— by BEV QUESTAD — Perfect timing. That “Belfast” was coincidentally released in 2021, the year of the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol, sends an ominous shudder down my back. The film, an autobiographically-inspired look at an early time in film-maker Kenneth Branagh’s life, opens [...]
Author Archive
Review: Day of Rage
— by BEV QUESTAD — They came from all 50 states, many on chartered buses in the dark of the early morning. One quiet group solemnly recited the Pledge of Allegiance. They were gathering for a “Save America” march in response to what they understood was an illegal ratification of a fr[...]
Review: Don’t Look Up
— by BEV QUESTAD — A giant comet, possibly 6 miles in diameter, is on a path to destroy habitation on earth. Dr. Mindy and his graduate student, Kate Dibiasky, warn the president, whose plan emerges: “Sit tight and assess.” Mid-term elections are coming up and her Supreme Court nomin[...]
Review: Spencer
— by BEV QUESTAD — When does a film cross a line into defamation of character so strongly that all a viewer can hope for is legal action? I urge you not to see this film. It is a flagrant, vulgar and blatantly fictitious version of a woman who, in reality, inspired a world. As […][...]
Review: Respect
— by BEV QUESTAD — Compliant and 10 years old, Aretha Franklin is woken up from bed by her father late at night to sing for his guests at a lively party in his opulent home. “Respect” traverses the concept and evolution of Aretha’s own struggle in life to receive the respect she de[...]
Review: Writing with Fire
— by BEV QUESTAD — Possibly the most dangerous person to be in India is a Dalit woman. Opening with an interview of a Dalit woman who was being repeatedly raped by four men, just making this documentary took courage. Each time the men came, the case was taken to the police. Her husband s[...]
Review: 14 PEAKS: Nothing Is Impossible
— by BEV QUESTAD — Back in 1953, the world thought Sir Edmund Hillary succeeded at the impossible by climbing Mt. Everest, the tallest mountain in the world. He was joined by Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, the first to summit. Sixty-eight years later, Nimsdai Purja broke all the mountaineering r[...]
Review: Vivo
— by BEV QUESTAD — Being that “Vivo” is a children’s animated film, I gathered experts around me to watch and help with this review. What follows are the impressions and final judgments. “Vivo” means alive and that’s what energy Lin-Miranda has certainly infused into this fun[...]
Review: Man in the Field
— by BEV QUESTAD — Jim Denevan walks dragging a rake on a smooth beach. He makes perfect circles over and over in uncannily perfect geometric patterns that can only be captured aerially by photo or video. I don’t see him using a protractor. Then the surf comes in and wipes it all away.[...]
Review: Jungle Cruise
— by BEV QUESTAD — Lily believes an old legend about a healing tree deep in the Amazon jungle. She is certain the properties of this tree could reshape medicine and be especially beneficial to Britain’s armed service during WWI. There is one caveat. If the tree “gets into the wrong h[...]
Review: Newtok
— by BEV QUESTAD — As the permafrost continues to thaw due to climate change, the Alaskan Yup’ik people in Newtok have created boardwalks and bulkheads to adapt to the dissolving ground and steadily encroaching river and sea waters. Their despair and poverty grow as their land fades aw[...]
Review: Passing
— by BEV QUESTAD — “All of us are just passing for something or other, aren’t we?” Irene muses rhetorically. As the crack in her ceiling spreads out, the howling wind gets stronger and snow begins to fall. The exquisite cinematography enhances this important story about race and id[...]
Review: Simple as Water
— by BEV QUESTAD — Yasmin stands on the cement walkway at a sea port in Athens with her four children. They are chasing a balloon and each other. She carefully monitors them and then herds them into their tent under the freeway overpass. Here she gets out her cell phone and lets them see[...]