This Week in Movies with Meaning
Reviews of "Eddington," "Words of War" and "Eric LaRue" are all in the latest Movies with Meaning post on the web site of The Good Media Network.
‘Words of War’ courageously exposes a terrible truth
As much as one would like to believe that humanity is capable of great things, we’ve also seen many instances where the opposite, unfortunately, is true. And, to make matters worse, many of those unsettling developments remain out of view, hidden in the shadows – that is, until someone comes along to courageously expose them. Those revelations often come at tremendous personal cost, too, but, when the world becomes aware of such horrors, opportunities for change, justice and healing begin to emerge. Such are the hopes offered up the gripping new fact-based historical drama, “Words of War.”
‘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?
‘Eddington’ analyzes beliefs gone wild
Some would say – and quite astutely at that – there’s plenty of madness to go around these days, and they’d be right. But where and when did this begin? Many would increasingly agree that a good place to start looking would be the COVID-19 Pandemic, a time when fear was ratcheted up, conspiracy theories ran amok, “protective” measures slid into excessive overreach, neighbors routinely spied on (and often made unsupported accusations about) neighbors, and people’s imaginations were let loose without restraint. What began as an alleged but widely legitimized public health crisis soon spilled over into myriad other areas of life as tempers, paranoia and disinformation flared to new heights. So why did this happen?
Appraising Paradise on The Cinema Scribe
Tune in for the latest Cinema Scribe segment on Bring Me 2 Life Radio, beginning Tuesday July 22.
This Week in Movies with Meaning
Reviews of "Can I Get a Witness?", "Watch the Skies" and "How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies," as well as a special announcement, are all in the latest Movies with Meaning post on the web site of The Good Media Network.
‘Can I Get a Witness?’ appraises the price of paradise
“Can I Get a Witness?” (2024 production, 2025 release). Cast: Sandra Oh, Keira Jang, Joel Oulette, Zaa Nkweta, Shaz Far, Casey Kenneth Wright, Yuki Morita, Ben Immanuel, Patrick Gallagher, Naika Toussaint, Andre Anthony, Oscar Chark, Jude Wilson, Cassandra Sawtell, Tedra Rogers, Ally Battaggia, Kymo Van Oers, Jovanna Burke. Director: Ann Marie Fleming. Screenplay: Ann Marie Fleming. Web site. Trailer. Successfully vanquishing global ills like environmental degradation, economic inequality, insufficient health care and armed conflict in order to purposely create an earthly paradise is undeniably an ambitious and virtuous goal that most of us would probably support. The benefits of creating a healthy, sustainably managed future are undeniable. But how far would we be willing to go to realize it? The [...]
‘How to Make Millions’ puts life into perspective
There are things in life more important than money, but sometimes we lose sight of that, unwittingly allowing our perspectives to become seriously skewed. Unfortunately, this usually happens most often when family-related considerations are involved. And those flawed perceptions, in turn, can become even further distorted when money is tied up with those familial matters, particularly when inheritance concerns loom. Such is the case for a Chinese-Thai family facing the prospects of what will happen to the assets of its terminally ill matriarch.
A Tremendous Honor
It's with tremendous pride and pleasure to announce that I have been officially accepted as a new member of the Chicago Indie Critics organization, a group of professional film reviewers who celebrate the diversity in film and film criticism, especially in my favorite (and often-underappreciated) genres -- arthouse movies, documentaries and foreign releases. This is a truly great honor, and it represents much welcomed, long sought-after recognition of my work in this area. I look forward to adding my voice to this esteemed chorus, as well as meeting and greeting a new circle of like-minded cinema peers.
Reliving the Past on The Cinema Scribe
Tune in for the latest Cinema Scribe segment on Bring Me 2 Life Radio, beginning Tuesday July 8,