Week of December 13 to December 19 (Rhoades)

Tropic Overview

Tropic Cinema Holds All the Cards This Holiday Season

Reviewed by Shirrel Rhoades
Film Critic, Cooke Communications

Scott Hoard, Tropic Cinema’s programmer, listed “Philomena” as one of his favorite films from the recent Toronto International Film Festival. Now you can see it on Tropic screens, along with four other terrific films.

“Philomena” stars Dame Judi Dench as an Irish woman who wants to locate the son she gave up for adoption 50 years ago, and Steve Coogan is the disgraced journalist helping her in this quest. It’s sort of a detective story with both humor and pathos. The Irish nuns are the impediment in this hunt, but Philomena maintains her faith and forgiveness. The journalist sees it differently.

Returning is “Nebraska,” the Alexander Payne film that had appeared for one night as part of last month’s NY Film Critics series. Bruce Dern pays an old-timer who thinks he’s won a million dollars in a junk-mail sweepstakes. This sudden “wealth” changes those around him -- family, neighbors, all. Will Forte is his dubious son who agrees to journey to Nebraska with his father in search of this mystical million.

“The Book Thief” is holding over, a child’s eye view of World War II Germany. This story of a ten-year-old girl who loves books and protects a Jewish hideaway has been getting rave reviews from Tropic moviegoers.

“Kill Your Darlings” also is holding over. Local columnist Mark Howell proclaimed it one of the best movies ever made about the Beat Generation. Daniel Radcliffe (“Harry Potter”) plays poet Allen Ginsberg. Having met Ginsberg on six occasions, Mark called it a spot-on performance.

Moving to the Tropic is “Dallas Buyers Club,” a tour de force by Matthew McConaughey as an HIV-positive Texan who starts up a new way for sufferers to buy meds. It will hold your attention start to finish.

Also don’t miss the special showing of “Nutcracker Key West,” with principal dancer Natalia Ashikhmina, the youngest prima ballerina of the Russian National Ballet. Joyce Stahl’s production of an “underwater” version of the “Nutcracker” is a holiday treat.

Tropic Cinema holds the cards to a full house!

srhoades@aol.com