NEW THIS WEEK JULY 5, 2024 (IN THEATERS AND ON HOME VIDEO)
NEW THIS WEEK IN THEATERS, HOME VIDEO AND/OR VOD:
AMERICA--Chicago swimming coach Eli (Michael Moshonou) returns to his native Israel after learning that his estranged policeman father has died. While in Tel Aviv, he bumps into former childhood friend Yotam (Ofri Biterman) and his Ethiopian fiancee Iris (Oshrat Ingedashet). A visit to a favorite swimming spot ends tragically when Yotam suffers a fall that puts him in a coma. During their months-long hospital vigil, Eli and Iris become romantically involved, a relationship that abruptly ends once Yotam awakens and begins his torturous convalescence. Divided into four chapters for no apparent reason, director Ofir Raul Graizer's slow-burning love triangle is pokily paced and indifferently acted: the charisma-deficient Moshonou casts a pall over the film that's never broken despite standout Ingedashet's radiance. The death of a main character in the final minutes feels like mere narrative convenience, rendering it curiously unmoving. (C.) https://youtu.be/_lQ6371wySY?si=kBg8qmKSf893_Y8F
DESPICABLE ME 4--Gru (Steve Carrel) and wife Lucy (Kristen Wiig) have a new baby--Gru Jr.; what else?--in the fourth official entry in Illumination Animation's all-ages-friendly franchise that kicked off in 2010. Chris Renaud, who helmed the first two movies, returns to the director's chair and it's all pretty much business as usual. After being targeted for extermination by his adolescent arch nemesis (Will Ferrell's Maxine Le Mal), the Anti-Villain League puts Gru and family into their Witness Protection Program. Subplots include Gru's unwanted new tweener protege (Netflix poster girl Joey King), a heist involving some nasty honey badgers (don't ask) and the Minions being turned into Minion Mutants. It's all so busy and episodic that the whole thing feels more like a collection of loosely connected shorts than a cohesive feature. Per usual, the Minions are the standouts, once again proving better in support than they are headlining their own middling standalone vehicles. (C PLUS.)
KILL--The most gruesomely violent and stunningly graphic film ever made in India, director Nikhil Nagesh Bhat's balls to the wall actioner is clearly indebted to both the "Raid" and "John Wick" franchises. Not to mention "Snowpiercer" (whose nonpareil fight choreographer, Se-yeong Oh, performs similar duties here) and "Train to Busan." The set-up is blissfully simple: a group of armed bandits ("dacoits") board a train headed to New Delhi, planning to rob the passengers en route. But their plans are cut short by the two studly commandos, Amirit (Lakshya) and Viresh (Abhishek Chauchan), onboard who use everything within their arsenal--including finding creative uses for a fire extinguisher--to foil the crooks. A hokey subplot involving Amirit "rescuing" longtime girlfriend (Tanya Maniktala's Tulika) from her engagement party is pure Bollywood corn, but there's no denying Bhat's skill at engineering some of the most awe-inspiring, albeit gleefully sadistic action setpieces in recent memory. Not surprisingly, there's already a Hollywood remake in the works by the producers of (what else?) "John Wick."
