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Review: The Challenge

— by BEV QUESTAD —

On the plus side, the trailer for this film is phenomenal. Black-marked and wild, unleashed and regal, like a graceful long-legged dog, the sleek cat leads its owner into a black Lamborghini. Taking the passenger seat, the cheetah hears the sportscar roar onto the road with his calm, darkly handsome master at the wheel.

Another scene shows a gorgeous falcon, freed of its blinding hat, nip at the hand that pets it. Still another scene shows a group of motorcyclists with a gold-plated cycle in the lead.

(CONTINUED)


Review: Second Nature

— by BEV QUESTAD — The lure of this irreverent independent film is that it involves a magic mirror dug up by Grandma and passed on to Granddaughter Amanda. The rules are that you only get one wish and you can reverse it within five days if you want. So, what might you do? Stop […][...]


Review: Year by the Sea

— by BEV QUESTAD — Life is a series of transcendent experiences. Like waves of a turbulent sea, as one trouble is ultimately overcome, another challenge slips in to cause a new reign of havoc. With a big literal nod to Erik Ericson, a renowned psychologist for his theory of eight psychosocial stages of life, […][...]


Review: The Fencer

— by BEV QUESTAD — A slim man with short dark hair agilely steps off a train in steamy cold Estonia, looking furtively at army officials hobnobbing outside the station. He puts up his collar to shield himself from the cold in a way that lets you know, he prefers not to be seen. He […][...]


Review: The Last Dalai Lama?

— by BEV QUESTAD — The real shocker of this film comes from HH Dalai Lama’s response to the question on his own reincarnation and who the next Dalai Lama will be. But the other traditional questions, those we all want to know, are also answered. What is the purpose of life? What does the […][...]


3 Life Lessons We Can Learn from The House

— by SEAN WILSON — Ten long years after the release of “Blades of Glory,” Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler reunited in “The House.” Starring as the incredibly boring Johansens, Ferrell and Poehler decide to add a little fun to their suburban life and rake in a little extra cash by opening a casino in […][...]


Review: Detroit

— by RON WILKINSON — Kathryn Bigelow’s shaky cam takes you right into the streets of Detroit during the 1967 12th Street Riots. Actually, her shaky cam takes you right into a scripted narrative fiction version of the riots, specifically the horrific Algiers Motel murders. The staged camera work is interspersed with real documentary footage […][...]


Interview: Filmmaker Robert Sickels

— by BEV QUESTAD — There is more to Robert Sickels and his work than immediately meets the eye, just like the little town he portrays. Five of his shorts, featured at the Northwest Film Center Aug. 2, were all shot in cozy, tree-lined Walla Walla, Wash., the complicated home of Walla Walla sweet onions, […][...]


Review: From the Land of the Moon

— by RON WILKINSON — This complicated psychodrama starts with Gabrielle as a very unhappy young woman. She is young and impetuous, to say the least, and sure to have her own way. This promises to be a deep look into the life and mind of a troubled woman. Unfortunately, there is so little convincing […][...]



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