“What we saw at that camp was that life could be better.” Perhaps the main theme of the Netflix documentary Crip Camp comes near the beginning as we see film of teenaged disabled campers in 1971 while hearing Richie Havens singing the word “freedom” over and over from “Motherless Child”. For these campers, their time… [Read More]
Self-Isolation Film Festival: The General
While we fill the days and nights of self-isolation, this is a great time to discover films that we may have overlooked—especially films from long ago. Buster Keaton’s The General, a 1926 silent film, is thought by some, including Orson Wells and BFI’s Sight & Sound magazine, to be the greatest comedy of all time…. [Read More]
Self-Isolation Film Festival: Ralph Breaks the Internet
Life is going along just fine, but then a virus begins spreading, threatening everything and everyone. That is a scary prospect. How is someone supposed to respond to such a crisis? That’s a problem raised in Disney’s Ralph Breaks the Internet. So, as we continue our own struggle with a threatening virus, perhaps we can… [Read More]
1on1 with The Song of Names director François Girard
I recently had the opportunity to speak by phone with François Girard, director of The Song of Names. The film is the story of Dovidl, a Jewish violin prodigy, who is fostered by a British family during World War II, and his foster brother Martin. Dovidl disappears on the eve of his premiere concert. Many… [Read More]
Self-Isolation Film Festival: Groundhog Day
“What would you do if you were stuck in a place and every day was exactly the same?” Here in California we’ve been instructed to stay at home except for essential reasons. Kids are out of school. Some have online classes, some don’t. Churches are happening by online video. It doesn’t take long for Tuesday… [Read More]
Inside the Rain: Bi-polar Comedy
Inside the Rain strives to take us comedically into the experience of living with bi-polar disorder. College film student Ben (Aaron Fisher, who also wrote and directed) is new on campus. But he is a kind of walking version the DSM-5 diagnostic manual. He has OCD, ADHD, bi-polar disorder, and borderline personality disorder. When he… [Read More]
Onward: The Magic is Within
“Long ago, the world was full of wonder. It was adventurous, exciting and best of all, there was magic. And that magic helped all in need. But it wasn’t easy to master. And so the world found a simpler way to get by. Over time, magic faded away….” Disney/Pixar’s Onward is set in this world… [Read More]
Sorry We Missed You: When the Work Ethic Doesn’t Work
“I’ve got to go to work. I have not got a choice.” We are told that if we work hard, we will find success. For many the “gig economy” seems to be the way they can take control of their lives and find the financial success they need. Ken Loach’s film Sorry We Missed You… [Read More]
Portrait of a Lady on Fire: Doomed Love
I try not to mansplain things. But being a male reviewing Portrait of a Lady on Fire makes me feel as if I’m doing so. That is not to say that the film needs mansplaining. Writer director Céline Sciamma has crafted a wonderful story of women seeking love and fulfilment in a world that treats… [Read More]
Queen & Slim: Running into Love
I have heard Queen & Slim called a black Bonnie and Clyde (which references a line in the film) and a heterosexual Thelma & Louise. The latter is more apt, but neither really quite captures the way this film fuses the on-the-run trope with today’s cultural affairs. This is the story of a black man… [Read More]
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