“Captain Fantastic” (2016). Cast: Viggo Mortensen, George McKay, Frank Langella, Kathryn Hahn, Steve Zahn, Ann Dowd, Samantha Isler, Annalise Basso, Nicholas Hamilton, Shree Crooks, Charlie Shotwell, Trin Miller, Elijah Stevenson, Teddy Van Ee, Erin Moriarity, Missi Pyle. Director: Matt Ross. Screenplay: Matt Ross. Web site. Trailer. Getting away from the crush of the world’s worries undoubtedly holds tremendous appeal, particularly for those seeking to support and raise their families in a natural, healthy environment untainted by the corruption, perils and concerns of everyday life. But does this kind of retreat from mainstream society truly live up to the promise of paradise found? That’s the question examined in the new family drama, “Captain Fantastic.” Ben Cash (Viggo Mortensen) has rejected the evils of the outside world in favor of the wilderness of the Pacific Northwest. He lives in the forest with his six kids (George McKay, Samantha Isler, Annalise Basso, Nicholas Hamilton, Shree Crooks, Charlie Shotwell), teaching them how to live off the land, how to practice sustainable self-sufficiency and how to lead exceedingly ethical lives. He home-schools his children, educating them in a wide variety of subjects (often involving material far above what’s taught to their real world peers), and ...

Join me and host Frankie Picasso today for this month’s Movies with Meaning segment on the Frankiesense & More radio show! We’ll discuss some of the summer season’s inspiring new releases, among other topics. Tune in at 1 pm ET by clicking here ...

“Life, Animated” (2016). Cast: Owen Suskind, Ron Suskind, Cornelia Suskind, Walt Suskind, Gilbert Gottfried, Jonathan Freeman, Emily Jathas. Director: Roger Ross Williams. Screenplay: Ron Suskind. Book: Ron Suskind, Life, Animated: A Story of Sidekicks, Heroes and Autism. Web site. Trailer. Finding our way in the world is difficult enough for most of us, but what if we were burdened by the challenges of autism? Would it be possible to make our way as independently functioning beings? Even more so, would it be possible to understand the fundamental nature of the world around us? As unlikely as those prospects might seem to some of us, there are always possibilities. Indeed, as the saying goes, “When there’s a will, there’s a way,” and that notion underscores the efforts of a remarkable young man as depicted in the uplifting new documentary, “Life, Animated.” When Owen Suskind went silent at age three, his parents, Cornelia and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ron Suskind, were shocked. Having been a vibrant, engaged toddler, Owen suddenly withdrew, uttering few sounds except for occasional gibberish. Needless to say, Ron and Cornelia wondered, how could this happen? Not long thereafter, Owen was diagnosed with regressive autism. His parents did their best ...

“Hunt for the Wilderpeople” (2016). Cast: Sam Neil, Julian Dennison, Rima Te Wiata, Rachel House, Oscar Kightley, Rhys Darby, Stan Walker, Mike Minogue, Cohen Holloway, Taika Waititi, Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne, Troy Kingi, Hamish Parkinson. Director: Taika Waititi. Screenplay: Taika Waititi. Book: Barry Crump, Wild Pork and Watercress. Web site. Trailer. Life offers us options. Some are appealing, others aren’t. The most important point to remember in this, however, is that we have the power to choose which ones we want, despite the efforts of those who would deny us this. That’s one of the key concerns driven home in the hilarious new buddy/road trip movie from New Zealand, “Hunt for the Wilderpeople.” Ricky Baker (Julian Dennison), a troubled city teen, has led a checkered life. Having been raised on hip hop culture while being shuffled from one foster home to another, Ricky has perpetually wound up in trouble, guilty of a litany of minor (and not-so-minor) offenses. So, with his options running out, he’s given one last chance to shape up when his no-nonsense child welfare officer, Paula (Rachel House), places him in the care of an aging rural couple, Bella and Hec Faulkner (Rima Te Wiata, Sam Neill), who live ...

Reviews of “Life, Animated” and “Shadows of Liberty” and a radio show preview are all available in the latest Movies with Meaning post on the Blog Page of The Good Radio Network, available by clicking here ...

“Our Little Sister” (Original title: “Umimachi Diary”) (2015 production, 2016 release). Cast: Haruka Ayase, Masami Nagasawa, Kaho, Suzu Hirosu, Shinobu Otake, Kirin Kiki, Shinichi Tsutsumi, Jun Fubuki, Takafumi Ikeda, Oshiro Maeda, Ryô Kase, Lily Franky, Yuko Nakamura, Kentaro Sakahuchi, Midoriko Kimura. Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda. Screenplay: Hirokazu Kore-eda. Graphic Novel: Akimi Yoshida, Umimachi Diary. Web site. Trailer. How we define “family” need not follow traditional interpretations. Indeed, it can take a variety of inventive and novel forms, often working exceedingly well in meeting everyone’s needs. Such is the case in the heartwarming new family drama from Japan, “Our Little Sister” (originally titled “Umimachi Diary”). Based on a popular Japanese graphic novel, the film tells the story of three sisters in their 20s, Sachi (Haruka Ayase), Yoshino (Masami Nagasawa) and Chika (Kaho), who share a home that has been in their family for generations in the seaside city of Kamakura. The Kôda siblings have been on their own for quite some time, their father having abandoned them for another woman and their mother (Shinobu Otake) having left not long thereafter under somewhat unspecified circumstances. But they manage well, self-sufficient and reasonably comfortable. When word reaches the women of their estranged father’s passing, ...