— by BEV QUESTAD — The only way to write an honest reflection on a Blue Note Records documentary is from a dark inner city bar where James T is on stage and the audience only stops their chatter to clap between performance pauses. James tells me it’s that chatter that gives the musicia[...]
Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category
Review: The Dead Don’t Die
— by RON WILKINSON — We thought Jim Jarmusch was getting serious with “Patterson.” But now this. A most glorious send-up of zombie films complete with anarchic cheerleading and bonus jabs at liberal smugness. A superb cast of thoroughly wasted performances sacrificed on the altar of [...]
Review: Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am
— by BEV QUESTAD — “If there is life on Mars, they are reading Toni Morrison to find what it means to be human,” matter-of-factly says Farah Griffin, a professor at Columbia University. My first exposure to Morrison was through “Beloved.” A group of 10 teachers and I had intended[...]
Review: The Reports on Sarah and Saleem
— by RON WILKINSON — The most important ingredient in a great thriller is guilt, and right from the starting gun Sarah and Saleem have it in spades. Undeniably, the most inexplicable yet undeniable failure of human judgment is the extra-marital affair. Almost always doomed to failure, th[...]
Review: The Spy Behind Home Plate
— by RON WILKINSON — Intending to capture audiences for both spy thrillers and baseball memorabilia, this campy mix of archival footage and semi-historic interviews will not entrance either demographic. Pro ball player Moe Berg appears to be both “enigmatic and brilliant,” as adverti[...]
The Top Five Ice Hockey Movies
It’s Stanley Cup time once again, as the top two teams face off for the biggest prize in ice hockey. And if you’ve ever seen the Stanley Cup itself, you’ll know what a huge prize it really is. Standing 35.25 inches high and weighing in at 34.5 pounds, it is one of the biggest trophies [&hellip[...]
Review: Pokémon Detective Pikachu
“Pokémon Detective Pikachu” racked up a huge opening weekend, proving the pocket monsters are still as popular as ever, almost a quarter of a century after the cute creatures first appeared. The movie racked up $58 million in the US and even unseated the unstoppable behemoth “Avengers[...]
Review: The Wild
— by BEV QUESTAD — When my Norwegian grandpa, father and I went out fishing in and around the cold Seattle waters, we felt exhilaratingly free. Out in a small boat or in waders in the middle of a busy stream, in misty rain or cloud-dappled sun, we were adventurers reveling in self-suffic[...]
Review: Shazam!
“Shazam!” released to a largely positive critical reception. The character-concentrated film focuses squarely on a teenager’s response to being a superhero. Remember being young, innocent and running around your garden with a towel draped over your shoulders, convinced that you were soaring ov[...]
Review: Walking on Water
— by BEV QUESTAD — The medieval town of Brescia, known for its food, wine, and architecture, lays at the foot of the Alps on Lake Iseo in northern Italy. In 2016, it was the hub of crisis for Christo’s second environmental work since the death of his partner and wife, Jeanne Claude. Th[...]
Review: The Professor
— by RON WILKINSON — All persons achieving great success have their moment of doubt. Johnny Depp’s professor, Richard, is having his, it seems, every day. Unfortunately, his persona is both the high point and low point of this movie. A frustrated, underpaid and, in his own eyes, undera[...]
Review: The Fall of the American Empire
— by RON WILKINSON — Part satire, part sermon, this lightweight caper yarn is by turns youthfully naïve and viscerally violent. The bad guys are well done, with no holds barred regarding the violence. The good guys are meandering and flawed, discussing philosophy beyond their depth (and[...]
Review: The Silence of Others
— by BEV QUESTAD — Ironically, “The Silence of Others” is actually about those who are speaking out. A bent-over, raspy-voiced, white-haired woman with a walker whispers, “I was 6 years old when they came for my mother.” A growing list of Spanish nationals testify to an Argentini[...]
Review: Red Joan
— by RON WILKINSON — If asked, most people would confirm they would give their life for their country. But would they give their honor? The decision to betray her country for the good of people of all nations is a step none of us wishes to make. Melita Norwood made that decision towards [...]