An Unfinished Life is rich with diversity of relational contexts and emotional perspectives. In its exploration of forgiveness and responsibility, one central conflict is echoed and reflected in multiple …more »»
Film Talks: Most Recent
Oscar 2010: Best Picture Roundup
February 25, 2010 by Randy Heffner Quick talkAll ten of the 2010 Oscar Best Picture nominees are worth seeing, but for some, I recommend watching them only for specific reasons or under certain conditions. Three rise above the lot as particularly excellent films — …more »»
A Serious Man (2009)
February 22, 2010 by Randy Heffner Quick talkHave you had those times when nothing in life seems to fit? Times that you want the formula for how things work so you can try to fix them? A Serious Man is about that. But there’s more: watching the film puts you in that …more »»
The Blind Side (2009)
February 20, 2010 by Randy Heffner Quick talkAs a true story, the strength of The Blind Side is that it could have been embellished oh so much, but it was not. I suspect that no film adaptation of a true story is ever 100% factual, and I expect that’s the case …more »»
Up (2009)
February 20, 2010 by Randy Heffner Quick talkCharming, fun, and rich, Up takes us on an eventful animated ride watching the late-in-life transformation of Carl Fredricksen. Although the questions explored by the film are not particularly deep, Up’s creative coup …more »»
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
February 20, 2010 by Randy Heffner Quick talkIf you take pleasure in revenge and you choose to go on taking pleasure in it, Inglourious Basterds will give you plenty to feed your pleasure. I don’t want that to be me, yet there is truth in what the film …more »»
District 9 (2009)
February 19, 2010 by Randy Heffner Quick talkDistrict 9 finds a compassionate — and violent — angle from which to explore shallow and ugly prejudice. As it pits the supposed goodness and wisdom of “the authorities” against the supposed brainlessness and vulgarity of …more »»
Up in the Air (2009)
February 18, 2010 by Randy Heffner Quick talkWhat if your job had you on the road 322 days a year…traveling alone? What if you spent most of those days firing people? Starting with this bleak relational backdrop, Up in the Air explores hope, stability, …more »»
The Hurt Locker (2009)
February 17, 2010 by Randy Heffner Quick talkThree quite different men; three different experiences of war. The Hurt Locker takes us inside a fictional Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team — a bomb squad — in Iraq. I can understand complaints from …more »»
Precious (2009)
February 16, 2010 by Randy Heffner Quick talkEngaging, heart-wrenching, real, and strong, Precious delves deeply into dark places where our need for love collides with poverty — poverty of money, of spirit, of love, and of character. In the midst of the collision …more »»
An Education (2009)
February 8, 2010 by Randy Heffner Quick talkFunny, clever, poignant, painful, and redemptive, An Education puts us in the position of a teenage British school girl finding direction in life. If being serious about life is important, where is the place …more »»
The Road (2009)
January 20, 2010 by Randy Heffner Quick talkSet in a bleak and barren post-apocalyptic world, The Road intensely and insightfully explores the nature of goodness, hope, and love. How dark can your world get before you lose hope? At what point …more »»
The Lovely Bones (2009)
January 20, 2010 by Randy Heffner Quick talkThe Lovely Bones is a murder non-mystery. By telling us at the start that Susie Salmon was murdered and near the start who did it, the film turns the focus to the lives and relationships …more »»
Batman Begins (2005)
January 17, 2010 by Randy Heffner Before viewing talk // After viewing talkBatman Begins is an superb example of what excellent screenwriting and directing can do for a familiar story. Batman can easily be (and has been) produced with simple action and black-and-white morality. Christopher Nolan …more »»
Avatar (2009)
January 15, 2010 by Randy Heffner Quick talkTo a large degree, the environmental morality play contained in Avatar is painted in broad and simple strokes. Still, there is something compelling in the film’s embodiment of connection to and respect for the land. …more »»
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