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Review: American Factory

— by BEV QUESTAD —

Yes, “American Factory” won the Oscar for Best Documentary. But was it really the best?

The story is about a big American GM plant that closed in Dayton, Ohio, in 2008. The founder and CEO of a Chinese automobile glass manufacturing company, Cho Tak Wong, saw a bargain. He worked out a purchase deal and re-opened the plant in 2014 using both Chinese and American employees.

This sounds like Chinese altruism for its political nemesis. Purchase an American plant, rehire a good percentage of the prior workers laid off by GM, and invigorate a community with new cash. (CONTINUED)


Review: Camp Cold Brook

— by RON WILKINSON — “Haunt Squad” TV reality show host Jack Wilson is in a tough spot. Like many horror show heroes, he is faced with losing his money, his house, his family, his dog and his TV show if he fails to make a big score. He needs a hit and he needs […][...]


Review: Les Miserables

— by RON WILKINSON — This heavily updated version of Victor Hugo’s classic adds timely touches of tragedy. Set in today’s Montfermeil suburb of Paris, the social estate called “les Bosquets” is home to multinationals starting a new life in France. North African, Middle Eastern, and Roma come looking for a future without death at […][...]


Review: Come As You Are

— by RON WILKINSON — Richard Wong’s feel good breakout movie turns the road trip on its head. Three disabled men team up with a traveling nurse to escape their parents and find America. Rather, they want to escape America and find Canada, specifically a brothel specializing in those with disabilities. Erik Linthorst’s screenplay has […][...]


Review: Judy

— by BEV QUESTAD — Renée Zellweger won the Golden Globe for Best Actress for her portrayal of Judy Garland. Can she do it again for the Oscar? “Judy” is the 2019 movie adaptation of the play “End of the Rainbow,” which documents the last year or so of Garland’s struggle with her career, money, […][...]


Review: The Cave

— by BEV QUESTAD — Nominated for the Best Documentary Oscar, “The Cave” explains what happens when 40,000 people are caught in a no-exit strangle-hold. With snipers on rooftops and sporadic planes re-bombing structural remains, the only safe place is deep underground. Food is scarce and the only anesthetic is classical ballet music. Those daring […][...]


Movies based on lesser-known comic books

There are many well-known movie characters that are celebrated and loved today and yet their origins are in comics. Characters like Batman, Superman, Spiderman and many more all come from comic books. But many people may be surprised to realize that there are actually a lot more popular movies that are comic book-based, just like […][...]


Review: Beanpole

— by RON WILKINSON — Kicking off the year with a powerhouse of an essay on the horrors of war, director Kantemir Balagov weaves together stories of the Siege of Leningrad. As one might expect, all three are bad, ending in the briefest ray of light. Some survive and some do not. As in all […][...]


Ancient Egypt stories ready to be hit films

— by SIMON LEDGER — There are many stories about Ancient Egypt that have turned out to be big on-screen movie hits. From the tale of “The Prince of Egypt” to “The Mummy” trilogy and the life of the most beautiful woman in her time, Cleopatra, these stories captured the mystic side of this culture. […][...]



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