— by BEV QUESTAD — What a fun documentary on a Catholic primary boys’ school! It’s all about the Elvis-loving principal, Kevin McArevey, who uses philosophy as a principle driver in the school’s success. The only acceptance criteria into Holy Cross Boys’ Primary School is the student’s proximity to the school. Yet yearly test scores […][...]
Review: Enough! Lebanon’s Darkest Hour
— by BEV QUESTAD with RAMEZ TOMEH (in Beirut) — Daizy Gedeon begins her film in a frustrated voice saying, “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be telling you this story.” For years, as you flew into Lebanon one of the first things you would notice appeared to be a massive work […][...]
Review: From the Hood to the Holler
— by BEV QUESTAD — An irrepressible politician from Kentucky has got the fire and passion of a break-through progressive politician in a fiery red state. He’s opening the eyes of frustrated voters from his Louisville neighborhood all the way to the poor little towns in the hill country. In Kentucky, these places are called […][...]
Review: The Scottish Play
— by WILLIAM STERR — Poor Sydney (Tina Benko – “The Greatest Showman”). She has had some success in the movies and lives in New York City. Yet she’s looking for something more in her life – something meaningful. She wakes, dresses, and goes for a run, stopping at the statue of Shakespeare in Central […][...]
Review: Smyrna
— by BEV QUESTAD — This epic story of the majestic cosmopolis of Smyrna starring Mimi Denissi, Greek actress, writer, director and producer extraordinaire, will have a one-day-only showing in the US and Canada on Dec. 8, 2022. The film begins in contemporary time where too many people are crammed into boats listing low into […][...]
Review: Elephant Refugees
— by WILLIAM STERR — Being a refugee is tough. You are usually fleeing violence, oppression, turmoil, and economic deprivation. If you are an elephant in southern Africa, you are fleeing the bullets and machetes of organized poachers, while at the same time suffering a loss of food and water. “Elephant Refugees” documents the plight […][...]
Review: Three Wishes for Cinderella
— by BEV QUESTAD — What have the Norwegians done to Cinderella? My best friend, Eileen Cho’an Sterr, dressed up as Cinderella this year and her brother went as Gus, her pudgy little mouse help-mate. Eileen and I are four years old when we are together. The rest of the time she remains four and […][...]
Review: The Menu
— by WILLIAM STERR — There are some restaurants so exclusive, so expensive and so unique that having even a single meal there is the experience of a lifetime. In this case, an experience that may end your lifetime. Hawthorne is such a restaurant, located on its own island, accessible only by boat. The restaurant […][...]
Review: Tantura
— by WILLIAM STERR — In 1947, the United Nations voted to partition the British Mandate of Palestine. The following year, the State of Israel was proclaimed. Both events were opposed by the Arabs. At the time of Israel’s founding, the population of Palestine, estimated at 1.7 million, was 61% Arab, 30% Jewish, 8% Christian […][...]