— by BEV QUESTAD — Ambitious, intellectual, and well-researched, this insightful documentary explains effects of globalization through the lives of two wonderful old men and a famous work of art. This film opens silently with a view of a relaxed, wholesome 14th century landscape of peasa[...]
Author Archive
Review: Marwencol
— by BEV QUESTAD — What constitutes the concept of great art? What qualifies my sculpture, my oil painting or my collage as a personal experiment and Claude Monet’s as classic impressionist expression? Why is your kindergartner’s art “developing” and Picasso’s worth millions?[...]
Under Review: ‘The Temptation of St. Tony’
— by BEV QUESTAD — Remember the old song “Sixteen Reasons,” sung by Connie Stevens? Let’s see if I can come up with a fittingly bizarre parallel universe of 16 reasons why someone might enjoy viewing “The Temptation of Tony.”[...]
Under Review: ‘Max Manus’
— by BEV QUESTAD — Trapped by the Germans in his own Oslo apartment, Max Manus escapes by jumping out his window. Surrounded by five guards in a hospital, he regains consciousness but is trussed up in a cast. In traction, while guards take a smoke outside his room, Max uses metal clipper[...]
Under Review: ‘When We Leave’ (aka ‘Die Fremde’)
— by BEV QUESTAD — It is hard enough for a woman to make the decision to leave a marriage. But what if she doesn’t have a skill or an education? What if she has a young child? What if that child is being mistreated? What if she’s Muslim? It is important to note[...]
Under Review: ‘Tibet in Song’
— by BEV QUESTAD — “They will arrest you as easily as taking a hair from butter.” Our director, Ngawang Choephel, is thinking there should be no problems. After all, it is 1995 and he is just going to be taking footage of Tibetans singing folk songs.[...]
Trailer Talk: ‘The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest’
— by BEV QUESTAD — Ticking clock, dragon on her back, violence, screaming, bandaged … Nov. 25. That’s all we need to know. By this time, these filmmakers know that all the promo they need is some hardcore music and the date. No fiction book, except for those in the Harry Potter serie[...]
Under Review: ‘Stealing the Light’
— by BEV QUESTAD — “This film is dedicated to the children of Afghanistan who have not had an education. Those who cannot read or write are blind,” states Mohammed Khan Kharoti. “Learning is light. It shows you the way to go.” This is the triumphant story of Kharoti, born in 1943[...]
Under Review: ‘Rock Hudson – Dark and Handsome Stranger’
— by BEV QUESTAD — Perhaps intended as a tribute, a love poem, or an attempt to chronicle an icon, this begging cup is rattling empty. It’s as if those close to Rock Hudson scurried like bugs under an overturned rock, denying access to these filmmakers. No interviews with Doris Day[...]
Under Review: ‘Waking Sleeping Beauty’
— by BEV QUESTAD — Don’t be thinking that this doc even mentions “Sleeping Beauty” – ever. But do believe in the metaphorical illusion. This is a documentary on saving an institution that helped shape us in our youth, developing our nascent sense of hope, virtue and courage. This[...]
Under Review: ‘The University of Nuclear Bombs’
— by BEV QUESTAD — It is commonly assumed that public universities are solely financed through student tuition and state taxpayer support. Sure, there are grants from foundations, overhead payments from research contracts, and so on, but many have envisioned our universities as pure bast[...]
Film-maker Ken Moore Discusses ‘Spaceless in Seattle’
— by BEV QUESTAD — Doesn’t everybody love an elephant? This is a four-minute, concise, well-done short on how the elephants are doing at the Woodland Park Zoo (WPZ) in Seattle. Intelligently written, cleverly titled and efficiently presented, this short is a must-see. Remember when you[...]
Under Review: ‘A Small Act’
— by BEV QUESTAD — Preparing homework by candlelight, living without electricity, and intermittently missing school to harvest coffee beans, Kimani has still been the top student at a rural elementary school in Kenya where a little bell is rung by hand to begin classes each day. Then the[...]
Short Film Theater: ‘Last Stop’
— by BEV QUESTAD — Ooooooooh … beautiful Monica Pena, 2005 Bachelorette for D Magazine, is transformed into a woman almost (but not enough!) destroyed. The humiliation of being the subject of abuse has stripped her of her happiness, her hopes and the fabric of her beauty – but not he[...]