Gil Mansergh’s Cinema Toast
New Releases For the Week of 9/01/17

Tulip Fever (R)
Starring: Alicia Vikander, Diane DeHaan, Judi Dench, Christopher Waltz.Jack O’Connell, Zach Galifanakis
Directed by: Justin Chadwick
In economics classes, they teach that “tulip mania” in 17th Century Holland was the first-ever speculative bubble. Prices for the “never seen before” bulbs jumped exponentially and drew “ordinary people” to invest money they could not afford to lose. In February, 1637, the bubble burst and the once coveted flowers were worth almost nothing. Deborah Moggah set her love-triangle novel during this time period, where a beautiful young woman and the artist commissioned to paint her aging husband’s portrait unwisely invest in tulip bulbs as a means of funding their escape together. Plagued with delays and changes of producers, directors and cast members, the film was completed in 2014 and shelved after negative feedback from audiences and critics alike. Supposedly, some of the plot holes have been filled in with top-grade potting soil.
This film has not been made available to critics

I Do… Until I Don’’t (R)
Starring: Lake Bell, Ed Helms, Mary Steenburgen, Paul Reiser, Amber Heard, Dolly Wells, Wyatt Cenac
Director: Lake Bell
I am only recommending Lake Bell’s “I Do… Until I Don’t” for documentary film makers (or wannabe documentary film makers). This is because the unfunny rom-com about the obsolescence of marriage will be quickly forgotten by everyone else. The set up is that a filmmaker wants to record interactions between married couples who validate her theory that monogamy is not a viable situation. The manner in which the woman manipulates the couples from behind the camera is an eye opener for those intrigued by how some docs are made
3 pieces of toast, but only for documentary filmmakers.
1 and 1/2 pieces of toast for everyone else 

Birth of the Dragon (PG-13)
Starring: Philip Ng, Xia Yu, Billy Magnussen
Directed by: George Nolfi
Not content with the true true story of the legendary Kung Fu artist, Bruce Lee, the filmmakers have made up a fictional love interest and a murderous crime boss to pad the film to its 89 minute running time. Even worse, Lee’s martial arts student Steve McKee (who is Caucasian), gets most of the screen time, and is credited with setting up the fabled San Francisco fight between Lee and Shaolin Monk Wong Jack Man, in 1965.
1 and 1/2 pieces of only the final fight scene is worth watching toast 

(Visited 2 times, 1 visits today)