Both the music and the story are excellent, and the way they are intertwined notably raises the impact and resonance of the film’s exploration of relationships and reconciliation. The story is thinly told, yet it feels that nothing important is left out. …more »»
Film Talks: Most Recent
The Doorpost Film Project (2009)
September 11, 2009 by Randy Heffner Quick talkThe Doorpost Film Project runs an annual short film competition. It runs in two rounds. The top ten entrants from the first round receive a small budget to produce a film for the final round. The Doorpost’s 2009 final films include some excellent and impactful work. The films explored …more »»
It Might Get Loud (2009)
September 8, 2009 by Randy Heffner Quick talkIf for you, rock and blues electric guitar music is in itself a Beautiful thing, It Might Get Loud is a great place to get lost in reverie with it. And, if you’re a big fan of Jimmy Page, The Edge, or Jack White, …more »»
Cold Souls (2009)
September 7, 2009 by Randy Heffner Quick talkCold Souls is great as a light yet insightful exploration of the nature of the soul and its relationship to us as humans. Paul Giamatti is rehearsing for the lead in Chekhov’s play Uncle Vanya. The problem is, …more »»
Wit (2001)
July 16, 2009 by Randy Heffner Before viewing talk // After viewing talkIn the context of a life and death scenario, Wit intensely explores issues of life before death by juxtaposing the emotional sterility of the typical health care process, the purpose of academic rigor, simple human caring, the power of art, and the value and dignity of a human. …more »»
Smoke Signals (1998)
July 7, 2009 by Randy Heffner Before viewing talk // After viewing talk // Backstory talkMade by Indians about Indians (we can say “Indians” rather than “Native Americans” because they themselves say it that way in the film), Smoke Signals creatively mixes humor from multiple angles (about Indians, about reservations, about how others see Indians, about the history of Indian relations with the USA, etc.) with serious explorations of relationships and family that ring true beyond the reservation. …more »»
The Secret of Roan Inish (1994)
July 7, 2009 by Randy Heffner Before viewing talk // After viewing talkThe legends, mystery, and characters in The Secret of Roan Inish beautifully embody our innate longing for home and how we deal with that longing. The Irish waterscape and the life within it becomes a character, being both lovely and treacherous, passive and with its own active agenda. …more »»
Lars and the Real Girl (2007)
June 17, 2009 by Randy Heffner Before viewing talk // After viewing talkLars and the Real Girl asks big “what if” questions about how we, the “normal”, might love those with mental illness. It would be easy for the film to take the premise over the top into staged gags and crude jokes, but it doesn’t. …more »»
The Big Kahuna (1999)
June 1, 2009 by Randy Heffner Before viewing talk // After viewing talkThe Big Kahuna insightfully explores the nature of true concern for another individual in the context of friend-to-friend banter, interactions with coworkers, personal crisis, and Christian evangelism. …more »»
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