28 August 2026 LATE FAME ***1/2 An old post office employee in NYC has the same routine every day. Dull work sorting the mail, same drink and meal after work in the corner bar, the same old pals there who just shoot the breeze, and then back to his lonely flat. But once upon a time, he was a writer and published a book of poetry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FI_7PobKjt0 This is an indie film with a big heart and some questions in mind. What happens when one finally feels acknowledged, appreciated and looked up to after years of anonymity? Especially when his newfound fans are earnest young intellectuals looking to him for inspiration in their own artistic fields. It’s not only gratifying and uplifting, but quite intoxicating. Will it last, and how will it affect his life and demeanour? The director, Kent Jones, knows his cinematic field well, having been the artistic director of the New York Film Festival for six years, a film critic and, of course, a filmmaker. He adapted this work from an Arthur Schnitzler novella written at the end of the 19th century. Transporting the character of Ed Saxberger from turn-of-the-century Viennese life to the New York scene works quite perfectly in the hands of Jones, a true cineaste. It’s a delicate film, moving, witty and urban - contrasting the mundane with the elite. It reminded me somewhat of the enticing 1990 Whit Stillman film called “Metropolitan”, about a young group of debonair socialites. It had the same feel of so many possibilities among select Manhattanites. The extra impact comes from Willem Dafoe’s nuanced portrayal of the poet Saxberger. This is one to see, along with the young Edmund Donovan as the leader of the fans who first approaches Saxberger, and the alluring Greta Lee, who plays the lone girl in their literary group. Quite a trio. A film not to miss. THE DOG STARS *** At 88, Ridley Scott - of such great and varied films as “Blade Runner”, “Thelma & Louise”, “Gladiator”, “House