KIDNAPPED--Based on an incredible true story, Italian director Marco Bellocchio's wildly compelling new film details the plight of Edgardo Mortara who, as a 6-year-old, was forcibly removed from his Bologna home in June 1858 by a representative of Pope Pius IX. Because Edgardo, without his Jewish parents' knowledge or consent, had been baptized as an infant thanks to the Mortara's buttinsky housekeeper, he was officially designated as "Christian." And since a papal rule dictated that it was illegal for Christian children to be raised in non-Christian households, he became a ward of the Catholic Church. The "Mortara Case" became a cause celebre throughout 19th century Europe, pitting Jewish organizations against the Pope and various factions which proposed turning the papal states into a separate kingdom. Edgardo--played, respectively, as a child and adult by Enea Sala and Leonardo Maltese--somehow managed to remain faithful to the Catholic faith throughout his life, but not without a lot of torturous emotional baggage. The 84-year-old Bellocchio, who's been doing some of the best work of his career this century (his 2009 Mussolini biopic, "Vincere," is arguably the director's greatest movie since his 1965 breakthrough, "Fists in the Pocket"), has made a harrowing, deeply mournful rebuke to bullies of both religious and political stripes. Despite the period setting, its story remains frighteningly, infuriatingly relevant today where bullies (Putin, Trump, ad nauseam) continue flexing their muscles. Cohen Media's Blu-Ray includes Bellocchio's introduction to the film, an interview with Bellocchio discussing the appalling history of the "Mortara Case" as well as the 2024 theatrical trailer. (A.) https://youtu.be/oQAK0yBHQZ8?si=u_tbkY6at3dORChl
MACBETH--I'm not sure whether "The Scottish Play" is Shakespeare's greatest work ("Hamlet" is pretty tough to beat), but despite a "cursed" rep it's certainly proven lucky for filmmakers. Directors as diverse as Roman Polanski, Joel Coen and Justin Kurzel have all struck cinema gold adapting the Bard's play. If Polanski's cathartically gruesome 1971 version is my personal favorite and Denzel Washington's Macbeth (in the Coen iteration) the best acted, Orson Welles' dark and stylized 1948 movie shot on Republic Studios' "B" western sets is no slouch either. With its expressionistic and surrealistic flourishes it can be interpreted as a visualization of Macbeth's worst nightmares. That Welles alters Shakespeare's concept of the three witches and has them prophesy Macbeth's initial success and ultimate doom suggests that he wanted his out of control Macbeth to live a waking nightmare. Although the film gets off to a brilliant start--and the requisite "sound and the fury" continues apace--it doesn't quite sustain its early power. For some reason, listening to the speeches becomes difficult--it might have worked better as a silent film. Although "Macbeth" isn't a "Great" Welles movie like his subsequent Shakespearean adaptations, "Othello" and "Chimes at Midnight," it does allow him to once again portray an over-sized personality similar to many of his other iconic cinematic characterizations: a man of conceit who achieves a lofty position, tremendous power and historical significance by relinquishing his idealism and morality. Maybe he should have titled it "Citizen Macbeth." The handsome Studio Classics 2-disc Blu Ray set contains a plethora of Criterion-worthy extras, including both the 85-minute release version and Welles' preferred two-hour 1950 re-release cut. There are two audio commentary tracks (one with novelist Tom Lucas; the second with Welles scholar Joseph McBride); standalone interviews with legendary director--and former Welles BFF--Peter ("The Last Picture Show") Bogdanovich, film historian Michael Anderegg and archivists Robert Gitt and Marc Wanamaker. (A.)
MAXXXINE--The concluding chapter of the groovy Ti West trilogy that began in 2022 with "X" and "Pearl," this is also an official sequel to the first movie. ("Pearl," set in 1918, was a prequel to "X.") If all that sounds confusing, you're probably not the target audience anyway. For fans of the earlier films, though, it's lip-smackingly decadent and suitably gruesome "R"-rated fun. Maxine (Mia Goth, fantastic as usual), the sole survivor of "The Texas Porn Shoot Massacre" from "X," is now a bona-fide adult film actress living in 1985 Los Angeles who dreams of crossover/ mainstream stardom. After landing the starring role in a B-horror flick ("The Puritan II") helmed by British diva Elizabeth Bender (Elizabeth Debicki), Maxine finds herself being stalked by the serial killer--inspired by L.A.'s real-life 1980's Night Stalker--currently terrorizing the city. Costarring Kevin Bacon as a private eye with sinister motives and Bobby Cannavale and Michelle Monaghan (amusing as a pair of clueless LAPD detectives), it also serves as West's mainstream breakthrough, too. A "B" movie with "A" movie ideas about Hollywood's epidemic (mis)treatment of women throughout cinema history, "Maxxxine" proves that he's definitely ready for the Big Leagues. (B PLUS.)
