Month: December 2022

‘Wildcat’: This ocelot kitten rescue documentary will trigger tears

Jeff Mitchell

“Wildcat” (2022) – In 1982, Werner Herzog released “Fitzcarraldo”, an epic adventure set in Peru.  Herzog – not wanting to resort to George Lucas-style special effects – and his crew famously moved a 300-ton steamship over a hill in the Amazon rainforest.  It was a Herculean task, and the event is proudly documented in cinematic history. Forty years later, directors Trevor Frost and Melissa Lesh capture another such undertaking in the Amazon.  No, Samantha Zwicker and Harry Turner aren’t nudging a humongous vessel through the Peruvian wilderness.  The object of…

Catch ‘The Whale’ and Fraser’s Oscar-worthy performance

Jeff Mitchell

“The Whale” (2022) – Since Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale” premiered at the 2022 Venice Film Festival on Sept. 4 and then played shortly after at the 2022 Toronto International Festival, more praise has been thrown at Brendan Fraser – for his portrayal of Charlie, a 600-pound recluse – than Pope Francis, Jane Goodall, and Lionel Messi combined.  With good reason.  Fraser delivers the most passionate and visceral lead actor performance of the year in a role that teeters on the edge of danger and clings to the tiniest buoy of…

‘Spoiler Alert’: Straight away, this touching romantic drama reveals its ending

Jeff Mitchell

“Spoiler Alert” (2022) – Has a friend, colleague, random stranger, or movie critic uttered a key plot point of a book, television show, or movie BEFORE you read a publication or watched a program or flick?  On a personal note, my worst experience occurred at the Portland International Airport around 2004.  While waiting for the boarding announcement, I held a copy of the “The Di Vinci Code”, and the bookmark visibly stuck above the binding, about 50 pages into the story.  Another passenger pointed at the precious literary cargo and…