Tag: Movie

10 Bad-Relationship Movies: 10. ‘500 Days of Summer’

Jeff Mitchell

Hey, February is a celebrated time of year!   Groundhog’s Day, Black History Month, gorgeous weather in AHFW’s home state of Arizona, an occasional extra 24 hours for leap year, and of course, Valentine’s Day, one of most cherished days for couples. Although, Valentine’s Day embraces loving relationships, some should not be modeled as examples for romance.  To our delight and dismay, bad relationships can be found almost everywhere on the big screen.  A dime a million, perhaps?  Well, AHFW narrowed down 10 of the best bad-relationship movies, but there are…

‘Serenity’ triggers agitation, frustration and exasperation

Jeff Mitchell

“Serenity” – Baker Dill (Matthew McConaughey) drinks from a World’s Greatest Dad coffee mug, but he might not be the best at anything.  World’s Greatest Screwup, perhaps.  He’s a fisherman on Plymouth Island, a magical blue and sandy oasis where wealthy tourists descend for a week or two of R&R, but locals need to scrape and herd random sources of cash to keep roofs over their heads.  Baker may be the most desperate, but he is his own worst enemy. As the film opens, his friend Duke (Djimon Hounsou) and…

‘Capernaum’ shines a bright light on dark times

Jeff Mitchell

“Capernaum” – “I want them to stop having children.” – Zain (Zain Al Rafeea) This is Zain’s plea/wish/demand that he utters in a Lebanese court of law.  He is about 12-years-old, but this child does not know his age.  Miraculously, his mother and father cannot pinpoint his date of birth either.  The family lives in poverty, and Zain and his siblings suffer from their parents’ neglect and ineptitude. Hence, Zain sues his parents for giving birth to him. This heartbreaking declaration defies comprehension, but since director/co-writer Nadine Labaki illustrates the…