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 opened in: 2009
Once (2007)
(After viewing)
by Randy Heffner — September 20, 2009
Once strengthened for me the Beauty of relationships and commitment. For a time, Guy and Girl have a wonderful thing going in the music they share and in the smiles and laughs they have together. …more »»
Rachel Getting Married (2008)
(Before viewing)
by Randy Heffner — October 14, 2009
Rachel Getting Married is in many ways a hard film to watch because of the numerous angles on family and personal dysfunction that it explores. The film has a unedited-home-video style and meditative tone that one must go with or the film will feel overly long. Still, for …more »»
The Savages (2007)
(Before viewing)
by Randy Heffner — November 8, 2009
The Savages is an unvarnished exploration of family dysfunction and reunion between a father, a brother, and a sister. There are many insightful moments that well capture tenderness, animosity, mistrust, self-hiding, caring, …more »»
The Secret of Roan Inish (1994)
(Before viewing)
by Randy Heffner — July 7, 2009
The 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 »»
The Secret of Roan Inish (1994)
(After viewing)
by Randy Heffner — July 7, 2009
After seeing The Secret of Roan Inish, I sat back and wondered how often I, like Tess (the grandmother), repress my longing for home. I wondered how often I, like Fiona’s father, opt for …more »»
Smoke Signals (1998)
(Before viewing)
by Randy Heffner — July 7, 2009
Made 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 …more »»
Smoke Signals (1998)
(After viewing)
by Randy Heffner — July 16, 2009
Watching Smoke Signals affected me in two distinct ways. The first comes from seeing Victor struggle with his father’s failings and offenses. Victor starts quite naturally with an external, …more »»
Smoke Signals (1998)
(Backstory)
by Randy Heffner — August 4, 2009
The most important part of the backstory for Smoke Signals is that it was written, produced, directed, and acted by Native Americans. This gives it a degree of credibility available to few other feature films concerning Indians. The basis for the screenplay …more »»
The Spitfire Grill (1996)
(Before viewing)
by Randy Heffner — October 31, 2009
Perhaps it is well-worn to say that a person coming out of prison has paid their debt to society, yet how do we really know that their character is changed? How should we behave until we do know? The Spitfire Grill starts with such questions, but …more »»
Surrogates (2009)
(Before viewing)
by Randy Heffner — September 28, 2009
Surrogates is an interesting mix of science fiction, action, and crime genres with a bit of the romantic as well. I’d like to say that it explores our struggle to be authentic humans, but …more »»
Wit (2001)
(Before viewing)
by Randy Heffner — July 16, 2009
In 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 »»
Wit (2001)
(After viewing)
by Randy Heffner — July 16, 2009
Having seen Wit, I want to take life more seriously. What I mean is that I want to take living life fully more seriously. I tend to think that living seriously means Doing Important Things. In Vivian’s case, this meant …more »»
