This Week in Movies with Meaning
Reviews of "Sentimental Value," "Eleanor the Great" and "Rebuilding," along with a Windie Awards preview, are all in the latest Movies with Meaning post on the web site of The Good Media Network,.
The Virtues of Compassion on The Cinema Scribe
Tune in for the latest Cinema Scribe segment on Bring Me 2 Life Radio, beginning Tuesday January 13.
‘Rebuilding’ celebrates the virtues of compassion
When the slate gets involuntarily wiped clean, we generally have two choices available to us: (1) walking away and starting anew or (2) attempting to rebuild. Both options usually represent hard choices, not only because of the effort required, but also due to the emotional anguish we’re likely to face. Of those two choices, the restoration option can be particularly trying, given that, as we go through it, we’re constantly reminded of what we lost. However, there are also things to be gained, especially when it comes to the compassion, assistance and support we’re likely to receive from those who want to help.
Assessing the Good Lie on The Cinema Scribe
Tune in for the latest Cinema Scribe segment on Bring Me 2 Life Radio, beginning Tuesday December 9.
‘Eleanor the Great’ wrestles with the merits of ‘the good lie’
We’ve all been taught the wisdom behind the notion of “honesty is the best policy.” It’s sound, solid guidance that’s nearly always appropriate (provided it’s not carried to an unhealthy extreme). But what about the opposite of this advice: Is there ever any benefit in a falsehood, the so-called “good lie?” At first glance, it might be easy to dismiss this idea out of hand, but what if something less than truthful is capable of imparting insight, inspiration or comfort to someone in distress? In cases like that, can it realistically be summarily rejected?
Wrapping Up the 2025 Chicago Film Festival
With this year’s 61st edition of the Chicago International Film Festival in the books, I’ve completed my screenings for 2025. Here’s what I screened and what I thought.
‘Peacock’ seeks the nature of the self and our existence
In this age of increasingly untrustworthy AI, rampant fake news and unabashedly self-serving social media, it’s becoming ever more difficult for many of us to distinguish what’s “real” and what isn’t these days, almost as if we’re stuck in a frightening new Orwellian paradigm. That’s significant, not only for how we perceive existence, but even in terms of how we experience and respond to it. In fact, these circumstances might even be looked upon as a metaphysical or existential nightmare. But how do we cope with such circumstances?
‘Eric LaRue’ explores coping under fire
When one lives in a small town, it’s not uncommon for everyone to seemingly know everybody else’s business, a circumstance that can be inconvenient, frustrating or annoying. But, worse than that, if one is somehow associated with an incident that’s tragic, scandalous or unspeakable, dealing with the fallout of such conditions (and the associated consequences) can be wholly intolerable. So how does one cope in scenarios like this?
This Week in Movies with Meaning
Reviews of "Turtles," "The Life of Chuck" and "The Ballad of Wallis Island" are all in the latest Movies with Meaning post on the web site of The Good Media Network.
This Week in Movies with Meaning
Reviews of "The Room Next Door," "Hard Truths" and "Nightbitch," along with a podcast preview and my Oscar scorecard, are all in the latest Movies with Meaning post on the web site of The Good Media Network.