As 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 »»
Film Talks Tagged ‘Drama’
Goodbye Solo (2009)
(Before viewing)
by Randy Heffner — December 15, 2011
A 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)
(After viewing)
by Randy Heffner — December 15, 2011
I 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)
(Before viewing)
by Randy Heffner — May 12, 2010
It 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)
(Before viewing)
by Randy Heffner — October 7, 2009
One 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)
(Backstory)
by Randy Heffner — October 31, 2009
The 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)
(After viewing)
by Randy Heffner — October 7, 2009
By 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 »»
The Help (2011)
(Before viewing)
by Randy Heffner — February 7, 2012
Curiously, The Help works as a film — it can reach inside and grab us, sending us away as better people with deeper hearts to resist thinking ourselves superior. I say “curiously” because it has a major filmcraft weakness that doesn’t seem to …more »»
Hotel Rwanda (2004)
(Before viewing)
by Randy Heffner — December 3, 2009
Hotel Rwanda asks whether we will do what we can to address the darkness around us. For 100 days in 1994, the world watched the horror of the Rwandan genocide and took no action. Through the eyes of a hotel manager …more »»
Hugo (2011)
(Before viewing)
by Randy Heffner — February 2, 2012
Have you thought of the world as a machine? For me, the question carries connotations of a cold, heartless world of isolation and exploitation. Embedded within Hugo’s exploration of other matters of the heart, the film uniquely explores “machine nature” from …more »»
The Hurt Locker (2009)
(Before viewing)
by Randy Heffner — February 17, 2010
Three 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 »»
The Ice Storm (1997)
(Before viewing)
by Randy Heffner — November 12, 2009
The ending of The Ice Storm is an impactful moment of character development, and the rest of the film contributes much toward that moment’s impact. However, there is much in the film’s path of exploration that tends to dwell on relational dysfunction in a …more »»
The Ides of March (2011)
(Before viewing)
by Randy Heffner — December 18, 2011
Of all the interest The Ides of March has to offer, the title is among the most interesting of them. The reference to political leaders and assassinations is the knee-jerk and most obvious reference, yet the film turns out to be much more …more »»
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
(Before viewing)
by Randy Heffner — February 20, 2010
If 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 »»
Insomnia (2002)
(Before viewing)
by Randy Heffner — September 30, 2010
“This is why I did that…it wasn’t so bad.” Insomnia, another fine piece of work directed by Christopher Nolan, cunningly explores self-justification from multiple angles. …more »»
