Howie Movshovitz
Film CriticHowie Movshovitz came to Colorado in 1966 as a VISTA Volunteer and never wanted to leave. After three years in VISTA, he went to graduate school at CU-Boulder and got a PhD in English, focusing on the literature of the Middle Ages.
In the middle of that process, though (and he still loves that literature) he got sidetracked into movies, made three shorts, started writing film criticism and wound up teaching film at the University of Colorado-Denver. He continues to teach in UCD’s College of Arts & Media.
He has been reviewing films on public radio since 1976 (first review: Robert Altman’s Buffalo Bill and the Indians). Along the way he spent nine years as the film critic of The Denver Post, and has been contributing features on film subjects to NPR since 1987.
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A new film called Dreaming Walls: Inside the Chelsea Hotel chronicles some of the history of New York’s Chelsea Hotel, which became infamous in the 1960s and ‘70s for the wild behaviors of famous rock musicians and artists. Many people just thought of the Chelsea as a haven for chaos and addicts. But KUNC film critic Howie Movshovitz, who teaches film at CU-Denver, says the movie and the place are far more complicated than that. -
In the new French comedy My Donkey, My Lover and I, a young woman takes a hike with a donkey. That may not sound promising at first, but KUNC film critic Howie Movshovitz, who teaches film at CU-Denver, says the picture has charm and brains – and both characters are played by fine actors.
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The Boulder Chautauqua has run a summer silent film series for years. KUNC film critic Howie Movshovitz — who also directs the Denver Silent Film Festival — said that while the schedule is sadly limited this year, both the films and the live musical accompaniment are terrific.
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In the mountains of northern Idaho, two young women herd cattle in a new movie called Bitterbrush for the sagebrush-like plants that cover the dry lands below the peaks. KUNC film critic Howie Movshovitz says Bitterbrush is a touching picture of solitude and the beauty of the natural world.
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The new film Benediction is about the terrible effect of World War I on talented young artists, and by extension on everyone else. It’s written and directed by Terence Davies. KUNC film critic Howie Movshovitz says Davies is one of the great poetical filmmakers.
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The new documentary Hold Your Fire looks back at a hostage situation in 1973 that didn’t turn out the way the public expected. KUNC film critic Howie Movshovitz says that the way the movie respects complexity is a model for how to look at such events.
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The new movie Montana Story tells a story of a family and a ranch in trouble. KUNC film critic Howie Movshovitz says this story has been told better, but not always prettier.
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Hit the Road is the title of a new film from Iran about a family on a road trip. But KUNC film critic Howie Movshovitz, who teaches film at CU Denver, says this is not It Happened One Night or Thelma and Louise.
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Just as the title suggests, the documentary film Cow spends about 90 minutes in the company of a dairy cow on a large farm in England. KUNC film critic Howie Movshovitz, who teaches film at CU Denver, says the picture brings up many questions.
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Great Freedom is a new film from Austria and Germany about a gay man that takes place mostly in a prison between 1945 and 1968. KUNC film critic Howie Movshovitz, who teaches film at CU-Denver, says that the title is neither ironic nor optimistic.
