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Review: Older Gods

— by WILLIAM STERR —

Every year – maybe every month – we read about new aspects of our ever-expanding knowledge of the universe. Of creation. And as this knowledge expands, even though our ability to comprehend the wonders of existence expands with it, our actually position in that universe, at least for those who ponder it, becomes infinitesimally small. Much of humanity has no day-to-day conception of how small and therefore how ineffectual and unimportant our race, much less individuals, are in the grand scheme.

For those who do, some are able to accept it and move on. Many take comfort in the accepted concept of “God,” and gain at least a marginally more important status thereby. But a few, desperate and unmoored, look for something different. This story is about them. (CONTINUED)


Review: Irena’s Vow

— by WILLIAM STERR — Sometimes people find themselves in desperate situations. Situations where they must make life and death decisions. Such was the situation Irena Gut (Sophie Nelisse – “Close”) faced in Lublin, Poland, during the German invasion in 1939. Training as a nurse, the Germans forced her into factory work and then into […][...]


Review: All We Carry

— by BEV QUESTAD — “My father was murdered. I can never get that out of my mind.” It is spring, 2018. Magdiel, Mirna and their son, Joshua, are on the migrant caravan coming up from Honduras and headed for the US when they meet Cady Voge, filmmaker and journalist, who commits to filming their […][...]


Bev’s 2023 Best Documentary List

— by BEV QUESTAD — There were 167 Oscar-qualified documentaries for 2023. I viewed about 70, using award nominations from various organizations and my own interests as a guide. Documentaries serve as my post-graduate education. They extend my knowledge in history, geography, politics, philosophy, psychology, environment, and social justice. They keep my mind engaged as […][...]


Review: Just Getting By

— by WILLIAM STERR — Bess O’Brien is located in the northeast corner (the Northeast Kingdom) of Vermont. There she has turned out a number of fascinating documentaries on the people of Vermont over many years. She has a new one out: “Just Getting By.” In her previous work, through Kingdom County Productions, she has […][...]


Review: The Black Guelph

— by WILLIAM STERR — The Black Guelph was a group of men who, in 14th century Italy, took it upon themselves to violently support the Pope against any adversary seeking to weaken the stranglehold the papacy had over the Italian principalities. Among their victims was the great poet, Dante Alighieri, who wrote “The Divine […][...]


Review: Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie

— by BEV QUESTAD — Michael J. Fox is asked what it means to be still. Mentally or physically? Is it being non-productive and not creative? Is it being passive? Depressed? Does it mean being locked inside a body in a wheelchair? Parkinson’s Disease (PD) affects nerve cells in the brain. As they weaken, become […][...]


Review: The Uncertain Detective

— by WILLIAM STERR — This is a bizarre little film. Actually, it’s a film about a man making a filmed podcast called “The Uncertain Detective.” “The Uncertain Detective” is about a detective (Gregg Lachow) and his assistant detective (Eric Ray Anderson). Their motto is “No case too small; no mystery too big.” They deal […][...]


Review: American Dreamer

— by BEV QUESTAD — “What do we need to be happy? How far are we willing to go to get it? This is a human being’s daily dilemma,” asserts Dr. Phil Loder, an economics professor whose students hang on his every word. Move over Steve Martin! Peter Dinklage’s slapstick in “American Dreamer” is reminiscent […][...]