— by BEV QUESTAD — This is The Big Life Irony. We try really hard for years to better ourselves, to advance, to be happy, to become financially stable, to be physically fit … and where does it get us? Why do we go through all the challenges, hardships, disappointments, calamities, [...]
Author Archive
Under Review: ‘Alamar’ (aka ‘To the Sea’)
— by BEV QUESTAD — A delicate, artistic visual poem, “Alamar” is graceful in both its beauty and its depth. There is little dialogue, but long visuals with just the sound of the surf and the lapping of water against a fishing skiff. A pudgy, kind-looking blond Italian woman meets a b[...]
Book vs. Movie: ‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’
— by BEV QUESTAD — Hurt her and she’ll expedite, in a creative way, your karma. Brash, tough and perhaps a savant, Lisbeth Salander, with a photographic memory and Asperger’s-like social distance, is my new female model for justice in the 2000 millennium. And Millennium happens to be[...]
Under Review: ‘Casino Jack and the United States of Money’
— by BEV QUESTAD — The story about Jack Abramoff is not just a sad story of human failure, but a well-documented exposé of a capitalist democracy in trouble. Companies needing legislative favors, whether related to setting up Chinese sweatshops or deregulation of Wall Street, hire persu[...]
Poster Peek: ‘Casino Jack and the United States of Money’
— by BEV QUESTAD — Jack Abramoff was a DC lobbyist who is currently serving a five years and 10 months prison sentence for fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy to bribe public officials. Eight others have also been convicted, including Republican Ohio representative Robert Ney. That’s[...]
Under Review: ‘Casi Divas’
— by BEV QUESTAD — Duplicity, estrangement, mistaken identity, passion and emotional upheaval: these are the hallmarks of a great comedy and “Casi Divas” lives up to it all. In addition, “Casi Divas” is complex and deep, making it as rich in its content as its color – of which [...]
Trailer Talk: ‘The University of Nuclear Bombs’
— by BEV QUESTAD — “It’s almost inconceivable to realize that every nuclear weapon the U.S. has ever had has been designed by one university, the University of California.” Any documentary featuring Daniel Ellsberg gets my attention. He’s the primary loan star whistle blower from[...]
Taking a Bite Out of ‘Food Inc.’
— by BEV QUESTAD, Ph.D., in conversation with ROBERT YUEN, M.D., related to the documentary “Food, Inc.” — Some things are just important to know. So declare a monthly Family Smart Night. Fix a wholesome meal, let the kids lead 15 minutes of exercise and then pop in the[...]
Trailer Talk: ‘When the Dragon Swallowed the Sun’
— by BEV QUESTAD — The clouds’ dark shadows spread like a conquering beast across the mountains of Tibet. The prayer flags whip in the face of the red sun sinking in a broodingly black sky. The artful cinematography of “When the Dragon Swallowed the Sun” transfixes the view[...]
A Look Back at the 33rd Portland International Film Festival
— by BEV QUESTAD — Film, video, art, lectures and jazz. Portland, Ore., hosts an entertaining, thought-provoking indulgence of quality film artistry that coincides every year with the world renowned Portland Jazz Festival, cutting edge exhibits at the Portland Art Museum and events[...]
Under Review: ‘Ward 6’
— by BEV QUESTAD — “There ought to be a man with a hammer behind the door of every happy man.” — Anton Chekhov What is the border between the insane and the normal individual?[...]
One of the Last Great Radical Rebels of the 20th Century
— by BEV QUESTAD — How did the gentle, gray-haired, 70 year-old Tom Hayden appear … after all these years? During the Portland 33rd International Film Festival, the city buzzed with rich activity in all branches of the arts. Notable was a speaking engagement by activist and author Tom [...]
Under Review: ‘Looking for Eric’
— by BEV QUESTAD — Eric is the 50-ish universal man who finds himself off-track. Using sports analogy, the grace of a woman and an inner desire to finally, at long last, find his true self, Eric self-talks himself through his challenges. Not the film to impress your date However, if you [...]
Under Review: ‘Chameleon’ (aka ‘Kaméleon’)
— by BEV QUESTAD — “We all had the same dream. Not women. Not fame. But cash … because that meant that you were someone.” This is another Hideous Man Show – but this bad dude meets the seemingly angelic, beautiful, seductive, duplicitous Hideous Woman.[...]