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.

Two Semi-Classics: Anne of the Thousand Days and Anastasia

Posted on April 10, 2017 by Mark DuPré

Being a history nut as well as a film person, I try to fill in the many gaps in my film experience with classic or semi-classic historical films. I recently had the opportunity to see 1969’s Anne of the Thousand … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Older Films | Tagged Academy Award, Anastasia, Anne of the Thousand Days, Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, Downton Abbey, Gaslight, Genevieve Bujold, Golden Globe Awards, Helen Haye, Helen Hayes, Ingrid Bergman, Maggie Smith, National Board of Review, Richard Burton, Roberto Rossellini, Romanov, Romanovs, Russia, Siam, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, The Ten Commandments, Vladovostok, Yul Brynner, Yuliy Borisovich Briner | Leave a comment

Lion and Loving

Posted on April 8, 2017 by Mark DuPré

I recently saw Lion in the theater and later that day, watched the DVD of Loving. The similarities were striking. Both are based on true stories, one very recent, and the other, still within my lifetime. Both were good-looking films … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged Dev Patel, Hidden Figures, In the Heart of the Sea, Joel Edgerton, Lion, Loving, Manchester by the Sea, Nicole Kidman, Red Tails, Rooney Mara, Ruth Negga, Slumdog Millionaire, Sunny Pawar, The Exotic Marigold Hotel, The Imitation Game | Leave a comment

Kong: Skull Island

Posted on March 24, 2017 by Mark DuPré

Saw the latest King Kong film. A definite mixed bag. And I have no idea why anyone thinks we need another Kong movie at this time. (Of course…duh…it’s making money, especially overseas.) The effects are good. And the action scenes … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged Apocalypse Now, Brie Larson, Jack Black, John C. Reilly, John Goodman, Jordan Vogt-Roberts, King Kong, Kong: Skull Island, Peter Jackson, Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Hiddleston | Leave a comment

Passengers

Posted on March 20, 2017 by Mark DuPré

Passengers Passengers arrived months ago with a great deal of marketing but ended up with a rather soft landing. If not for a positive review when I was looking to see a video, I would likely have let it … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged Chris Pratt, Ex Machina, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Sheen, Morten Tyldum, Passengers, Stanley Tucci, The Imitation Game, The Queen | Leave a comment

#OscarsSoSilly

Posted on February 8, 2017 by Mark DuPré

The Oscars should be taken seriously on a few levels. Sometimes they actually reward and encourage great work. At other times, they at least call attention to work that might otherwise be ignored. They can jumpstart a stalling career (or … Continue reading →

Posted in Film-Related Articles | Tagged #OscarsSoSilly, #OscarsSoWhite, A Beautiful Mind, A Place in the Sun, A Star is Born, A Streetcar Named Desire, African Queen, Airport, Al Pacino, All About Eve, All the President's Men, An American in Paris, Anne Baxter, Around the World in 80 Days, Ben Hur, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Bette Davis, Bing Crosby, Born Yesterday, BUtterfield 8, Capote, Cecil B. DeMille, Chaplin, Charles Laughton, Charlton Heston, Citizen Kane, City Slickers, Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, Cocoon, Cold Mountain, Coquette, Dances with Wolves, Dangerous, Denzel Washington, Dial M for Murder, Don Ameche, Donna Reed, Driving Miss Daisy, Elizabeth Taylor, Ellen Burstyn, Erin Brockovich, Franchot Tone, George Chakiris, George Clooney, Ginger Rogers, Going My Way, Golden Globes, Gone with the Wind, Goodbye Mr. Chips, Grace Kelly, Grace Moore, Greer Garson, Hallie Barry, Hattie McDaniel, Helen Hayes, Henry Fonda, Hollywood Foreign Press, Humphrey Bogart, It Happened One Night, Jack Lemmon, Jack Palance, James Steward, Jean Dujardin, Jessica Tandy, Jezebel, John Ford, John Mills, John Wayne, Judy Garland, Judy Holiday, Julia Roberts, Julianne Moore, Kate Winslet, Kitty Foyle, La Vie en Rose, Leonard DiCaprio, Marion Cotillard, Marlon Brando, Mary Pickford, McLaglen, Monster's Ball, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Mutiny on the Bounty, Myrna Loy, Nicole Kidman, Norma Shearer, Of Human Bondage, Olivier, On Golden Pond, On the Waterfront, Orson Welles, Oscar, Oscars, Out of Africa, Paul Newman, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rear Window, Rebecca, Renee Zellweger, Requiem for a Dream, Robert Donat, Robert Duvall, Rocky, Russell Crowe, Ryan’s Daughter, Save the Tiger, Scent of a Woman, Still Alice, Sunset Boulevard, Syriana, Tender Mercies, The Artist, The Caine Mutiny, The Color of Money, The Country Girl, The Grapes of Wrath, The Great Dictator, The Greatest Show on Earth, The Hours, The Informer, The Philadelphia Story, The Reader, The Revenant, The Shootist, The Sting, The Thin Man, Training Day, True Grit, Victor, West Side Story, William Powell | Leave a comment

