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Year: 2023

‘Afire’ explores what can occur when clearing the slate

‘Afire’ explores what can occur when clearing the slate

“Afire” (“Roter Himmel”) (2023). Cast: Thomas Schubert, Paula Beer, Langston Uibel, Enno Trebs, Matthias Brandt. Director: Christian Petzold. Screenplay: Christian Petzold. Web site. Trailer. Getting away from it all is often an effective way to regroup, recharge and put one’s life back on track, especially when it comes to sorting out complicated issues and stalled creative endeavors. At the same time, though, things can sometimes go sideways in these experiences; unforeseen developments may intrude on hoped-for expectations, thrusting circumstances into unexpected territory and uncontrolled chaos. Nevertheless, such disruptions can also yield surprising outcomes, opening new doors and sending us in new directions (once the collateral debris is cleared away, that is). Such are the circumstances posed to a quartet of old and new friends who unwittingly end up spending the summer together at a vacation house in the new German comedy-drama, “Afire” (“Roter Himmel”). Aspiring author Leon (Thomas Schubert) and would-be art school student Felix (Langston Uibel) have work to get done, but they don’t seem to be able to accomplish it in their distraction-ridden home of Berlin. The friends decide to escape the urban interference by spending some time in the peace and solitude of a summer house owned ...
Moral Dilemmas Probed on The Cinema Scribe

Moral Dilemmas Probed on The Cinema Scribe

Tune in for the latest Cinema Scribe segment on Bring Me 2 Life Radio, beginning Tuesday August 8, 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 ...
New Movies for August on Frankiesense & More

New Movies for August on Frankiesense & More

Join yours truly and show host Frankie Picasso for looks at five new films on this month’s movie review edition of the Frankiesense & More video podcast, to begin airing Thursday August 3 at 1 pm ET. Tune in on Facebook or YouTube for all the fun and lively discussion! ...
This Week in Movies with Meaning

This Week in Movies with Meaning

Reviews of “Oppenheimer,” “Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed” and “Godland,” along with a podcast preview, are all in the latest Movies with Meaning post on the web site of The Good Media Network, available by clicking here ...
‘Godland’ chronicles a spiritually evolutionary journey

‘Godland’ chronicles a spiritually evolutionary journey

“Godland” (“Vanskabte Land”/“Volada Land”) (2022 production, 2023 release). Cast: Elliott Crosset Hove, Ingvar Sigurðsson, Jacob Hauberg Lohmann, Vic Carmen Sonne, Ida Mekkin Hlynsdóttir, Hilmar Guðjónsson, Waage Sandø, Snæbjörg Guðmundsdóttir, Svanavatns Jökull Darri. Director: Hlynur Pálmason. Screenplay: Hlynur Pálmason. Web site. Trailer. Contrary to popular belief, experiencing the breadth and power of the divine is not something necessarily limited to civil, sedate, well-mannered, rigidly choreographed rituals conducted in ornate indoor settings by individuals decked out in costumes not unlike what one would find in a Las Vegas floor show. Rather, in its purest state, it’s more of a wild, untamed force that unleashes its raw, unrestrained energy in potent, unexpected ways that often leave witnesses awestruck as to its sheer magnitude and expression, particularly in natural surroundings. It’s not exactly what most of us were taught in Sunday school or what we heard in sermons from the pulpit. Indeed, it’s something that can easily leave us shocked, inspired and perhaps even overwhelmed, especially when it works its magic through us, for better or seemingly worse, but always with its celestial fingerprint clearly etched on it. Such are the lessons imparted through the new religious drama/ecclesiastical travelogue, “Godland” (“Vanskabte Land”/“Volada Land”). In ...
‘Oppenheimer’ wrestles with the torment of moral dilemmas

‘Oppenheimer’ wrestles with the torment of moral dilemmas

“Oppenheimer” (2023). Cast: Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Kenneth Branagh, Rami Malek, Gary Oldman, Tom Conti, Benny Safdie, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Matthew Modine, Jason Clarke, Alden Ehrenreich, James D’Arcy, David Krumholtz, Macon Blair, Josh Zuckerman, Jefferson Hall, Dane DeHaan, Dylan Arnold, David Dastmalchian, Emma Dumont, Matthias Schweighöfer, James Remar, Christopher Denham, Danny Deferrari. Director: Christopher Nolan. Screenplay: Christopher Nolan. Book: Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, American Prometheus. Web site. Trailer. Working through conflicted feelings can be difficult, if not unfathomable. And the greater the stakes involved, the more maddening the process can be. It may be so daunting, in fact, that it might not be overstating things to liken it to psychological and emotional torture. So how does one live with oneself under conditions like these? That’s one of the thorny questions addressed in the gripping new film biography, “Oppenheimer.” Theoretical physicist Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) (1904-1967) could arguably be considered one of the most influential individuals in the history of mankind. At the very least, he could be looked upon as having been one of the most preeminent figures in shaping the course of world affairs in the second ...
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