— by BEV QUESTAD — A Faroese teacher who is also a pilot whale butcher explains, “I feel closer to nature doing this than going down there to buy my meat. I feel a little bit more proud that I know where it’s coming from … So, if I should make a statement, if you […][...]
Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category
Review: We Are As Gods
— by WILLIAM STERR — This is the story of fascinating octogenarian Stewart Brand. Brand, among other things, was the creator and editor of “The Whole Earth Catalog.” But that isn’t even the beginning. The documentary’s writer/directors, Jason Sussberg (“The Immortalists”), an[...]
Review: Echoes of the Empire
— by BEV QUESTAD — It’s a seductive title with alluring history. The haunting vast steppes of Mongolia, the fascinating life story of the relentless Genghis Khan, and the current precarious predicament of the Mongol people are juxtaposed in this scenic film of cinematic grandeur. Plus,[...]
Review: The Long Rider
— by WILLIAM STERR — Aspirational dreams. We all have them. Some of us actually achieve them; many of us do not. “The Long Rider” is the story of a young man, born in Brazil but raised in Canada, whose dream was to ride a horse from Canada, down through North, Central, and into South[...]
Review: Offseason
— by WILLIAM STERR — A woman, obviously in distress and emotionally fragile, speaks to us. She tells us of her fears, her nightmares, and how she has sought freedom from them. She was told of a place where she could be free, but it was false. Wherever she went, her fears followed. So, sh[...]
Review: Delikado
— by BEV QUESTAD — I’m sold on the cozy little tourist town with a warm, aqua-blue Neverland lagoon. Add to that abundant wildlife, jungle mountains and a beach Condé Nast rated the “Most Beautiful Beach in the World.” Palawan, the largest island in the Philippine province of Pala[...]
Review: The Prey: Legend of Karnoctus
— by WILLIAM STERR — You look at the poster for this film and, at least on the one I saw, Danny Trejo (“Machete”) is top billed. Other posters display him prominently. Pretty good work if you can get it, because Danny only appears early for three minutes and 49 seconds (9:25 – 12:1[...]
Review: The Righteous
— by WILLIAM STERR — It’s winter, but there is no snow. A middle-aged couple sits alone in a pew as a priest officiates at a funeral for their young daughter. They stand with a few mourners at the graveside; together they clutch a white rose. Things are not as they seem. While his wife[...]
Review: Fire in the Mountains
— by BEV QUESTAD — A sari-clad woman, Chandra, walks across a one-lane northern Indian bridge leading into Sarmoli, a tiny village close to both the Tibetan and Nepali borders. She successfully competes with a hotel hawk for a family just off a bus. Then she sets their suitcase on top of[...]
Review: Castro’s Spies
— by WILLIAM STERR — In 1898, the United States fought a war against Spain. At the conclusion of that war, the US seized the Philippines, Puerto Rico and smaller Pacific islands that had been part of the Spanish Empire. Cuba was not seized but remained occupied until 1902. From then unti[...]
Review: Tigre Gente
— by BEV QUESTAD — When does a documentary become a thriller? It’s when the camera is allowed to follow a real-life, unscripted man-hunt with passion, risk, and danger. Elizabeth Unger, adventurist and National Geographic Explorer, convinced Chief Protection Officer Marcos Uzquiano to [...]
Review: A.K. Tolstoy’s A Taste of Blood
— by WILLIAM STERR — What if your father, with the aim of protecting you, went out one night, and came back the next night as a monster – the very thing he tried to protect you from? A. K. Tolstoy, older second cousin to the more famous Leo Tolstoy, was a literary giant of […][...]
Review: Broken Wings
— by BEV QUESTAD — Hot Springs is just a normal little town in Arkansas. Jayne’s house perches right on the town highway in a two-story faux antebellum home with porch and rafters from which she can hang her wooden vulture cut-outs. She is famous in town for rescuing an injured vulture[...]
Review: MAU
— by WILLIAM STERR — “Think about the number of times you can close your eyes and open them in a space where you only see the natural world; and you realize that it’s almost never; it’s almost zero. That what you’re experiencing, your life is a designed life. And the beauty of th[...]