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.

The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

Posted on October 20, 2022 by Mark DuPré

In the wake of the death of the legendary Angela Lansbury, I thought I’d take another look at her third Oscar-nominated performance in the 1962 version of The Manchurian Candidate. It’s a film that disappeared for a while, so it’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Older Films | Tagged Angela Lansbury, Beauty and the Beast, Blow-Out, Blow-Up, China, Cold War, Edgar Wright, Frank Sinatra, Gaslight, James Brooks, John Frankenheimer, Joss Whedon, Laurence Harvey, Marathon Man, Murder She Wrote, Patty Duke, political thriller, Psycho, Ridley Scott, Robert Altman, Sidley Lumet, Soviet Union, The Conversation, The Manchurian Candidate, The Miracle Worker, The Parallax View, The Picture of Dorian Gray | Leave a comment

Thor: Love and Thunder

Posted on July 30, 2022 by Mark DuPré

Thor: Love and Thunder is a film as disjointed as its name. It’s not so much a film as a patchwork of ideas, tones, and narrative directions that ultimately don’t add up. It also gives us a Thor we don’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged Black Swan, Chris Hemsworth, Christian Bale, Downton Abbey, Guardians of the Galaxy, Jackie, Jojo Rabbit, Leon: The Professional, Taika Waititi, Tessa Thompson, Thor: Love and Thunder, Thor: Ragnarok | Leave a comment

Jurassic World Dominion

Posted on July 8, 2022 by Mark DuPré

So what do you get when you put together all the previous Jurassic movies, the James Bond movies, Alien, Aliens, all the Bourne films, all the Mission Impossible films, King Kong, The Good Earth, The Birds, a soupçon of Apocalypse … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged Alien, aliens, Apocalypse Now, B.D. Wont, Bryce Dallas Howard, Campbell Scott, Chris Pratt, Colin Trevorrow, DeWanta Wise, Dichen Lachman, Ethan Hunt, Isabella Sermon, Jason Bourne, Jeff Goldblum, Jurassic Park, Jurassic World, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, King Kong, Laura Dern, Lupin, Mamoudou Athie, Michael Giacchino, Mission Impossible, Omar Sy, Ratatouille, Sam Neill, Severance, Steven Spielberg, The Birds, The Book of Henry, The Good Earth, The Intouchables, Up, Vanessa Kirby, Wolverine, X-Men: Days of Future Past | Leave a comment

Elvis

Posted on June 30, 2022 by Mark DuPré

I’m normally not a fan of Baz Luhrmann’s films. I enjoyed (and still enjoy) Moulin Rouge!, where the director’s overheated energy worked well with the material. Not so much Romeo + Juliet, and especially not Australia and The Great Gatsby. … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged Atonement, Austin Butler, Baz Luhrmann, Catherine Martin, Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis, Elvis Presley, Keira Knightley, Moulin Rouge!, Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood, Tex Watson, The Great Gatsby, The Ladykillers, Tom Hanks | Leave a comment

Top Gun: Maverick

Posted on June 12, 2022 by Mark DuPré

It’s summertime, and folks have found a reason to go back to the movie theater. Apparently, what we needed were loud blockbuster remakes. Jurassic Park: Dominion, a film getting mixed reviews, was the second salvo, but the first, getting surprisingly … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged Anthony Edwards, Ed Harris, Glen Powell, Goose, Iceman, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Maverick, Miles Teller, Rooster, Tom Cruise, Top Gun, Top Gun: Maverick, Val Kilmer | Leave a comment

Downton Abbey: A New Era

Posted on June 6, 2022 by Mark DuPré

The Downton movies are comfort food, like a good chicken pot pie on a cold winter day. A New Era is no exception. There is nothing surprising, and there are no real shocks (except one minor but surprising action that … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged Captain Phillips, Dowager Countess, Downton Abbey-A New Era, Hugh Bonneville, Julian Fellowes, Kevin Doyle, Maggie Smith, Matthew Goode, singin' in the rain, Tom Hanks | Leave a comment

Everything Everywhere All at Once

Posted on April 21, 2022 by Mark DuPré

This crazy/wonderful film is well described by its title, and brought to mind Run Lola Run, Shakespeare in Love, Dr. Strange, the last Spider-Man film, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, any number of Marx brothers films, and that amusement park … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, Dr. Strange, Everything Everwhere All at Once, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ke Huy Quan, Michelle Yeoh, Run Lola Run, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Shakespeare in Love, Spider-Man, Stephanie Hsu, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel | Leave a comment

2022 Oscar Thoughts and Predictions

Posted on March 25, 2022 by Mark DuPré

Rumor has it we’re “back to normal” this year with everyone gathered in an auditorium, and with three—count ‘em!—hosts. The film world is still recovering from both COVID and the rise of streaming services with good films. This will likely … Continue reading →

Posted in Film-Related Articles | Tagged Academy Awards, Andrew Garfield, Ariana DeBose, Aunjanue Ellis, Being the Ricardos, Belfast, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ciaran Hinds, CODA, Denzel Washington, Dos Oruguitas, Drive My Car, Dune, Encanto, Flee, Four Good Days, Green Book, Hans Zimmer, J.K. Simmons, Jane Campion, Javier Bardem, Jesse Plemmons, Jessie Buckley, Jonny Greenwood, Judi Dench, Kenneth Branagh, King Richard, Kirsten Dunst, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Kristen Stewart, Let it Go, Licorice Pizza, Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom, Nicole Kidman, Nightmare Alley, Olivia Colman, Oscars, Parallel Mothers, Paul Thomas Anderson, Penelope Cruz, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Somehow You Do, Spencer, Steven Spielbert, Summer of Soul, The Academy Award Outstanding Achievement in Popular Film, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, The Hand of God, The Lost Daughter, The Mitchells vs. the Machines, The Power of the Dog, The Tragedy of Macbeth, The Worst Person in the World, Tick Tick...Boom, Troy Kotsur, We Don't Talk About Bruno, West Side Story, Will Smith | Leave a comment

The Batman (2022)

Posted on March 21, 2022 by Mark DuPré

The Batman is perhaps the most unusual of Batman films. It’s certainly the most beautiful, the slowest, the longest (just under three hours), and the most enigmatic. It’s part Taxi Driver, part Joker (which was already part Taxi Driver), part … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged Andy Serkis, Cloverfield, Danny DeVito, Greig Fraser, Hoyte Van Hoytema, Jeffrey Wright, Joker, Kristen Stewart, Little Miss Sunshine, Matt Reeves, Michael Giacchino, Paul Dano, Planet of the Apes, Ratatouille, Robert Pattinson, Spectre, Taxi Driver, The Batman, The Godfather: Part II, There Will be Blood, Twilight, Up, Zoë Kravitz | Leave a comment

Licorice Pizza

Posted on February 28, 2022 by Mark DuPré

Licorice Pizza has been nominated for three Oscars (Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay). It’s been honored by several other groups, and has been hailed as a refreshing departure from director Paul Thomas Anderson, director of Boogie Nights, … Continue reading →

Posted in Film Reviews, Newer films | Tagged Alana Haim, Alliance of Women Film Journalists, Boogie Nights, Bradley Cooper, Christine Ebersole, Cooper Hoffman, Haim, Inherent VIce, John C. Reillu, John Michael Higgins, Licorice Pizza, Lola rennt, Maya Rudoph, Paul Thomas Anderson, Sean Penn, There Will be Blood, Tom Waits | Leave a comment