— by BEV QUESTAD — Kevin Spacey becomes the self-assured, aggrandizing, lying snake-oil salesman Jack Abramoff in all his insane duplicity and dare-devil deals in the short little snippets that tantalize us in this trailer. “Bagman” is an exposé on the life and times of one of the g[...]
Author Archive
Under Review: ‘Iris Chang: The Rape of Nanking’
— by BEV QUESTAD — Beautifully, tenderly rendered, this documentary will bring tears to your eyes. One of the searing thoughts that comes from Iris Chang, the author of the book upon which this documentary is based, is that “… all human beings have this capacity for this great evil i[...]
Trailer Talk: ‘Countdown to Zero’
— by BEV QUESTAD — What are the most powerful forces on Earth and where are they? The sit-you-right-up, on-edge trailer for this intimidating documentary will give you an anxious yet grateful-for-the-info feeling about the content and tone of this film that opens today in New York City a[...]
Alexandra Cousteau and Blue Planet Expeditions
— by BEV QUESTAD — Willowy, soft-spoken but self-confident, Alexandra Cousteau, with her long straight hair, is a lot like Calista Flockhart’s character, Ally McBeal. She has an integrity about life and expresses a calling to do what is right. She views the water she grew up experienci[...]
Under Review: ‘Abu Jamil Street’
— by BEV QUESTAD — Twenty-five feet underneath Abu Jamil Street is a parallel avenue, busier and more lucrative. It is one of at least 200 tunnels that works as an underground highway between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. It’s a money-maker for both Egyptian merchants and Palestinian trade[...]
Book vs. Movie: ‘The Girl Who Played with Fire’
— by BEV QUESTAD — It’s not every day that a film is as good as or even better than a great book. Daniel Alfredson, director, and Jonas Frykberg, screenwriter, have accomplished a surprise. Despite being made for European TV, despite its lack of theme development and despite its sensat[...]
Under Review: ‘Home’
— by BEV QUESTAD — Completely produced through aerial photography and presented with Glenn Close’s perfectly fitting narration, this beautiful film about Planet Earth is mesmerizing in its beauty. The gentle, seductive soundtrack is reminiscent of a mixture of Indian, classical and mul[...]
Under Review: ‘Taliban: Behind the Masks’
— by BEV QUESTAD — This documentary, about a reporter embedded with a Taliban group, is done right. After waiting several weeks in Kabul, Paul Refsdal, a Norwegian journalist, is allowed to join a Taliban outfit high up in the eastern Afghanistan mountains in the fall of 2009. He has bee[...]
Under Review: Shout It Out
— by BEV QUESTAD — This is the high school movie of the 21st century, talking about real people, real troubles and real consequences. The SuAnne Big Crow Award, which is the National Education Association 2010 Human and Civil Rights Award for helping to enhance the sense of worth and dig[...]
Under Review: ‘Deep Green’
— by BEV QUESTAD — My bet is that viewing this film will end up saving you money. The next time you get your electric bill, think of Matt Briggs. He got his down to 89 cents. Before he ever had a crew enter his home and complete an energy audit he was already aware […][...]
Four Clips and the Trailer from ‘Tapped’
— by BEV QUESTAD — I am writing this review as a little heads-up information regarding the world’s water situation. You can take it as investment advice and you can take it as fair warning. When I researched the United Nations Year of Freshwater in 2003 for a class I was teaching, I se[...]
A Clip from ‘The Girl Who Played with Fire’
— by BEV QUESTAD — Even though I’m a Millennium Trilogy fan, even though Lisbeth is my 2010 female model on how to handle misbehaved men, even though I was thoroughly riveted by the Swedish film version of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” and even though I will still see the[...]
Short Film Theater: ‘The Butterfly Circus’
— by BEV QUESTAD — “Yes, you do have an advantage,” says the circus director to the man with no arms or legs. “The greater the struggle the more glorious the triumph.” Watch for the butterfly. “The Butterfly Circus” is truly a gem in the indie film archive where miracles of a[...]
Under Review: ‘Restrepo’
— by BEV QUESTAD — This film is a Rorschach test that reports what your heart truly feels about the U.S. war in Afghanistan. Outraged, appalled, sickened and disgusted. That’s what I felt after viewing “Restrepo.” Is that how I also really feel about the war? This is what I saw: a [...]