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Uplifting Films is a spiritual but nonreligious evaluation of both mainstream and independent films. We recommend movies that have a positive vision of life, leave you feeling good and contain little or no gratuitous violence, exploitative sex or other types of negative imagery. We talk about films that delight, inspire, educate and enlighten. We are primarily for positive films, not against negative ones. Our reviews come from the heart as well as the intellect. Our criteria are compassion and love.

We look for positive role models, important messages, humor, positive women's or children's points of view. Political films are included but we warn viewers if there is disturbing content. Occasionally we find an action adventure film that we recommend. We are not advocates of censorship. For example, we have no objection to loving sexuality on screen, but we do note its presence out of respect for those who want to avoid it. We hope that by supporting positive films, more will be made and their prominence in the fabric of society expanded. Uplifting Films can be thought of as a guide to mind nutrition for film viewers.

A great performance by Johnny Depp as a troubled young man who calls himself Don Juan DeMarco, the Greatest Lover in the World. He doesn't have much trouble convincing others. He inspires those around him to promote love and rekindle the passion within themselves. As an aging, world weary psychiatrist (Marlon Brando) is trying to help this young man to face his truths, he finds himself faced with his own truths and questions his approach to life and love. The interplay between Depp and Brando is sparkling and brings out great performances from both of them.

As well as the sheer enjoyment you will feel when you watch this movie, there is a deeper message. The film makes a very strong statement about the use (or overuse) of drugs today as the primary treatment for psychiatric patients.

There are those who feel a need to reduce everything they see under the small, clear lens of clinical observation, to react to all the complexities of the human condition with a diagnosis, a label and a prescription. This movie shows us that other approaches might be possible.

The concept of Don Juan is offbeat, sensual and funny, full of fantasy, romance and love. Although not a film for very young children, it will speak to teenagers, their parents and their grandparents. It will enthrall and delight you long after you have seen it. Don't be surprised if you find yourself stepping just a little bit lighter, gazing just a little bit longer into your loved one's eyes, feeling just a little bit younger and more alive.

Real accounts of two ghetto teenagers recognized for their basketball talents but struggling to maintain academic standards at private high schools where they have won scholarships. We become very involved in their pain, successes and failures, family problems and dreams. A five-year slice of their life, good and bad, is presented to us. This film is about courage, perseverance, how life works out. It makes you want to get involved and help. Especially good for teenagers to see because it shows the realities of life.

Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton are secretaries who put up with some very bad treatment by their boss until they discover some important things about themselves and each other. They turn their situation around with some hilarious strategies. Very, very funny. Makes a statement about women's rights, self respect and the confidence that women need to have in themselves. It is about bonding between women and helps to create solutions in the workplace.

A joyous film to watch, it portrays unusual integrity in its story of kindness and caring. The setting is a circle of friendly and not so friendly acquaintances in a small town that could be Anywhere, USA. This is not a drama to make us cry or weep, but to gain wisdom. Every character in the film has redeeming qualities that blend perfectly with their faults to create "real" people we can relate to and empathize with. Their shortcomings are acknowledged but not judged too harshly. Painful family relationships are dealt with in a tender way, as we see the main character (Paul Newman) dealing with a son and grandsons he hardly knows. Even as we dislike a character in the movie or what they do, we are also able to see a better side of them. The acting and story are wonderfully believable in this unusual and exceptional film experience.

A compelling, powerful and compassionate movie about human endurance, corruption, and love. Tim Robbins is imprisoned for a serious crime which he claims he did not commit. The film takes place over many years spent in prison, and the eventual release. Even though there is harsh violence in the beginning of the movie, we are still recommending this film because it is ultimately so uplifting -- an exception we rarely make. Stephen King wrote the original story, but this is not a horror film. It is so well made, written, directed and acted that the violence can be overlooked in this case.

Diana Oestreich and Elliott Landy are a husband and wife team with a lifelong passion for film and spirituality.

Diana Oestreich is a film producer. She has developed film projects for many actors, directors and studios including Warner Brothers, MGM, Paramount, HBO, CBS, Barbra Streisand, Christopher Reeve, and Goldie Hawn. She is currently developing a feature film which focuses on Zen Buddhism.

Elliott Landy is a well known photographer whose images of Woodstock, Dylan, the Band, and the sixties music scene are known worldwide. He has published several photography books, and is a music filmmaker and producer. He is presently producing and developing a CD-ROM for Panasonic Software, Woodstock Vision, The Spirit of A Generation, which will be released in 1997.

© LandyVision, Inc., POB 836, Woodstock NY 12498

Uplifting Films by Diana & Elliott on the internet: http://www.upliftingfilms.com. Visit our website for reviews of current films in theaters.

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