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.

Room

Posted on January 24, 2016 by Mark DuPré

Room may well be the most moving, intimate, emotional and gut-wrenching mainstream film this year. It’s tender, sweet, tense, wondrous, lyrical and biting—all at different times. Featuring a shattering performance by Brie Larson (pretty much a shoo-in for Best Actress) … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged Brie Larson, Brooklyn, Haley Joel Osment, Jason Tremblay, Julianne Moore, Kramer vs. Kramer, Lenny Abrahamson, Meryl Streep, Room, Saoirse Ronan, Sean Bridgers, The Sixth Sense | Leave a comment

2016 Oscars–first thoughts

Posted on January 16, 2016 by Mark DuPré

OK, they nominations are out. And the celebrating, sniping and whining has begun. But the nominations are not exactly shocking, and are in fact fairly predictable. There are a few surprises, though, and while not shocking, are at least attention-getting. … Continue reading →

Posted in Film-Related Articles | Tagged 2016, 2016 Oscars--first thoughts, 45 Years, A Beautiful Mind, Academy Awards, Adam McKay, Ali, Alicia Vikander, Anomalisa, Beasts of No Nation, Birdman, Boyhood, Bridge of Spies, Brie Larson, Brooklyn, Carol, Cate Blanchett, Charlotte Rampling, Creed, Denzel, George Miller, Halle Berry, Holocaust, Hungary, I Am Sam, Idris Elba, Inarritu, Inside Out, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Winslet, Lenny Abrahamson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mad Max: Fury Road, Michael B. Jordan, Monster's Ball, Oscars, Ridley Scott, Rocky, Room, Rooney Mara, Russell Crowe, Saoirse Ronan, Sean Penn, snub, Son of Saul, Spielberg, Spotlight, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Steve Jobs, Straight Outta Compton, Sylvester Stallone, The Big Short, The Danish Girl, The Hateful Eight, The Martian, The Revenant, Tom Hardy, Tom McCarthy, Training Day, Visual Effects, Will Smith | Leave a comment

The Revenant

Posted on January 11, 2016 by Mark DuPré

Cold. Beautiful. Brutal. Fierce. Intense. Stunning. Violent. And that’s just Tom Hardy’s performance. But seriously, The Revenant (recent winner of the Golden Globe for Best Picture/Drama) is a far-reaching work of art that is worth seeing while falling just short … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged All is Lost, Atonement, Birdman, Birdman or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance, Brooklyn, David Lean, Domhnall Gleeson, Dr. Zhivago, Emmanuel Lubezki, Ex Machina, Gladiator, Golden Globe, Gravity, John Wayne, Lawrence of Arabia, Leonardo DiCaprio, Montana, Old Boy, South Dakota, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Terrence Malick, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Maze Runner, The Passion of the Christ, The Revenant, The Searchers, The Tree of Life, To the Wonder, Tom Hardy, Will Poulter | Leave a comment

Golden Globe Awards–2016

Posted on January 11, 2016 by Mark DuPré

Quote from the Golden Globes website about the members who vote: The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) is a non-profit organization, the members of which are international journalists based in Southern California. The HFPA has about members who disseminate information about … Continue reading →

Posted in Film-Related Articles | Tagged 2016, Aaron Sorkin, Alejandro Iñárritu, Angelina Jolie, Anomalisa, Birdman, Brie Larson, Butterfly, Creed, Golden Globes, Hollywood Foreign Press, Holocaust, Inside Out, Jennifer Lawrence, Johnny Depp, Joy, Kate Winslet, Leonard DiCaprio, Mark Rylance, Matt Damon, Mel Gibson, Morgan Freeman, Pia Zadora, Ricky Gervais, Rocky, Room, Son of Saul, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Steve Jobs, Sylvester Stallone, The Martian, The Revenant, The Tourist, Tom Hardy | Leave a comment

The Thin Man (1934)

Posted on January 4, 2016 by Mark DuPré

At once primitive and shockingly modern is one way to describe the 1934 classic, The Thin Man. It seems creaky and hopelessly old-fashioned in the way it sets up its crime story. Then we get to the heart of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Older Films | Tagged Bette Davis, Claudette Colbert, drawers, Hud, It Happened One Night, James Wong Howe, Myrna Loy, Of Human Bondage, Oscar, tabloids, The Rose Tattoo, The Thin Man, William Powell | Leave a comment