REVIVAL '69: THE CONCERT THAT ROCKED THE WORLD--A documentary about a musical festival--1969's Toronto Rock 'n' Roll Revival--that few people have even heard of doesn't sound very auspicious on paper. But director Ron Chapman somehow manages to turn his obscure subject into a hugely entertaining time capsule. The brainchild of 22-year-old Toronto music promoter John Brower, the September 1969 concert was originally conceived as a tribute to '50s rock pioneers like Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard, many of whom had been reduced to performing in seedy Vegas cocktail lounges just to make a living. Although tickets were priced at a bargain basement $6, sales were lukewarm until Brower hit upon the idea to book some contemporary acts to supplement the bill. Because future superstars Alice Cooper and the Windy City jazz-rock group Chicago were just launching their careers, they were easy "get"s. But landing Jim Morrison and The Doors as the show's closing act was a major coup. Because tickets still weren't selling at a level that would make the show profitable, Brower decided to go for broke and invited John Lennon and Yoko Ono to debut their new Plastic Ono Band. Thanks to the invaluable assistance of Lennon's personal assistant, Anthony Fawcett, Brower somehow managed to convince John, Yoko and Eric Clapton (!) to fly to Toronto on a moment's notice. (Lennon considered his appearance a kind of payback to some of his musical icons who were opening the show.) Although ace documentarian D.A. ("Monterey Pop," "Don't Look Back") Pennebaker recorded the event, the 60 hours of 16 mm footage he shot was inexplicably put into storage and remained largely unseen until now, At a mere 80 minutes, most of which is comprised of present-day talking heads interviews and archival footage, Chapman's film doesn't feature nearly enough of the day's musical performances to satisfy rockheads. And because the notoriously persnickety Morrison expressly forbade having his band filmed, there's no Doors footage at all. But what's here is definitely choice (not surprisingly, the irrepressible Berry is a real standout), and even historic since it officially marked "The End of the Beatles." (Lennon would inform his bandmates the following month that he was officially leaving the group to concentrate on a joint musical career with Ono.) "The Concert That Rocked the World" is no "Woodstock" or even 2021 Oscar winner "Summer of Soul," but it's still essential viewing for any self-respecting Baby Boomer. No extras on the Greenwich/Kino Lorber DVD, alas. (B PLUS.) https://youtu.be/twSK2dycpB0?si=FEKAKhRnVDv3Y-js
NOW AVAILABLE IN THEATERS, ON HOME VIDEO AND/OR STREAMING CHANNELS:
BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE--Was there really a crying need for a fourth "Bad Boys" movie? Probably not, but at least Sony had the good sense to re-hire Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, co-directors of 2020's "Bad Boys For Life," the 29-year-old franchise's standout iteration. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence (naturally) reprise their roles as Miami cops Mike and Marcus, this time tasked with clearing their late boss (Joe Pantoliano's Captain Howard) of corruption charges. It's all pretty boilerplate, but El Arbi and Fallah once again manage to make the whole thing go down smoothly enough. And unlike most derriere-numbing studio tentpoles these days, the movie clocks in at a relatively breezy 110 minutes. Another wise choice the directors made was bringing back the threequel's scene-stealing bad guy, Jacob Scipio. (B.)
THE BIKERIDERS--Based on Danny Lyon's 1968 coffee table photography book about a 1960's motorcycle club (The Chicago Outlaws), director Jeff ("Loving," "Take Shelter") Nichols' movie was originally slated for release last December after premiering on the fall festival circuit. But when Fox--who only seems interested in releasing "Avatar" and "Star Wars" sequels since their corporate buyout by Disney--sold distribution rights to Focus Features, it got pushed back to Summer '24. Now opening in a multiplex universe dominated almost exclusively by franchise tentpoles ("Inside Out 2," "Bad Boys: Ride or Die," et al), it feels like a balm. The story of a fictitious biker gang, The Vandals, inspired by the real-life Outlaws, and spanning roughly a decade from the mid-1960's until the mid-'70s, Nichols' movie has a hand-tooled grit and authenticity that automatically sets it apart from most of today's formulaic, assembly line productions. The heart of the film is a love triangle (of sorts) between Vandals leader Johnny (Tom Hardy whose accent sounds like "The Bowery Boys Go British Method"), his James Dean-ish lieutenant Benny ("Elvis" Oscar nominee Austin Butler, suitably smoldering) and Benny's wife Kathy ("Killing Eve" breakout Jodie Comer). Although Nichols deliberately downplays any suggestion of homoeroticism, it's clear that Johnny and Benny are in thrall to each other. After Johnny is murdered by a rival biker, the Vandals increasingly get involved in some unsavory business--including drug-smuggling and even contract killings--that spell imminent doom for the future/legacy of the club as well as its individual members. Speaking of which, the supporting cast is aces. Playing sundry Vandals are such estimable actors as Nichols' longtime muse Michael Shannon (wild card Zipco), Boyd Holbrook (in-house mechanic Cal), Emory Cohen (goofball Cockroach) and Toby Wallace (a surly Milwaukee runaway dubbed "The Kid"). More interested in creating a hang-out "vibe" than telling a conventional narrative, it's curiously evocative of Terrence ("Badlands," "The Tree of Life") Malick's oeuvre. Considering the dearth of dialogue, it would have worked just as well if Nichols had told the story strictly through Kathy/Comer's voiceover narration a la Linda Manz's wraparound v/o in "Days of Heaven." The stunning visuals are courtesy of ace cinematographer Adam Stone (who shot all of Nichols' previous films), and the soundtrack's groovy needle drops feel indebted to "Mean Streets"-era Martin Scorsese. Clocking in at just under two hours, it's the sort of "Pure Cinema" event that could make you fall in love with movies all over again. (A MINUS.)
