Cinema Blog

Frontera

By Elisabeth LaMotte / August 6, 2014

Michael Berry’s timely new film, Frontera, is sure to stir controversy and conversation.  The film’s backdrop is the border between Mexico and Arizona where Ed Harris plays a retired Sheriff living on an expansive ranch with his wife (Amy Madigan).  The couple have a deliberately independent and horse-centered life and one of their ongoing conversations…

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The Snow Queen

By Elisabeth LaMotte / July 28, 2014

Michael Cunningham, 2014, 272 pages Intimate relationships are a primary focus in psychotherapy.  Through therapy, people examine their closest relationships in order to determine what aspects of their approach to others work well for them, and what aspects of their approach they might want to change in order to form healthier attachments.  In order to…

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The Fault in our Stars

By Elisabeth LaMotte / July 15, 2014

If you have tween or teen daughters, it is highly likely that you have already heard an earful about John Green’s bestselling novel and subsequently recently released film, The Fault in our Stars.  Even if you do not have teens or tweens, you would have to be living under a rock to have missed the…

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Little Miss Sunshine

By Elisabeth LaMotte / July 6, 2014

Helping clients navigate difficult breakups is a primary focus of our psychotherapy practice.  Sometimes, a painful breakup triggers a full blown depressive episode that is at once consuming, paralyzing and terrifying.  Such a breakup is depicted in the award-winning 2006 film, Little Miss Sunshine.  Directed by husband and wife team Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris,…

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500 Days of Summer

By Elisabeth LaMotte / June 19, 2014

A painful breakup is one of the most common reasons people seek therapy.  Breakups are almost never easy, and almost never mutual.  Most people going through a breakup say they wish they could reverse their situation back into a relationship.  However, as much as losing a relationship can hurt, breakups also carry the opportunity for…

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Her

By Elisabeth LaMotte / June 10, 2014

As a therapist working with adults in their twenties, thirties and forties, many of whom are single, I frequently discuss the way that technology affects dating and relationships with my clients.  I often wonder what the future will look like, and how much farther the internet revolution will infiltrate and impact the human experience of…

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The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

By Elisabeth LaMotte / May 22, 2014

Ben Stiller, 2013, 114 minutes The intersection of dating and technology is an inevitable topic for single adults in therapy.  Whether discussing questions about the choice to pursue on-line dating, or how Facebook, Instagram and texting shape the modern relationship landscape, technology has a profound influence over the process of seeking romance and connection. Directed…

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Wonder

By Elisabeth LaMotte / May 13, 2014

“When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind.”   R. J. Palacio 2012, 320 pages, Alfred A. Knopf It’s not every day that I read a book written for middle schoolers; however, both of my daughters tore through Wonder with such intensity that I grew curious.  So, when their school principal…

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The Broken Circle Breakdown

By Elisabeth LaMotte / May 9, 2014

Director: Felix van Groeningen, Screenwriters: Carl Joes and Felix van Groeningen 2012, 112 minutes, Netherlands, Belgium Many people reach out to a therapist when they are facing a crisis or a tragedy and therefore at their most vulnerable.  While conflicts and challenges related to religious faith are not at the forefront of my daily work…

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Saving Mr. Banks

By Elisabeth LaMotte / April 27, 2014

125 minutes, Directed by John Lee Hancock, 2013 When I sat down last night to watch Saving Mr. Banks with my family, my expectations were modest at best.  I felt pleased to find a rare PG rating without the 13 attached, and viewed our selection as an appropriate, child-oriented, family compromise.  We have always appreciated…

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