“Loving” (2016). Cast: Joel Edgerton, Ruth Negga, Michael Shannon, Will Dalton, Winter-Lee Holland, Terri Abney, Alano Miller, Marton Csokas, Bill Camp, David Jensen, Nick Kroll, Jon Bass, Sharon Blackwood, Andrene Ward-Hammond, Jennifer Joyner, Jevin Crochrell, Jordan Williams Jr., Georgia Crawford, Brenan Young, Dalyn M. Cleckley, Quinn McPherson. Director: Jeff Nichols. Screenplay: Jeff Nichols. Web site. Trailer.Who we fall in love with is no one’s business but our own. However, it wasn’t always that way. As recently as the 1960s, interracial marriage was illegal in a number of states. But, in the end, laws weren’t enough to separate those whose love destined them to be together. One couple’s precedent-setting fight to assert this fundamental right provides the basis for the touching [...]

“Arrival” (2016). Cast: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker, Michael Stuhlbarg, Mark O’Brien, Tzi Ma, Jadyn Malone, Carmella Nossa Guizzo, Abigail Pniowsky, Julia Scarlett Dan. Director: Denis Villeneuve. Screenplay: Eric Heisserer. Story: Ted Chiang, “The Story of Your Life.” Web site. Trailer.Something as simple as saying “hello” shouldn’t be difficult, right? But what if we were up against that task in the context of contact with aliens? How would we respond? In fact, where would we even begin? Establishing a connection and effective communication are crucial. However, such critical concerns notwithstanding, an even more fundamental consideration is developing an understanding of how we each view the nature of existence. Without that, we may never even get to hello. These are [...]

Because of the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, this month’s Movies with Meaning segment on Frankiesense & More radio is being moved up a week to this Thursday, November 17 at 1 pm ET. Join host Frankie Picasso and me as we examine several new film releases. Tune in live or listen to the on-demand podcast for some lively movie talk by clicking here.

Reviews of "Arrival," "Loving" and "A Man Called Ove," along with a radio preview, are all in the latest Movies with Meaning post on the Blog Page of The Good Radio Network, available by clicking here.

“Moonlight” (2016). Cast: Trevante Rhodes, André Holland, Naomie Harris, Mahershala Ali, Ashton Sanders, Alex Hibbert, Janelle Monáe, Jharrel Jerome, Jaden Piner, Patrick Decile. Director: Barry Jenkins. Screenplay: Barry Jenkins. Story: Tarell Alvin McCraney. Web site. Trailer.Finding ourselves can be a difficult enough experience even under the best of circumstances. But, when the process is burdened by challenges and extenuating circumstances, it can become that much more difficult. So it is for a young man trying to discover himself in the gripping new coming of age drama, “Moonlight.”The film tells the story of Chiron, a young African-American man growing up in Miami and Atlanta. In recounting his experience, the picture examines three phases of his life – his childhood, when he [...]

Reviews of "Moonlight," "Inferno" and three more movies from the Chicago Film Festival are all in the latest Movies with Meaning post on the Blog Page of The Good Radio Network, available by clicking here.

“Anesthesia” (2015). Cast: Sam Waterston, Glenn Close, Tim Blake Nelson, Corey Stoll, Kristen Stewart, Gretchen Mol, Richard Thomas, K. Todd Freeman, Michael K. Williams, Jessica Hecht, Hannah Marks, Ben Konigsberg, Jacqueline Baum, Ekaterina Samsonov, J. Bernard Calloway, Rob Morgan, Scott Cohen, Gloria Reuben. Director: Tim Blake Nelson. Screenplay: Tim Blake Nelson. Web site. Trailer.The struggles of everyday life can be overwhelming. They may even be more to cope with than we can handle. And, because of that, many of us may seek avenues of escape from the pain and hardship through various means. But, in doing so, we may unwittingly cut ourselves off from sources of support, comfort and guidance. Such are the themes explored in the engaging multifaceted drama, [...]

Join me and host Frankie Picasso this Thursday, October 27 at 1 pm ET, for an extended edition of this month's Movies with Meaning segment on Frankiesense & More radio. We'll discuss a number of new movie releases, as well as a wrap-up of the 52nd Chicago International Film Festival. Tune in by clicking here for some lively movie chat! And, in the meantime, to read more about the Festival, click here.

The 52nd annual Chicago International Film Festival is drawing to a close, and I’ve spent much of the past two weeks screening a number of its many fine offerings. Here are brief looks at the pictures I saw, scored on the basis of 1 to 5 (worst to best), the voting system used by Festival attendees to rate the movies shown. “Kills on Wheels” (“Tiszta szívvel”) (Hungary) (trailer) This highly entertaining dark comedy focuses on the exploits of two disabled young men (Zoltán Fenyvesi, Ádám Fekete) who fancy themselves graphic novel artists but who, for economic reasons, are forced to become accomplices to a disabled fireman-turned-hitman (Szabolcs Thuróczy) in helping him carry out the orders of a mob boss (Dusán [...]

Reviews of "Anesthesia," "The Teacher" and "One Week and a Day," as well as a radio show preview, are all available in the latest Movies with Meaning post on the Blog Page of The Good Radio Network, available by clicking here.