DOGFIGHT--Nancy Savoca made three wonderful movies with producer/co-writer husband Richard Guay between 1989-'93 then essentially disappeared. In the process, the American cinema lost one of its most singular and distinctive voices. The fact that Savoca is largely unknown today, despite this being an era which purportedly champions female directors, makes her relative obscurity both depressing and infuriating. Fortunately, Criterion is doing their part to help auto-correct that grievous injustice by releasing "Dogfight," Savoca's greatest film, on Blu Ray for the first time. (In a happy coincidence, Kino Lorber just released Savoca's two other masterworks, "True Love" and "Household Saints," on home video as well.) Savoca's only major studio production, "Dogfight" was badly marketed and barely released by Warner Brothers in the fall of 1991. I remember driving three hours round trip to see it when a single Pittsburgh theater finally opened it months after the New York premiere. Part of a sub-genre I like to refer to as the "Doomed Love Love Story"--other exemplars include Elia Kazan's "Splendor in the Grass," Alan J. Pakula's "The Sterile Cuckoo" and John Sayles' "Baby, It's You"--"Dogfight" tells the heart-wrenching story of an impactful San Francisco night shared by an 18-year-old marine (River Phoenix's Eddie Birdlace) ready to be shipped off to Vietnam and waitress/folk singer aspirant Rose (Lili Taylor) in November 1963. After impulsively inviting Rose to be his plus-one at a party (the titular "dogfight") in which the grunt with the ugliest date wins a cash prize, Eddie tries to make amends by taking her on a real date. During the course of their enchanted evening, the two find themselves connecting in ways neither could have ever anticipated. Phoenix, who was on the cusp of officially becoming "The Actor of His Generation" before his untimely death two years later, gives a performance of such aching, lacerating vulnerability that he literally takes your breath away. (Amazingly, Gus Van Sant's "My Own Private Idaho," with an equally remarkable Phoenix performance, opened the same month.) And the mercurial Taylor, in an exquisitely modulated turn, matches her co-star's brilliance every step of the way. Extras include Savoca/Guay's audio commentary recycled from a no-frills 2003 DVD release; "American Psycho"/"I Shot Andy Warhol" director Mary Harron's 32-minute interview with Savoca and Guay; a 2024 featurette in which Guay interviews the film's cinematographer, production designer, script superviser and editors; and an insightful essay, "Love and War," by critic Christina Newland. (A PLUS.)
HORIZON: AN AMERICAN SAGA--CHAPTER ONE--Set against highly scenic backdrops of the Wyoming and Kansas territories in 1859, the first part of Kevin Costner's new big-screen western epic ("Chapter 2" opens in August, and he's currently shooting "Chapter 3" with more installments planned) would have probably worked better as the kick-off for a new miniseries. Seen in that episodic format, it might have soared like the two Paramount+ "Yellowstone" prequel miniseries, "1883" and "1923." But as a standalone theatrical feature, it falls a
little flat. The episodic script--by Costner and Jon Baird--rambles a bit too much for its own good, introducing a plethora of supporting characters (essayed by, among others, Luke Wilson, Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Danny Huston and Jena Malone), none of whose individual narrative arcs are satisfyingly intertwined. Accordingly, there isn't enough follow through for any of them to register emotionally. It essentially plays as a series of vignettes, some of which work better than others. Costner's leading character, laconic horsetrader Hayes Ellison, isn't even introduced until an hour into the film. Some of the most impressively staged scenes are the (frequently violent) encounters between settlers and Apache Indians, but they're only one part of a very long, ultimately exhausting whole. While I admire Costner's creative vision and audacity in tackling such an ambitious, multi-tier project, I'm worried that he may have misjudged the venue for his considerable hubris. (C PLUS.)
