Year: 2019

Tune in for the latest Cinema Scribe segment on Bring Me 2 Life Radio, today, October 15, at 2 pm ET, by clicking here. And, if you don’t hear it live, catch it later on demand! ...

Those who naively cling to the idea that government abuses of power, particularly when it comes to racial, social or ethnic profiling, can’t happen here need to rethink those notions. To find out more, tune in for a special edition of Mission Unstoppable on Tuesday October 15 at 1:40 pm ET, when host Frankie Picasso and yours truly will interview journalist and filmmaker Assia Boundaoui about her stunning new production, “The Feeling of Being Watched.” The film, which has been playing in limited theatrical engagements and in special screenings at film festivals and community centers, will air Monday October 14 on the PBS series POV and will thereafter be available for streaming on the POV web site. For more about the film, click here. For the video version of the broadcast, tune in to Facebook Live at 1:40 pm ET by clicking here. And, for the audio-only version, available after the live broadcast, visit the Mission Unstoppable page on The Good Media Network web site by clicking here. Don’t miss this informative and provocative interview about what went on and what we can do to fight back ...

Reviews of “Judy” and “Joker,” as well as a broadcast preview, are all in the latest Movies with Meaning post on the web site of The Good Media Network, available by clicking here.  ...

“Joker” (2019). Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Frances Conroy, Zazie Beetz, Brett Cullen, Shea Whigham, Bill Camp, Glenn Fleshler, Leigh Gill, Josh Pais, Douglas Hodge, Dante Pereira-Olson, Carrie Lauren Putrello, Sharon Washington, Hannah Gross, Brian Tyree Henry, Frank Wood, Carl Lundstedt, Michael Benz, Ben Warheit. Director: Todd Phillips. Screenplay: Todd Phillips and Scott Silver. Web site. Trailer. It’s a rare feat when a film covers so much ground that it gives us a lot to take in and assess. In doing so, such stories may well make us feel more than a little uncomfortable (and rightfully so) as they prompt us to take a hard look at what we’re experiencing and how it came about. They may even push us toward taking action at changing what’s going on, even if they make us squirm a bit as we move toward such a decision. So it is with the controversial new fantasy tale, “Joker.” Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) has his share of issues. The psychologically challenged Gotham City resident struggles to hold it together with the aid of a cocktail of prescription meds and the regular, but largely indifferent, counseling of a public aid social worker (Sharon Washington). He ekes ...

“Judy” (2019). Cast: Renée Zellweger, Jessie Buckley, Finn Wittrock, Rufus Sewell, Michael Gambon, Darci Shaw, Bella Ramsey, Lewin Lloyd, Gemma-Leah Devereux, Royce Pierreson, Richard Cordery, Andy Nyman, Daniel Corqueira, John Dagleish, Adrian Lukis, Tom Durant Pritchard, Gus Barry, Jodie McNee, Ed Stoppard. Director: Rupert Goold. Screenplay: Tom Edge. Play: Peter Quilter, End of the Rainbow. Web site. Trailer. Everybody loves someone trying to make a comeback, especially when it’s a beloved entertainer. Audiences appreciate the effort, particularly when the talent is genuine and heartfelt. But launching a personal renaissance can be challenging if it’s burdened by baggage from the past, a bittersweet saga detailed in the new, fact-based biopic, “Judy.” In winter 1968, singer-actress Judy Garland (Renée Zellweger) had fallen on hard times. The inimitable entertainer, who had made a name for herself as an adolescent (Darci Shaw) as the legendary Dorothy Gale in “The Wizard of Oz” (1939) and as the sidekick of Mickey Rooney (Gus Barry) in several of the Andy Hardy movies (1938, 1940, 1941), was experiencing difficulties in both her professional and personal lives. She was having trouble getting auditions, finding a manager and earning a living. That, in turn, led to problems at home, making ...

Tune in for the latest Cinema Scribe segment on Bring Me 2 Life Radio, today, October 1, at 2 pm ET, by clicking here. And, if you don’t catch it live, check out the podcast! ...