Year: 2020

Movie of the Week: ‘The Past’

Jeff Mitchell

AHFW is an Asghar Farhadi fan, and two of the Iranian director’s movies won the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, “A Separation” (2011) and “The Salesman” (2016).  Critics often shine praise over the two aforementioned pictures (and deservedly so), but his 2013 film “The Past” doesn’t really receive much play.  It should, although the Hollywood Foreign Press nominated it for a Golden Globe, so we give them a big hand for their past recognition. “The Past” (2013) – A beautiful woman looks through a large bay window at Paris’ Charles…

Movie of the Week: ‘Babette’s Feast’

Jeff Mitchell

This week, AHFW hopped on a plane with a propulsion of 1.21 gigawatts to 19th century Denmark for “Babette’s Feast”, which also won the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar…during the 20th century.  1988 to be exact. “Babette’s Feast” (1987) – Director Gabriel Axel’s picture plays like a tranquil, but otherworldly, fable.  In a tiny, Danish seaside village during the 19th century, overcast skies always loom over this community of gray homes, and the residents match their houses (and the weather) by sporting gray, green and black textiles.  The locals hardly ever…

‘Words on Bathroom Walls’ draws up a compelling and empathetic story

Jeff Mitchell

“Words on Bathroom Walls” – Adam (Charlie Plummer) is halfway through his high school senior year, so graduation is close. Whoo-hoo! He should have the world at his feet, but a one-two-punch – emerging from a massive, unpredictable jungle, otherwise known as life – delivers a couple of near-crippling blows. First, his dad – with little warning or on-screen fanfare – leaves Adam and his mom Beth (Molly Parker).  Since Adam is taking the news better than his mother, he finds the space to prepare meals for their suddenly smaller…