— by BEV QUESTAD — This film is an introduction to the fabulous talent of Alaudin Ullah, writer, director, producer, and comedian. He uses his national origin, Islam, and social issues to introduce audiences to the Bangladeshi-American world. Fun clips of his stand-up savvy are intersper[...]
Author Archive
Review: Young Plato
— by BEV QUESTAD — What a fun documentary on a Catholic primary boys’ school! It’s all about the Elvis-loving principal, Kevin McArevey, who uses philosophy as a principle driver in the school’s success. The only acceptance criteria into Holy Cross Boys’ Primary School is the[...]
Review: Enough! Lebanon’s Darkest Hour
— by BEV QUESTAD with RAMEZ TOMEH (in Beirut) — Daizy Gedeon begins her film in a frustrated voice saying, “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be telling you this story.” For years, as you flew into Lebanon one of the first things you would notice appeared to be a massive w[...]
Review: From the Hood to the Holler
— by BEV QUESTAD — An irrepressible politician from Kentucky has got the fire and passion of a break-through progressive politician in a fiery red state. He’s opening the eyes of frustrated voters from his Louisville neighborhood all the way to the poor little towns in the hill country[...]
Review: Smyrna
— by BEV QUESTAD — This epic story of the majestic cosmopolis of Smyrna starring Mimi Denissi, Greek actress, writer, director and producer extraordinaire, will have a one-day-only showing in the US and Canada on Dec. 8, 2022. The film begins in contemporary time where too many people ar[...]
Review: Three Wishes for Cinderella
— by BEV QUESTAD — What have the Norwegians done to Cinderella? My best friend, Eileen Cho’an Sterr, dressed up as Cinderella this year and her brother went as Gus, her pudgy little mouse help-mate. Eileen and I are four years old when we are together. The rest of the time she remains [...]
Review: Sam & Kate
— by BEV QUESTAD — There are three reasons to see “Sam and Kate.” First, it is an interesting celebrity ensemble piece. Dustin Hoffman and his real-life son, Jake Hoffman, play father and son, while their romantic interests are played by Sissy Spacek and her real-life daughter Schuyl[...]
Review: The American Dream & Other Fairy Tales
— by BEV QUESTAD — Oh, how I love Abigail Disney’s films! She has an expectation for a better world and has constructive ways about how to get there “with a little courage and imagination.” She opens “The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales” by comparing the dynamics of wealth[...]
Review: Art & Krimes by Krimes
— by BEV QUESTAD — After seeing this film I immediately contacted a life-long friend in the art biz. You’ve got to do a show on prison art! Include work not just by those incarcerated, but also by ex-cons who are desperately trying to survive on the outside. Because they usually don’[...]
Review: Bandit
— by BEV QUESTAD — It’s around 1985. Robert Whiteman (played with extraordinary brilliance by Josh Duhamel) walks into a bank and asks the teller for all her cash. She shoves several bundles over, but then Whiteman wonders, where is he going to put it all? He asks her if she has a bag.[...]
Review: Tiger 24
— by BEV QUESTAD — This is the true story of a murder trial in India. There is indisputable identity, grief on all sides and visceral gore. The perpetrator is Ustad, a male referred to as T24. He has a beautiful partner and two gorgeous children. His fourth victim was Rampal, a forest gu[...]
Review: Carmen
— by BEV QUESTAD — I had the opportunity to sit at dinner with holy men, priests dressed in long black cossacks, just outside Beirut in 2019. An exquisite Lebanese chicken dinner had been prepared by our hostess, lovely Pauline, but the conversation began to lag. So I proffered advice th[...]
Review: Explorer
— by BEV QUESTAD — Ranulph Fiennes, who goes by Ran, is in the Guinness Book of Records Hall of Fame as the greatest living explorer. At the age of 65, he is the oldest to summit Mount Everest and the only person to circumnavigate the globe, crossing both poles within three years. Asked [...]
Review: The Legend of Molly Johnson
— by BEV QUESTAD — Leah Purcell provides a gut punch that is hard to forget. Though her story takes place in Australia’s outback in 1893, what happens to her protagonist – strong, self-sufficient Molly Johnson – has been repeated throughout geography and time. How much of this stor[...]