Film

House of Gucci

• By Dennis Petrone
• Photo Courtesy of MGM

“Gucci. It was a name that sounded so sweet, so seductive. Synonymous with wealth, style, power,” says Patrizia Reggiani (played by a stunning Lady Gaga), wife and accused murderer of Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver) – heir to one of the world’s most famous and storied high-fashion houses. “But that name was the curse too.” Tensions caused by the conflict of greed and greatness in this now legendary family, eventually culminating in murder, is brought to vivid life in director Ridley Scott’s (The Martian, Hannibal, Alien) latest cinematic effort, House of Gucci, an adaption of the true crime novel of the same name by Sara Gay Forden.

The cast also features Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, and Jared Leto. It may well be Lady Gaga’s fierce performance that audiences gravitate toward but the movie also features 100% authentic style and runway-ready wardrobe. It was filmed entirely in Italy, mostly in Rome but also in Florence, Milan, and a small town in the Italian Alps. The Gucci fashion house fully cooperated with the production, giving the filmmakers access to its archives for wardrobe and props. It’s no wonder the film is a visual feast and destined to be an awards darling. Gather your friends, put on your best, and go see House of Gucci in theatres before year’s end! It will also be released for streaming on EPIX and Paramount+ early next year.

Now playing. For more details, click here.

Belfast

• By Nina Sventitsky
• Photo Courtesy of Focus Features

Perhaps you took the time to look through photos and mementos, and reached back to find memories from a less complicated time during the fragility of 2020. Kenneth Branagh wrote, cast, and directed such a scrapbook of his childhood in Belfast in the 1960s, in the first weeks of the Troubles. Branagh the writer tells the story of Buddy, a 10-year-old both mischievous and emotionally intelligent, figuring out the mysteries of first love, tribal loyalties, and growing up. Branagh cements his reputation as an actor’s director because all of the performances shine in this film. The casting is superb, with the leads hailing from Ireland which lends authenticity to the film. Newcomer Jude Hill plays Buddy. Caitríona Balfe (Outlander) plays Ma with a complexity of beauty, humor, and matriarchal sternness. Jamie Dornan shows pathos and depth in the role of Pa; the relationship between the two is real with passion and love. The supporting cast includes Ciaran Hinds and Judi Dench as the grandparents, they are excellent. 

This is not about the battle between Catholics and Protestants on the streets of Belfast – but the street riots, barricades and terror of the time is the tonal backdrop and provides the plot resolution. This is a beautifully made film about family and love and identity, shot in black and white with a music score by Van Morrisson.

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Jockey

• By Nancy Bishop
• Photo Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Two days before its premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, Jockey was acquired for distribution by Sony Pictures Classics, thus avoiding a potential bidding war. A festival favorite, Jockey received a Dramatic Special Jury Award for Best Actor that was presented to Clifton Collins Jr. for his deeply moving portrayal of Jackson Silva, an aging professional jockey ravaged by years of injuries yet fiercely determined to stay in the game. Collins, a seasoned actor with decades of memorable supporting roles under his belt, breathes fire and passion into Jackson, a part that was written specifically for him by Jockey director Clint Bentley (whose father was a professional jockey) and Bentley’s creative partner Greg Kwedar. Jockey embraces an intimate, behind-the-curtain look at a profession and its people that is rarely seen. It is both brutal and beautiful. Collins takes the reins from the get-go and we are all in for the ride. We feel his pain, his exhaustion, his elation, his devastation, his devotion. We root for him. We want him to win. Co-stars Molly Parker (glorious as the trainer/love interest for whom Jackson has ridden for years) and Moises Arias (spot on as an up-and-coming young jockey with a hidden agenda) are on the money. And the casting of real jockeys—an added blessing. Jockey belongs in the winner’s circle. It opens December 29th.

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GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE!

• By Alex Brown
• Photo Courtesy of Sony Pictures

For many of us there are films that transport us back to childhood, to a time when movie magic still dazzled. There are motion pictures that capture an era, and for those of us who remember the 80s few films do so as vividly as the beloved Ghostbusters franchise. Spooky, fun and full of laughs, the legacy of Spengler, Venkman, Ray and Winston returns this fall to capture the hearts of a new generation in Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

Thirty-two years after the quartet thwarted the exploits of the evil spirit Vigo, the group of “busters” has disbanded after a rapid decline in supernatural activity in New York City. Driven by his life’s work Egos Spengler relocated to a small Oklahoma town to confront a Gozerian cultist and take on an entity that proves to be his last. 

Flash forward and soon after finding herself and her kids down on their luck, Spengler’s daughter Callie (Carrie Coon, The Leftovers) moves west to the farm her father left her, to start over with son Trevor (Finn Wolfhard, Stranger Things) and daughter Phoebe (Mckenna Grace, Crash and Bernstein). But will the Spengler family history take them down like their father and grandfather, or will they carry on his proud legacy?

With healthy amounts of nostalgia, heart and novel plotline, and cameos by most of the original gang reprising their roles, Afterlife promises moviegoers plenty of fun at theaters this fall. So as the holidays approach and you need a bit of a break from real life, who you gonna call? That’s right—GHOSTBUSTERS!

“Ghostbusters: Afterlife” is now playing.