INSIDE OUT 2--A "pretty much what you expected" sequel that picks up two years after the events of the Oscar-winning 2015 Pixar 'toon with Riley (Kensington Tallman) confronted with brand new emotions to contend with (Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, Nostalgia and Ennui voiced by Maya Hawke, Ayo Edebiri, Paul Walter Hauser, June Squib and Adele Exarchopoulas respectively). All the old emotions that previously roiled now-tweener Riley are present and accounted for, too--Joy, Envy, Disgust, Fear, et al--along with her well-intentioned if rather feckless parents (Diane Lane and Kyle MacLachlan reprising their duties from the first film). The CGI animation is once again lovely and it's all very benign, but first-time director Kelsey Mann's film is also yawningly, depressingly predictable. As a minority voice who found the original a tad overrated (earlier Pixar movies like "Up, "Wall-E," "Finding Nemo" or any of the "Toy Story" iterations are all infinitely superior), I thought it was just O.K. Fans of the earlier film will almost surely disagree, though. (C PLUS.)
QUERELLE--The remarkably prolific German New Wave wunderkind Rainer Werner Fassbinder died in June 1982 shortly after finishing "Querelle," and when it opened in theaters the following year reviews were generally dismissive. Even New York Times critic Vincent Canby who did more than anyone to "break" Fassbinder in America found the movie disappointing. Or maybe it was simply because the (largely) heterosexual bloc of American film critics at the time failed to appreciate Fassbinder's swan song for what it was: the most luxuriously stylized evocation of Gay Sensibility ever seen in a major movie. Along with Fellini's "Satyricon," it was (and remains) pretty much the gayest film ever made: a veritable Disneyland of queerness. Luxuriating in Fassbinder's deliberately artificial mise-en-scene is like taking a hit of amyl nitrate on the dance floor at Manhattan's fabled Crisco Disco in the pre-AIDS era. Although adapted from a novel by Jean Genet, the film seems even more beholden to the homoerotic artwork of Tom of Finland. As the titular sailor, Brad ("Midnight Express") Davis practically oozes sexuality, strutting his fine self into Feria, a Brest bar/brothel run by the imperious Madame Lysiane (Nouvelle Vague diva Jeanne Moreau). In short order, Querelle gets involved in an opium deal with Lysiane's husband (Gunther Kaufmann's Nono) that climaxes with the killing of his criminal cohort. Lusted after by everyone he crosses paths with, especially his superior officer, Lieutenant Seblon (Franco Nero), Querelle is a veritable walking and talking phallus. While the film ends tragically, it's also deeply, ironically funny. (Shades of Fassbinder creative muse Douglas Sirk's gloriously overheated 1950's Hollywood melodramas.) Would the New Queer Cinema that emerged a decade later have ever taken root without Fassbinder's posthumous masterpiece? Maybe, maybe not. Both Todd ("Poison") Haynes and Gregg ("The Living End") Araki have cited the film as a key influence on their early work. What can't be disputed is that Fassbinder--who died at age 37 after having directed over 40 films, 24 plays (most of which he wrote) and three television miniseries (including his magnum opus, 1980's "Berlin Alexanderplatz")--remains, along with Jean-Luc Godard, the most compelling, provocative and singular European filmmaking voice to emerge in the post-WW II era. Extras on the new Criterion Collection Blu-Ray include an interview with Museum of the Moving Image editorial director (and Queer Cinema scholar) Michael Koresky; Wolf German's 1982 documentary, "Rainer Werner Fassbinder: Last Works;" and a compelling, appreciative essay by critic Nathan Lee. (A.)
