Year: 2017

“A Ghost Story” (2017). Cast: Casey Affleck, Rooney Mara, Sonia Acevedo, Carlos Bermudez, Yasmina Gutierrez, Will Oldham, Liz Cardenas Franke, Kenneisha Thompson, Rob Zabrecky, Sara Tomerlin, Margot Tomerlin, Sylvie Tomerlin, Savanna Walsh. Director: David Lowery. Screenplay: David Lowery. Web site. Trailer. What happens after we die? Some might say that’s the ultimate mystery. There has been much speculation on the subject, and, because of increased attention to such phenomena as near death experiences and after-death communications, a variety of views have emerged. Some see the afterlife traditionally, while others view it as a different state of existence that operates according to a different set of rules. In light of that, then, perhaps a more appropriate inquiry than what happens might be what does it mean to be dead? That’s a question wrestled with in the intriguing new mystical drama, “A Ghost Story.” As a young composer (Casey Affleck) and his significant other (Rooney Mara) debate the future of their living arrangements, the songwriter is tragically killed in a car accident just steps from his home driveway. His stunned, grieving partner is left even more uncertain about what now lies ahead for her, but she tries to carry on despite the ...

I’m pleased to announce the launch of my new Internet radio segment, “The Cinema Scribe,” on Bring Me 2 Life Radio, a production of Project Bring Me 2 Life, a multifaceted web organization presenting a variety of information about metaphysics, philosophy, spirituality, music and art. A preview of the segment will air this Wednesday, July 19 at 12:30 pm ET, with new episodes beginning on August 2. The Cinema Scribe will then run twice a month on the first and third Wednesday. So what is this new feature about? Unlike my continuing “Movies with Meaning” segments on Frankiesense & More radio and “Reviewers Roundtable” on New Consciousness Review radio, which present reviews of a variety of films and other movie-related information, each episode of “The Cinema Scribe” will focus on a single release, either in theaters or on one of the on-demand viewing options, probing the featured offering in depth. For details on upcoming segments, visit the Project Bring Me 2 Life web site, or follow the organization’s posts on Facebook. Details will also be featured here and on the Facebook pages of my books, Get the Picture and Consciously Created Cinema. Tune in for some insightful movie talk! ...

Reviews of “A Ghost Story” and “Flowers” and a radio show preview are all in the latest Movies with Meaning post on the web site of The Good Radio Network, available by clicking here ...

“The Journey” (2016 production, 2017 release). Cast: Timothy Spall, Colm Meaney, Freddie Highmore, John Hurt, Toby Stephens, Catherine McCormack, Ian Beattie, Barry Ward, Mark Lambert. Director: Nick Hamm. Screenplay: Colin Bateman. Web site. Trailer. Bridging a gap is often quite a challenge, especially when it involves opposing parties who are philosophically miles apart. How can these adversaries be successfully brought together? And will the efforts aimed at that ultimately bear fruit? Those questions loomed large when warring factions sought to make peace in the wake of one of the world’s longest-running bloody feuds, the subject of the new speculative historical drama, “The Journey.” For 40 years, Northern Ireland was caught up in a gruesome conflict known as “The Troubles” between those seeking to preserve its affiliation with the United Kingdom and those looking to unify it as part of the Republic of Ireland. Though framed largely as a religious war between Protestants and Catholics, the ongoing battle was essentially political in nature, pitting Unionists loyal to the British crown against the separatist Irish Republican Army. The embittered enemies had tremendous hatred for one another, with vitriolic rhetoric and terrorist activity underscoring their mutual animosity. However, after decades of carnage, the ...

“The Big Sick” (2017). Cast: Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano, Anupam Kher, Zenobia Shroff, Adeel Akhtar, Shenaz Treasury, Bo Burnham, Aidy Bryant, Kurt Braunohler, Rebecca Naomi Jones, David Alan Grier, Jeremy Shamos, Vella Lovell, Linda Emond, Ed Herbstman, Myra Lucretia Taylor. Director: Michael Showalter. Screenplay: Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon. Web site. Trailer. Being oneself isn’t always easy, especially when we’re pressured to conform by others from both our culture and our own immediate family. The implications of this can be wide-ranging, too, including everything from our vocations to our romantic life. Those are among the challenges a would-be stand-up comedian from Pakistan must confront after he and his relatives immigrate to the US in the charming yet edgy new fact-based romantic comedy, “The Big Sick.” Aspiring comic Kumail Nanjiani (portraying a fictional version of himself) longs to make it big doing stand-up. It’s a fulfilling though difficult path to follow, so, to keep a roof over his head in the meantime, he drives for a ride sharing service. But, when he’s not busy chauffeuring passengers, he spends his nights honing his craft at Chicago comedy clubs with fellow comics Mary (Aidy Bryant), CJ (Bo Burnham) ...

“Letters from Baghdad” (2016 production, 2017 release). Cast: Tilda Swinton (voice), Adam Astill, Tom Chadbon, Michelle Eugene, Andrew Havill, Eric Loscheider, Robert Ian Mackenzie, Helen Ryan, Pip Torrens, Rose Leslie (voice). Directors: Zeva Oelbaum and Sabine Krayenbühl. Web site. Trailer. Making one’s voice heard amidst a thunderous throng of opposing viewpoints can be difficult, especially in the face of an entrenched consensus and when expressed by someone who possesses qualities that might tempt others to downplay the significance of those divergent opinions. Yet making the effort to get those views heard is important, particularly when the stakes are high. So it was for an incredibly insightful woman seeking to be heard in the geopolitical arena, an area where others often tried to drown her out, an experience outlined in the engaging new documentary “Letters from Baghdad.” British-born diplomat Gertrude Bell (1868-1926) is far from a household name, yet her influence was significant in the early 20th Century, even if she wasn’t always taken seriously by some of her peers. As a longtime explorer of the Middle East, she became an accomplished scholar of the complex culture of the region, penning a number of books and papers about it. She thoroughly ...