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Year: 2018

This Week in Movies with Meaning

This Week in Movies with Meaning

Reviews of “The Old Man & the Gun” and “Beautiful Boy,” as well as a wrap-up of the Chicago Film Festival and a radio show preview, are all in the latest Movies with Meaning post on the web site of The Good Media Network, available by clicking here ...
Wrapping Up the Chicago Film Festival

Wrapping Up the Chicago Film Festival

With the 54th annual Chicago International Film Festival now complete, here’s my take on what I screened and what I thought about the releases in question. “An Acceptable Loss” (USA) This edge-of-your-seat political thriller unfolds gradually and with steadily increasing intensity, leading up to a climax that will leave viewers breathless, an approach not unlike that used by director Roman Polanski in such films as “Chinatown” (1974) and “The Ghost Writer” (2010). The picture follows former National Security Advisor Libby Lamm (Tika Sumpter) after she leaves government to become a university lecturer, a position for which she receives a less-than-hospitable welcome. It’s a circumstance that naturally begs the question, “Why?” Viewers come to discover the reasons as her story plays out, one that has multiple threads running through it, including her strained relationships with former boss President Rachel Burke (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her fiercely driven chief of staff (Jeff Hephner). Matters become further complicated when Lamm is stalked by a mysterious college student (Ben Tavassoli), one whose intentions are anything but clear. Filmmaker Joe Chappelle positively knocks this one out of the park, thanks in large part to his tautly written script and fine performances by Sumpter and, especially, ...
Check Out The Cinema Scribe

Check Out The Cinema Scribe

Tune in for the latest Cinema Scribe segment on Bring Me 2 Life Radio, Wednesday, October 17, at 12:45 pm ET, available by clicking here. And, if you don’t hear it live, catch it later on demand! ...
This Week in Movies with Meaning

This Week in Movies with Meaning

Reviews of “Love, Gilda,” “A Star Is Born” and “Venom,” as well as a film festival preview, are all in the latest Movies with Meaning post on the web site of The Good Media Network, available by clicking here ...
‘Love, Gilda’ salutes a comedic genius

‘Love, Gilda’ salutes a comedic genius

“Love, Gilda” (2018). Cast: Interviews: Chevy Chase, Laraine Newman, Martin Short, Paul Shaffer, Bill Hader, Maya Rudolph, Amy Poehler, Melissa McCarthy, Lorne Michaels, Anne Beatts, Alan Zweibel, Michael Radner, Judy Levy.  Archive Footage: Gilda Radner, Bill Murray, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Gene Wilder, Steve Martin, Lily Tomlin, Buck Henry, Garry Shandling, G.E. Smith, Tom Schiller. Director: Lisa D’Apolito. Web site. Trailer. It’s been said that the ability to make others laugh is one of the greatest gifts anyone can possess. Laughter lifts spirits, brings joy and, as the old adage contends, serves as the best medicine. That’s something a beloved, gifted comedienne successfully discovered for herself – on all of those fronts – as fittingly and lovingly depicted in the heartwarming new documentary, “Love, Gilda.” Gilda Radner (1946-1989) broke ground on many levels. As the first cast member selected for the audacious new late night sketch comedy series Saturday Night (now Saturday Night Live) in 1975, Radner played a key role in redefining humor, TV and the American popular cultural landscape. With her warm, bubbly persona, combined with her talent for enlivening such memorable characters as crotchety, hard-of-hearing senior Emily Litella, opinionated Latina news commentator Roseanne ...
Tune in for The Cinema Scribe

Tune in for The Cinema Scribe

Tune in for the latest Cinema Scribe segment on Bring Me 2 Life Radio, Wednesday, October 3, at 12:45 pm ET, by clicking here. And, if you don’t hear it live, catch it later on demand! ...
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