Topic: Movies

‘A Century of Self’ screening continues at UU fellowship tonight

By Christine Anne Piesyk | July 11, 2008 |

Part 4 of A Century of Self will be screened for First Friday Film at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at 3053 Highway 41-AS at 7 p.m. tonight. Admission is free.

The film is approximately 1 hour long and a discussion follows the film.

A Century of Self is fascinating look at how America’s masses were/are controlled through the use of Freud’s psychology. We’ve looked at how advertisers used this psychology to sell us things we do not need. Now we will look at how the government used/uses it to control us for its desires.
To find the UU Fellowship, drive south on Madison, 1.9 miles past the Wal Mart. Bring snacks to share if you wish.

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‘The Andromeda Strain’ revisted in slick A&E miniseries, now on DVD

By Christine Anne Piesyk | June 27, 2008 |

I’m not usually a fan of remakes, especially for a film I loved in its original form. The 2008 A&E production of Michael Crichton’s The Adromeda Strain overcame the odds to be at least as good as the original, if not better. It’s all a matter of perspective.

Crichton’s best novel of the same name was a taunt, tense, pre-computer age sci-fi thriller with Dustin Hoffman as scientist and protagonist Jeremy Stone, head of the Wildfire Biohazard Response team.

In this upgraded version, Director Mikael Salamon stuck to the story (Wow, what a concept!) and used 40 years of improved and expanded technology to rev up the action and adapt the film to 21st century science. It’s a place where the fiction is less improbable, the fantasy more believable, and, in the age of conspiracy theorists, corruption, terrorist threats and a new thrust toward space exploration are easily interjected into the film. «Read the rest of this article»

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The Snowman: Perennial enchantment

By Christine Anne Piesyk | December 1, 2007 |

This review ran in Clarksville Online on Nov. 29, 2006. But as my granddaughter and I unpacked my collection of snowmen for the coming holiday, my carefully wrapped musical plush Snowman emerged, to the delight of both of us. Everything else was dropped as we sat in the living room, puling the cord that triggered a music box version of the film’s hit song: Walking in the Air. As a Christmas gift idea for the child all of us, and a reminder of just how good animation can be, I reprint this review, with an updated video clip. Enjoy.

I can’t recall how many copies of The Snowman I’ve bought over the years, but it’s been quite a few. I usually end up giving them away to children who watch and are captivated by its’ magic. And then I buy another copy.

To the uninitiated, The Snowman is a delightful, animated short film about a young boy, James, who builds a snowman that springs to life as midnight chimes. It has only a few lines of introduction at the beginning; the remainder of the film is a symphonic soundtrack that follows their adventures, first as Snowman explores James’ world, putting on pants with suspenders, trying on hats, discovering a music box and the dangerous warmth of a fire. James and his fantasy creation dance across the floor of the house before heading outside, where the he and Snowman, in his mossy green hat and scarf embark on a journey north, racing through the forest and flying through the sky to a magical gathering of snowpeople in the far, far north.

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The greatest American hero

By Michael Covington | September 8, 2007 |

Who would have thought that this simple, friendly fellow from Lexington, KY would come into our homes and touch our hearts. This video is dedicated to Jim Varney who is truly the Greatest American Hero.

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Indiana Jones whips through Drive-In Saturday Night; Indy 4 coming in 2008

By Christine Anne Piesyk | August 31, 2007 |

The first time I watched Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), I left the theater exhausted, as if I had raced through the adventure right alongside the now legendary Indiana Jones. I raced back to the studio with my partner Jesse and we wrote our review that night, taped our radio program in the wee hours of the morning for a 7 a.m. airtime, and made plans to see it again. That night.

Harrison Ford made the inter-gallactic leap from his dashing Han Solo of the futuristic Star Wars to the historic backdrop of pre-World War II and carved a niche in a second, equally swashbuckling role as a seemingly mild-mannered college professor with a secret life as a treasure hunter. Raiders hits the screen on a dead run, with ‘Indy’ scooping a golden idol and fleeing angry natives (Hovitos) in a plane that has the one thing he hates most: a huge snake. That ‘little’ weakness is endearing in this tough guy persona.

Indy is about to get the biggest challenge of his life in the form of a quest for a holy grail of sorts: the Ark of the Covenant, the supposed repository for the Ten Commandments of biblical fame. He has to grab it before the Nazis do, for whoever holds the covenant will rule the world.

Enter Marion (Karen Allen) as his gutsy former lover turned partner, a woman who holds her own against killers, conspirators, and all things evil. A Princess Leia for the 1930s. «Read the rest of this article»

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Ladies Night on Drive-In Saturday Night

By Christine Anne Piesyk | June 22, 2007 |

Queue up for romance. Yes, sappy, sentimental, romantic. Loves stories. Guys, if you don’t want to watch us cry (for love or loss), snivel and reach for Kleenex all night long, you might want to head back to the Cineplex this weekend.

I’m starting with Roman Holiday: Audrey Hepburn (her first starring role) and Gregory Peck co-star in this Roman romp as an enchanting runaway princess and a struggling reporter steal a day together and fall in love. Apart from the typical touristy Roman landscape, there’s a hint of subterfuge, a case of hidden identities and agendas that tease and taunt. But class, power and personal responsibility temper what should have been, and the ending is bittersweet. Director William Wyler used a lighter hand here and his touch was impeccable. Beautiful locations. And that Hepburn fashion designed by Edith Head … How can you not love this picture? (1953) «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Arts and Leisure | 1 Comment »

Star Wars: a story about a father and son

By David W. Shelton | June 16, 2007 |

I can’t believe I missed it. I’m a horrible, wretched, pathetic loser. I missed one of the most important anniversaries in my life. It was the anniversary of what is arguably the single most important event in my childhood—the event which defined my imagination and helped to create the imaginary world in which I lived for years.

Yes, dear friends, I missed the 30th anniversary of the opening of Star Wars. Maybe it’s appropriate, really. Maybe I should have remembered the day that we first ventured to the local theatre to see that landmark picture. After all, when George Lucas’ historic space opera opened just before Memorial Day of 1977, only 40 theatres across the country played it. «Read the rest of this article»

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Ready or not, here comes SiCKO!

By Bill Larson | May 30, 2007 |

Michael Moore is coming out with a new documentary called SiCKO. It is a harsh look at the American health care system. SiCKO opens in theaters everywhere on June 29th.

When asked about SiCKO, Michael Moore responds , “Sicko is a comedy about 45 million people with no health care in the richest country on Earth.” I personally disagree with Michael Moore on that one point, this is not a funny subject.

A reviewer on the Internet Movie Database web site had this to say:

A man without health insurance (companies simply refuse people), whose middle- and ring finger are cut off, had to choose between paying 60.000 dollars for having his middle finger restored and 12.000 dollars for having his ring finger fixed. Being the “romantic” that he is, he chose his ring finger. A woman, formerly with a good job, bankrupted by her medical bills and forced to live in the study of her daughter, has to pay 240 dollars a month for her cancer medication but gets the same pills on Cuba for… 10 cents. 45 Million uninsured Americans live in fear that they might, some day, need medical care. The rest of the world doesn’t know these fears, because for them, medical help is free: paid for by tax money. The United States have become ruthless to it’s own people. It contradicts the image Americans have of themselves and their country, but it’s the awful truth. - Ivo Martijn

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