“Madeline’s Madeline” and the Exploitation of Actresses
This emotional, frightening, and dreamlike story examines the ways actresses are exploited in the name of art.

Coming to the U.S. from his native land to study Western civilization and continue work for his government young Chinaman Tsing Yu-Ch'ing attends an American university, then launches a Chinese newspaper in New York City. He also falls in love with the lovely Kathleen Levinsky who is blind. The daughter of a Jewish father and an Irish mother. Kathleen's life is barren of love, and she gladly accepts his attentions. When Dr. Hardwick, a classmate from college, calls on Tsing and meets Kathleen, he offers to cure her blindness through surgery. The operation is a success, but the newly sighted Kathleen is visibly upset by Tsing's appearance. After saving Kathleen from a killer known as the Hatchetman, Tsing returns to China and commits suicide, believing he will find eternal love with her in the afterlife.
This emotional, frightening, and dreamlike story examines the ways actresses are exploited in the name of art.
With The Father, writer-director Florian Zeller- who wrote and developed the play upon which the film is based- pulls no punches as he confidently makes every effort to put the audience in the mind of someone whose grip on reality has all but vanished. It’s a dazzling testament to Zeller’s abilities as a director as he makes his first transition from stage to film appear as if he’s been working behind a camera his entire career. The dialogue he fashions with co-writer Christopher Hampton, along with the work of production designers Peter Francis and Cathy Featherstone, collectively makes the downward spiral of dementia startlingly tangible, doing so in a way that can be comprehended by everyone except the person it directly affects.
An incredible documentary showcasing the difficulties of living in a crumbling Rust Belt city.
If you were to watch it on streaming when you have nothing to do, it’s still probably a giant waste of time, but you could do far worse. Paying $18 for a movie ticket and who knows how much for concessions turns this from an exercise in boredom to an exercise in frustration.
‘Exhibiting Forgiveness’ seeks to ask one question, “What do you do when your parents are the source of your pain?”
‘Concerto’ is esoteric at best, meant to satisfy the non-melanted’s sense of nostalgia. It is revisionist at worst, cherry-picking images that defy the true tapestry of the human condition.