Larry Oliver Film Reviews

  Pictured : Sood's cornered. Modern-day scrooge Eshaan Sood ( Kunal Sayyar ) fixes London's Christmas decorations with a steely glare in a scene from ' Christmas Karma ', adapted from Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol' by writer-director Gurinder Chadha . Still courtesy of True Brit Entertainment . I never really liked Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’, the story of a mean and miserly man visited by four ghosts who collectively teach him to use his wealth for the betterment of others. Where is the sequel when his generosity is exploited by individuals even meaner than he is? The turnaround in Ebenezer Scrooge is achieved not through wisdom, rather fear. He is offered a glimpse of life after his death and is shocked to discover how little he is thought of. Dickens’ narrative was ingenious for its time and spoke to a world filled with grinding poverty. However, these days, its ‘feel good’ ending doesn’t ring true. It would take more than a night visit by...

Pictured :  Raphael ( Bastien Bouillon ) invites conflicted chef  Cécile ( Juliette Armanet ) to applaud his motocross skills in the contemporary French musical, ' Partir Un Jour ', written with Dimitri Lucas and directed by  Amélie Bonnin . Still courtesy of Pathé . Partir un jour ( Leave One Day ), the opening film of the 2025 Cannes Film Festiva l, co-written (with Dimitri Lucas ) and directed by Amélie Bonnin , represents the opposite of glamour. ‘Top Chef’ winner turned restauranteur Cécile Béguin ( Juliette Armanet ) returns to L’Escale, the truck stop café in rural France where her parents work after her father, Gérard ( François Rollin ) has his third heart attack. Cécile wants him to retire, as does her mother Fanfan ( Dominique Blanc ), who has been taking Italian lessons and sitting in the front seat of a mobile home (clearly, she wants to go somewhere). However, for Gérard, the café is a source of pride. Steak and frites dominate the menu, but the customers ...