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Year: 2023

For better or worse addressed in ‘American Symphony’

For better or worse addressed in ‘American Symphony’

“American Symphony” (2023). Cast: Jon Batiste, Suleika Jaouad, Anne Jaouad. Archive Footage: Stephen Colbert, Trevor Noah, Questlove, Stevie Wonder, Billie Eilish, James Taylor, Louis Cato. Director: Matthew Heineman. Web site. Trailer. The now-famous opening line of the Charles Dickens classic A Tale of Two Cities – “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” – has become virtually synonymous for describing situations that are simultaneously both joyous yet difficult. In many ways, this is a scenario that seems almost unfathomable, one whose very existence is hard to imagine, let alone endure. Yet many among us have nevertheless experienced such challenging, ironic and contradictory conditions, circumstances that ultimately push us to find the means to survive and to overcome the ordeals posed to us so that we can truly enjoy the best of what life has to offer while putting the worst behind us. Such is the situation faced by an eminently successful, exceptionally creative, deeply enamored power couple in the moving, intimate and captivating new documentary, “American Symphony.” Life in 2022 was a decidedly strange and mixed bag for musician-composer Jon Batiste and his wife, best-selling author Suleika Jaouad. They indeed experienced the best and worst ...
‘Monster’ seeks to arrive at the whole truth

‘Monster’ seeks to arrive at the whole truth

“Monster” (“Kaibutsu”) (2023). Cast: Sakura Ando, Soya Kurokawa, Eita Nagayama, Hinata Hiiragi, Yuho Tanaka, Shido Nakamura, Mitsuki Takahata, Akihiro Kakuta. Director: Kore-eda Hirokazu. Screenplay: Yûji Sakamoto. Web site. Trailer. Is it possible to know the real truth behind a particular situation? It’s often been said that, as outside onlookers, we only see a fraction of what’s involved in the unfolding of a specific scenario. And, because of that, we might well piece together an incomplete view of things, based primarily on what we believe about them, given that they shape our perspective and, subsequently, the materialized existence that emerges. The outcome may present us with a somewhat accurate depiction of those manifested notions, but how on target is that picture? That’s the core question raised in the engaging new Japanese drama, “Monster” (“Kaibutsu”). Revealing too much about the nature of this film would ultimately expose too much about it. Suffice it to say, however, the picture presents its narrative in several overlapping, interconnected segments, all of them related but each nevertheless distinct in its own right. Collectively, they explore the same scenario from a variety of perspectives, but each only presents a portion of the overall story, something that isn’t ...
Reinvention on The Cinema Scribe

Reinvention on The Cinema Scribe

Tune in for the latest Cinema Scribe segment on Bring Me 2 Life Radio, beginning Tuesday December 26, available by clicking here. You can also catch it later on demand on Spreaker, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Podchaser, Audible, Deezer, Podcast Addict and Jiosaavn ...
‘Poor Things’ surveys the process of reinvention

‘Poor Things’ surveys the process of reinvention

“Poor Things” (2023). Cast: Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef, Christopher Abbott, Jerrod Carmichael, Hanna Schygulla, Kathryn Hunter, Vicki Pepperdine, Margaret Qualley, Suzy Bemba. Director: Yorgos Lanthimos. Screenplay: Tony McNamara. Book: Alasdair Gray, Poor Things. Web site. Trailer. When the circumstances of our lives don’t suit us, it’s time to reinvent ourselves. However, that may be easier said than done in some instances. It’s a process that can be helped along with some assistance, but the root of such a transformation still arises from within us. And, thankfully, the hoped-for outcome can result from a variety of approaches, nearly all of which can sprout in their own unique, individualized way, with no inherent restrictions holding them back. Such is the case in the outrageously quirky new sci-fi/comedy/romance, “Poor Things.” Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe) leads something of a dual life. Outwardly, the Victorian Era scientist lives a somewhat unorthodox but mostly respectable life teaching med students about anatomy and surgical techniques at a London college. In his private life, however, he’s considerably more eccentric and outlandish, conducting controversial experiments in animal cross-breeding and other highly taboo subjects, stitching together body parts in a manner not unlike that found ...
This Week in Movies with Meaning

This Week in Movies with Meaning

Reviews of “Dream Scenario,” “Rustin” and “El Conde” are all in the latest Movies with Meaning post on the web site of The Good Media Network, available by clicking here ...
‘El Conde’ metaphorically skewers a dictator’s life

‘El Conde’ metaphorically skewers a dictator’s life

“El Conde” (“The Count”) (2023). Cast: Jaime Vadell, Gloria Münchmeyer, Alfredo Castro, Paula Luchsinger, Stella Gonet, Catalina Guerra, Amparo Noguera, Antonia Zegers, Marcial Tagle, Diego Muñoz, Clemente Rodriguez, Sofia Maluk, Marcelo Alonso, Daniel Contesse, Daniela Seguel, Jaime McManus. Director: Pablo Larraín. Screenplay: Guillermo Calderón and Pablo Larraín. Book: Augusto Pinochet Ugarte, A Journey Through Life: Memoirs of a Soldier. Web site. Trailer. In the wake of the recent 50th anniversary of the 1973 Chilean coup d’etat that resulted in the overthrow of democratically elected President Salvador Allende, an effort led by the country’s military and backed by the US government, a number of film projects (both documentary and narrative features) have been released looking back on this event. These projects have come in a variety of forms, and one of the most unusual (and creative) among them has been a production that takes a metaphorical and wickedly satirical look at the life of Allende’s successor, dictator Augusto Pinochet (1915-2006), portraying him in a surreal but fitting milieu, as seen in the hilarious but insightful allegorical biography, “El Conde” (“The Count”). This “biography” of Pinochet (Jaime Vadell) employs an alternative approach to telling his story, one that’s decidedly more metaphorical than ...
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