Category: Film Reviews

Rewind, Review, and Re-Rate: ‘Infidel’: Muddled Messages in a Sorry Script

R | 1h 48min | Action, Adventure, Thriller | 18 September 2020 (USA) When I first heard about the recent film “Infidel,” I thought that its premise sounded interesting enough. It bills itself as an action-thriller about an American man who is kidnapped after attending a speaking engagement in Cairo, and his wife then attempts…


Film Review: ‘The Croods: A New Age’: Sequel-itis Sets In

PG | 1h 35min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy | 25 November 2020 (USA) The original “The Croods” (2013), about a family of Neanderthal cave dwellers, created such an exotic world and fetching, original atmosphere that when its (voice) cast rode their menagerie of prehistoric pets down the beach and into the sunset, you wanted to…


‘The Voice of the Turtle’: Finding Happiness in Winter

In January 2021, the World War II era is especially relatable: separations, shortages, fears of death, and threats to the American way of life are daily concerns, just as they were then. Thus, when the 1947 film “The Voice of the Turtle” begins with “It was December, 1944, in New York and it seemed as…


Finding Truth, Finding Compassion, Finding Courage

Imagine being jailed, persecuted, and tortured for more than a decade. Imagine having your tortured sister’s lifeless body being withheld from you for almost 20 years, by the very people who tortured you. Imagine your school-age nephew being kidnapped to force you to sign over your sister’s body to authorities. Now imagine having the grace…


Popcorn and Inspiration: ‘The Conspirator’: An Excellent Example of Examining Conspiracy Theories

In The Conspirator, Robert Redford’s courtroom drama about President Lincoln’s assassination, it became clear to me that as a storyteller Redford fearlessly burrows into moral and ethical dilemmas in order to excavate The Truth, and make sure it survives.


Film Review: ‘Soul’: Consistent Pixar Quality But Not Entirely Harmless for Kids

PG | 1h 40min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy | 25 December 2020 (USA) Pixar would appear to have knocked another one out of the park. It’s nice in this day and age to have a product that doesn’t decline quality-wise, but maintains its standards or even evolves. “Soul” maintains Pixar’s integrity of quality, while pushing…


Rewind, Review, and Re-Rate: ‘Platoon’: Soldiers Agree—Most Realistic War Movie Ever Made

R | 2h | Drama, War | 6 February 1987 (USA) I used to tend bar near Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, which, in the early ’90s, was Crack Cocaine Central. We had an interesting regular: Freddy, in his mid-30s, wore combat boots, an army jacket, skull tattoos, an drab-olive green bandana, and lamented that he’d missed…


Popcorn and Inspiration: ‘Stray Dog’ Review: Harley-Davidson Culture Is Therapy for U.S. War Vets

A documentary about an American war veteran and the PTSD therapy he receives from biker culture and caring for others.


Popcorn and Inspiration: ‘The Intouchables’: A Heartwarming Biopic About Togetherness Despite Differences

R | 1h 52min | Biography, Comedy, Drama | 2 November 2011 (France) As we head into 2021, forms of media that focus on the positive aspects of life are a good way to begin the new year—especially in light of all the divisiveness that has encapsulated 2020. In the cinematic realm, I couldn’t think…


Popcorn and Inspiration: ‘Joyeux Noël’: A Modern Classic That Celebrates Our Common Humanity

PG-13 | 1h 56min | Drama, History, Music | 9 November 2005 (France) Christmas is the time of year (yes, even in 2020) when hearts are warmed with good cheer and kindness, and when the air fills with that giddy happiness at hearing children caroling and at the aromas from our traditional Christmas meals. But…