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.

Johnny Belinda (1948)

Posted on June 10, 2023 by Mark DuPré

This film nearly dropped from my “I really should see this movie sometime” list, as it has seemed to drop from the film-goer’s consciousness over time. I remembered that lead actress Jane Wyman (Mrs. Ronald Reagan at the time) won … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Older Films | Tagged A Patch of Blue, Agnes Moorehead, Alan Arkin, Audrey Hepburn, Billy Boy Thornton, Born on the Fourth of July, Brad Pitt, Charles Bickford, Charly, Citizen Kane, Cliff Robertson, Coming Home, Daniel Day-Lewis, East of Eden, Eddie Redmayne, Edward Norton, Elizabeth Hartman, Emmanuelle Riva, Forrest Gump, Gary Sinise, Gregg Toland, Holly Hunter, Jamie Foxx, Jane Wyman, Jarid Leto, Jessica Lange, Joanne Woodward, Jodie Foster, John Malkovich, John Mills, Johnny Belinda, Jon Voight, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lew Ayres, Marlee Matlin, Matthew McConaughey, My Left Foot, Ray, Rembrandt, Rinko Kikuchi, Robin Williams, Ryan's Daughter, Samantha Morton, Sandra Bullock, Sean Penn, Stage Fright, The Blind Side, The Long Voyage Home, The Lost Weekend, The Miracle Worker, The Piano, The Sound of Music, The Theory of Everything, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Tom Cruise, Wait Until Dark, What's Eating Gilbert Grape?, Wuthering Heights | Leave a comment

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Posted on May 26, 2023 by Mark DuPré

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 GG3 is not near the bottom of the Marvel barrel, as some have attested. Neither is it a “great send-off,” as others have called it. It’s a generally funny, overlong, and overstuffed film, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged Adam Warlock, Bradley Cooper, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Drax, Elizabeth Debicki, Groot, Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Karen Gillan, Kraglin, Mantis, Nebula, Pom Klementieff, Quill, Rocket, Saving Private Ryan, Sean Gunn, Ted Lasso, The Crown, The Searchers, Vin Diesel, Will Poulter | Leave a comment

2023 Oscar Predictions

Posted on March 10, 2023 by Mark DuPré

Until recently, there has been no film that has captured critical, awards, and audience consensus and has thus seemed bound for Oscar glory. That’s changed in the past month or so, as Everything Everywhere All at Once has landed on … Continue reading →

Posted in Film-Related Articles | Tagged All About Eve, All Quiet on the Western Front, Angela Bassett, Anthony Hopkins, Applause, Austin Butler, Avatar: The Way of Water, Babylon, Bette Davis, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Born Yesterday, Brendan Fraser, Cate Blanchett, Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, Elvis, Everything Everwhere All at Once, Fire of Love, Gloria Swanson, Guillermo del Toro's PInocchio, Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Holliday, Ke Huy Quan, Martin McDonagh, Michelle Yeoh, Naatu Naatu, Navalny, Oscars, Parasite, RRR, Sarah Polley, Stephanie Hsu, Sunset Boulevard, Tar, Tell It Like a Woman, The Banshees of Inisherin, The Fabelmans, The Father, The Whale, Top Gun: Maverick, Women Talking | Leave a comment

Jesus Revolution

Posted on March 7, 2023 by Mark DuPré

It’s impossible to be whatever “objective” is with this film, much like the struggle I had writing about Isn’t It Romantic, which was directed by my friend and former film student Todd Strauss-Schulson. In that instance, this was a major … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged American Underdot, Brent McCorkle, Calvary Chapel, Chuck Smith, I Can Only Imagine, Isn't It Romantic, Jesus Revolution, Jon Erwin, Jonathan Roumie, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, The Chosen, the Erwin Brothers, Time magazine, Todd Strauss-Schulson | Leave a comment

A Man Called Otto/A Man Called Ove

Posted on January 31, 2023 by Mark DuPré

Tom Hanks’ new film is an American remake of Sweden’s submission for 2016’s Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award, A Man Called Ove, which also received an Oscar nomination for Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling. It’s enjoyable, or what … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged A Man Called Otto, A Man Called Ove, Da Vinci Code, Elvis, Mariana Trevino, The Ladykillers, Tom Hanks | Leave a comment

