Good Luck to You Leo Grande review — Female midlife crisis exposed. Dreaming Walls: Inside the Chelsea Hotel review — An etherial doc about an old New York classic.

Good Luck to You Leo Grande Review

Good Luck to You Leo Grande is alternately riveting, amusing and hard to watch. Never before have we seen such a compelling portrayal of a middle aged woman’s sexuality. Your enjoyment of the film largely depends on how you feel about your own.

Emma Thompson gives an award worthy performance as “Nancy Stokes,” a widowed school teacher who has never had an orgasm. Relative newcomer Daryl McCormack (also giving a stellar performance) plays the suave young sex worker Nancy hires to remedy her frustrating situation.

They meet in a London hotel room, where most of the movie takes place. Over time, they surprise, annoy, frustrate and delight each other, while having the same startling effect on the audience. Gifted director Sophie Hyde tells their story as possibly no one else ever could.

That One Scene at the end is something no one who sees it will ever forget, and your response to it will tell you a lot about yourself, as well as the others who are watching with you.

Good Luck to You Leo Grande is not for everyone, but I’m among those who consider it a triumph.

Rated R

1 Hour 37 Minutes

If this Good Luck to You, Leo Grande review flirts with your curiosity, you can watch it on Hulu now.

Dreaming Walls: Inside the Chelsea Hotel review — Not what you were expecting

If you were hoping for a documentary about New York’s quixotic Chelsea Hotel, its famous, fascinating and quirky guests and residents and its odd architectural make up, you might want to look elsewhere.

Be forewarned that there is no narrative here. It is a dreamy array of quips and quotes and observations from the long time residents who still abide there. They’re well shot and artistically edited, but if you’re not familiar with the Chelsea Hotel’s history, legends and lore, you will be completely lost, along with at least 95% of the American population.

Dreaming Walls: Inside the Chelsea Hotel

I suppose it would have interfered with the artistic vision of directors Amélie van Elmbt and Maya Duverdier, who have very few other credits, to give viewers a bit of context, to give them just a brief outline of the Hotel’s fascinating history.

Executive producer Martin Scorsese, who certainly knows how to tell a story, could have offered a suggestion or two in that direction. He seems to have become unapologetically, almost smugly, insider New Yorkish of late.

In Dreaming Walls: Inside the Chelsea Hotel we’re limited to mostly ghostly images of the celebrities who stayed there, vintage footage shot there, and wistful reminiscing from those who moved on or linger. While it’s mesmerizing, it has limited appeal. With just a little context added, it could have been appreciated by a much larger audience.

Not rated

1 Hour 20 Minutes

If this Dreaming Walls: Inside the Chelsea Hotel review piques your interest, find it in limited release on Fandango, or do an online search to find out where it’s streaming.