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.

Django Unchained

Posted on January 6, 2013 by Mark DuPré

My film students know full well how much I don’t “appreciate” the work of Quentin Tarantino. I softened a bit with Inglourious Basterds, a lusciously filmed work that contained genuine moments of love, suspense, and an acknowledgement of historical tragedy. … Continue reading →

Posted in Newer films | Tagged Blazing Saddles, Christophe Waltz, Django Unchained, Inglourious Basterds, Jamie Foxx, Jonah Hill, Kerry Washington, Ku Klux Klan, Leonardo DiCaprio, Quentin Tarantino, Samuel L. Jackson, What's Eating Gilbert Grape? | Leave a comment

Les Misérables

Posted on January 4, 2013 by Mark DuPré

Les Misérables succeeds on so many levels, I almost lost count. In many ways, it’s a film in the narrow category of films made from sung-through musicals. In that context, it really only has The Phantom of the Opera to … Continue reading →

Posted in Newer films | Tagged Aaron Tveit, Anne Hathaway, Bertolucci, Bring Him Home, Dreyer, Eddie Redmayne, Empty Chairs at Empty Tables, Godard, Hugh Jackman, I Dreamed a Dream, Jean Valjean, Les Miserables, Russell Crowe, Samantha Barks, The King's Speech, The Passion of Joan of Arc, Tom Hooper | 1 Comment

Skyfall

Posted on December 23, 2012 by Mark DuPré

Skyfall, the latest James Bond film,is an apologia for the whole Bond series. It rather pointedly keeps reminding us of the value of the “old ways,” old-style weapons and gadgets, and the worth of old-timers—all the while re-populating the franchise … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged Albert Finney, Daniel Craig, James Bond, Javier Bardem, Judi Dench, North by Northwest, Road to Perdition, Sam Mendes, Skyfall, To Catch a Thief | Leave a comment

My new book is out!

Posted on December 8, 2012 by Mark DuPré

Dear Film People: I know that I’ve been lax in getting my film writings on this site. It’s because I’ve been busy getting my first book to press. How to Act Like a Grown-up is now available on createspace.com and … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Lincoln

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Mark DuPré

Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln may be the most beautifully photographed, best-acted procedural ever filmed. The core of the film is not Lincoln’s life, or death, or any of his many personal struggles. It’s the ratification of the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery, … Continue reading →

Posted in Newer films | Tagged All About Eve, Daniel Day-Lewis, David Strathairn, Hal Holbrook, Jackie Earle Haley, James Spader, Jared Harris, John Hawkes, John Williams, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Joseph Mankiewicz, Lincoln, Philip Seymour Hoffmann, Sally Field, Schindler's List, Speven Spielberg, The Master, Tim Blake Nelson, Tommy Lee Jones, Tony Kushner | Leave a comment

Babes in Arms (1939)

Posted on October 1, 2012 by Mark DuPré

Opening time capsules can be fun. That was my experience recently saw Babes in Arms, a 1939 classic that’s also a surprising curiosity. It’s known as the first in a series of Mickey Rooney-Judy Garland “let’s put on a show” … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Older Films | Tagged 42nd Street, Andy Hardy, Babes in Arms, Babes on Broadway, Betty Jaynes, Busby Berkeley, Clark Gable, Girl Crazy, Gold Diggers of 1933, Judy Garland, Lionel Barrymore, MGM, Mickey Rooney, Roger Edens, Rogers and Hart, Strike Up the Band, The Wizard of Oz, Warner Bros. | Leave a comment

Soul Surfer

Posted on September 24, 2012 by Mark DuPré

Finally saw 2011’s Soul Surfer, mostly because I like to keep track of how “nearly mainline” Christian films are faring these days. It was…OK. As a story, it’s more than inspiring, and if that’s what motivates you to see it, … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged Annie Hall, Bethany Hamilton, Carrie Underwood, Christians, Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt, Matt Redman, Robert Duvall, Soul Surfer, Woody Allen | Leave a comment

Strangers on a Train (1951)

Posted on September 17, 2012 by Mark DuPré

Strangers on a Train, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, is more than 60 years old and is as energetic, smart and fresh as anything released this year. Catching it on TV recently, I was impressed all over again with the film—one … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Older Films | Tagged A Place in the Son, A Streetcar Named Desire, Alfred Hitchcock, Farley Granger, Patricia Hitchcock, Robert Walker, Ruth Roman, Strangers on a Train | Leave a comment

Premium Rush

Posted on August 25, 2012 by Mark DuPré

I love movies like this because I like movies like this. My film students always assume that because it’s not classic or foreign or Oscar bait, that of course a film professor wouldn’t waste precious time on a film that’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Leave a comment