Monthly Archives: September 2009

Cliff and the Shadows still not my cup of tea

Posted on September 30, 2009 by admin

Cliff Richard and Hank Marvin in the reunion concert at the O2 Arena By Ray Bennett LONDON — It seemed like a good idea to catch Britain’s evergreen pop star Cliff Richard as he kicked off his big 50th anniversary … Continue reading →

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National's 'Mother Courage' impressive but fragmented

Posted on September 29, 2009 by admin

Martin Marquez, Fiona Shaw and Duke Special (Photo Anthony Luvera) By Ray Bennett LONDON – There is much to admire in the National Theatre production of Tony Kushner‘s translation of “Mother Courage and Her Children” by Bertolt Brecht, especially Tom … Continue reading →

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VENICE: 'Il Grande Sogno', tale of romance amid protests

Posted on September 29, 2009 by admin

Luca Argentero, Jasmine Trinca and Riccardo Scamarcio in a student protest love triangle By Ray Bennett VENICE, Italy — A kind of Italian “The Way We Were,” although without that film’s epic ambition, Michele Placido’s “Il Grande Sogno” (The Great … Continue reading →

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What Mackenzie Phillips was saying in 1981

Posted on September 26, 2009 by admin

Mackenzie Phillips, Bonnie Franklin and Valerie Bertinelli from a People cover in 1980 Mackenzie Phillips has written a memoir titled “High On Arrival” in which she says that she had an incestuous relationship with her father, John Phillips of the … Continue reading →

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Recalling my great friend Mark Schwed on his birthday

Posted on September 23, 2009 by admin

From too much love of living, From hope and fear set free, We thank with brief thanksgiving Whatever gods may be That no man lives for ever; That dead men rise up never; That even the weariest river Winds somewhere … Continue reading →

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VENICE: Fatih Akim's 'Soul Kitchen' is a tasty concoction

Posted on September 21, 2009 by admin

Adam Bousdoukos, Anna Berdeke, and Moritz Bleibtreu cook up a real crowd-pleaser By Ray Bennett VENICE, Italy — Filled with boisterous good spirits, Fatih Akim’s “Soul Kitchen” tells of a young Greek-German man’s attempts to make a success of a … Continue reading →

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Entertaining stage version of much-loved 'Shawshank'

Posted on September 17, 2009 by admin

Kevin Anderson and Reg E. Cathey at Wyndham’s Theatre, London, through Feb. 14 2010 By Ray Bennett LONDON — Fashioned more to take advantage of the enduring popularity of the 1994 movie, the stage version of “The Shawshank Redemption,” which … Continue reading →

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Andrea Arnold makes a star of Katie Jarvis in 'Fish Tank'

Posted on September 11, 2009 by admin

Katie Jarvis as an angry teen attracted to her mum’s boyfriend (Michael Fassbender) “Fish Tank” opens today in the United Kingdom and plays tonight, Saturday and Sept. 19 at the Toronto International Film Festival. It won British director Andrea Arnold … Continue reading →

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VENICE: 'Tetsuo' not exactly number one with a bullet

Posted on September 8, 2009 by admin

Impressive editing makes up for some cheesy effects in ‘Tetsuo the Bullet Man’ By Ray Bennett VENICE — Japanese filmmaker Shinya Tsukamoto shows what a “Transformers” movie would be like on a shoestring budget with “Tetsuo the Bullet Man,” which … Continue reading →

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VENICE: Oliver Stone likes what he sees 'South of the Border'

Posted on September 6, 2009 by admin

Oliver Stone (right) interviews Bolivian leader Evo Morales (left) via an interpreter By Ray Bennett VENICE – Good-humored, illuminating and without cant, Oscar-winning director Oliver Stone‘s documentary “South of the Border” is a rebuttal of what he views as the … Continue reading →

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