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Review: Bugonia

— by BEV QUESTAD —

I messed up. I thought the title was “Begonia” after the flowering plant. But then I checked the spelling and then its definition. Boy, was I off track on that – and a lot more.

Kudos go to the writer, Will Tracy, for the obscure title concept. Though his screenplay is based on the 2003 Korean film “Save the Green Planet!,” he changed the title. A Google search reveals bugonia is “an ancient Greek belief where bees spontaneously generate from a cow’s corpse, symbolizing death leading to new life.” This cycle can act “as a metaphor for societal decay and the hope for renewal, especially in corrupt modern life.” (CONTINUED)


Review: Sentimental Value

— by BEV QUESTAD — Oh, my precious Norway, you consistently rank in the top 10, amongst other Scandinavian countries, of the happiest in the world. You have one of the safest, most comprehensive, caring governments on the planet, yet it’s from your country we get your consistent exploration of the dark side, like Edvard […][...]


Review: Train Dreams

— by BEV QUESTAD — Sometimes it seems that life happens to us – that we just go along, minding our business, trying hard to do our best and then, wham — a bad thing happens or a good thing happens, without will on our part. That’s the way it seems for Robert Grainier. Around […][...]


Review: The Perfect Neighbor

— by BEV QUESTAD — Filmed via police body cams, police procured videos, and 911 recordings, “The Perfect Neighbor” is an Oscar nominee for Best Documentary. It’s a powerful way to create film verité – no voice-overs and no explanatory narration. You just get the action and voices as recorded by police devices. It all […][...]


Review: Anniversary

— by BEV QUESTAD — Oh, Americans, we complain about being too polarized and that extremes on the right and left are dangerous and a threat to society. So, my friends, what if there was a Unity Party? What if there was a remake of the flag with the stars and the blue background in […][...]


Review: Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

— by BEV QUESTAD — Just as convoluted and star-studded as the prior two “Knives Out” whodunits, “Wake Up Dead Man” will likewise challenge your sleuthing skills. But added froth to the bouillon in this third Rian Johnson creation is Catholicism. Conflicted Father Jud Duplenticy (a near double entendre here?), superbly well-played by Josh O’Connor, […][...]


Review: Orwell: 2+2=5

— by BEV QUESTAD — And we are not at war with Venezuela, the War in Gaza is not a genocide, and prices in America are lower than ever. Double-speak, a term inspired by George Orwell’s terms, Newspeak and doublethink as presented in the satire “1984,” is now de rigor politicalspeak throughout the world. Are […][...]


Review: Rumours

— by WILLIAM STERR — The G7. A group of the seven leading “democratic” nations. All are Western, except for Japan, and they represent 29 percent of the world’s economic production but only 9.6 percent of the population, at around 783 million people. The United States, Canada, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan. They […][...]


Review: A House of Dynamite

— by WILLIAM STERR — During her career, Kathryn Bigelow has produced a number of outstanding and intriguing films. Among them are “Near Dark” about a vampire family, “The Hurt Locker” which deals with the Iraq war, and “Zero Dark Thirty” about the search for Osama bin Laden. She has won two Academy Awards for […][...]



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