THERE ARE THREE FILMS either just out or opening soon that I am very anxious to see.   Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny I have come to appreciate Harrison Ford more and more through his role in the Star Wars franchise but more so because of his starring role in Bladerunner and its sequel. I expect the quality of the production to be top-notch and the plot to be compelling. Cast includes Antonio Banderas, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Mads Mikkelsen.   Asteroid City I would probably watch anything Wes Anderson makes. I never watched the Darjeeling Limited, but he has made several incredible and artful films, like Moonrise Kingdom, The Royal Tannenbaums, Grand Budapest Hotel, etc. One testament to the success of his work

[NOTE: This material does not represent investment advice in any way. It is for educational purposes only. Investing is personal. See your investment guru before making decisions.]   ABOUT 40 YEARS AGO, while spending time in France after college, I hitchhiked south to Madrid to visit my Aunt and cousins.  While I did experience the Prado and the Guernica there, I also attended a bullfight at the Plaza del Toros.  I bring this up because a bullfight, while arguably brutal,  is a pageant and there is a process about it. A matador does not enter the ring prepared to face a fresh fighting bull. The bull is systematically weakened by picadors on horseback who spear the animal’s neck and shoulder muscles to reduce its ability

THIS FILM CONTAINS A NUMBER OF INGREDIENTS that make a film work for me. I can’t promise they will work for you with this movie, but here goes: It has a director with a solid track record It’s British–I tend to think the Brits often make great films because the director has more artistic license; the arts get some public funding so you don’t get movies managed largely for profit or by “a committee” There are members of the cast I enjoy: one or two good performances can save or make a movie The plot and the cinematography are compelling enough to enjoy without having to suspend disbelief unreasonably much or often Guy Ritchie has made some very good films in this genre–which is usually

  THIS SERIES HAS A GOOD CAST (though the best performances might not come from the ones you expect) and offers new and sometimes sordidly funny insights into the events leading up to the Nixon re-election campaign, the Watergate break-in(s), and the onset of scandal. The two best performances came from Justin Theroux as Gordon Liddy, and Lena Headey as Dorothy Hunt. I have enjoyed Woody Harrelson in many past efforts, but in this role as Howard Hunt,  I quickly tired of his habit of thrusting his jaw forward to indicate some inner conflict. Theroux as Liddy was superb and may get nominated for it. Lena Headey was fantastic as the spouse of Howard Hunt. The cast contained other familiar faces amid solid performances. I 

  LITERATURE AND SOCIETY dance a duet and take turns leading.  It isn’t always apparent that changes in Art are a response to changes in society and culture  or whether the order is reversed. Yet the very “ominous” poem, The Second Coming by Yeats was written just after WWI, the “war to end all wars” (https://www.moviesmarketsandmore.com/twilight-in-the-land-of-more/). And Orwell’s dystopian 1984 (published 1949) was a response to totalitarianism before, during, and after WWII (https://www.moviesmarketsandmore.com/orwells-1984-is-the-book-of-our-time-a-canticle-for-eric-blair/ ). In the Roaring Twenties, the male and privileged romanticism of Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald were the rage. By the end of the Depression, the mantle of social authority was transferred to the destitute masses in Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath or the more haunted existences of the Deep South revealed in

The French Dispatch is another of Wes Anderson’s superb films.Before any consideration of the story, the film has to be considered an exceptional viewing experience for the unpredictability (that he always brings), the richness of characters, and the uber-esoteric settings—mostly amid a Sahara of dry humor. Not to mention that the cast consists of a blend of top comedic and dramatic talent (while I am sure the actors view it as work in High Art, they seem to be having the perfect mix of challenge and fun). Some new (to his films) “star” faces are evidence of the allure of this filmmaker. The structure is a little unusual because it’s broken into segments, but it all conforms within the context of a newspaper founded and operated

The film is a remake of the noir drama of the same name made almost in 1947. Bradley Cooper stars with Rooney Mara, Willem Dafoe, David Strathairn, and Cate Blanchett. All turn in strong performances.One of the selling points of the film for me was the rich setting of a traveling carnival 80 years ago.  In the bosom of that troupe of performers, outcasts and small-time hustlers, the protagonist develops a rare ability—or the pretense of it—and is drawn to new venues where he plies his trade on more discerning and concerning types. The film (based on the novel of the same name) draws its title from a dark secret of the carnival trade of that time. The “geek,” a nearly naked and wretched creature

This film brings to mind any number of films (e.g. the award-winning Roma by A. Cuaron and perhaps the newly released Licorice Pizza by P. T. Anderson) where the writer/directors looked back to  the people and places and of their upbringing and told a story in a labor of love.Though Kenneth Branagh altered some of the details, he grew up in a Protestant family living in a Catholic neighborhood in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1969 during the “Troubles.” Shot in black and white, and with the balance of focus falling more on the people than the politics, the tone of the story leans toward perseverance and tenderness rather than resentment or bitterness.There are several name actors, including an excellent Ciaran Hinds, but Judi Dench, despite

  [Note: This material is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Discuss your specific risk-tolerances, needs and strategies with an investment professional] ANY STOCK MARKET–even the over-supported and resilient US stock market–will sooner or later see to it that every successful trading or investment strategy fails miserably.  Right now, there’s a good chance that “buying the dips” and other bullish strategies will fall from fashion in the coming months.  This may also include investments in intangible or digital properties or currencies or meme stocks that became a source of easy wealth for millions of investors–most of whom aren’t aware that markets can go down or that value is not derived from a message board or chat thread. A former colleague of mine, Peter H. (R.I.P

  THE IDEA of a more romantic Bond has been building. In Casino Royale, Bond had told Vesper Lynd that she could have all that was left of him. By the end of Spectre, Bond had chosen Madeline Swann, whom he meets again in No Time to Die. That relationship gets more complex as the movie progresses. The plot is more “nanotech” than ever before. The threat to humankind is terrifying for being more deadly and more purposeful than a mere bomb. The plot was complex and, as you would expect, moved through exotic scenes and otherworldly scenarios. The acting was compelling.  Bond veteran characters had a more dramatic  script. The likes of Daniel Craig and Ray Fiennes, but also returning characters played by Lea