
Leviathan
Anyone reading world news for the past 12 months will be taken aback by Vladimir Putin’s blatant lies regarding Russia’s involvement in the war in Ukraine. Now comes a film that is extraordinarily powerful in capturing contemporary Russian society.

The Imitation Game
This is the 2nd film about a famous British scientists this year. Stephen Hawkin is probably better known to the public than Alan Touring. But Touring probably has changed our lives more than Hawkins.

The Great Beauty
If you want to see a film that is a genuine piece of art, you could not go wrong with The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza). Many European attempts to make an “artistic” rather than “commercial” film fail miserably. Breaking the tradition, experimentation for the sake of experimenting often becomes the center of these efforts rather than giving the viewer something new that does not feel artificial and contrived and is enjoyable to watch.

Wilde
If I ever were to teach at the Iowa Writer’s Workshop, I now have an idea for my very first seminar. I would have students compare the script for Wild and for The Theory of Everything.

The Theory of Everything
The life story of Steven Hawkings is amazing. In his early twenties he becomes afflicted by a rare disease that causes one to gradually lose control over all muscles. The doctors only give him two years to live.