The Hunter’s Prayer opens with a bang. Actually, three bangs, as Metzgar (Martin Compston) an assassin has shot and killed Mr. and Mrs. Hatto (Eben Young and Stephanie Dooley) and […]
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Author: Gary M. Kramer
Gary M. Kramer is a Philadelphia-based freelance writer. He is the co-editor of Directory of World Cinema: Argentina. Volumes 1 and 2, and teaches seminars at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute. Follow him on Twitter @garymkramer.
The Wedding Plan review
The Israeli film, The Wedding Plan, was originally titled Through the Wall, a reference to the main character Michal (Noa Kolar) stating that her determination to get married is like […]
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The Dinner review
The meal in The Dinner is costly both in terms of the price for the food, and for the emotional and physical toll it has on the characters. However, in […]
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The Sense of an Ending review
Adapted from Julian Barnes’ celebrated novel, The Sense of an Ending is an exquisite coming-of-old-age story. Tony Webster (Jim Broadbent) is a divorced retiree in London who runs a store […]
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Oscar Nominated Live Action Shorts review
A good short film hooks viewers, carries them through the story, and delivers a satisfying payoff. The beauty of short films is that they are brief, intense snippets of a […]
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Live by Night review
Live by Night is a glossy and bloody prohibition-era set film about Joe Coughlin (Ben Affleck), an Irish gangster. Based on Dennis Lehane’s novel, and written, directed, and produced by […]
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Gary’s Top Ten Films of 2016
There were some great films that came out in 2016, but whereas some were box office hits, others may have played Philadelphia exactly once at a film festival or other […]
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Old Stone review
The feature debut of Chinese writer/director Johnny Ma, Old Stone is a taut, efficient little thriller. Lao Shi (Chen Gang) is a taxi driver who accidently hits motorcyclist Li Jiang […]
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Demon review
Demon, by the late Polish filmmaker Marcin Wrona, is initially unsettling as Piotr (Itay Tiran) arrives in the Polish countryside for his wedding to Zaneta (Agnieszka Zulewska). His bride’s father […]
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Complete Unknown review
In the six-minute pre-credit sequence of director/co-writer Joshua Marston’s intriguing drama, Complete Unknown, Rachel Weisz is seen playing a nurse, a magician’s assistant, and a few other roles. When she […]
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Interview: Local Actor Nick Marini (Summer of 8)
Born in Bryn Mawr, raised in Mt. Airy and a 2014 graduate from the University of Pennsylvania (he majored in Cinema Studies), Nick Marini makes an auspicious film debut as […]
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