— 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[...]
Author Archive
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 [...]
Under Review: ‘The Legend of Ygg’
— by BEV QUESTAD — “The Legend of Ygg” is an arresting 15-minute thriller art film that merges ancient mythology with current circumstances. Ygg, a nickname for the Norse god Odin, is the name of the Icelandic pony that takes a young woman to a midnight rendezvous in the inky black w[...]
Under Review: ‘Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work’
— by BEV QUESTAD — Frenetic, disciplined, scared, courageous, inappropriate, blisteringly angry, self-absorbed, vain, extravagant, financially observant, caring, gaudy, insecure and a workaholic – so many ways to describe Joan Rivers. Joan can give a great joke and then spin off into[...]
Under Review: ‘Letters to Father Jacob’ (aka Postia pappi Jaakobille)
— by BEV QUESTAD — This is a Finnish film with cold interiors that resonate the interior life of the wretched protagonist who believes there’s nothing good left in her life. This situation is juxtaposed by a vibrantly lush forest and scenic meadowland dappled with a sunlit path leading[...]
Under Review: ‘Son of Babylon’
— by BEV QUESTAD — Some films you just can’t rate. They are too personal, too heartbreaking and too true. But when you go to film festivals, that’s what the audience is asked to do. Rate each movie on a basis of one (low) to five. So what do you do about “Son of Babylon?” [&helli[...]