Saturnine self-mastery is never easy. The challenge becomes even more formidable when one’s values and integrity are tied up with the political well being of a people. In Selma, directed by Ava DuVernay, the Rev. Martin Luther King finds himself in exactly this position as he straddles being true to his core beliefs while creating […]
Archetypes: Film: Review: ‘The Imitation Game’ (2014)
November 28, 2014 by
The Uranian archetype of genius, innovation and unconventional habits could not have found a better conduit than Alan Turing, the British mathematician heralded for having cracked Germany’s Enigma code, which was used to communicate that country’s secret plans and activities during WWII. Directed by Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game has, as its hero, an unlikely […]
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: ‘I Origins’ (2014)
July 13, 2014 by
The old adage – that the eyes are the gateway to the soul – gets all scienced up in I Origins, a movie that asks whether Saturnine, data-driven science trumps knowledge that bypasses logic. Directed and written by Mike Cahill, the movie’s core question – Can reality accepted on faith and without scientific “proof” be […]
Astrology: Film: Review: ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ (2014)
July 9, 2014 by
In the annals of history, many liberators of the oppressed freed their citizenry only to become tyrants themselves. It’s this age old cycle of restrictive Saturn sidling up to revolutionary Uranus – a rhythm that topples and rebuilds civilizations – that’s at the core of Matt Reeves’ highly charged Dawn of the Planet of the […]
Astrology: Film: Review: ‘22 Jump Street’ (2014)
June 12, 2014 by
Sequels are a dicey business, where a flavor too similar to the original can breed audience contempt. But in 22 Jump Street, co-directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller playfully make replication their creative launching pad. Lovable cops Jenko (Channing Tatum) and Schmidt (Jonah Hill), following the make-it-up-as-we-go-along style of law enforcement, are still basking in […]
Astrology: Film: Review: ‘We Are the Best!’ (2014)
May 27, 2014 by
Punk angst – often expressed in music through stripped-down political, anti-mainstream rants – always starts somewhere. In We Are the Best!, an innocent yet voluminously raucous film about three young punk-obsessed girls, that origination point is Stockholm, in 1982. Directed by Lukas Moodysson and adapted from a graphic novel written by his wife Coco, the […]
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: ‘Chef’ (2014)
May 6, 2014 by
Every so often a movie comes along that gives a perfectly good archetype a complete overhaul. Chef, directed and written by actor Jon Favreau, who also stars, is one of those gems. At the beginning of the movie, while walking through an upscale California farmer’s market, culinary whiz Carl Casper (Favreau) reminds his 10-year-old son […]
Astrology: Film: Review: ‘Belle’ (2014)
April 30, 2014 by
Take away the mid-18th century periodicity of Belle, and you’ve got a movie about social justice that’s as contemporary as they come. Directed by Amma Asante and loosely based on a true story, Belle is the story of Dido Elizabeth Belle, the illegitimate daughter of a Royal Navy captain and a slave. The movie begins […]
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