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.

San Francisco (1936)

Posted on June 7, 2021 by Mark DuPré

I had always thought of 1936’s San Francisco as the ultimate early studio disaster movie I hadn’t seen yet, with then-groundbreaking effects dominating the film. Actually, the amount of film covering the devastating 1906 earthquake is relatively small, but the … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Older Films | Tagged Barbary Coast, Clark Gable, Dancing Lady, earthquake, Jeanette MacDonald, King of Hollywood, M-G-M, Paul Muni, San Francisco, Spencer Tracy, The Story of Louis Pasteur | Leave a comment

A Quiet Place Part II

Posted on May 29, 2021 by Mark DuPré

More than a year after its planned wide release, A Quiet Place Part II is finally here. It’s a solid, well-directed, and well-acted film. It reminds me a little of Alien followed by Aliens: thefirst was a deeply felt, intelligent … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged 28 Days Later..., A Quiet Place Part II, Cillian Murphy, Dakota Fanning, Djimon Hounsou, Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe, Tom Cruise, War of the Worlds | Leave a comment

A note to my readers – May 2021

Posted on May 3, 2021 by Mark DuPré

First of all, thank you for being a reader. I hope you enjoy and are blessed by what you read. I have a couple of things to share with you: I have three websites in all. I hope some who … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Father

Posted on May 2, 2021 by Mark DuPré

I was wrong. Not having been able to see The Father in the theater until recently, I went with the current wisdom that the award for Best Actor would of course go to Chadwick Boseman for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged Anthony Hopkins, Ben Smithard, Benedict Cumberbatch, Downton Abbey, Florian Zeller, Man in the High Castle, Mark Gatiss, Olivia Coleman, Olivia Williams, Rufus Sewell, Sherlock Holmes, The Father, The Favourite, The Sixth Sense, Victoria | Leave a comment

A note to Oscar (re: 2021 show)

Posted on April 28, 2021 by Mark DuPré

Oh, Oscar, Oscar! I’ve never felt sorry for you up to now. Yes, you’ve been ridiculous, and full of self-centeredness and virtue signaling. But with the pandemic and the dearth of movies in theaters, I had faith that you would … Continue reading →

Posted in Film-Related Articles | Tagged Anthony Hopkins, Carey Mulligan, Chadwick Boseman, Emerald Fennell, Frances McDormand, Jean Hersholt, Oscar, The Father, Tyler Perry | Leave a comment

Oscar 2021–Thoughts

Posted on April 15, 2021 by Mark DuPré

One might think that this would be a strange year for the Oscars because there were so few films that got a traditional theatrical release. I thought the list to choose from would be paltry, but with extending the qualifying … Continue reading →

Posted in Film-Related Articles | Tagged "Fight for You", "Hear My Voice", "Speak Now", Aaron Sorkin, Academy Awards, Amanda Seyfried, Andra Day, Another Round, Anthony Hopkins, ben-Adir, Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm, Carey Mulligan, Chadwick Boseman, Chloé Zhao, Da 5 Bloods, Daniel Kaluuya, Delroy Lindo, Frances McDormand, Gary Oldman, Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy, Judas and the Black Messiah, Keith Stanfield, Kingsley, Leslie Odom Jr., Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Malcolm X, Mank, Minari, Mulan, News of the World, Nomadland, One Night in Miami, One Night in Miami..., Oscars, Parasite, Promising Young Woman, Riz Ahmed, Sasha Baron Cohen, Screen Actors Guild, Sound of Metal, Steven Yeun, Tenet, The Father, The Trial of the Chicago 7, The United States vs. Billie Holiday, Thomas Vinterberg, White Tiger | Leave a comment

Dancing Lady (1933)

Posted on April 7, 2021 by Mark DuPré

For a film historian and even for just a film buff, there is almost too much going on in 1933’s Dancing Lady. It’s pre-Code, coming at the end of 1933, which already makes it worthy of special attention, i.e., what … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Older Films | Tagged 42nd Street, Busby Berkeley, Clark Gable, Dance Fool Dance, Dancing Lady, Dick Powell, Eve Arden, Footlight Parade, Franchot Tone, Fred Astaire, Gold Diggers of 1933, Gone with the Wind, It Happened One Night, jazz baby, Jeanette MacDonald, Jeanine Basinger, Joan Crawford, May Robson, MGM, Nelson Eddy, Our Dancing Daughters, Robert Benchley, Ruby Keeler, Sterling Holloway, The Great Zeigfeld, Warner Brothers | Leave a comment

Nomadland

Posted on March 30, 2021 by Mark DuPré

Nomadland is nearly guaranteed to win Best Picture in April, and will likely bring Chinese director Chloé Zhao the second of two consecutive Best Directors given to an Asian director, the first being Bong Joon-ho for last year’s groundbreaking Parasite. … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Leave a comment

News of the World and The Dig: Two slow films for a fast-paced culture

Posted on February 8, 2021 by Mark DuPré

I’ve seen a lot of films lately, but two have stuck out for their amazingly slow pace. One is the new(ish) Tom Hanks film, News of the World. The second is a new Netflix film starring Carey Mulligan and Ralph … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged Captain Phillips, Carey Mulligan, Cate Blanchett, Flight 93, Helena Zengel, Jason Bourne, Netflix, News of the World, Nicole Kidman, Paul Greengrass, Promising Young Woman, Ralph Fiennes, The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum, Tom Hanks, Western | Leave a comment

One Night in Miami…

Posted on January 22, 2021 by Mark DuPré

One Might in Miami… is an extraordinary film. For one, it’s an accomplished work from a first-time director, Regina King, already in the history books for winning Best Supporting Actress for 2018’s If Beale Street Could Talk (https://film-prof.com/2019/01/20/if-beale-street-could-talk/). It has … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged Aldis Hodge, Cassius Clay, Eli Goree, Hamilton, If Beale Street Could Talk, Jim Brown, Jr., Kemp Powers, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Leslie Odom, Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, One Night in Miami..., Regina King, Sam Cooke | Leave a comment