Brooklyn

Posted on January 3, 2016 by Mark DuPré

Brooklyn is a lovely, adult, gentle and well-made film that’s anchored by one of the best, if not the best, female performance of the year. In many ways, it’s the complete opposite of this year’s most raucous well-made film, Mad … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged About Time, Atonement, Billy Elliott, Brendan Gleeson, Brief Encounter, Brooklyn, Closed Circuit, David Lean, Deborah Messing, Deliver Us from Evil, Dohmnall Gleeson, Educating Rita, Eilis, Emory Cohen, Ex Machina, Hanna, Harry Potter, Indian Summers, Intermission, Jim Broadbent, John Crowley, Julie Walters, Mad Max: Fury Road, mise-en-scene, New York Film Critics Circle, Saoirse Ronan, Smash, Spotlight, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Lovely Bones | Leave a comment

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Posted on December 31, 2015 by Mark DuPré

Well, it turns out the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney didn’t destroy the franchise after all. Star Wars: The Force Awakens is fresh and retro, funny and serious, and certainly the most enjoyable action-adventure film of the year—and one that … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged A Most Violent Year, Adam Driver, BB8, brownshirts, Carrie Fisher, Creed, Daisy Ridley, Disney, Domhnall Gleeson, Dreamcatcher, Finn, General Leia, Girls, Han Solo, Harrison Ford, Hitler, Inside Llewyn Davis, J. J. Abrams, John Boyega, Kylo Ren, Lawrence Kasdan, Leni Riefenstahl, Little Miss Sunshine, Lucas, Lucasfilm, Lupita Nyong'o, Michael Arndt, Millennium Falcon, Nazis, Oscar Isaac, Poe, Rey, Rocky, Star Trek, Star Wars, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Big Chill, Third Reich, Toy Story 3, Triumph of the Will, Wyatt Earp | Leave a comment

In the Heart of the Sea

Posted on December 29, 2015 by Mark DuPré

In the Heart of the Sea was originally scheduled for a March 2015 release. It was finally released this month (December 2015). Sometimes such delays are a bad sign of a weak film, but current thinking is that the release … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged A Beautiful Mind, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Apollo 13, Ben Whishaw, Benjamin Walker, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Brendan Gleeson, Cape Cod, Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy, Herman Melville, In the Heart of the Sea, Joseph Mawle, Moby Dick, Nantucket, Ron Howard, Star Wars, The Force Awakens, Tom Nickerson | Leave a comment

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part Two

Posted on December 23, 2015 by Mark DuPré

It’s only been a month since the last installment of The Hunger Games was released, but in the dominant glow of the latest Star Wars film, it seems much longer ago than that. Part of the reason for that is … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged Donald Sutherland, Elizabeth Banks, Gale, Glenn Close, Jeffrey Wright, Jennifer Lawrence, Julianne Moore, Kate Winslet, Nuremberg, Part Two, Peeta, President Snow, Stanley Tucci, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, The Third Man, Triumph of the Will, Woody Harrelson | Leave a comment

Spotlight

Posted on December 15, 2015 by Mark DuPré

Spotlight was supposed to be the critical hit of the year. It was supposed to be our era’s All the President’s Men. It’s got the greatest cast since…whatever. Apparently the awards are not working out that way at this point, … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged All the President's Men, Ben Bradlee, Ben Bradlee Jr., Bill Murray, Billy Crudup, Brian d'Arcy James, Foxcatcher, Jamey Sheridan, Jason Robards, John Slattery, Josh Singer, Liev Schreiber, Mark Ruffalo, Masanobu Takayanagi, Michael Keaton, Million Dollar Arm, New York Film Critics Circle, Rachel McAdams, Screen Actors Guild, Silver Linings Playbook, Smash, Spotlight, Stanley Tucci, Star Wars, Straight Outta Compton, The Big Short, The Boston Globe, The Station Agent, The Warrior, Tom McCarthy, Trumbo | Leave a comment