— by WILLIAM STERR — Atta (Ricky Adelayitar – “Bad Luck Joe”) has toiled all his life as a fisherman on the coast of Ghana. But now his reward is coming. The old boat chief (Fred Nil Amugi – “Beautiful Ruins”), under whom Atta has worked for decades, is about to r[...]
Archive for August, 2026
Review: Earth’s Greatest Enemy
— by BEV QUESTAD — Just who or what is Earth’s greatest enemy? Here are some spontaneous answers, duplicates not included, from recent interviews at The Covert Café, a bar in northeast Portland, Oregon, the city proud of its slogan, “Keep Portland Weird”: Greed – humans R[...]
Review: Over/Under
— by WILLIAM STERR — When we first meet them, Violet and Stella are 9-year-old California girls summering at the beach in New England. They are frolicking in the surf, spying on the adults at the nude beach (being alternately awed and disgusted by what they see), and collecting “mornin[...]
Review: The Odyssey
— by WILLIAM STERR — Lavish. Extravagant. Superbly acted. Updated morality. IMAX presentation. Almost three hours long with no intermission. The list of superlatives for Christopher Nolan’s production of “The Odyssey” is lengthy. The story of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, thrall of Aga[...]
Review: A Sad and Beautiful World
— by BEV QUESTAD — As Marianne pushes her baby, Nino, out into the world, an explosion blasts through the hospital. The baby is rushed by an attendant through the chaos to save him from a potential building collapse. Exactly one minute after that bombing, Yasmina is born in the same hosp[...]
Review: Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie
— by BEV QUESTAD — Congrats to the Canadian crew who created this Shangri-la! Lush palms, friendly animals, responsible humans, sunny weather, and a tall mountain with a waterfall cascading down fill out this Bali Hai dream. Brimming with challenges, lessons, and respect for others, I th[...]
Review: American Doctor
— by WILLIAM STERR — This documentary has a misleading title – in fact there are three American (U.S.A.) doctors whom we follow as they try to serve injured Palestinian children and adults in Gaza. The injuries, needless to say, are the result of targeting with bullets, tank shells, bo[...]
Review: The Bend in the River
— by BEV QUESTAD — I’ve been thinking lately about what affects people’s destiny. There were seven of us freshmen friends at Whitman College. As an only child, I felt like I finally had sisters. But after that year we each veered off into different futures. If we could have chosen &#[...]
Review: Spider-Man: Brand New Day
— by BEV QUESTAD — Logan, aged 5, is reportedly too young for the PG-13 rated “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” because of “sequences of action and violence.” But if you ask him, it’s only children younger than 5 who shouldn’t see this film. Having watched the first two Spider-Man [...]