First Thoughts on 2023 Oscar Nominations

Posted on January 24, 2023 by Mark DuPré

The 2023 Academy Award nominations came out today, and the first wave of published responses will be who got an unexpected nomination, and who got “snubbed,” a ridiculous phrase for an imprecise idea. My thoughts, however, turn to who got … Continue reading →

Posted in Film-Related Articles | Tagged All About Eve, All Quiet on the Western Front, Angela Bassett, Argentina 1985, Avatar: The Way of Water, Babylon, Barry Keoghan, Baz Luhrmann, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Born Yesterday, Brendan Fraser, Brendan Gleeson, Cate Blanchett, Catherine Martin, Claudio Miranda, Daniel Kwan, Daniel Sheinert, Diane Warren, Disney's Pinocchio, Dos Oruguitas, Elvis, Encanto, Everything Everwhere All at Once, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Guillermo del Toro, Guillermo del Toro's PInocchio, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ke Huy Quan, Last Picture Show, Lift Me Up, Martin McDonagh, Michelle Yeoh, My Heart Will Go On, Naatu Naatu, Razzie nominations, RRR, Sarah Polley, Stephanie Hsu, Steven Spielberg, Sunset Boulevard, Tár, Tell It Like a Woman, The Bansees of Inisherin, The Daniels, The Fabelmans, The Whale, Titanic, Top Gun: Maverick, We Don't Talk About Bruno, Women Talking | Leave a comment

Show People (1928)

Posted on January 23, 2023 by Mark DuPré

Silent and early sound film star Marion Davies was a wonderful comedienne when given the chance, and perhaps there was no greater opportunity for her to show her talents than in 1928’s Show People, her last major role in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Older Films | Tagged A Star is Born, Bill Gates, Blazing Saddles, Charles Chaplin, Charles Foster Kane, Citizen Kane, Claire Windsor, Dorothy Comingore, Dorothy Sebastian, Douglas Fairbanks Sr., Eileen Pringle, Elon Musk, Estelle Taylor, George K. Arthur, Jeff Bezos, John Gilbert, Karl Dane, King Vidor, Louella Parsons, Mank, Marianne, Marion Davies, Norma Talmadge, Renée Adorée, San Luis Obispo, San Simeon, Show People, singin' in the rain, What Price Hollywood?, William Hart, William Randolph Hearst | Leave a comment

Avatar: The Way of Water

Posted on December 21, 2022 by Mark DuPré

Thirteen years after the record-breaking Avatar was released, we finally get the first of several sequels. I managed to see it under the best of (visual) circumstances, in our local IMAX theater. Yes, it’s stunning to the eye, and actually … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged Avatar, Avatar: The Way of Water, Imax, Jack Champion, Jake Sully, James Cameron, Job, Moby Dick, Neytiri, Sam Worthington, Stephen Lang, YA, Zoe Saldana | Leave a comment

Quick Takes: Disenchanted and Spirited

Posted on November 25, 2022 by Mark DuPré

OK, there are a lot of new Christmastime movies to watch, and usually I wait awhile to see them. But this time, I saw two of the most promoted ones early on. Here are my quick thoughts: Disenchanted My wife … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged A Christmas Carol, Aladdin, Alan Menken, Amy Adams, Andalasia, Beauty and the Beast, Charles Dickens, Disenchanted, Enchanted, Frozen, Gabriella Baldacchino, Hercules, Idina Menzel, Jesus, Octavia Spencer, Patrick Page, Ryan Reynolds, Scrooge, Tangled, The Little Mermaid, Tracy Morhan, Wicked, Will Ferrell | Leave a comment

She Said

Posted on November 21, 2022 by Mark DuPré

From l: Zoe Kazan, Carey Mulligan, Andre Braugher, and Patricia Clarkson in She Said She Said is the “coulda-shoulda” disappointment of the Oscar movie season thus far. The story is still great—reporters, who have real lives outside of their work, … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged All the President's Men, An Education, Andre Baugher, angela Yeoh, Ashley Judd, Carey Mulligan, Ernst Lubitsch, Gloria Allred, Harvey Weinstein, Jennifer Ehle, Lisa Bloom, Patricia Clarkson, Peter Friedman, Promising Young Woman, Spotlight, Succession, The Big Sick, Zoe Kazan | Leave a comment