— by BEV QUESTAD — This investigative documentary was posted by Robert Greenwald last week (Oct. 30, 2013 into my email) and it is just as disturbing as it is factually based. It is the story of a 16-year old boy, Tariq Aziz, who signed up to work for two non-profits involved in document[...]
Author Archive
Review: Alias Ruby Blade
— by BEV QUESTAD — Abigail Disney, niece of Walt, searches for true-life Peter Pan/Cinderella stories and supports their production into the best human rights films on the face of the Earth. “Ruby Blade” is one of the best. It has all the courage, perseverance and magic that makes a [...]
Review: Tall as the Baobab Tree
— by BEV QUESTAD with ARDELLE ANDERSON — After a son falls from the village baobab tree and breaks his leg, there is no money for the necessary medical care – unless dad sells a daughter off for marriage. This re-enactment film is based on a true story, acted out by local rural Senegal[...]
Review: Enzo Avitabile Music Life
— by BEV QUESTAD — So often there are docs about musicians with frustratingly little of their music to demonstrate why a film was made about them in the first place. But it isn’t this way with “Enzo.” This portrait film of his musical gifts is more like going to an actual concert i[...]
Review: Running Wild
— by BEV QUESTAD — In 1988, at age 65, Dayton Hyde looked at his life and asked himself what he really wanted to do. Then he gathered his credit cards, applied for a loan and left his wife and family on their Oregon ranch and headed to South Dakota. There Hyde bought 11,000 acres [&helli[...]
Review: Inuk
— by BEV QUESTAD with ARDELLE ANDERSON — This is a film about loss and the road to recovery in a frozen land where the harsh environment serves as a keen metaphor to life’s challenges. It is also about the power of human relationships – and how, like the icy hand of the frozen north,[...]
Review: Gideon’s Army
— by BEV QUESTAD — “If you are trying to rescue people from hell you have to kinda go to hell to do it,” Jonathan Rapping, Georgia law professor, patiently explains to Brandy, a warrior in America’s shaky battle in the criminal justice system. She’s been a public defender for thr[...]
Review: Salma
— by BEV QUESTAD — Salma was 13 when she was locked up in a room with one window. For nine years, she stayed there without friends, schooling or a walk outside. The custom in her southern Indian village is to lock up all girls once they reach puberty. To limit the internment the girls [&[...]
Review: Inequality for All
— by BEV QUESTAD with MICHAEL FUNG — Economic inequality, above all else, is the defining issue of our time. A healthy economy is the prime precedent for a healthy world. But can a doc on a subject like that bring in an audience? “Inequality for All” reflects how things are going rig[...]
Inequality for All: Trailer and Clips
— by BEV QUESTAD — I just couldn’t bear another depressing, boring, difficult to understand film about the financial demise of the US economy. So when a friend sent me the “Inequality for All” trailer, I almost didn’t check it out. Lo and behold, we’ve got comedy and he[...]
Review: Mission Park
— by BEV QUESTAD and RON WILKINSON — “Deception has no friend.” A voice adds, “We grew up soldiers around here. Most don’t make it past 24. But I never thought it would come to this.” “Mission Park” begins with four friends as young boys around 11 years old. At that[...]
Review: Out of the Clear Blue Sky
— by BEV QUESTAD and RON WILKINSON — Note to the reader: This review is written by two IJM authors, exchanging decidedly different points of view. Although the format probably is different than you are used to, we hope you enjoy it. Is this a sentimental documentary erring on the side of[...]
Review: Money for Nothing
— by BEV QUESTAD — “This is a scary movie and no one should see it.” These are the words of Mary Eterno, economics buff and go-to person for financial matters. Bill Fleckenstein (MSN Money) calls it “a horror movie for smart people.” In this info-doc producer/director Jim Bruce g[...]
Review: Best Kept Secret
— by BEV QUESTAD — “Thank you for calling John F. Kennedy, the best kept secret in the Newark Public Schools. How may I help you?” That’s how the secretary is asked to answer the phone. However, there are more kept secrets than one and they’re not all good. But the true best is t[...]