Year: 2017

Everyone makes mistakes, even filmmakers. That can be a real disappointment to fans, including those who enjoy movies with New Age, spiritual and metaphysically oriented themes. Read about some of them in “Cinematic Missteps,” my latest installment in the Conscious Cinema series in the fall edition of The HAPI Guide magazine, available by clicking here, here or here ...

“Free in Deed” (2015 production, 2017 release). Cast: David Harewood, Edwina Findley, RaJay Chandler, Preston Shannon, Prophetess Libra, Helen Bowman, Kathy Smith, Zoe Lewis, Jon W. Sparks, Lindsey Roberts. Director: Jake Mahaffy. Screenplay: Jake Mahaffy. Web site. Trailer. When confronted with oppressively debilitating conditions, it’s only natural to long for relief, and, quite understandably, the harsher the ordeal, the more desperate we become. We may even reach a point where we are so distressed that we’ll do just about anything to be released from such burdens, sometimes going to lengths that surprise us. And, when the sought-after liberation finally arrives, we may be even more shocked, particularly if it assumes an unexpected form. Those are the issues faced by a trio of downtrodden souls in the moving, fact-based religious drama, “Free in Deed.” Abe Wilkins (David Harewood) can’t seem to get a break. He lives in a seedy Memphis motel and is routinely burdened by financial, legal and job security issues, all of which also tend to impact his health. Somedays he finds it difficult to carry on. But, despite these circumstances, Abe soldiers on, largely because of the moral and spiritual support he receives from the clergy and followers ...

Join host Frankie Picasso and yours truly this Tuesday, September 12, on The Good Radio Network’s broadcast of Mission Unstoppable, when we’ll interview documentary filmmaker Renée Scheltema about her excellent new release, “Normal Is Over” (web site, trailer). This engaging film presents an interesting take on sustainability and the effects of climate change, enlightening viewers about the real cause of this phenomenon. Tune in live at 1 pm ET by clicking here, or listen to the on-demand podcast thereafter. And, for a review of the film, click here ...

Reviews of “Ingrid Goes West” and “Everything Is Copy,” as well as a radio show preview, are all in this week’s edition of Movies with Meaning on the web site of The Good Radio Network, available by clicking here. Writer-director-playwright Nora Ephron, the subject of “Everything Is Copy.” Photo by Dan Greenburg, courtesy of HBO ...

“Ingrid Goes West” (2017). Cast: Aubrey Plaza, Elizabeth Olsen, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Wyatt Russell, Billy Magnusson, Pom Klementieff, Meredith Hagner. Director: Matt Spicer. Screenplay: David Branson Smith and Matt Spicer. Web site. Trailer. We all want to be liked. But how far are we willing to go to achieve that outcome? And what if it gets the better of us, becoming an unhealthy obsession? That’s the stuff of which the incisive new comedy-drama “Ingrid Goes West” is made of. Twentysomething Ingrid Thorburn (Aubrey Plaza) has issues. Most notably, she’s obsessed with being liked and popular, a compulsiveness driven by her nearly constant surfing of social media pages, where she ogles over the countless photos of smiling, happy people living cheerful, fun-loving, carefree, perfect lives. And, not to be left out, Ingrid wants some of that for herself. But, in her desire to attain such notoriety, sometimes Ingrid slips over the edge of reasonableness and common sense. After an unfortunate incident at the wedding reception of one of her supposedly dear social media friends (Meredith Hagner) – an event to which Ingrid is not invited – she’s committed to a mental health facility to work out her problems. Upon her release, ...

Tune in for the latest Cinema Scribe segment on Bring Me 2 Life Radio’s Seeker’s Path show, tomorrow, September 6, at 12:30 pm ET, by clicking here (click on the “Shows” tab). And, if you don’t hear it live, catch it later on the podcast! ...