Dominance and submission at the office (um... no) RELEASED IN 2002 and directed by Steven Shainberg, "Secretary" is a romantic dramedy about a young woman (Maggie Gyllenhaal) who spent some time at a mental hospital for self-harm (e.g. cutting). She apprehends a job as a secretary to a quirky, arduous lawyer (James Spader) wherein their employer-employee bond turns increasingly sexual in a dominant/submissive way. This is the first mainline film in America to breach the difficult topic of BDSM, walking the balance beam between being either too amusing or too offensive. For those not in the know, BDSM is an overlap of acronyms: BD stands for Bondage and Discipline; DS for Dominance and Submission; and SM for Sadism and Masochism. I didn’t really know the movie tackled BDSM before viewing it; I thought it was simply a romance-in-the-office type flick with maybe some kinky elements. The movie is polarizing, unsurprisingly. I read a few reviews by respectable critics and one was fascinated by it, giving it an incredible 10/10 Stars (Why Sure!), while another wrote it off as a film for sick people, granting it 1/10 Stars. Whilst I find the romance-at-the-office element interesting, I could care less about the BDSM angle. Regardless, the first half is amusing enough and Maggie is a winsome treat, but the second half gets a little too deviant and borders on porn. Yet the movie ends well with a well-intentioned message: This is a story about two people who have an affinity for DS that find each other and their relationship may or may not work (no spoilers). I suppose the movie is trying to get across that pain can be therapeutic as long as it's applied by the right hand with the right intention. Thus two people with an affinity for BDSM can develop a relationship that works, for them. But not me; no thanks. THE MOVIE RUNS 1 hour 47 minutes and was shot in Los Angeles. WRITERS: Mary Gaitskill (short story) and Erin Cressida Wilson & Shainberg (screenplay). GRADE: C-
The strange comedy film of two close brothers; one, Wilbur, who wants to kill himself, and the other, Harbour, who tries to prevent this. When their father dies leaving them his bookstore they meet a woman who makes their lives a bit better yet with a bit more trouble as well.
Movie Star Rating : 6.6 Read More
Two men answer the call of the ocean in this romantic fantasy-adventure. Jacques and Enzo are a pair of friends who have been close since childhood, and who share a passion for the dangerous sport of free diving. Professional diver Jacques opted to follow in the footsteps of his father, who died at sea when Jacques was a boy; to the bewilderment of scientists, Jacques harbors a remarkable ability to adjust his heart rate and breathing pattern in the water, so that his vital signs more closely resemble that of dolphins than men. As Enzo persuades a reluctant Jacques to compete against him in a free diving contest - determining who can dive deeper and longer without scuba gear - Jacques meets Johana, a beautiful insurance investigator from America, and he finds that he must choose between his love for her and his love of the sea.
Movie Star Rating : 7.5 Read More
Thief Gaston Monescu and pickpocket Lily are partners in crime and love. Working for perfume company executive Mariette Colet, the two crooks decide to combine their criminal talents to rob their employer. Under the alias of Monsieur Laval, Gaston uses his position as Mariette's personal secretary to become closer to her. However, he takes things too far when he actually falls in love with Mariette, and has to choose between her and Lily.
Movie Star Rating : 7.5 Read More
Spanning the years 1945 to 1955, a chronicle of the fictional Italian-American Corleone crime family. When organized crime family patriarch, Vito Corleone barely survives an attempt on his life, his youngest son, Michael steps in to take care of the would-be killers, launching a campaign of bloody revenge.
Movie Star Rating : 8.7 Read More
In the continuing saga of the Corleone crime family, a young Vito Corleone grows up in Sicily and in 1910s New York. In the 1950s, Michael Corleone attempts to expand the family business into Las Vegas, Hollywood and Cuba.
Movie Star Rating : 8.6 Read More
In the midst of trying to legitimize his business dealings in 1979 New York and Italy, aging mafia don, Michael Corleone seeks forgiveness for his sins while taking a young protege under his wing.
Movie Star Rating : 7.4 Read More
The Roses, Barbara and Oliver, live happily as a married couple. Then she starts to wonder what life would be like without Oliver, and likes what she sees. Both want to stay in the house, and so they begin a campaign to force each other to leave. In the middle of the fighting is D'Amato, the divorce lawyer. He gets to see how far both will go to get rid of the other, and boy do they go far.
Movie Star Rating : 6.9 Read More
Parisian everyman Antoine Doinel has married his sweetheart Christine Darbon, and the newlyweds have set up a cozy domestic life of selling flowers and giving violin lessons while Antoine fitfully works on his long-gestating novel. As Christine becomes pregnant with the couple's first child, Antoine finds himself enraptured with a young Japanese beauty. The complications change the course of their relationship forever.
Movie Star Rating : 7.2 Read More
An Iranian official (Reza Behboodi) tries to find husbands for a group of young Kurdish women who are threatening to kill themselves because of the scarcity of marriageable men Due to wars, bad economy, and politics.
Movie Star Rating : 4.7 Read More
Pearl 2022 - Movies (Nov 29th)
Saltburn 2023 - Movies (Nov 29th)
3 Idiot Heroes 2023 - Movies (Nov 29th)
The Love Gala 2023 - Movies (Nov 29th)
The Art of Christmas 2022 - Movies (Nov 29th)
American Symphony 2023 - Movies (Nov 29th)
South to Black Power 2023 - Movies (Nov 29th)
Moon Manor 2022 - Movies (Nov 29th)
Blueback 2022 - Movies (Nov 29th)
The Kill Room 2023 - Movies (Nov 29th)
Night of the Missing 2023 - Movies (Nov 29th)
Youre All Gonna Die 2023 - Movies (Nov 29th)
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny 2023 - Movies (Nov 28th)
Unstoppable Taylor Swift 2023 - Movies (Nov 28th)
Earth Mama 2023 - Movies (Nov 28th)
Freelance 2023 - Movies (Nov 28th)
Kane 2023 - Movies (Nov 28th)
Wintertide 2023 - Movies (Nov 28th)
Woman in the Maze 2023 - Movies (Nov 28th)
Beyond Utopia 2023 - Movies (Nov 28th)
The Holdovers 2023 - Movies (Nov 28th)
The Doll Factory - (Nov 30th)
Tyler Perrys Sistas - (Nov 30th)
Squid Game- The Challenge - (Nov 30th)
Frasier - (Nov 30th)
The Kardashians - (Nov 30th)
The General Fun Game Show - (Nov 30th)
All Elite Wrestling- Dynamite - (Nov 30th)
SurrealEstate - (Nov 30th)
Shortys Dream Shop - (Nov 30th)
Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch - (Nov 30th)
Crimefeed - (Nov 30th)
Expedition Unknown - (Nov 30th)
Engineering Catastrophes - (Nov 30th)
Help! I Wrecked My House - (Nov 30th)
Roadworthy Rescues - (Nov 30th)
Snake Oil - (Nov 30th)
Matt Baker- Travels With Mum and Dad - (Nov 30th)
In With the Old - (Nov 30th)
FEDS - (Nov 30th)
No Gamble No Future - (Nov 30th)