A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE--Like the first season of "Fear the Walking Dead," this Michael ("Pig") Sarnoski-directed prequel--or "origin story" if you prefer--to John Krasinksi's two "Quiet Place" movies somehow manages to better its antecedents. Some very good actors (including Alex Wolff, Djimon Housou and Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o) help seal the deal, and it's a suitably creepy, nicely atmospheric kickoff to a potential new horror franchise. I just hope the quality control is better than it was on AMC's "Walking Dead" spin-off which spiraled into rank tedium after a spectacular first season. (B.)
THELMA--After getting fleeced of $10,000 by someone claiming to be her grandson, Thelma (94-year-old June Squibb) decides to get even. Partnering with her late husband's best friend (the late Richard Roundtree in his final screen role) on matching electric wheelchairs, Thelma "borrows" a gun from and they hightail it to the p.o. box where she sent the cash. The phone scammer, who turns out to be a failing antique shop owner (former Kubrickian droog Malcolm McDowell), winds up being relatively easy prey for the feisty Thelma. Writer/director Josh Margolin based his protagonist on his own 103-year-old grandmother--the real-life Thelma makes an appearance during a charming end credits sequence--and the movie is clearly a labor of love for all concerned. But what could have been merely a cutesy, condescending big-screen sitcom about old people saying--and doing--the darndest things is instead infused with palpable affection for all its characters and happily buoyed by the behavioral charms of its wonderful ensemble cast. Besides Squib, Roundtree and McDowell, there are nice supporting turns by Parker Posey and Clark Cregg as, respectively, Thelma's daughter and son-in-law. The film's stealth MVP, though, is "White Lotus" Season 1 standout Fred Hechinger as Thelma's doting grandson, Daniel. Hechinger takes a role that could have been played strictly for lazy Gen-Z jokes and somehow manages to make Daniel enormously appealing (you really believe this overgrown kid loves his grandma) and even deeply touching. It's a sweetheart of a movie that deserves to become one of the summer's key box office sleepers. (A MINUS.)
THREE REVOLUTIONARY FILMS BY OUSMANE SEMBENE--Unlike most Third World films of the 1960-70's which were unrelievedly grim and barely disguised Marxist tracts (e.g.,"The Hour of the Furnaces" by Argentinean directors Octavio Gettino and Fernando Solanas), the works of Senegal's Ousmane Sembene were often warm, funny and satirical. Although Senegal--a former French colony which won its independence in 1960--has a population of just four million, it produced the most important movies of Black Africa, notably those of Sembene, the continent's best-known filmmaker.
Three of Sembene's finest, most controversial and politically incendiary films ("Emitai," 1971; "Xala," 1975; and "Ceddo," 1977) have just been released in a Criterion Collection box set. For fans and initiates alike, it's a cause for celebration in helping boost the profile of World Cinema. Sembene, the unofficial "Godfather of African Cinema," has finally received his due.
Set during World War II, "Emitai" depicts the clash between native Senegalese and French troops over forcible conscription, heavy taxation and dwindling rice supplies. Although it won prizes in the former Soviet Union (Sembene studied filmmaking in Moscow and briefly worked at Gorki film studios in the early 1960's), the movie provoked considerable resentment in France where it was deemed "politically objectionable."
Spoken in French and Wolof, Senegal's native language, "Xala" (roughly translated as "the curse of impotence") uses the story of an aging businessman (Thierno Leye's El Hadji) unable to consummate his third polygamous marriage for an expose of the nation's ruling class whose members have eagerly embraced the culture of their white colonial predecessors/oppressors. Although it's easy to laugh at El Hadji's absurd Europeanization (always speaking French, drinking Evian water and driving a Mercedes), we ultimately grow to sympathize with his ultimate downfall at the hands of others who are even more corrupt.
The East-West clash of cultures also figure prominently in "Ceddo" which depicts a Senegalese village sometime between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries as a heady microcosm of African political and social history. Set against the backdrop of an outsider community with animist beliefs, the narrative kicks into gear after the king dictates that everyone must convert to Islam. As retaliation, the king's daughter (Tabara Ndiaye) is kidnapped, triggering a series of cataclysmic, history-altering events.
The Criterion set includes 4K digital restorations of all three titles; a dialogue between African Film Festival founder/executive director Mahen Bonetti and writer Amy Sall; Paulin Soumanou Vierya's 1981 documentary, "The Making of 'Ceddo;'" and a thoughtful essay by New York-based writer and film programmer Yasmina Price. (A.)
---Milan Paurich