2017: Thoughts on Oscar

Posted on February 6, 2017 by Mark DuPré

This year’s nominations are anything but shocking, though you’d think there was drama galore according to some reports. But that’s just an attempt to wring some strum und drang from what is a pretty normal year. Yes, it’s a big … Continue reading →

Posted in Film-Related Articles | Tagged 13th, Amy Adams, Arrival, Casey Affeck, Colin Firth, Denzel Washington, Eddie Redmayne, Fences, Florence Foster Jenkins, Hell or High Water, Hidden Figures, Hugh Grant, I am Not Your Negro, Kubo and the Two Strings, La La Land, Lion, Lobster, Loving, Manchester by the Sea, Meryl Streep, Michelle Williams, Moana, O.J.: Made in America, Ruth Negga, Screen Actors Guild, strum und drang, Sully, The Color Purple, The King's Speech, The Theory of Everything, The Turning Point, Tom Hanks, Viola Davis, Zootopia | Leave a comment

Jackie and Hidden Figures

Posted on January 30, 2017 by Mark DuPré

I spent a good portion of my weekend in the early 1960s. First, Jackie, the impressionistic, rather cool story of Jacqueline Kennedy during and shortly after John Kennedy’s assassination in 1963. Most attention has been paid to Natalie Portman’s masterful … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged Billy Crudup, Bobby Kennedy, Brechtian, Capote, Caspar Phillipson, Colin Firth, Free State of Jones, Greta Gerwig, Hidden Figures, Jackie, Jacqueline Kennedy, Jim Parsons, John Hurt, John Kennedy, Kirsten Dunst, NASA, Natalie Portman, Octavia Spencer, Peter Sarsgaard, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Red Tails, Taraji P. Henson, The Blind Side, The Help, The King's Speech | Leave a comment

La La Land

Posted on January 9, 2017 by Mark DuPré

I haven’t seen Moonlight yet (I live in Rochester, New York, not a major city, and it takes awhile for films to get here at times), but La La Land may well be the best film of the year. It’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged "Shall We Dance", An American in Paris, Britney Spears, Casablanca, Christina Aguilera, Crazy, Damien Chazelle, Emma Stone, Fred Astaire, Gangster Squad, gene kelly, Ginger Rogers, Helena Bonham Carter, Howard Keel, Johnny Depp, Judy Garland, Justin Timberlake, Kathryn Grayson, La La Land, Love, Manchester by the Sea, Moonlight, Rebel Without a Cause, Ryan Gosling, singin' in the rain, Stupid, Sweeney Todd, The King and I, The Red Balloon, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Tim Burton, Vincente Minnelli, Whiplash | Leave a comment

Rogue One: My Experience

Posted on December 31, 2016 by Mark DuPré

Note: I usually write serious analyses of the films I see. Not so much here. I’m pretty sure I saw Rogue One. My two sons who don’t live around here, their spouses, and their combined seven children have all been … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged Carrie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds, Diego Luna, Felicity Jones, Jim Carrey, Princess Leia, Rogue One, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Social Network, Winklevoss twins | 1 Comment

Author Archives: Mark DuPré

About Mark DuPré

Two Semi-Classics: Anne of the Thousand Days and Anastasia

Lion and Loving

Kong: Skull Island

Passengers

Jackie and Hidden Figures

La La Land

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