Starlet (2012) / 5 To 7 (2014) / Black Widow (1954) / Dear Murderer (1947) / Katie Says Goodbye (2016) / Q The Winged Serpent (1982) / Boarding Gate (2007) ///
5 To 7 (2014) A smart, winning combination of American and European flavors and feelings, as aspiring New York writer Anton Yelchin embarks on a doomed affair with French diplomat's wife Bérénice Marlohe. The humor is gentle, the conversation intelligent, the emotion earned.
Black Widow (1954) Wasting a fine cast, an inert and stagey crime melodrama where the apparent suicide of a young writer soon turns out to be murder forcing Van Heflin to desperately prove his innocence. Cinemascope tends to accentuate the dry atmosphere. Only a few one liners break through.
Dear Murderer (1947) Darkly melodramatic and atmospheric, icy Eric Portman plans the perfect murder of the man having an affair with manipulative wife Greta Gynt, then discovers she has a new lover. Nicely twisted, with crisp, wry dialog and oppressive, noir visuals, a modest treat.
Katie Says Goodbye (2016) As cruel to the audience as its heroine, a warm-hearted Olivia Cooke finds herself abused and exploited in progressively demeaning ways even as she dreams of escape. A fine supporting cast flounders and a committed, touching lead turn can't compensate.
Q The Winged Serpent (1982) A mythical Aztec creature descends on Manhattan to start feeding on its citizens and only jittery piano player / getaway driver Michael Moriarty knows its lair. Blunt, funny and bloody, Larry Cohen's film glories in its eccentricities and energetic cast.
Boarding Gate (2007) A meandering series of dialog-driven scenes interspersed with visual sequences of dry motivation finally jolts into action when Asia Argento makes the hit and finds herself betrayed in Hong Kong. Made with a cold precision that prevents character empathy.
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