— by WILLIAM STERR — “Matter out of place” refers to any object or impact not native to the immediate environment. So begins this film about the production of societal waste, its collection and disposal, all within the environment we depend upon to sustain us. Prepare yourself for sc[...]
Author Archive
Review: Back to the Wharf
— by WILLIAM STERR — Films for the People’s Republic of China (mainland China) have been making their way into international venues more and more recently. But that doesn’t mean they’ve been successful in selling tickets. The Chinese government and private companies have been pouri[...]
Review: There’s Something Wrong with the Children
— by WILLIAM STERR — Nothing like a vacation with a couple you’ve known for years … especially if they’ve brought along their two darling, rambunctious kids. That’s probably what went through the minds of Ben and Margaret as they arranged with Ellie and Thomas to rent adjoini[...]
Review: Where the Crawdads Sing
— by WILLIAM STERR — This is a film adaptation of the 2018 hit novel of the same name, written by Delia Owens. The novel features two story-lines, one of a young girl, abandoned by her family and brutal father and self-raised in the marshes of coastal North Carolina. The second story lin[...]
Review: White Noise
— by WILLIAM STERR — Academia! That ivory tower where esoteric thought and meaningless, endless conversation about nothing substitutes for real life. If the words are big enough, the problems are made small enough. At least at the “College on the Hill.” This is the world we are tempo[...]
Review: Those Who Call
— by WILLIAM STERR — It’s only a few days into 2023 and things are already headed for the drain. Wars rage on, famine increases, chaos reigns in the House of Representatives and, worst of all, I just sat through “Those Who Call.” This Opus Minus by writer/director Anubys Lopez (“[...]
Review: Corsage
— by WILLIAM STERR — This 2022 film, Austria’s Foreign Language entry to the Academy Awards, is the (highly) fictionalized account of a brief period in the life of Elizabeth, Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary. Not only is it a fictionalized account covering the years 1877 and 187[...]
Review: Pinocchio
— by WILLIAM STERR — This is not your grandfather’s Pinocchio. Nor is it Walt Disney’s 2022 live-action version. This one is courtesy of the incredible imagination of Guillermo del Toro, the Mexican director/writer who gave us the Oscar winning “The Shape of Water,” “Pan’s La[...]
Review: The Scottish Play
— by WILLIAM STERR — Poor Sydney (Tina Benko – “The Greatest Showman”). She has had some success in the movies and lives in New York City. Yet she’s looking for something more in her life – something meaningful. She wakes, dresses, and goes for a run, stopping at the statue[...]
Review: Elephant Refugees
— by WILLIAM STERR — Being a refugee is tough. You are usually fleeing violence, oppression, turmoil, and economic deprivation. If you are an elephant in southern Africa, you are fleeing the bullets and machetes of organized poachers, while at the same time suffering a loss of food and w[...]
Review: The Menu
— by WILLIAM STERR — There are some restaurants so exclusive, so expensive and so unique that having even a single meal there is the experience of a lifetime. In this case, an experience that may end your lifetime. Hawthorne is such a restaurant, located on its own island, accessible onl[...]