IMPORTANT SPIRITS FROM OUR PAST summoned their experiences, perspectives, and talents to deliver blessings and admonitions—invaluable gifts–to posterity. Homer, Shakespeare, Dickens, Hugo, Sappho, Simone De Beauvoir, Ursula Le Guin are just a few that come to mind. They used books, plays, and poems to craft messages and warnings that would be relevant for millennia. After all, the human drama is nothing if not a series of remakes and sequels. Because human group behavior is so repetitive, many such messages and warnings have the clarity of a premonition or a revelation. I just finished reading the George Orwell (his real name was Eric Blair) classic 1984 for about the seventh time. I have read it every four or five years since I was in college and

Much as with the Star Trek TV series, the first BladeRunner was not immediately appreciated. Sometimes, society does not immediately recognize itself in the mirror that Art holds up to it. The fact that as time went on, both efforts became epic and sacred for TV and film implies that they had tried to share a vital human experience that we didn’t recognize yet. But after another decade and the emergence of the Digital Age, it grew clear that within a generation we would be presented with choices and changes to our existence that would redefine what it meant to be human. Then, when these prescient films held up the mirror a second time, we recognized ourselves. The first thing to say about the sequel

Six Movies to See La La Land I am pretty sure it’s La La Land for Best Picture. This film left me thinking I just saw the Oscar Winner. It was bold and unpredictable: music, drama, the quest for fame—it’s all there. Passenger It was good Sci-Fi, like a futuristic Robinson Crusoe tale on an island surrounded by a sea of space. Oh, and Friday is a woman. My friend’s wife called it a “chick flick” and a “love story.” Lion It reminded me of Slumdog Millionaire award winner. It made a lot of people cry. Okay, I couldn’t help it, I got weepy. Fences Acting showcase for Viola and Denzelle. Potent stuff. It will win some Oscars. 20th Century Women Sleeper indie film that

Prediction One: We will see the beginning of protectionism. It’s what always happens when populism and nationalism rear their ugly heads: we decide to look out for ourselves and the rest of the world retaliates. Quotas, tariffs, and other barriers to trade are an inseparable part of populism. It tends to breed inflation and eventually, war. Prediction Two: It will be aired on every major channel and despite the apparent disruption of the domestic or world order, most will not care because it’s free entertainment. If you think about, Hollywood couldn’t produce a crazier series, yet it will be a huge global hit because he is outrageous and unpredictable and great for ratings. It will be a little like All in the Family except Archie

The election was won—as I thought it would be in my post of 9/22 (https://www.moviesmarketsandmore.com/the-clinton-curse-or-the-time-of-trump/) by the anti-candidate and the disruptor. Democrats had two potential disruptors in Warren and Sanders, either of whom could have won the election for president (and whose candidacies would probably have helped Dems gain the senate majority) were it not for the ambitions of Hilary Clinton—who offered to disrupt NOTHING except the gender of the most powerful leader in the world. In her insatiable appetite for political power and by applying her influence with the DNC, Clinton cost the country a chance at real change—instead of what will doubtless become control by Republicans and the conservative elite of all three branches of government: Congressional, Executive, and Judicial. My hopes, fears,

  I saw a number of films—some still playing—that do not merit a full review, so I will suggest a couple and try to create some energy around new ones on the way. Here are the shortened versions: Inferno Though I loved watching Felicity Jones, I got bored pretty quickly. Tom Hanks—it feels terrible to say this about a great performer—is getting tiresome. The plot did not grab me as in the prior stories. Ugh. The Accountant It was worth the price of admission, but would have been a better film if Ben Affleck had convinced me his character was autistic. He reminded me more of the programmed killer played by Matt Damon in parts of Jason Bourne than anything like Dustin Hoffman in Rain

Over the last year, Americans–and for that matter the world – witnessed the onset of a new era. I covered this to an extent in my post on Brexit  where I posited some rather dark parallels to the events of the early 20th century (https://www.moviesmarketsandmore.com/brexit-rings-the…-dis-integration/ ). But the surprising facts of the Trump candidacy and the weakening Clinton candidacy are further evidence this trend is in full swing and gathering momentum. The reality is that populism, nationalism, isolationism and protectionism are on the way in and globalism, inclusiveness, and pluralism are on the way out. With less than two months to go, it appears very possible that Donald Trump will be our new president. I would go so far as to set the odds at

In a terrific independent film playing at the Downer Theater in Milwaukee, I got to watch Collin Firth, Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, and Guy Pearce in a story about a golden age for publishing in the United States. The movie is called “Genius”and it focuses on Max Perkins, editor at Scribner & Sons who represented Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and for the purposes of this film Thomas Wolfe, author of”Look Homeward Angel.” Superbly acted and set splendidly amid the clothes, cars, and romance of the early 20th century, the plot centers around the discovery of Thomas Wolfe by Perkins. Wolfe (Jude Law) is a passionate and hyper-prolific writer, and Perkins (Colin Firth) is drawn to him personally and professionally despite the tragic and destructive nature he sees

Most people want to talk about Brexit as a rogue event—like the appearance of a comet or a solar eclipse. It should be viewed, though, as an important point on a continuum that marks a transition point in a decades-long global swing toward economic and political integration. Since Reagan and Thatcher and the collapse of communism, we have seen nearly thirty years of increasingly free-market policies with regard to trade, regulation and taxes—this on a global scale. The effects have been to promote economic integration and the financialization of the world.  The financialization is important in that it promotes debt-fueled feudalism—again, on an individual and a national level: the Greeks are an example of how debt leaves a country in servitude to the paymasters; the

The Lobster I had to drive some distance to see this film. It is very much a pity that the more rewarding film experiences are often the least accessible. While I admit that more “artistic” content has shifted toward home-viewing now—I insist that the ritual and experience of a theatre venue is more valid than the domestic one. The film was a surprise—even a shock—and it was worth the drive [pullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]If you choose to see this film, be prepared to talk about it after the credits roll. Consider yourself warned: everything is metaphor.[/pullquote] Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz (among other name players) made for a strong cast, but in this film, their acting talents were put to use in