— by BEV QUESTAD — “Incendies” is a powerful film that eclipses the art of storytelling through time. It has levels of understanding and insight that are so sharp the audience was left silent and still. It was no surprise that “Incendies” won the Oregon Audience Award for best[...]
Author Archive
Under Review: ‘The Desert of Forbidden Art’
— by BEV QUESTAD — “I found these paintings rolled up under the beds of old widows, buried in family trash, in dark corners of artists’ studios — sometimes even patching a hole in the roof. I ended up with a collection that no one in the Soviet Union would dare to[...]
Under Review: ‘Honey’ (aka ‘Bal’)
— by BEV QUESTAD — You enter through the dark, with the night noises of the forest, the stream rushing over rocks, the bustle of insects thriving in anonymity, and a gentle air brushing through trees. Then it’s daylight and a kindly man with his white horse is scouting the filigreed wo[...]
Under Review: ‘How to Die in Oregon’
— by BEV QUESTAD — Her beautiful thin face is surrounded by rich silver-gray hair. Her skin is smooth and tan. She has a radiating vulnerable movie star smile. People tell her how beautiful she is now. But she responds that people just say that because she’s so thin. She criticizes[...]
Under Review: ‘Putty Hill’
— by BEV QUESTAD — This is a glimpse at the underside of American youth where the disengaged, disconnected, drug-doped undertow of the depressed and depraved self-destruct. Listless floaters, they exist without drive, joy or inspiration. When one of them dies no one cries, not even Mom. [...]
Under Review: ‘Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives’
— by BEV QUESTAD — “Facing the jungle, the hills and vales, my past lives as an animal and other beings rise up before me.” Boonmee predicts his death is coming soon and that dying is like giving a presentation. “You’re both excited and scared.” At first glance, this is a beaut[...]
Under Review: ‘Kawasaki’s Rose’
— by BEV QUESTAD — Pavel Josek is getting a Memory of the Nation Award for his role in supporting Czeck independence through rebelling against the communistic totalitarian regime during the Cold War. His daughter’s husband is making a biodoc of him to commemorate this event, interviewi[...]
Opening Night at the Portland International Film Festival
— by BEV QUESTAD — At the luxurious Newmark Theater waiting to see “Potiche,” I was seated by a man who had been going to the Portland International Film Festival for 15 years. When his date left for a moment, he hurriedly called another woman to arrange a Sunday meeting to see any P[...]
Under Review: ‘Silent Souls’
— by BEV QUESTAD — Why the plural? The one silent soul featured is a voluptuous flaccid corpse on its last rite of passage through the land of the living to the gray waters of the Neya River. Analogous to the precarious pontoon bridge the cyclist crosses at the beginning, this film is[...]
Illumination Guaranteed at PIFF
— by BEV QUESTAD — The most risky, courageous, artful, intellectually enriching movies in the world are shown at film festivals. Portland, no stranger to daring, but pragmatic policies, is hosting the 34th Annual Portland International Film Festival (PIFF) from Feb 10 to 26[...]
Under Review: ‘Black Dog Trilogy’
— by BEV QUESTAD — At the outset, the viewer may misjudge or immediately disregard this film. But stick with it. By the end, you understand that the way it is presented reflects that it is honest, deeply insightful and groundbreaking — an outstanding example of cinéma vérité. Th[...]
Windsor Suffering Deserves Little Sympathy
— by BEV QUESTAD — The Academy Awards has chosen to nominate “The King’s Speech” in 12 categories, including Best Picture. The acting in “The King’s Speech” is outstanding. Colin Firth is to be congratulated for his Jan. 17 Golden Globe Best Actor Award. The sets, the music, [...]
Under Review: ‘Inspector Bellamy’
— by BEV QUESTAD — A haunting detective introspective, “Inspector Bellamy” is a French Hitchcockian tour de force. It probes the human psyche as it investigates both the crime and the detective. Was it coincidental that “Inspector Bellamy” was the last film of famed French direct[...]
Under Review: ‘Change of Plans’
— by BEV QUESTAD — A great way to bring in the New Year is by watching the quirky French film “A Change of Plans.” Now showing at the historic Hollywood Theater in Portland, Ore., this insightful and delightful slice of life is bookended, like “Zorba the Greek,” with dance as a[...]