Year: 2022

In this second installment of my wrap-up for the best – and worst – of 2021, I specifically look at documentary releases. And, considering how lame 2021 was for new narrative film offerings, all I can say is thank goodness for this movie genre, as it was far and away the cinematic saving grace of the year. Unlike narrative features, where I struggled to come up with a Top 10 list, as I noted in my previous best and worst list blog entry, I had no such trouble with the documentary genre. In fact, this class of movies had so many excellent offerings that I had difficulty limiting myself. This was a refreshing change from 2020, when well-made documentaries were hard to come by. It’s interesting to note that even most of those that round out the bottom of this year’s documentary list were far from awful; they just weren’t as good as those that came out on top as this year’s stellar offerings (and I could only come up with 7 films that deserved to be on that list!). I was also pleased to find that 2021’s documentary releases generally did not fall prey to the undeserved overhyped issue ...

Reviews of “The Worst Person in the World,” “The Tragedy of Macbeth” and “Skál,” as well as previews of a podcast and a 2021 Top 10 movie list, are all in the latest Movies with Meaning post on the web site of The Good Media Network, available by clicking here ...

In the run-up to this year’s awards ceremonies, Hollywood is releasing some of its best work of the year. So what’s worth seeing, and what can be skipped? Find out on this month’s edition of The Good Media Network’s Frankiesense & More video podcast with yours truly and special guest host Danielle Findlay. Tune in Thursday January 27 at 1 pm ET on Facebook Live, available by clicking here, for a lively discussion of new releases worth seeing. And, as always, you can always catch the show on demand! ...

“Skál” (“Cheers”) (2021). Cast: Dania O. Tausen, Trygvi Danielsen, Marjun Drós Tausen Poulsen. Directors: Cecilie Debell and Maria Tórgarð. Web site. Trailer. Where would we be without personal freedom? The prospect is rather daunting, especially once we consider what we’d lose. Its absence can prove particularly detrimental during certain times in our lives, such as adolescence and young adulthood, when we’re just beginning to grasp the possibilities that the world can offer us. And that can be made even worse if we’re shielded from being able to see those options in the first place. Such are the circumstances that an aspiring poet discovers for herself when she emerges from longstanding isolation in the thought-provoking new documentary, “Skál” (“Cheers”). Leading a sheltered, isolated life can provide one with a significant degree of comfort, safety and certainty. Knowing how things are – and how they’re allegedly (and steadfastly) supposed to be – serves to remove much of the doubt, ambiguity and insecurity that those lacking such unshakable conviction often experience. Attaining such a state of being is comparatively easy, too, when one lives in a tight-knit conservative Christian community in which everyone looks after one another. And that’s particularly true in a ...

Tune in for the latest Cinema Scribe segment on Bring Me 2 Life Radio, Tuesday, January 25, 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 ...

As they scheme to advance themselves, Macbeth, Thane of Cawdor (Denzel Washington, left), and his headstrong, ambitious wife, Lady Macbeth (Frances McDormand, right), devise a heinous plan to ascend to the throne of Scotland in director Joel Coen’s adaptation of William Shakespeare’s epic saga, “The Tragedy of Macbeth.” Photo courtesy of A24. “The Tragedy of Macbeth” (2021). Cast: Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, Brendan Gleeson, Corey Hawkins, Kathryn Hunter, Bertie Carvel, Harry Melling, Moses Ingram, Ethan Hutchison, Miles Anderson, Alex Hassell, Matt Helm. Director: Joel Coen. Screenplay: Joel Coen. Play: William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of Macbeth. Web site. Trailer. Getting ahead in life is certainly admirable, but what happens when that drive gets seriously out of hand? Can we stifle the mayhem that’s sure to result? That’s especially problematic when the fate of a nation and its leadership are at stake. Such is the case in the latest film adaptation of a timeless classic, William Shakespeare’s “The Tragedy of Macbeth.” As one of Shakespeare’s best-known works, it’s hard to believe that there’s anyone who’s not already familiar with the plot of this tragic saga. Having been presented countless times on stage and screen, with roughly 30 movie versions in one form ...