Features & First Impressions 1. Over at the San Francisco Chronicle, Mick Laselle writes about Another Year that it “is not for Mike Leigh…
The Emperor’s Club (Ethan Canin & Neil Tolkin, 2002)
Features & First Impressions The ‘inspirational-teacher’ genre has proven attractive to Hollywood: think Goodbye Mr. Chips (1939),
The Big Short (Adam McKay, 2015)
The power of money and greed On September 15, 2008 the Wall Street bank Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy. It was the beginning of…
Henry Poole is Here (Albert Torres, 2008)
1. What was your first impression? What lines of dialogue, visual settings or aspects of the soundtrack stood out to you? 2. What genre…
Lars and the Real Girl (Craig Gillespie, 1997)
Features & First Impressions 1. Reviewer Louise Keller (Urban Cinefile) writes, “This charmer of a film is one you will never forget. The elements…
Seducing Doctor Lewis (Jean-Francois Pouliot, 2004)
Features & First Impressions 1. Despite winning 14 awards at various Canadian and U.S. film festivals in 2003 and 2004 (including the audience award…
What Dreams May Come (Vincent Ward, 1998)
Features & First Impressions 1. Reviewer James Berardinelli says, “What Dreams May Come has the sensibilities of an art film placed into a big-budget…
The Zero Theorem (Terry Gilliam, 2014)
What’s the point of anything? Absurdity, it is said, rests on the knife-edge between comedy and insanity. Those who mistake the absurd for reality…
12 Years a Slave (Steve McQueen, 2013)
Denial, Desire, and the Proclamation of Scripture: Theological Reflections on 12 Years a Slave Harriet Tubman, the former slave and leader of the Underground…
Obvious Child (Gillian Robespierre, 2014)
Who’s Obviously a Child? "Good Morning!” said Bilbo, and he meant it. “What do you mean?” Gandalf said. “Do you wish me a good…