“Demolition” (2016). Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Naomi Watts, Chris Cooper, Judah Lewis, Polly Draper, Heather Lind, C.J. Wilson, Malachy Cleary, Debra Monk, Blaire Brooks, Ben Cole, Brendan Dooley, Tom Kemp, Alfredo Narciso. Director: Jean-Marc Vallée. Screenplay: Bryan Sipe. Web site. Trailer.What does it mean to have one of the most significant foundations of your life kicked out from underneath you? What’s worse, what does it mean if you don’t seem to care? That’s the challenge put to the surviving spouse of a tragic event as he seeks to put his life back together – by tearing down his old existence to build anew – as detailed in the new independent drama, “Demolition.”When successful, button-down investment banker Davis Mitchell (Jake Gyllenhaal) loses [...]

Reviews of "Demolition," "I Smile Back" and "The Dark Horse" are all available in the latest Movies with Meaning post on the Blog Page of The Good Radio Network, available by clicking here.Photo courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures.Photo courtesy of Broad Green Pictures.Photo by Kristy Griffin, courtesy of Broad Green Pictures.

“Marguerite” (2015 production, 2016 release). Cast: Catherine Frot, André Marcon, Michel Fau, Christa Théret, Denis Mponga, Sylvain Dieuaide, Aubert Fenoy, Sophia Leboutte, Théo Cholbi, Astrid Whettnall, Vincent Schmitt, Boris Hybner. Director: Xavier Giannoli. Screenplay: Xavier Giannoli and Marcia Romano. Web site. Trailer.It would be great if we could all realize our most cherished dreams, wouldn’t it? In many ways that’s entirely possible. But, in others, it can be a pipe dream, a frustrating exercise in wishful thinking – unless, of course, we figure out how to miraculously beat the odds. Those determined souls don’t know the meaning of failure or unrealistic expectations, as seen in the quirky new French comedy, “Marguerite.”Marguerite Dumont (Catherine Frot) adores the opera and longs to [...]

“Midnight Special” (2016). Cast: Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, Jaeden Lieberher, Adam Driver, Sam Shepard, Bill Camp, Scott Haze, Paul Sparks, David Jensen. Director: Jeff Nichols. Screenplay: Jeff Nichols. Web site. Trailer.We all possess our own special talents and abilities, and managing them is generally feasible with the right guidance. But what would happen if we were to start exhibiting capabilities that are literally alien to this world? That can be especially complicated when the individual in question is a child, one who has his own challenges with learning how to fit into a world he barely knows – let alone one in which he is decidedly different from everyone else around him. Such is the scenario that plays [...]

“Everything Is Copy” (2016). Cast: Interviews: Jacob Bernstein, Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Meryl Streep, Mike Nichols, Steven Spielberg, Barbara Walters, Liz Smith, Gay Talese, Barry Diller, Rob Reiner, Rosie O’Donnell, Bob Balaban, Carl Bernstein, Delia Ephron, Amy Ephron, Hallie Ephron, Reese Witherspoon, Rita Wilson, Lena Dunham, Gaby Hoffman, David Geffen, Marie Brenner. Archive Footage: Nora Ephron. Directors: Jacob Bernstein and Nick Hooker. Web site. Trailer.Moviegoers are truly blessed when they’re able to screen the films of an incredible talent. They’re especially fortunate when that talent is prolific, producing many worthwhile creations in many different milieus. It’s regrettable, though, when the creator of those works doesn’t always receive the recognition that’s genuinely deserved. So it was to some degree with writer-director-playwright [...]

Reviews of "Marguerite," "Midnight Special" and "99 Homes" are all available in the latest Movies with Meaning post on the Blog Page of The Good Radio Network, available by clicking here.Photo courtesy of Cohen Media Group.Photo by Hooman Bahrani, courtesy of Broad Green Pictures.

“Hello, My Name is Doris” (2016). Cast: Sally Field, Max Greenfield, Tyne Daly, Peter Gallagher, Beth Behrs, Stephen Root, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Elizabeth Reaser, Isabella Acres, Caroline Aaron, Natasha Lyonne, Kumail Nanjiani, Rebecca Wisecky, Rich Sommer, Don Stark, Kyle Mooney. Director: Michael Showalter. Screenplay: Laura Terruso and Michael Showalter. Short Film Source Material: Laura Terruso, “Doris & the Intern.” Web site. Trailer.For those who feel life has passed them by, the onset of one’s golden years can be demoralizing. It’s easy to embrace regrets, feeling as though there’s no hope for the future. But need it be so? Can we realistically start over late in the game? Those are some of the questions put to an aging eccentric spinster in the [...]