DOCUDRAMAS SOMETIMES ARE SUSPENSFUL     Adventures of a Mathematician, directed by Thor Klein, is a biopic of Stan Ulam (played by Philippe Tlokinski), whose mathematics worked out the formula to produce the atomic bomb at Los Alamos during World War II. Although Klaus Fuchs, Robert Oppenheimer, and Edward Teller are better known members of the […]

Wife of a Spy

BLUE BAYOU IS THE SADDEST FILM EVER MADE Two recent films demonstrate difficulties that Korean immigrants experience in the United States. Minari features a Korean immigrant family in Arkansas during the 1980s; the husband tries to become a farmer with little success in the first year but he promises to try again in the following

WHO WAS ON TRIAL IN AMERICAN TRAITOR? An American citizen named Mildred Gilliars (played by Meadow Williams) was in Germany when World War II began, hoping to became a famous actress. Approached by radio program director Max Otto Koischwitz (Carsten Norgaard) one day in 1941, he presents her with an extraordinary opportunity—work as a high-profile

THE COURIER IS NOT JUST ANOTHER SPY MOVIE Directed by Dominic Cooke, The Courier is the story of how the gravity of the Russian threat came to the attention of President John F. Kennedy during the Cuban Missiles Crisis of 1962. The basic facts are quite simple: In 1960, the Kremlin discovers that Major Pyotr

THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 IS HOW IT REALLY HAPPENED On August 26, 1968, the Democratic Party was scheduled to begin its national convention at the Chicago Hilton and was expected to nominate as their presidential candidate Hubert Humphrey, who was expected to continue American involvement in Vietnam. Protesters from several different groups called

NO AWARDS FOR BEST FILMS OF 2020 The following were nominated for awards: Nominees for Best Film on Democracy (     ) Irresistible, directed by Jon Stewart (trying to get Trump supporters vote Democratic) Nominees for Best Film Exposé ( ) The Banker, directed by George Nolfi (how banks control real estate funding) (     ) Burden,

VOTING FOR BEST FILMS OF 2020 The following were nominated for awards. Choose one in each category: Best Film on Democracy (     ) Irresistible, directed by Jon Stewart (trying to get Trump supporters vote Democratic) (     ) No Selection Best Film Exposé ( ) The Banker, directed by George Nolfi (how banks control real estate

UPDATE: Due to coronavirus restrictions, cinemas in Los Angeles closed in March and still are shut. Rules of the Political Film Society only allow review of films exhibited in LA Country for at least a week. However, films are now being shown on drive-in theaters in outlying areas. Most of the dozen exhibited that way

THE BANKER SHOWS HOW TO DESEGREGATE HOUSING Housing segregation was a problem in the Texas hometown of real estate genius Bernard Garrett (played by Anthony Mackie). While shining shoes for Whites as a youngster, he uses his mathematical genius to understand the complexities of real estate business by overhearing his clients. In 1954, he moves