— by WILLIAM STERR — And some folks think “Die Hard” is a Christmas movie! But let’s get serious. The Christmas season is upon us and so are the Christmas-themed movies. One that has gotten a lot of buzz – thanks to Farmers Insurance if no one else – is “Red One.” T[...]
Author Archive
Review: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
— by WILLIAM STERR — It’s 1988, and a great movie by the surprisingly innovative director, Tim Burton, has opened. It stars Michael Keaton and young Winona Ryder. The movie is called “Beetlejuice.” Huh? No, it’s 2024 and a great movie by the established – in his opinion sold ou[...]
Review: Obsessed with Light
— by WILLIAM STERR — Loie Fuller is generally little known in America today. But there was a time, well over 100 years ago, when she was world famous for her dance styling. “Obsessed with Light” tells her story and exposes how much influence this small but unstoppable woman from Chic[...]
Review: Black Cab
— by WILLIAM STERR — Nick Frost is primarily known as a comedic actor, especially in movies such as “Shawn of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz.” In “Black Cab,” he takes a completely different turn. Patrick (Luke Norris) and Ann (Synnove Karlsen) are at dinner with friends when Patric[...]
Review: The Apprentice
— by WILLIAM STERR — This biopic could be subtitled “How to Make a Monster.” In 1973, Donald Trump, a newly-minted member of the exclusive “Le Club” in New York, met notorious lawyer and fixer Roy Cohn. Donald (Sebastian Stan – “Avengers: Endgame”) is there with his dat[...]
Review: Vigilantes Inc.
— by WILLIAM STERR — This is a documentary about one of the most disturbing issues facing America today – and in fact, a threat that has existed since before the founding of the nation. We’re not talking about some foreign adversary seeking to crush our freedoms. It’s n[...]
Review: Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
— by WILLIAM STERR — In the late 1950s, the world was in turmoil. One after another, people around the world were throwing off their oppressive western colonizers and becoming members of the United Nations. At the same time, the West was in full blown “cold war” mode with Russia, and[...]
Review: The Convert
— by WILLIAM STERR — A beautiful fable for our time. The story of “The Convert” is set in 1830 in Aotearoa, the islands which would become New Zealand. British lay minister Thomas Munro (Guy Pearce) is concluding his travel to the English settlement of Epworth, where he has been hire[...]
Review: The Letter
— by WILLIAM STERR — I recently had the opportunity to attend the venerable (29th year) H.P. Lovecraft film Festival in Portland, Oregon. The HPLFF prides itself on showing features and shorts produced by individual filmmakers and small production companies. What they present over a two [...]
Review: America’s Burning
— by WILLIAM STERR — It’s election time again in America. There are two choices as to which way to go. Any other choice is a wasted vote or a vote for the opposite side, say those running for office. “You have no choice” because the other side will mean the end of America as [&hell[...]
Review: The Secret Art of Human Flight
— by BEV QUESTAD — “If you want to leave this world, contact me.” Sometimes we are in a life situation so dark and painful we have to escape. Maybe through binge drinking, a drug overdose, a jump off a bridge, a self-inflicted gunshot, or a car crash. We could also just go crazy. Any[...]
Review: Lore
— by WILLIAM STERR — It’s a bit unusual these days to find a film that features an ensemble of short stories – an anthology film. The British film company Amicus was well known for them in the 1960s and ’70s. “Twilight Zone: The Movie” is an example from American film-maker[...]
Review: Strange Harvest
— by WILLIAM STERR — I recently had the opportunity to attend the venerable (29th year) H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival in Portland, Ore. The HPLFF prides itself on showing features and shorts produced by individual filmmakers and small production companies. What they present over a two an[...]