— by BEV QUESTAD — “A lot of people think if you allow women to be liberated and get educated, you lose your culture,” says a Miss India contestant. The follow-up questions should be about what constitutes a culture and how the oppression of one group of people is ultimately benefici[...]
Author Archive
Review: Bidder 70
— by BEV QUESTAD — “Bidder 70” is the true story of the frustrating, discouraging irony that sometimes befalls the good guy who stands up for the right side. I call it the Christ Phenomenon. America was built on the rebel, the protestor – those demanding religious freedom, those pr[...]
Review: Words of Witness
— by BEV QUESTAD — Hot off the streets of turbulent Cairo, this work of cinema verité tells the current story of the hopeful Egyptian revolution through the concerned eyes of a 22-year-old, tightly-scarved journalist named Heba Afify. After Hosni Mubarak’s resignation on Feb. 11, 2011[...]
Review: Argo
— by BEV QUESTAD — This is a riveting, masterfully directed important movie that celebrates the true American spirit. This is the story of Tony Mendez. He takes risks, sees what’s right and lets his guts and conscience lead the way. Ben Affleck, both director and lead, reflects the con[...]
Review: Yogawoman
— by BEV QUESTAD — Vegetarianism, Transcendental Meditation, the Dalai Lama, Mozart, Thrivent Mutual Accounts – there is always something out there that promises to bring harmony, happiness and love. In “Yogawoman,” there are all these promises and more. Annette Bening, a yoga prac[...]
Review: Raising Resistance
— by BEV QUESTAD — In the last 20 years, soy production has become the Green Gold of South America, especially for Brazil and Paraguay. But with this agri-business boost comes wretched consequences. That’s what “Raising Resistance” is all about. It is a galvanizing movie meant to n[...]
Review: 5 Broken Cameras
— by BEV QUESTAD — This surprising collaboration between a Palestinian and an Israeli, Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi, shows unblinking footage as the cameraman’s brothers are arrested, friends are shot and doors are pounded on in the dead of night. When he’s asked to turn off his camera[...]
Review: Simon and the Oaks
— by BEV QUESTAD — There is war, forbidden love, danger, fire, beauty and insanity in this highly acclaimed Swedish epic film. Its complex environment includes the controversial story of Sweden’s compromising role in World War II and the subterfuge of its citizens who supported efforts[...]
Review: Bill W
— by BEV QUESTAD — This well-made doc is the cinematic biography of Bill Wilson, the man who co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous with Dr. Bob Smith in 1935 during the pit of The Great Depression. At that time alcoholism was treated as a mental disease and patients were electrocuted, lobotomi[...]
Trailer: Half the Sky
— by BEV QUESTAD — I am back from a summer working in a hot, vermin-infested, impoverished Bangladesh slum. Almost unnecessary was the ground-breaking book I carried with me, “Half the Sky” by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, both Pulitzer Prize winners. I was seeing their message[...]
Review: Moving Mountains
— by BEV QUESTAD — As the U.S. pares down its war in Afghanistan, how friendly will the replacement leaders be towards the interpreters and auxiliary staff of U.S. Forces? How will the girls and women fare who were supported in pursuing education and professional careers? What happens to[...]
Review: Marina Abramović: The Artist is Present
— by BEV QUESTAD — Marina Abramović is known for seducing everyone she meets — her collaborators, her curators and her audience. At once both repellant and fascinating, Abramović’s work is as ludicrous and shocking as it is a startling reflection of life’s universal tensi[...]
Review: True Wolf
— by BEV QUESTAD — When Koani’s partner Indy died, she, like many of us, lost interest in life. Indy was a friendly dog, but Koani was a wolf. Their Montana owners were Wild Sentries, members of a non-profit dedicated to public education about the wildlife in the northern Rockies. “T[...]
Review: It Is No Dream
— by BEV QUESTAD — With an original score of haunting premonition, this film is a careful, meticulous account of the visionary who founded the Zionist movement and inspired the creation of the state of Israel. Using photographs and some archival footage, the story of Theodor Herzl genera[...]