— by WILLIAM STERR — Lush. There was a time – the late 1930s to early 1950s – when Hollywood made pictures that were lush in their photography (typically B&W), their orchestral scores, and the attention to period details. That is not to say that films lack these characteristics today, just that styles have changed. […][...]
Review: Hola Frida
— by BEV QUESTAD — Drew Barrymore says she’s grown into being her own best friend. Like Drew, but more than 100 years earlier, Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) overcame great obstacles because of her inner voice, her own best friend. Created specifically for children and their families, “Hola Frida” strikes a tender chord on acceptance of […][...]
Review: The Glassworker
— by BEV QUESTAD — Sometimes it is hard to stay true to yourself, to have the courage of your convictions, and still be accepted. Especially in times of war when you are a pacifist. From Karachi, Pakistan, via the Berklee College of Music in Boston and the influence of Ghibli Studios in Japan, comes […][...]
Review: Andrea Bocelli: Because I Believe
— by WILLIAM STERR — There have been a number of great tenors whohave interpreted Italian Opera in the last few decades. Of course, “The Three Tenors” immediately come to mind. But there is a fourth, still active today: Andrea Bocelli. Bocelli, known commonly as “The Blind Tenor,” has a long and fascinating history, as […][...]
Review: A Sámi Wedding
— by BEV QUESTAD — Class shame has never been so … madcap. I am hesitant to call “A Sámi Wedding” a comedy, but the staccato violin and tuba music that appears at unexpected moments claims the genre. Unlike Lucy Riccardo and Edith Bunker, serious Garen (Sara Margrethe Oskal, who has studied Sámi humor), plays […][...]
Review: John Lewis – Good Trouble
— by BEV QUESTAD — Good trouble Necessary trouble … to do what is right When his head was bashed in on March 7, 1965, America might have lost a civil rights activist. Instead, John Lewis, (Feb. 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020), recovered from his fractured skull and lived on to be a US […][...]
Review: My Dear Theo
— by BEV QUESTAD — You are 35, happily married, and a first-time mom with a precious 5-year-old. What would it take for you, without training, to take up with a special forces assault division? Enter Alisa Kovalenko, a Ukrainian. She is the director, cinematographer, and narrator of “My Dear Theo.” Her film is a […][...]
Review: Borderline
— by WILLIAM STERR — The mind is a wonderful – and terrible – thing. When it works properly we are capable of incredible acts of creation, altruism, and organization. But when something goes wrong… “Borderline” introduces us to Paul Duerson (Ray Nicholson – “Smile 2”), a man who has a very real love for […][...]
Review: Checkpoint Zoo
— by WILLIAM STERR — Darkness. The low growl of a big cat, nearby. A flashlight illuminates a lion in a cage, trying to get its claws at a man standing only inches away. This is how a documentary covering the rescue of animals from a Kharkiv zoo during the early days of the Russian […][...]