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.

A Star is Born (2018)

Posted on December 5, 2018 by Mark DuPré

In film school, we learned that one of the most intriguing of artistic collisions is when a strong auteur director with a signature style decides to take on a genre with its own rigorous formulaic demands. The result is usually … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged A Star is Born, Ally, Barbra Streisand, Bradley Cooper, Britney Spears, George Cukor, Jack, Judy Garland, Kris Kristofferson, Lada Gaga, Sam Elliott, What Price Hollywood? | Leave a comment

Green Book

Posted on November 26, 2018 by Mark DuPré

Note: It’s been a long time since my last entry. Apologies. I’ve seen many an older, classic film, but no films in the theater. Yes, it’s been that busy. The older films I saw deserve their own entry, but an … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged Aragon, Green Book, House of Cards, Jim Crow, LOTR, Mahershala Ali, Moonlight, The Negro Motorist Green Book, Viggo Mortensen | Leave a comment

Two Prototypes: What Price Hollywood? (1932) and Stranger on the Third Floor (1940)

Posted on September 25, 2018 by Mark DuPré

Prototype: a first, typical or preliminary model of something. I’ve seen a boatload of old and foreign films recently but haven’t had the time to write about them. Yet when I notice a similarity between two films that don’t seem … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Older Films | Tagged A Star is Born, Bill Murray, Cat People, Citizen Kane, Clint Morgan, Constance Bennett, Dali, David O. Selznick, Double Indemnity, film noir, George Cukor, German Expressionist, Hitchcock, IMDB, Lowell Sherman, M, Neil Hamilton, Nicholas Musuraca, Out of the Past, Peter Lorre, prototype, Spellbound, Stranger on the Third Floor, The Maltese Falcon, Val Lewton, What Price Hollywood? | Leave a comment

Mission: Impossible–Fallout

Posted on August 18, 2018 by Mark DuPré

For my friend Steve: Mission: Impossible—Fallout is the latest in the series that was rebooted with Tom Cruise way back in 1996, when the image of Cruise suspended above the floor grabbed the nation’s attention and helped kick-start the new … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged 007, Alec Baldwin, Christopher McQuarrie, Daniel Craig, Henry Cavill, Jack Reacher, Leah Remini, Michelle Monaghan, Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, Mission: Impossible-Fallout, Netflix, Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg, Superman, The Crown, The Usual Suspects, The Way of the Gun, Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames | Leave a comment

Two French Classics: Lola Montès (1955) and Pépé le Moko (1937)

Posted on August 6, 2018 by Mark DuPré

My new FilmStruck subscription (thank you, children) is giving me access to many older films that help fill in my cinematic gaps. Recently, I saw two French classics that couldn’t be more different from one another—Lola Montès (1955) and Pépé … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Older Films | Tagged Algiers, Andrew Sarris, Anton Walbrook, Barry Lyndon, Charles Boyer, Clark Gable, Forrest Gump, Franz Liszt, Graham Greene, Hedy Lamarr, Jean Gabin, King Ludwig I of Bavaria, La Regle du Jeu, Lola Montes, Marine Carol, Max Ophuls, Oscar Werner, Pépé le Moko, Pepé le Pew, Peter Ustinov, Renoir, Rules of the Game, Ryan O'Neal, Technicolor, The Earrings of Madame de... | Leave a comment

Summer Fun: One good, one medium, and one piece of dreck

Posted on July 7, 2018 by Mark DuPré

Incredibles 2 Incredibles 2, a financial success and the longest animated feature film in history, is a good argument for not popping out a sequel right after the success of the first film. Fortunately, this film is more … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged Casablanca, conflate, Dwayne Johnson, Elastigirl, Incredibles 2, Jack-Jack, Jeff Goldblum, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Malin Akerman, Mr. Incredible, Naomie Harris, Rampage, Summer fun, The Final Girls, Todd Strauss-Schulson | Leave a comment

Two Audrey Hepburn Films: Roman Holiday and The Nun’s Story

Posted on June 5, 2018 by Mark DuPré

Enough time has passed that many filmgoers today have only barely heard of one of the biggest starts of the middle of the last century, and one of the most sparkling and engaging presences in all film history. There was … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Older Films | Tagged A Man for All Seasons, Audrey Hepburn, Beatrice Straight, Charade, Dalton Trumbo, Dean Jagger, Eddie Albert, Edith Evans, Fred Zinnemann, From Here to Eternity, Gregory Peck, High Noon, Julia Roberts, Marilyn Monroe, Mildred Dunnock, My Fair Lady, New York Film Critics Circle, Patricia Collinge, Peggy Ashcroft, Peter Finch, Pretty Woman, Production Code, Richard Gere, Roman Holiday, Sabrina, Sister Luke, stardom, The Nun's Story, Two for the Road, Wait Until Dark, War and Peace, William Wyler | Leave a comment

The 15:17 to Paris

Posted on May 30, 2018 by Mark DuPré

Clint Eastwood’s most recent film came and went rather quickly, and was nowhere near the success of either Sully or American Sniper. There are many reasons for that, but also several reasons to see the film in spite of its … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged American Sniper, Arrested Development, Clint Eastwood, Family Matters, Gran Torino, Jaleel White, Jenna Fisher, Judy Greer, Reno 911!, Slumdog Millionaire, Steve Urkel, Sully, The 15:17 to Paris, Thomas Lennon, Tony Hale | Leave a comment

A Quiet Place

Posted on May 19, 2018 by Mark DuPré

Every so often a small, focused, even intimate film comes by and reminds us that not every film has to have CGI as a foundation, has to be loud, or needs to address the horrors of the contemporary political landscape. … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged A Quiet Place, Avengers, Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, MacGuffin, Marlee Matlin, Millicent Simmonds, The Office, Wonderstruck | Leave a comment

Avengers: Infinity War

Posted on May 16, 2018 by Mark DuPré

In the “old days,” some films, for various reasons, were called critic-proof. That could mean that it didn’t matter what the critics would say, it would still be financially successful. It also meant that some films seemed impervious to any … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged Avengers Infinity War, Benedict Cumberbatch, Gamora, Josh Brolin, LOTR, Milk, Peter Dinklage, Peter Quill, Robert Downey Jr., Star Wars, Thor: Ragnarok, Wakanda | Leave a comment