If it had been released 50 years ago, “The Help” (which opened on Wednesday) would have been the cinematic event of the summer. It has all the elements that once guaranteed critical hosannas. It’s based on a beloved, best-selling novel, has a high-class cast that includes several award-winning actresses (Viola Davis, Sissy Spacek, Cicely Tyson, Mary Steenburgen), along with ingratiating newcomers (Emma Stone, Jessica Chastain, Octavia Spencer). And it tackles a socially momentous theme: the …
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Remakes are still running rampant in Hollywood, and it is rare to find one with a valid reason for existing. But the new British film Brighton Rock is one of the most exciting movies of the summer. In a way it’s not fair to call this a remake of the 1947 film that introduced Richard Attenborough as a dynamic movie actor. Instead it’s a new, updated version of Graham Greene’s 1938 novel about a baby-faced …
