PG-13 | 1h 40min | Documentary | 20 August 2021 “The great design of art is to restore the decays that happened to human nature by the Fall, by restoring order,” English critic John Dennis wrote in 1704. Leonardo da Vinci’s “Salvator Mundi” painting, by its very title—Latin for “Savior of the World”—fulfills Dennis’s description…
Film Review: ‘The Lost Leonardo,’ A Divine Painting Lost to an Opaque Art World
Inspiration and Popcorn: ‘The Wings of Eagles’: A Sentimental, Multifaceted Character Study
Approved | 1h 50min | Biography, Drama, War | 1957 One of John Ford’s more sentimental films, “The Wings of Eagles” is a biopic about Ford’s friend and frequent filmmaking collaborator, Frank “Spig” Wead. Ford was inspired to make this 1957 film 10 years after Wead passed away, as a dedication to his friend. The…
‘State Fair’ 1933 Versus 1945; The Good Old Days Versus Good Intentions
Summer’s end is celebrated around the rural United States with state fairs, where farmers gather for fun, food, and blue ribbons. This tradition was the setting for Phil Stong’s bestselling 1932 novel, simply called “State Fair.” It would inspire three film adaptations. The story follows an Iowa farm family, the Frakes, as they go to…
Rewind, Review, and Re-Rate: ‘Rounders’: It’s Most Definitely ‘Good Will Hunting II’
1998 | R | 2h 1min When “Rounders” hit theaters 23 years ago on Sept. 11th, four years before that date became notorious, it looked like “Good Will Hunting II.” Matt Damon was fresh off his Oscar win for “Good Will Hunting,” about a blue-collar-MIT-custodian genius, and now here came a story about a poker genius…
Popcorn and Inspiration: ‘The Long Voyage Home’: John Ford’s Excellent Nautical Adventure
Approved | 1h 45min | Drama, War | 1940 The sea can offer many things. Whether for civilians or those enlisted in military service, shipping off to ports of call can be an adventure, with long voyages to distant, exotic locales. For others, it can be a means to escape problems or burdens on the…
Epoch Watchlist: What to Watch This Week
Free Guy (2021) Guy (Ryan Reynolds) is a non-player character in a video game but doesn’t realize it. He meets the avatar of a human player (Jodie Comer) who’s on a secret mission within the game world, which causes a glitch in his programming. While the film begins with the “we live in a simulation”…
Rewind, Review, and Re-Rate: ‘Backdraft’: Tweak the Soundtrack and It’s Still a Winner
1991 | R | 2h 17min I saw “Backdraft” when it came out in 1991. Loved it. Saw it three times. It felt very cutting-edge, especially all the eerie shots of rolling fire, which, unbeknownst to everyone at the time, director Ron Howard created by playing fire footage in reverse. Billy Baldwin was a big star, Jennifer…
Rewind, Review, and Re-Rate: ‘The Highwaymen’: Bonnie and Clyde, the Realistic Version
2019 | R | 2h 12min “Bonnie and Clyde” (1967) could have been made in today’s post-truth era, considering it glorified two notorious outlaws by having the exceptionally beauteous Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty portray them. Also, communism (which is what post-truth is a harbinger of) is represented in the 1967 movie. How? It supported…
Film Review: ‘Reminiscence’: First-Time Filmmaker Lisa Joy’s Sci-Fi Noir Pot-Boiler
PG-13 | 1h 56min | Action, Drama, Thriller, Sci-Fi | 20 August 2021 Inspired by German Expressionism in the late 1940s, film noir flourished and then mutated into other mystery genres: “neo-noir,” “sci-fi noir,” and, most recently, “tech-noir.” With few exceptions, all of these movies featured a world-weary leading man (often private a detective or cop) who falls for or is duped by…
Film Review: ‘Nine Days’: Did You Know VHS Tapes Determine Which Souls Become Human?
2020 | R | 2h 4min It’s admirable that filmmakers are trying to tackle life’s massive, apparently unanswerable questions. It takes courage to contemplate that yawning void. It’s happening a lot these days; Pixar’s “Soul” and A24’s “The Green Knight” are the most recent. But while the attempts are admirable, what of the results? What…
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