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.

Another of my websites is kicking into gear again

Posted on September 6, 2017 by Mark DuPré

Dear Everyone: I’m re-presenting my “other” website, www.dedicatedtogrammar.com, starting next week. It’s for professionals and students that want to speak and write correctly, and not sound dumb! It’s been a while since I paid attention to it, and I’ve noticed in … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Salesman (Iranian, 2016)

Posted on August 28, 2017 by Mark DuPré

For MSM, “my Persian son” The Salesman is the newest film from Iranian writer/director Asghar Farhadi, creator and Oscar winner (for Best Foreign Film) for 2011’s A Separation. As with A Separation, The Saleman is a meticulously crafted, well-acted film … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged A Separation, Arthur Miller, Asghar Farhadi, Babak Karimi, Best Foreign Film, Dardenne, Death of a Salesman, Deux jours une nuit, Hitchcock, L'Enfant, Shahab Hosseini, Shakespeare, Tareney Alidoosti, The Kid on the Bike, The Salesman | Leave a comment

Dunkirk

Posted on August 21, 2017 by Mark DuPré

Dunkirk is extraordinary. It’s a film, yes (a real film, but more on that later), but also an event and an experience. It should be seen in IMAX if at all possible, as with much of director Christopher Nolan’s previous … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged A Bridge Too Far, Agent Carter, Alejandro Iñárritu, Alfonso Cuaron, Ang Lee, Bridge of Spies, Broadchurch, Brokeback Mountain, Christopher Nolan, Cillian Murphy, Damien Chazelle, Dunkirk, Fionn Whitehead, Gravity, Harry Styles, Inception, Intolerance, James D'Arcy, Kenneth Branagh, La La Land, Lawrence of Arabia, Life of Pi, Mad Max: Fury Road, Mark Rylance, Mrs. Miniver, Richard Attenborough, The Dark Knight Rises, The Revenant, Tom Hardy, Will Attenborough | Leave a comment

The Big Sick

Posted on August 13, 2017 by Mark DuPré

I’ve been telling my film students for the last 20 years that they have been raised during one of the worst periods for romantic comedies in film history. I’ve encouraged them to pretty much ignore what passes for both comedy … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged Annie Hall, Billy Crystal, Emily V. Gordon, Holly Hunter, Judd Apatow, Kumail Nanjiani, Meg Ryan, Michael Showalter, Notting Hill, Ray Romano, The Big Sick, Tom Hanks, Zoe Kazan | Leave a comment

The Shack

Posted on July 23, 2017 by Mark DuPré

Things to get out of the way: Yes, it’s taken me this long to see The Shack. And yes, I started to read the book years ago, but was one of the few who never finished it. Plus, I’m posting … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged Avraham Aviv Alush, Biblical exegesis, Chariots of Fire, Chris DuPre, Christians, Diary of a Country Priest, God the Father, Hallmark Hall of Fame, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Narnia, Octavia Spencer, Papa, Sam Worthington, Sumire, The Blind Side, The Shack, Tim McGraw, Trinity, Wizard of Oz | 1 Comment

Spider-Man: Homecoming

Posted on July 22, 2017 by Mark DuPré

The awkwardly titled newest entry in the Spider-Man series generally succeeds in rebooting the series, and turns into one of the most enjoyable—and funny—mainstream films of the year. There are pitfalls aplenty in rebooting a series so often in such … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged Andrew Garfield, Billy Elliott the Musical, Captain America: Civil War, CD, Emma Stone, General Zod, In the Heart of the Sea, Iron Man, London, Man of Steel, Marisa Tomei, Marvel, Michael Keaton, Peter Parker, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Superman, The Impossible, The Lost City of Z, Tom Holland, Vulture, West End, Wolf Hall, Wonder Woman | Leave a comment

The Big Parade (1925)

Posted on July 16, 2017 by Mark DuPré

The Big Parade has always sat there on my “must-see” list, like a little thorn in my side. I knew I “should” see it, but its 2+ hours length and its age—released in 1925—always pushed it down the list until … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Older Films | Tagged Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, King Vidor, PTSD, Renée Adorée, The Big Parade, World War I | Leave a comment

49th Parallel (AKA The Invaders)

Posted on July 9, 2017 by Mark DuPré

49th Parallel is a propaganda film that doesn’t feel like one, though it is as potent as any persuasive film could be. (It was called The Invaders when first released in the U.S.) It’s also an unusual combination of star … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Older Films | Tagged 49th Parallel, Anton Walbrook, Canada, David Lean, Dr. Zhivago, Eric Portman, Freddie Young, Glynis Johns, Laurence Olivier, Lawrence of Arabia, Leslie Howard, Nazi, Nazis, Niagara Falls, Ralph Vaughn Williams, Raymond Massey, Ryan’s Daughter, St. Lawrence River, The Invaders, Third Reich | Leave a comment

The Other “Gaslight” (British, 1940)

Posted on July 8, 2017 by Mark DuPré

Most folks interested in classic Hollywood films know Gaslight, the 1944 melodrama that gave Ingrid Bergman her first Oscar. Also the winner of the Oscar for Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Black-and-White, it was a well-regarded, deftly crafted film that received … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Older Films | Tagged 1944 Oscar, 49th Parallel, Angela Lansbury, Anton Walbrook, Barbara Stanwyck, Beauty and the Beast, Casablanca, Cavalcade, Charles Boyer, Diana Wynyard, Double Indemnity, Falconetti, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Gaslight, Ingrid Bergman, Jessica Fletcher, La Ronde, Lola Montes, Mrs. Potts, Murder She Wrote, Oscar, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, The Manchurian Candidate, The Passion of Joan of Arc, The Red Shoes, Thorold Dickinson | Leave a comment

Watch on the Rhine (1943) and In Which We Serve (1942)

Posted on July 6, 2017 by Mark DuPré

My excursions into the films of Powell and Pressburger brought me back into the world of the 1940s, and specifically, World War II. My next film to see is 49th Parallel (also known as The Invaders in the U.S.), which … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Older Films | Tagged Bernard Miles, Bette Davis, Brief Encounter, Casablanca, Celia Johnson, Dashiell Hammett, David Lean, Dr. Zhivago, East of Eden, Elizabeth Taylor, Great Expectations, Guy Green, Humphrey Bogart, In Which We Serve, John Mills, Lawrence of Arabia, Lillian Hellman, Michael Wilding, Noel Coward, Paul Lukas, Powell and Pressburger, Raymond Massey, Richard Attenborough, Ronald Neame, The 49th Parallel, The Best Years of Our Lives, The Bridge on the River Kwai, The Invaders, Watch on the Rhine | Leave a comment