Year: 2016

Reviews of “The Birth of a Nation,” “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” and “Howards End” and a Chicago Film Festival preview are all in the latest Movies with Meaning post on the Blog Page of The Good Radio Network, available by clicking here ...

In a book publishing world that’s rapidly changing, I’ve really come to enjoy the freedom and satisfaction that come from being a self-published author. Seeing a project come together from so many different angles, and then realizing its fulfillment in a finished product, is an indescribably exhilarating experience. I’ve been through this process twice now with my two books about how movies reflect the principles of conscious creation/law of attraction philosophy, Get the Picture?!: Conscious Creation Goes to the Movies and Consciously Created Cinema: The Movie Lover’s Guide to the Law of Attraction. And I’m now in the process of my third trek down this path with Third Real: Conscious Creation Goes Back to the Movies, slated for release in 2017. So why do I enjoy the self-publishing process so much? As noted above, I appreciate the freedom it affords — few restrictions on what I write, what the finished product looks and reads like, and the channels through which I make my books available to eager readers. I also relish the opportunity to work with collaborators of my own choosing. When you find colleagues with whom you really enjoy working, it makes the process of writing and publishing a ...

“Queen of Katwe” (2016). Cast: Madina Nalwanga, David Oyelowo, Lupita Nyong’o, Martin Kabanza, Taryn “Kay” Kyaze, Ivan Jacobo, Nicolas Levesque, Ronald Ssemaganda, Ethan Nazario Lubega, Nikita Waliga, Esther Tebandeke, Philip Luswata, Maurice Kirya, Peter Odeke. Director: Mira Nair. Screenplay: William Wheeler. Book: Tim Crothers, The Queen of Katwe: A Story of Life, Chess, and One Extraordinary Girl’s Dream of Becoming a Grandmaster. Web site. Trailer. What does it take to beat the odds and rise above our challenges? That can be a rather tall order, especially when things seem stacked against us. But, when we put our mind to it, it’s possible to achieve almost anything. One need only look at the inspiring example set by a determined young woman from the Ugandan slums and her dreams to achieve greatness, a fact-based story told in the heartwarming new biopic, “Queen of Katwe.” Teenager Phiona Mutesi (Madina Nalwanga) leads a life of few prospects in the ghettoes of Katwe, Uganda. As one of four children being raised by a widowed mother (Lupita Nyong’o), Phiona spends her days selling maize in hopes of raising enough money to keep the family afloat, a seemingly perpetual struggle. In fact, things are so tight financially ...

Join host Frankie Picasso and me for this month’s Movies with Meaning segment on this week’s edition of Frankiesense & More on The Good Radio Network. Tune in this Thursday, September 29, at 1 pm ET, or listen to the on-demand podcast thereafter, by clicking here. Join us for some lively movie talk! ...

A review of “Queen of Katwe,” a Helen Mirren retrospective and a radio show preview are all available in this week’s Movies with Meaning post on the Blog Page of The Good Radio Network available by clicking here. Aspiring chess prodigy Phiona Mutesi (Madina Nalwanga, right) learns the game from mentor Robert Katende (David Oyelowo, left) in the inspiring new biopic, “Queen of Katwe.” Photo by Edward Echwalu, courtesy of Disney Enterprises Inc. Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren), owner of an acclaimed upscale French bistro, struggles to keep a smile on her face with the unexpected arrival of new neighbors whom she believes will threaten her establishment’s reputation in director Lasse Halström’s comedy-drama, “The Hundred-Foot Journey.” Photo by François Duhamel, courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures USA ...

“Sunset Song” (2015 production, 2016 release). Cast: Agyness Deyn, Peter Mullan, Kevin Guthrie, Daniela Nardini, Jack Greenlees, Ron Donachie, Linda Duncan McLaughlin, Niall Greig Fulton, Gilbert Johnston, Douglas Rankine, Simon Tait. Director: Terence Davies. Screenplay: Terence Davies. Book: Lewis Grassic Gibbon, Sunset Song. Web site. Trailer. Making one’s way in the world can be difficult enough, even under the best of circumstances. But, when conditions offer repeated challenges, the chances of success can become that much more difficult, as evidenced by the experiences of a young Scottish farm girl in the days before World War I, the subject of the moving drama, “Sunset Song,” now available on DVD, Blu-ray Disk and video on demand. Chris Guthrie (Agyness Deyn) lives a rather hard life in rural Scotland. She aspires to be a teacher, but she’s perpetually saddled with the responsibilities of the family farm, especially after the death of her mother (Daniela Nardini), the departure of her siblings, including her beloved brother, Will (Jack Greenlees), and the overbearing demands of her authoritarian father, John (Peter Mullan). Even when she manages to find some peace of mind and happiness with her handsome, loving new husband, Ewan Tavendale (Kevin Guthrie), her contentment is ...