— by BEV QUESTAD — “The Adventures of a Mathematician” is based on the autobiography of a Polish-Jewish scientist, Stanislaw Ulam, who refused to go to that fateful atomic test in the hot July desert south of Los Alamos in 1945. Already arguing with Edward Teller regarding the feasib[...]
Archive for October, 2021
Review: The French Dispatch
— by RON WILKINSON — Wes Anderson fans relish the games he plays with reality. The characters steadfastly do their own thing, despite conflicts with others and half the time this results in snarky, lighthearted humor. As in several of Anderson’s earlier movies, Bill Murray (here playin[...]
Review: Exegesis Lovecraft
— by WILLIAM STERR — “Exegesis – the critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially of scripture.” The creator of this documentary has taken a liberty in applying it to a person, although, for many, the writings of Howard Philips Lovecraft have taken on the attributes[...]
Review: Gorbachev. Heaven
— by WILLIAM STERR — Mikhail Gorbachev has been out of power for 30 years, so it would be useful to begin by identifying him. He was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991. As such, he was the eighth and last leader of the Soviet Union. [&he[...]
Review: El Planeta
— by RON WILKINSON — We live our lives in two parts, the one we want to live and the one others want us to live. We balance those two to meet practical necessities such as food and shelter. Maria and her daughter Leo did not get the memo on balance. To the extent of […][...]
Review: The Rescue
— by RON WILKINSON — There are few documentaries so good they keep you on the edge of your seat even though you, and everybody, already know the ending. Cave diving is like open water diving except there is no surface. A malfunctioning scuba air supply in open water means an emergency su[...]
Review: Storm Lake
— by BEV QUESTAD — I want to sit across the table from Art Cullen at the Better Day Cafe in Storm Lake, Iowa. I want to talk about the danger of news deserts, the difficulties of investigative journalism, and what he thinks about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for president. I also want to hav[...]
Review: Ascension (aka 登楼叹)
— by BEV QUESTAD — “Foreign position with dorm living, air conditioning and $2.99 per hour! You can sit. Easiest work you can find – making new phone products!” announces a job recruiter at an employment station in China. Jessica Kingdon, a Chinese-American director/producer, h[...]
Review: Fathom
— by BEV QUESTAD — Can whales replicate sounds we introduce electronically? Could an electronic device mimic whale speech and eventually get involved in a conversation? “Fathom” documents the communication efforts of two separate studies, one in Alaska and one in French Polynesia. Dr[...]