‘Herself’: You’ll stand with Dunne in this liberating drama

“Herself” – Sandra (Clare Dunne), a lovely 30-something mom with two little girls, has a happy family. In the opening minutes of director Phyllida Lloyd’s drama, Sandra’s kids – Emma (Ruby Rose O’Hara) and Molly (Molly McCann) – doll their mother up in makeup and immediately proceed to sing and dance in the kitchen.  Flourishing and carefree, this fun-loving triad share no worries, or so it would seem. Sandra’s husband Gary (Ian Lloyd Anderson) enters stage right. He politely sends his daughters out of the room and enacts a brutal,…

‘Nocturne’ looks great but it’s a little off-key

“Nocturne” – “From their struggles to establish dominance over each other, siblings become tougher and more resilient.” – Adele Faber “Siblings that say they never fight are most definitely hiding something.” – Lemony Snicket Vivian (Madison Iseman) and Juliet (Sydney Sweeney) have played the piano for practically their entire lives.  Writer/director Zu Quirke establishes this absolute fact during the first few minutes of “Nocturne”, as we see the girls striking 88 keys as toddlers through high school in a dreamy montage. Practicing for three hours a day for 15 years…

‘Selah and The Spades’ doesn’t deal a winning hand

“Selah and The Spades” – Selah Summers (Lovie Simone) is cool.  She’s a top student at Haldwell, a prestigious boarding school in the Philadelphia suburbs.  She’s a cheerleader too, but not the peppy, do-gooder, always-sunny type, because Selah has fought on the front lines at home and at Haldwell.  These days, her mother quietly pushes this talented kid to pursue perfection, at least with her grades, but voices aren’t upturned between mother and teen.  They don’t have to reach ugly, combative heights in 2020, because – off-screen – enough verbal…