July 18, 2021 | Art House Film Wire

Movie of the Week: ‘Without Limits’

July 18, 2021July 19, 2021 Jeff Mitchell

“Without Limits” (1998) – Steve Prefontaine is one of the all-time great American long-distance runners, but in 2021, some may not have heard of the man nicknamed Pre. During the early 1970s, however, he was the University of Oregon’s favorite son, and he probably still is. The UofO has held the annual Prefontaine Classic meet on campus for 46 years running (pardon the pun). Director Robert Towne is no stranger to the sport. He wrote and directed “Personal Best” (1982), a film about a pair of female athletes training for…

‘Calvary’: It’s a sin to skip this dark whodunit

July 18, 2021July 19, 2021 Jeff Mitchell

“Calvary” (2014) – Father James (Brendan Gleeson) is a good and decent priest, but despite his earnest nature, he’s unfortunately living under extreme duress in a small seaside Irish community. Although scenic beauty surrounds him at every winding, country-road turn, many of the townspeople spew ugly hostility. The biggest danger, however, comes from a man who enters his confessional and threatens to kill him in one week’s time. Writer/director John Michael McDonagh weaves a dark whodunit that really plays like an old western, as it methodically marches towards Father James’…