Author Archives: Mark DuPré

About Mark DuPré

Retired (associate) pastor at a Christian church. Retired film professor at Rochester Institute of Technology. Husband for nearly 50 years to the lovely and talented Diane. Father to three children and father-in-law to three more amazing people. I continue some ministry duties even though retired from the pastoral staff position. Right now I'm co-writing a book, co-writing a serious musical drama, and am half-way through writing (on my own a month-long devotional.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

Posted on December 19, 2025 by Mark DuPré

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is the third installment in the Knives Out mysteries, which feature direction by Rian Johnson and star Daniel Craig as Southern detective Benoit Blanc. The films are Agatha Cristie-style mysteries that begin … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Agatha Cristie, Benoit Blanc, Casablanca, Challengers, Daniel Craig, Elmer Gantry, film, Glenn Close, Grantchester, Jeremy Renner, Josh Brolin, Josh O'Connor, Kerry Washington, Knives Out, Mila Kunis, movies, priest, priests, Rian JOhnson, The Bishop's Wife, The Crown, Thomas Haden Church | Leave a comment

Jay Kelly

Posted on December 16, 2025 by Mark DuPré

Jay Kelly is the newest film starring George Clooney. It’s directed by Noah Baumbach (Oscar nominations for best adapted screenplay for Barbie, and for best original screenplay and director for Marriage Story). The story is written by Baumbach and actress … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Adam Sandler, barbie, Bill Nighy, Billy Crudup, Emily Mortimer, film, George Clooney, Greta Gerwig, Jay Kelly, La La Land, Lady Bird, Lars and the Real Girl, Laura Dern, LInus Sandgren, Little Women, Love, Love Actually, Lovely and Amazing, Marriage Story, movies, Netflix, Noah Baumbach, Punch-Drunk Love, The Waterboy, Uncut Gems, Warner Bros. | Leave a comment

Wicked: For Good

Posted on December 11, 2025 by Mark DuPré

The second half of the two-parter was never going to be better than the first. The first had the element of freshness with its two leads, the joy of creating its world, and of course, that showstopper among all showstoppers, … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged "The Girl in the Bubble", "There's No Place Like Home", Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, DEfying Gravity, Dune, Elphaba, Eternals, Ethan Slater, For Good, Gemma Chan, Glinda, I Love Trouble, Jeff Goldblum, Julia Roberts, Les Miserables, Michelle Yeoh, movies, musical, Nick Nolte, Richard Madden, The Phantom of the Opera, The Wizard of Oz, Wicked, Wicked: For Good | Leave a comment

The Running Man (2025)

Posted on December 4, 2025 by Mark DuPré

This year’s The Running Man, is a) a sequel to the 1987 film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, or b) the latest from director Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Baby Driver), or c) the latest from quickly rising … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged Ben Richards, Colman Domingo, Denzel Washington, Edgar Wright, film, Glen Powell, Liam Neeson, Matthew McConaughey, Michael Cera, movies, Paul Newman, reviews, The Americanos, The Kardashians, The Running Man, the-poseiden-adventure, William H. Macy | Leave a comment

Frankenstein (2025)

Posted on November 17, 2025 by Mark DuPré

I’ve not been the biggest Guillermo del Toro fan over the years, especially with his winning Best Picture and Best Director at the 2018 Oscars for The Shape of Water, one of the Academy’s most egregious errors. His new film, … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged 1931, All Quiet on the Western Front, All the Light We Cannot See, Ephoria, film, Frankenstein, Guillermo del Toro, horror, Iscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Netflix, Oscar Isaac, Romantic Gothic, Saltburn, The Creature, The MOnster, The Shape of Water, Victor Frankenstein, Wuthering Heights | Leave a comment

Nuremberg

Posted on November 13, 2025 by Mark DuPré

Anything that presents the horrors of the Nazi regime is welcome in today’s history-averse world. In that context, I’m glad Nuremberg was made. IMDB succinctly states that the story is that of “[a] WWII psychiatrist [who] evaluates Nazi leaders before … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged Bohemian Rhapsody, film, Gladiator, Herman Goring, John Slattery, Leo Woodall, Michael Shannon, movies, Nazi, Nuremberg, Rami Malek, Richard E. Grant, Russell Crowe, The White Lotus, Two Nights One Day, World War Two, WWII | Leave a comment

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale

Posted on October 9, 2025 by Mark DuPré

If you’re a fan of the television series or the two previous films—or both—this wrap-up is like a warm and cozy meal on a cold winter day. As with a handful of films, this one is beyond criticism in some … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Cora Grantham, Crawleys, Downton Abbey, Downton Abbey: The Grande Filnale, Granthams, history, Julian Fellowes, Kay Francis, Maggie Smith, Matthew Goode, movies, Paul Giamatti, reviews | Leave a comment

Juror #2

Posted on September 23, 2025 by Mark DuPré

This isn’t a new film, but still a relatively recent one (2024). I saw it on an international flight, obviously not the best context for viewing any film. But Clint Eastwood was the director, so I thought it would be … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged Chicago, Chris Messina, Clint Eastwood, J.K. Rowling, J.K. Simmons, Juror #2, Keifer Sutherland, movies, Nicholas Hoult, review, Superman, The Sixth Sense, Toni Collette | Leave a comment

The 13 Worst “Best Picture” Winners

Posted on August 26, 2025 by Mark DuPré

The Oscars started out well, albeit being a group initially designed to keep union activity away, and to continue to grow Louis B. Mayer’s influence in Hollywood. The first year, they even had to address the “popular pic vs. art … Continue reading →

Posted in Film-Related Articles | Tagged A Place in the Sun, A Star is Born, A Streetcar Names Desire, All the King's Men, All the President's Men, American Beauty, An American in Paris, Argo, Around the World in 80 Days, Bradley Cooper, Braveheart, Cavalcade, Chicago, Coal Miner's Daughter, CODA, Crash, Dances with Wolves, Double Indemnity, Driving Miss Daisy, Dune, Forrest Gump, Gaaslight, Ghandi, Giant, Going My Way, Green Book, Guillermo del Toro, Hamlet, Hellboy, High Noon, How Green Was My Valley, Network, Oliver!, Ordinary People, Pan's Labyrinth, Raging Bull, Rocly, Roma, Saving Private Ryan, singin' in the rain, Taxi Driver, Tess, The Artist, The Broadway Melody, The Elephant Man, The Greatest Show on Earth, The King and I, The Power of the Dog, The Quiet Man, The Shape of Water, The Shawshank Redemption, West Side Story, You Can't Take it with You | Leave a comment

Superman (2025)

Posted on July 31, 2025 by Mark DuPré

Bottom line: Just go see it. It’s really good, albeit with a few big flaws, but it’s a great reset to the DCEU and the Superman franchise. For those choosing not to see it because of so-called “woke elements”—if you … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged Caped Crusader, Christopher Reeve, Clark Kent, David Corenswet, DC, George Reeves, Guardians of the Galaxy, Henry Cavill, House of Cards, James Gunn, Jimmy Olsen, Kryptonite, Les Luthor, Lois Lane, movies, Nicholas Hoult, Rachel Brosnahan, Superman, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel | Leave a comment