— by RON WILKINSON — Superficially the story of one of the worst Nazi death camps in the history of the holocaust, this is a story of extraordinary courage. Not only were Nazi death camp victims tortured and worked to death, they were brainwashed into thinking they had no alternative. The power structure was able […][...]
Review: Isle of Dogs
— by BEV QUESTAD — Up for Best Animated Film on all the award lists, just about everything about this creative film is a winner. From the drumbeat score, to the combination of animation technology strategies used to get adorable, realistic dogs, to the great story about compassion and seeing the truth, (coincidentally analogous to […][...]
Review: Ben is Back
— by BEV QUESTAD — The film begins on a cold, quiet New England road with bare tree branches and old grave markers. Soon we see a stone church, St. John’s Episcopal (est. 1894), in lightly falling snow. Backdropped by a gorgeous stained-glass window of St. John the Beloved seemingly blessing her, we see Holly […][...]
Review: Vice
— by BEV QUESTAD — “Vice” leads the Golden Globes with six nominations for great writing, directing and acting. But is it honest, do we learn anything new and is it worth seeing? During the Bush II eight-year presidency, Dick Cheney was characterized by the media as a grim vice-president who was the power behind […][...]
Short Film: Nobody Dies in Longyearbyen
— by BEV QUESTAD — A chilling fact about global warming is that when the permafrost of the northern tundra regions melts it will unleash age-old germs and bacteria into the eco-system. Wildlife, vegetation and water will become contaminated with things like anthrax and deadly strains of the flu virus. Set in Longyearbyen, the northernmost […][...]
Review: Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
— by BEV QUESTAD — “Won’t you be my neighbor? It’s an invitation for somebody to be close to you. You know, I think everybody longs to be loved and longs to know that he or she is lovable. And consequently, the greatest thing that we can do is to help somebody know that they’re […][...]
Review: Widows
— by RON WILKINSON — After “12 Years a Slave,” what was director Steve McQueen to do? That was a hard act to follow. He could have played it safe, but instead he doubled down with fellow Oscar-winner Viola Davis to produce this powerhouse ensemble drama about three terminally disenfranchised widows doing it their own […][...]
Short Film: Sky Migrations
— by BEV QUESTAD — My very favorite film (free access at the end of this review) of all the gorgeously filmed shorts shown at the Willamette Riverkeepers’ 2018 Wild and Scenic Film Festival was “Sky Migrations.” It’s narrated by a young guy who is following the migration path of raptors – large birds like […][...]