‘Movie Corner’ Archives
All That’s Left of You
By OLIVER STRICHERZ This year, MSPIFF44 showed a strong initiative to represent the stories of people from all parts of the world. More than 60 countries worldwide had at least one film in the festival, mostly in languages other than English. From documentaries to samurai films, there’s an international film for everyone. The Film Society’s deep appreciation for showing international stories through film shows up in many other parts of the year as well, through other specialty festivals such as the Twin Cities Arab Film Festival, Italian Film Festival, Cine Latino, Black Europe Film Festival, and more, all in collaboration with local Twin Cities cultural centers and international voices. All That’s Left of You poignantly shows the decades-long story of a Palestinian family adjusting to and enduring the heartbreaking displacement from their homeland. Pictured are two of the presenters of the film, one of whom represents Mizna, a locally based nonprofit that, among many [...]
Sinners
from the series Movie Corner... 5/5 Stars Comedy/Dark Comedy By HOWARD MCQUITTER II Howard McQuitter II All throughout, a profound maestro of blues with a quick glimpse of future Black music, rings strong from beginning to end. At the opening scene of director Ryan Coogler’s brilliant film (if not an outright masterwork) a young man, Sammie, drives up to a plain looking church, gets out and enters the place where the pastor, his father), is giving a Sunday sermon. When he approaches the pulpit where his father greets him, the camera zeros in on a snapped-off guitar neck in his right hand. Sammie’s face is bloodied and slashed as if he’s been in a brawl. That scene alone embodies a series of metaphors and allegories that will stare audiences in the face. His father requests Sammie to drop the guitar because “If you keep dancing with the Devil, one day he will follow you home.” Warner Bros. Pictures In a small town near Clarksdale, Mississippi, in 1932, at [...]
The Trouble with Jessica
from the series Movie Corner... By HOWARD MCQUITTER II Howard McQuitter II If you suffer from any claustrophobic issues, this dark comedy may just not be the movie for you. It all centers in an elaborate home when Beth, her husband Richard, and Jessica visit Tom and his wife Sarah. Jessica is the uninvited guest coming to their dinner. Tom and Sarah have deep problems of their own, mainly financial troubles. One problem is that Tom and Sarah are having to deal with an enfant terrible like Jessica. Once everybody sits down to eat, some unlikely and disturbing topics are talked about. A moral dilemma arises for Tom, Sarah, Richard and Beth. What do they do? Their situation doesn’t get any easier. Will they be discovered or not? Generally this is a relatively funny dark comedy, although the profanity is unfortunately heavy and profuse. The film is from The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival 44 and was screened at The Main Cinema (formerly known as St. [...]
