviews coming!

 

 

Thorough as it is lean, Elvis Mitchell's telling of Black American Cinema is an essential documentary.

Straight up cinematic text book.

Mitchell's pitch-perfect narration takes the viewer on a heartfelt journey of Black film that volleys between personal interviews with Black Cinema artists, and neatly subtle editorializing.

You have to read between Mitchell's lines, and if you do, you'll find more treasure there.

This ex-film critic for the New York Times, knows his stuff inside out.

Elvis Mitchell's kind vocal delivery is silky smooth, a delight to hear.

It's great that this amazing film is released on Netflix, because it means that so many audiences have access to it.

You might want to keep a notepad handy to jot down a list of Black films you want to track down when this one's over.

Superbly written and edited, "Is That Black Enough For You ?!?" is about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on.

Thanks to its cool funk heavy soundtrack, you can feel the funk long after the movie ends.

Cheers baby, cheers.

Rated R. 135 mins.

PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE — THE CRITERION COLLECTION

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Céline Sciamma's lesbian romantic fantasy almost works on its own terms, but falters during crucial elements.

18th century French portrait painter Marianne (Noémie Merlant) travels by boat to paint a wedding portrait of Héloïse (Adèle Haenel) at an idyllic seaside estate surrounded by a community that consists solely of women.

Héloïse is bereft over the recent loss of her sister, and angry about her arranged fate of marrying a man she doesn't know.

Thus the table is set for a doomed lesbian tryst after Héloïse's mother leaves the women alone for a few days.

An abortion subplot, involving the mansion's servant, allows for a scene of artistically inspired exploitation that breaks the film.

"Portrait of a Lady on Fire" is Céline Sciamma's weakest film to date.

Rated R. 122 mins.