Year: 2021

“God Exists, Her Name is Petrunya”(“Gospod postoi, imeto i’ e Petrunija”) (2019 production, 2021 release). Cast: Zorica Nusheva, Labina Mitevska, Simeon Moni Damevski, Suad Begovski-Suhi, Violeta Shapkovska, Petar Mircevski, Andrijana Kolevska, Nikola Kumev, Bajrus Mjaku, Xhevdet Jashari, Stefan Vujisić, Ilija Volcheski, Mario Knezović. Director: Teona Strugar Mitevska. Screenplay: Teona Strugar Mitevska and Elma Tataragic. Web site. Trailer. When our lives stagnate or don’t turn out as hoped for, we often need a miracle to get on track. Out of cynicism and disbelief, that’s frequently seen as too much to hope for. But, then, all of a sudden, out of the blue, something happens to change all that, completely shifting our outlook and altering the circumstances in our favor. This is particularly beneficial when the stakes are high and many would be affected by a change in fortune. Such is the case in the uplifting and satirical new Macedonian morality play, “God Exists, Her Name is Petrunya”(“Gospod postoi, imeto i’ e Petrunija”). Life is quite unfulfilling for Petrunya (Zorica Nusheva), a plus-sized, thirty-something unemployed college graduate who still lives at home with her parents, Vaska (Violeta Shapkovska) and Stoyan (Petar Mircevski). She has few prospects for work or for a meaningful ...

Summertime is movie time, and this year is a little different, one characterized by a plethora of excellent new documentaries, a number of which will be discussed on the next edition of The Good Media Network’s Frankiesense & More video podcast with yours truly and special guest host Danielle Findlay. Tune in Thursday July 29 at 1 pm ET on Facebook Live by clicking here for a lively discussion of new releases worth seeing in theaters or via streaming. And, if you don’t see the show live, catch it later on demand! ...

Tune in for the latest Cinema Scribe segment on Bring Me 2 Life Radio, Tuesday, July 27, at 2 pm ET, available by clicking here. And, if you don’t hear the show live, catch it later on demand on Spreaker, Spotify, Apple, iHeartRadio, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Deezer, Podchaser and Jiosaavn ...

“Truman & Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation” (2021). Cast: Archive Footage: Truman Capote, Tennessee Williams, David Frost, Dick Cavett, Tom Brokaw, Gore Vidal. Voiceover Narrators: Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto. Director: Lisa Immordino Vreeland. Web site. Trailer. Genuine literary icons are rare. Writers who possess the ability to grasp profound insights and then deftly express them through prose don’t come along often. But, for those times when they’re present in uncharacteristically prolific numbers, it’s indeed fortunate for the world of literature. So it was in the mid 20th Century when two such giants were at the peak of their creativity, a pair of writers whose lives and works are profiled in the engaging new dual biography, “Truman & Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation.” Truman Capote (1924-1984) and Tennessee Williams (1911-1983) were two of the greatest American wordsmiths of the 20th Century. Both were born in the South. Both rose to fame in the 1950s. Both wrote works that contained controversial subjects for the time. Both battled with issues of alcoholism and artistic stagnation. Both became celebrities in their own right, earning notoriety outside of their writing accomplishments. Both were unabashedly gay at a time when such revelations were quite uncommon. And, even though ...

“Against the Current” (2021). Cast: Veiga Grétarsdóttir, Helga Snædel, Guoni Páll Viktorsson, Grétar S. Pétursson, Sólveig S. Kristinsdóttir, Kristinn Grétarsson, Bjarki Jónsson, Örlygur Sigurjónsson, Elín Esther Magnúsdóttir. Director: Óskar Páll Sveinsson. Screenplay: Margrét Örnólfsdóttir and Kristin Ólafsdóttir. Web site. Trailer. To truly prove ourselves, sometimes we must pursue goals that are seriously over the top, quests that most of us would view as seemingly impossible, possibly even foolhardy. The statements such gestures make go a long way toward validating the intents behind them. But, perhaps even more importantly, they say a lot about us – who we are, what we’re championing and what we’re made of. So it was for a determined athlete who attempted something never before tried, a venture designed to prove something about herself and what she stood for, as depicted in the inspiring new documentary, “Against the Current.” Veiga Grétarsdóttir spent many years in search of herself. This courageous transgender kayaker struggled to come to terms with her identity, a difficult task for someone trapped in a body whose physical gender did not match what was in her consciousness. She tried desperately to be the man she was born, attempting to live up to the qualities ...

Reviews of “Summer of Soul,” “The One and Only Dick Gregory” and “The Neutral Ground,” as well as a magazine article preview and a film festival wrap-up, all in the latest Movies with Meaning post on the web site of The Good Media Network, available by clicking here ...