Black Stone ★★★
COMEDY (2023)
Directed by: Spyros Yakovides
Interpretations: Eleni Kokkidu, Achilleas Chariscos, Kevin Zans Ansong

Spyros Iakovidis’ feature directorial debut with a black comedy about an immortal Greek family – and more – that won four awards at the latest Thessaloniki Festival. Panos, a civil servant accused of fraud, disappears. Two directors investigating similar cases stumble upon his desperate mother Harula (Eleni Kokkidu) and his disabled brother Lefteris. Together, with the help of a Greek-African taxi driver, they start a race to find Panos, discovering who he really is for the first time along the way.

Yakovides uses the discovery of “a film within a film” which automatically puts him in the role of a detached observer of an almost surreal situation. The legendary Greek mother who refuses to believe anything negative about her child, but who is also the backbone of the family, is presented here in all her glory thanks to the incredible performance of Eleni Kokkidou. The Greek actress gives a solo concert with a black rapper from Moria next to her in an unexpected role. There is a delightful script with strong comedic elements, which, however, also has something to say about serious problems, such as paradoxes of family relationships, etc. It all unfolds narratively, in a film that leaves the viewer with a smile on their face.

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts ★★½
FANTASY (2023)
Directed by: Steven Caple J.
Cast: Anthony Ramos, Dominic Fishback

Countless sequels to the popular humanoid robot franchise have faded into the background, but this time around we’re in for something a little different. We’re in Brooklyn in the 1990s, where a young Noah Diaz is looking for ways to support his family. Eventually, Mirage, an energetic Autobot, will appear on his way, who will introduce him to Optimus Prime and the rest of the robots that live in camouflage on Earth.

At the same time, Elena, a 25-year-old researcher, inadvertently detonates an alien device that “invites” an army of vicious mechanical beasts to the planet, determined to destroy it. The prolific Michael Bay stays on as producer this time around, resulting in a less explosive film that nonetheless feels more like a regular movie than an extended action movie.

Our familiar robots are complemented by others, somewhat more primitive, similar to animals (Maximals), in a more innocent-adventurous set, to pleasant R’n’B music.

Beautiful morning ★★½
ROMANTIC DRAMA (2022)
Directed by: Mia Hansen-Love
Cast: Léa Seydoux, Melville Pupo

Mia Hansen-Love’s new film (Bergman’s Island), centered on the alluring Lea Seydoux, is about family ties as well as romantic relationships.

The French actress plays Sandra, a single mother raising an eight-year-old daughter and caring for a father who has early-stage Alzheimer’s. Then Clement enters her life, an old friend (and married) with whom she begins a passionate affair.

Léa Seydoux excels, as usual, in portraying an interesting character in a film that, however, seems to be slightly torn between two different themes.

After the highly acclaimed Card Counter, veteran Paul Schroeder returns with another dramatic thriller about a man haunted by his past. Joel Egerton plays Narvel Roth, a lonely guy who tends to the mansion’s garden. When the owner’s young niece arrives, Narvel will find himself “sandwiched” between two women, and his past and present will face dramatic consequences.

Mafia Mom ★★
COMEDY (2022)
Directed by: Katherine Hardwick
Cast: Toni Collette, Monica Bellucci.

Comedy Katherine Hardwicke shows us how an American housewife can turn into the boss of the Italian … mafia. Overwhelmed with family responsibilities, Christina (Toni Collette) leaves for Rome for her grandfather’s funeral. There, of course, she discovers that the family business is actually a criminal organization that she is meant to inherit. Toni Collette meets Monica Bellucci in a mafia comedy that’s entertaining enough until it starts dangerously flirting with the confines of slapstick.