For many athletes, winning an Olympic gold medal opens countless doors, leading to personal growth, financial security, and a validation that all their hard work has value in a post-Olympics existence. As explored in Foxcatcher, this scenario was not the fate of the Schultz brothers, both wrestling gold medalists in the 1984 Olympics, in Los […]
Archetypes: Television: Review: ‘Manhattan’ Season 1 Finale: Death, Pluto and the Bomb
October 26, 2014 by
Pluto was first spotted in the sky in early 1930, three years before Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany. And this planet’s archetypal energies – death, destruction, power, transformation, secrecy, spying, obsession and control – shatter every frame of “Manhattan,” WGN America’s smart, riveting drama series which broadcast its first-season finale last week. Created by […]
Astrology: Film: Review: ‘Citizenfour’ (2014)
October 25, 2014 by
The most vibrant movie characters, fictional or biographical, tend to carry the most riveting archetypes. Citizenfour, Laura Poitras’ documentary about Edward J. Snowden, falls – rather, bursts – into that category of memorable players. And, like most of the U.S. population unaware of how its government was massively breaching citizens’ privacy, Poitras begins her project […]
Astrology: Film: Review: ‘Force Majeure’ (2014)
October 24, 2014 by
Blindingly white and light-reflective, snow shows a surprisingly dark side in Force Majeure, which abruptly detours from its seeming family-vacation premise to one family member’s full-blown side trip to a hell of his own making. Written and directed by Ruben Östlund, the movie is set in a postcard-perfect ski resort in the French Alps, with […]
Astrology: Film: Review: ‘Calvary’ (2014)
July 26, 2014 by
Everyone has a cross to bear. But a parish priest tending his flock in Ireland’s County Sligo has really gotten more than his share in Calvary, a movie that addresses archetypal Pluto issues of power, abandonment and revenge, as well as Neptune themes of sacrifice and victimization. Directed and written by John Michael McDonagh, Calvary, […]
Astrology: Film: Review: ‘A Most Wanted Man’ (2014)
July 20, 2014 by
The grim espionage business relies, for its success, on Neptunian deception and Plutonic penetration of secrets. The most clever master spies throw a third archetype into the mix: the Saturnine User, who’ll exploit the captured by making them spy on their own people and then feed information back to their new handlers. In A Most […]
Astrology: Film: Review: ‘Magic in the Moonlight’ (2014)
July 18, 2014 by
If art is the beautiful lie, can love also be ushered into existence by duplicity? That’s the question at the center of Magic in the Moonlight, a movie inspired by early 20th century Europe’s fascination with spiritualism, seances and communicating with the dead. Directed and written by Woody Allen, Magic in the Moonlight is set […]
Astrology: Film: Review: ‘Night Moves’ (2014)
May 27, 2014 by
You cannot, as the saying goes, make a profit off a dead planet, and the three radical environmentalists who are the key players in Night Moves intend to ensure the earth’s survival in any manner possible. Directed and co-written by Kelly Reichardt, Night Moves revels in the trio’s low-key demeanor, their ease with silence and […]
Astrology: Film: Review: ‘Cold in July’ (2014)
May 18, 2014 by
Watching Cold in July is like getting on a bus and quickly realizing the increasingly sweaty and foreboding ride isn’t remotely heading for the destination named on your ticket. In this East Texas tale set in 1989, director and co-writer Jim Mickle sure dishes out some unexpected and grim-tasting BBQ. Based on Joe R. Lansdale’s […]
Astrology: Film: Review: ‘Transcendence’ (2014)
April 17, 2014 by
It’s a safe bet, judging from its title alone, that Transcendence will sharply contrast the density of matter with the non-corporeal energy that exists beyond the realm of the physical. Directed by Wally Pfister, the movie does explore archetypal Neptunian themes involving divinity, compassion, saving what one loves, and heavily blurring the lines between concrete […]
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