Diane Carson – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

DARK WINDS – Review by Diane Carson

July 18, 2024July 19, 2024 Diane Carson amc, Dark Winds, drama series, Graham Roland, Leaphorn and Chee, Navajo Nation, Noah Emmerich, rainn wilson, Zahn McClarnon

Dark Winds tells Diné stories from their perspective. Set on the Navajo Nation, based on author Tony Hillerman’s novel series Leaphorn and Chee, Dark Winds foregrounds investigations into murders and mayhem by Tribal Policeman, Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, his deputy Jim Chee, and Sergeant Bernadette Manuelito. The two seasons, six episodes each, immerse viewers in the reservation near Monument Valley with events straddling forensic and spiritual realms.

Reviews

LOVE, CHARLIE – Review by Diane Carson

July 18, 2024July 19, 2024 Diane Carson Carrie Nahabedian, Charlie: The Rise and Fall of Chef Charlie Trotter, Chef Charlie Trotter, documentary, Emeril Lagasse, Love, Love Charlie, Michelin stars, netflix, Rebecca Halpern, Wolfgang Puck

The popularity of the streaming series The Bear, dramatizing the stressful, unforgiving, upscale kitchen environment of this fictional Chicago restaurant, has renewed attention to culinary brilliance. And among the real legendary chefs of the world, in and beyond Chicago, include Charlie Trotter, profiled in writer/director Rebecca Halpern’s documentary Love, Charlie: The Rise and Fall of Chef Charlie Trotter. Commentary and archival footage, including personal letters, establish Charlie’s never tolerating mediocrity for himself or others, creating difficult, but also stimulating collaboration. Notably, he inspired a generation of chefs in the U.S. and globally.

Reviews

LAST SUMMER – Review by Diane Carson

July 17, 2024July 25, 2024 Diane Carson 2019 Queen of Hearts, Catherine Breillat, french films, Jeanne Lapoirie, Last Summer, May el-Toukhy

Last Summer dramatizes a steamy mother and stepson affair. French writer/director Catherine Breillat creates films that unsettle viewers in ways few other directors dare. In Last Summer, her first feature in ten years, she is again true to form. Centered around middle-aged lawyer Anne’s sexual life, a shocking, unexpected transgression dominates the story.

Reviews

ERIC – Review by Diane Carson

July 17, 2024July 24, 2024 Diane Carson abi morgan, Benedict Cumberbatch, Clarke Peters, Dan Fogler, Eric, Gaby Hoffmann, Lucy Forbes, netflix

Eric powerfully dramatizes weighty social issues in 1985 New York. Through a title character defined by his demons, the miniseries tackles weighty issues including racism, anger management, alcoholism, adultery, and the disappearance of children. Propelled by the dynamic performance of Benedict Cumberbatch as puppeteer Vincent Anderson, events unfold in 1985 New York where Vincent is the creative force behind Good Day, Sunshine!, a show reminiscent of Sesame Street.

Reviews

THE NEW LOOK – Review by Diane Carson

July 15, 2024July 14, 2024 Diane Carson apple, Christian Dior, Coco Chanel, drama series, emily mortimer, John Malkovich, juliette binoche, Lucien Lelong, The New Look

The New Look delves into Coco Chanel’s and Christian Dior’s history. Some individuals enjoy name recognition even though biographical details may not be well known. This occurred to me as I watched the series The New Look which informatively and compellingly chronicles haute couture icons Christian Dior and Coco Chanel during and briefly after the WWII Nazi occupation of Paris. Poetic license is taken, but confirmed biographical details are, nevertheless, significant.

Reviews

COMA – Review by Diane Carson

July 8, 2024July 7, 2024 Diane Carson bertrand bonello, Coma, french films, Gilles Deleuze, stream of consciousness

Motivated by the pandemic isolation, French writer/director Bertrand Bonello’s Coma explores the dreams and fears, hopes and anxieties of an unnamed eighteen-year-old. Through live action and animation, the journey chaotically glides through a myriad of current issues, skipping from one to another: the environment, social media influencers, cheating on and breaking up with romantic partners, and psychological entrapment.

Reviews

BANEL & ADAMA – Review by Diane Carson

July 1, 2024July 18, 2024 Diane Carson Armine Berrada, Banel & Adama, Khady Mane, Mamadou Diallo, Ramata-Toulaye Sy, senegalese films

Senegalese writer/director Ramata-Toulaye Sy’s Banel & Adama burrows boldly into the conflict between a couple’s choices and societal customs. Set in contemporary times in the remote northern Senegalese village of Futa immersed in Muslim tradition, nineteen-year-old Adama rejects his culturally designated position as tribal chief, a role incurred by the death of his elder brother Yero.

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HERE – Review by Diane Carson

June 20, 2024June 23, 2024 Diane Carson Bas Devos, Boris Debackere, Here, Liyo Gong

Elusive and yet intriguing, Here meanders unhurriedly with Romanian construction worker Stefan heading on vacation from his job in Brussels to his home town. Averse to waste, Stefan empties his refrigerator of vegetables that would decay in his absence and cooks up a healthy pot of soup that he’ll deliver in small containers to grateful friends and family. However, unpredictable events intervene to deflect his intentions and, in fact, his life.

Reviews

THE BIKERIDERS – Review by Diane Carson

June 19, 2024June 23, 2024 Diane Carson Austin Butler, Chicago Outlaws Motorcycle Club, Danny Lyon, Jeff Nichols, Jodie Comer, Michael Shannon, The Bikeriders, tom hardy

The Bikeriders depicts a 1960s Chicago motorcycle gang. As predictable as the sun setting in the west, The Bikeriders features a motorcycle gang revving their bikes, fighting among themselves and with interlopers, and treating women badly. Photojournalist Danny Lyon spent years with the Chicago Outlaws Motorcycle Club in preparation for his 1968 photojournalistic book The Bikeriders which writer/director Jeff Nichols adapted, calling the group The Vandals.

Reviews

MY HEART IS THAT ETERNAL ROSE – Review by Diane Carson

June 19, 2024June 19, 2024 Diane Carson 2K restoration, Christopher Doyle, David Chung, Hong Kong, My Heart Is That Eternal Rose, New Wave, Patrick Tam

My Heart Is That Eternal Rose is vintage 1980s Hong Kong New Wave. It is a special treat to see influential films of the mentors of iconic directors. That’s exactly the bonus for newly restored Hong Kong director Patrick Tam’s 1989 My Heart Is That Eternal Rose. In the ‘80s, Tam distinguished himself as part of the Hong Kong New Wave and clearly influenced Wong Kar Wai.

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