Without a doubt, Coriolanus is Shakespeare done well. Intense and engaging, the film uses the play’s original language and cities but sets it in modern times, reducing the historical …more »»
Film Talks Tagged ‘Drama’
The Descendants (2011)
by Randy Heffner — December 16, 2011Witty and gentle, unfolding at a closely measured pace, The Descendants moves through a chaotic but in the end lovely cohort of relationships wrestling with misdeeds, transgressions, wounds, and flaws, mixing tenderness and aggravation to explore how we might find heart in the middle …more »»
Doubt (2008)
by Randy Heffner — November 6, 2009The simple title Doubt captures the film’s exploration well. The story deals with certainty and doubt around certain events, but the film evokes an exploration of doubt that runs deeper than the story. But, whether one engages at the story level or …more »»
Doubt (2008)
by Randy Heffner — November 6, 2009Doubt reinforced for me the dangers of prematurely moving into a position of certainty. In the film, the core issue of doubt versus certainty revolves around facts of this world — whether or not Father Flynn did or did not do certain things. Yet …more »»
Drive (2011)
by Randy Heffner — October 1, 2011The trailers for Drive promise an action flick full of intensity and fast driving. There is indeed plenty of intensity and also some very good driving. There are some very bad bad guys, and great peril of life and limb. If that’s all one wants in a film, …more »»
An Education (2009)
by Randy Heffner — February 8, 2010Funny, 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 »»
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)
by Randy Heffner — January 29, 2012A father’s unique and creative care for his son, which is at the center of Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, carries profound power of hope and healing — even when the father can’t be there. The film embodies this power strongly in its …more »»
The Fighter (2010)
by Randy Heffner — December 28, 2010While it’s true that The Fighter tells a familiar sounding story — boxer overcomes odds — still it finds important underexplored territory. Mixing scenes of trust, betrayal, family pressure, family pride, manipulation, forgiveness, fear, failure, …more »»
The Ghost Writer (2010)
by Randy Heffner — November 25, 2010As an entertaining mystery flick, The Ghost Writer has some things going for it — government intrigue, mysterious figures, hidden back-stories, etc. — but I didn’t find it to really …more »»
Goodbye Solo (2009)
by Randy Heffner — December 15, 2011A momentary acquaintance is most times just that: momentary. The beauty in Goodbye Solo arises from a quick, sharp moment of insight leads one character, driven by his depth of concern for other people, to relentlessly …more »»
Goodbye Solo (2009)
by Randy Heffner — December 15, 2011I was intensely struck by Solo’s character in Goodbye Solo and specifically by his immediate — and sustained — reaction to a fellow human in crisis. I want to be that ready to reach and stretch …more »»
Grace is Gone (2007)
by Randy Heffner — May 12, 2010It is superficial to say that it’s heart-wrenching to lose a loved one in war — that is, unless you can say it the way that Grace is Gone says it. In the film, we live through a father’s shock at the death of Grace, his wife and the mother of his two preteen daughters. Why, you may well ask, …more »»
Gran Torino (2008)
by Randy Heffner — October 7, 2009One could say that Gran Torino explores racism, but really racism is almost a red herring in the film’s exploration of alienation, sacrifice, caring, gratitude, and giving. Some praise the film, and some have derided …more »»
Gran Torino (2008)
by Randy Heffner — October 31, 2009The part of the story around Gran Torino that I want to focus on doesn’t so much add to its impact. It’s about the impact of film more generally, based on how we engage with it. There’s an interesting dichotomy of opinion about Gran Torino that relates very much to the perspectives behind these film talks …more »»
Gran Torino (2008)
by Randy Heffner — October 7, 2009By putting our judgments of others in the context of responsibility and maturity, Gran Torino encourages me toward a nuanced understanding of my judgments and their appropriateness. But even more, …more »»
