— by WILLIAM STERR —
“I Dream of a Psychopomp” is a TERRIBLE title for a movie.
First of all, what is a “psychopomp”? According to the Oxford Languages:
psy·cho·pomp
noun
— by BEV QUESTAD — Amidst a litany of unarmed African-American killings by police, Colin Kaepernick took a stand by dropping to one knee in 2016. My number one thought at the time: Why doesn’t everyone – spectators, media and other players in the stadium – join him? • Michael Brown, Ferguson MO, 8/9/2014, unarmed […][...]
— by WILLIAM STERR — “Rise. Roar. Revolt.” That is the meaning of the three Rs that constitute the title of this 2022 Tollywood extravaganza. And they certainly do describe it. Based on an imagined meeting between two real-life Indian revolutionaries who fought the British Raj but never met, this opulent, eye-popping adventure is set […][...]
— by BEV QUESTAD — I took a year-long course in moral philosophy back in 1969-1970 at the American University of Beirut. Grading was based on each student’s individual growth in moral development as demonstrated by a series of interviews and essays regarding values. Our final essay topic was on the value of suffering. At […][...]
— by WILLIAM STERR — The island of Ithaka symbolizes home: the end of the journey, the goal of the mythic trek. As such, it is taken from Homer’s “Odyssey.” The film “Ithaka: A Fight to Free Julian Assange” begins with the words of Nils Melzer, UN Rapporteur on Torture: “Torture is a tool used […][...]
— by BEV QUESTAD — There is much to learn about milk cows and their herd hierarchy. There is also much to learn about the similar ways we treat animals and each other. But, most dramatically, there is much to learn about Vedette, a queen cow with an instinct for battle. High in the Swiss […][...]
— by WILLIAM STERR — Allison Meyers (Lizzie Zerebko – “For the People”) is a frustrated woman. She is an architect who is without a job, and whose job search has so far resulted in nothing. She is also a person who, in voice-over, methodically describes her philosophy of developing a plan, carrying it out, […][...]
— by WILLIAM STERR — On Jan. 20, 1942, a conference was organized in the German city of Wannsee, Germany. It was hosted by Reinhard Heydrick, and dealt with the “total solution of the Jewish question” in all territories under German control at that time. In preparation for the conference, Heydrick’s assistant, Adolph Eichmann prepared […][...]
— by WILLIAM STERR — This amusing tale from Australia begins with a scene of women, six or seven, swimming through clear ocean waters toward the shore. They are members of a swim club and, later in the locker room we get a chance to overhear their friendly banter. One of them, Gina (Sally Phillips […][...]