“Elysium” gives sci-fi twist to immigration, health care
Sci-fi is such a perfect microscope for examining contemporary problems!
"Conduct of Saints”: conscience, crime, and Catholics in post-Nazi Rome
Emanating from a small publishing house, this novel likely has no five- or six-figure advertising budget, and may escape notice. Make sure your local library gets it.
“The Gatekeepers”: brutally frank and powerful
If you have any interest at all in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, "The Gatekeepers" is essential viewing.
“World War Z” as World War Proletariat
If you're tired of hearing about zombies...that's probably too bad. America's most popular monster shows no sign of shambling away quietly.
"Wolverine" sequel is much sharper than the first
The follow-up to the abysmal 2009 X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which royally ticked off fans and critics alike, The Wolverine fixed everything that was wrong with the eponymous character's story.
Pacific Rim: a great giant monster film!
Del Toro is a master of visual design. The monsters and robots are so full of detail they become characters. The scale is truly immersive and the action is spectacular.
“The East” probes ultra-left minds in twisted plot
Ellen Page is wonderful in "The East." I've never seen her in a movie when she wasn't wonderful.
Student debt crisis: an American horror story
The movie is about a recent college graduate, Kate. Everywhere she goes, her debt follows her, symbolized by a creeping red mist.
“American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs”
This radical icon remains full of grace: Bogged down she's not, as she remains ready for the revolution, whatever form it may take.
“Dormant Beauty:” a searing look at death and politics
The topical Dormant Beauty is about - depending on your point of view - the right to die, or rather, perhaps, the right to life.
