Month: May 2018

‘Pope Francis: A Man of His Word’ is a great opportunity and a missed one

Jeff Mitchell

“Pope Francis:  A Man of His Word” – “I think he might be the coolest pope ever.” – Conan O’Brien O’Brien is not alone. With his progressive stances on climate change, gay marriage, women in the church, and more, Pope Francis is helping bridge the gap between traditional Catholicism and life in 2018.  Whether or not every individual Catholic church in the world is more accessible and flexible, well, at least this pope – whose papacy began in March 2013 – has set a new direction. Sensible.  Likable.  Approachable. These…

The 70s coming-of-age film ‘Measure of a Man’ stands up

Jeff Mitchell

“Measure of a Man” – “I hated summer vacation.  For me, it wasn’t about anticipation.  It was about preparation.” – Bobby Marks (Blake Cooper) “For me, growing up and going to school and not seeing any anti-bullying posters and not hearing people talk about bullying was very desolate.” – poet Shane Koyczan A lush, serene lakeside community – complete with canoes, a diving board attached to a dock, hiking trails sprawling in every direction, and families enjoying warm days, cool nights and plenty of laughs – sounds like a welcoming…

Celebrate Fred Astaire’s birthday with a double-feature

Jeff Mitchell

(Follow Art House Film Wire on Facebook) Fred Austerlitz was born on May 10, 1899, but the world knows him as Fred Astaire.  The American Film Institute also knows him as one of the all-time greats, as the organization ranked him the number five male performer of classic cinema. To celebrate the 119th year of his birth, here are two films to sit back and enjoy for an Astaire double-feature! “Top Hat” (1935) – Astaire and Ginger Rogers starred in 10 motion pictures together, and this film, their fourth, was…