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.

2019 Oscar Nominations: First Thoughts

Posted on February 2, 2019 by Mark DuPré

Oscar time is funny. The guilds have voted for their individual categories, and there is the hope and thought that they generally vote for what they think is the best for their category. Of course there will be thoughts … Continue reading →

Posted in Film-Related Articles | Tagged A Quiet Place, A Star is Born, Alfonso Cuaron, Amy Adams, At Eternity's Gate, Best Director, Best Visual Effects, Black Panther, BlacKkKlansman, Bradley Cooper, Christian Bale, Emily Blunt, Glenn Close, Green Book, If Beale Street Would Talk, Lady Gaga, Mahershala Ali, Mary Poppins Returns, Olivia Col, Rami Malek, Regina King, Richard E. Grant, Roma, SAG, Sam Elliott, Sam Rockwell, Screen Actors Guild, Shallow, snub, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, The Favourite, The Wife, Vice, Willem Dafoe | Leave a comment

The Favourite: A death knell for truth in film?

Posted on January 26, 2019 by Mark DuPré

Now that the Oscar nominations are out (to be commented on at a later time), it’s probably time to write about The Favourite, which ties with Roma for the greatest number of nominations with 10. I love historical films, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged 300, Bohemian Rhapsody, Emma Stone, Green Book, Mark Gariss, Nicholas Hoult, Olivia Coleman, PBS, Pocahontas, Queen Anne, Rachel Weisz, Red Tails, The Favourite, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, The Lobster, Victoria, Yorgos Lanthimos | Leave a comment

Bohemian Rhapsody

Posted on January 21, 2019 by Mark DuPré

Bohemian Rhapsody is perhaps better known at the moment as the surprise winner of the Golden Globe for Best Picture (Drama). Black Panther, If Beale Street Could Talk, and A Star is Born (and of course Roma, which wasn’t even … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged A Star is Born, Black Panther, Bohemian Rhapsody, Bryan Singer, Freddie Mercury, If Beale Street Could Talk, Jim Hutton, Queen, Rami Malek, Roma | Leave a comment

If Beale Street Could Talk

Posted on January 20, 2019 by Mark DuPré

If Beale Street Could Talk is a film that will grow in stature and appreciation over the next several years. Not that it’s being ignored now–Regina King will win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, and there will be other … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged Angelica Huston, Barry Jenkins, filmsplaining, If Beale Street Could Talk, Imitation Game, KiKi Lane, mansplaining, Michael Beach, Moonlight, Prizzi's Honor, Regina King, Stephan | 1 Comment

Mary Poppins Returns

Posted on January 1, 2019 by Mark DuPré

Warm, sometimes touching, exciting, and uneven, with a compromised central performance. Plus, oh yes, it’s got to withstand the viewer’s recollection of its superior predecessor. That’s a lot for any film to bear. Mary Poppins Returns is mostly a delight, … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged A Cover is Not a Book, A Quiet Place, Ben Whishaw, Colin Firth, Dick Van Dyke, Emily Blunt, Emily Mortimer, I Love to Laugh, Julie Andrews, Julie Walters, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mary Poppins, Mary Poppins Returns, Nowhere to Go But Up, Rob Marshall, The Devil Wears Prada, The Young Victoria, Trip a Little Light Fantastic, Turning Turtle | Leave a comment

The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958)

Posted on December 15, 2018 by Mark DuPré

The Inn of the Sixth Happiness is one of those older, well-regarded films I’d put on my list to see “sometime.” Sometime turned out to be last night, and since I didn’t really know much about the film, many of … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Older Films | Tagged Ben Hur, Bright Victory, Champion, China, Christian, Christianity, CinemaScope, Curt Jurgens, Garbo, Gaslight, Gladys Aylward, Goodbye Mr. Chips, Ingrid Bergman, Japan, Mark Robson, missionary, Notorious, Peyton Place, Robert Donat, Sino-Japanese War, The 39 Steps, The Harder They Fall, The Inn of the Sixth Happiness, The Mandarin, The Robe, The Small Woman, The Ten Commandments | Leave a comment

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