THE BROTHER Comes To Town
On Jan.24th, our 16 yr. old grandson, Michael Stevantoni, premiered his thirteenth film, THE BROTHER, in Campbell River, B.C. With Michael being in school, it’s taken a year and a…
The Power of the Human Spirit
It’s no accident that at the close of 2012, we have a number of films celebrating the power of the human spirit. Les Miserables and Lincoln are two such movies…
Where Would We Be Without Books?
I find it incredible that through books, we can visit exotic places, meet interesting characters, and sometimes learn a little about ourselves in the process. Books teach us about the…
Not Your Typical Fairy Tale
Growing up reading fairy tales and seeing films with a happy Hollywood ending, I expected more or less the same kind of ending when I got married. I soon found…
Asghar Farhadi’s Film, A Separation – A Universal Film and Story
I saw Asghar Farhadi’s film, A Separation, the week before it won best foreign film at the Oscars. Shot in a very intimate fashion—no panoramic shots of city or country—this film…
Storytelling In THE ARTIST and THE DESCENDANTS
I started off the new year by seeing THE ARTIST, superbly directed and written by Michel Hazanavicius. It’s a curious film, since it’s mostly silent—except for the musical score and a…
The Help: Black and White and Red All Over
The 60s was a time when the relationships between the Blacks and the Whites grew embarrassingly red for many. The shame of it all is brilliantly captured in Kathryn Stockett’s…
The Many Paths of Inspiration
I’ve written about inspiration before, but I gave it short shrift. The Encarta dictionary defines inspiration as: “stimulation for the human mind to creative thought or the making of art”.…
Hereafter, Heaven, and Afterlife
Afterlife As this year draws to a close, I’m reflecting on other endings, chiefly the afterlife. With my mother’s passing, I’ve become preoccupied with questions about death and heaven, if…
Passion: The Driving Force
I sometimes wonder what keeps me day after day, hour after hour, year after year sitting in front of a computer, working on stories. I struggle to find the right…