Social and political commentary sidelined by action thrills in “Doctor Who: The Mind of Evil”
Timothy Combe, “Doctor Who: The Mind of Evil” (1971) An enjoyable story, even if it is two separate stories mashed together and the seams joining them…
nausika
Political philosophy / science fiction action thriller in “Doctor Who: Inferno”
Douglas Camfield, “Doctor Who: Inferno” (1970) “Inferno” represents “Doctor Who” at its best as a science fiction / action thriller television series dealing with some very…
Advocating for tolerance and empathy against xenophobia in “Doctor Who: The Ambassadors of Death”
Michael Ferguson, “Doctor Who: The Ambassadors of Death” (Season 7, 1970) After six seasons, and the departure of two actors playing the eponymous Doctor, perhaps the…
Arabic-language Films, Chinese and Chinese-language Films
A plea for peace and mutual understanding in “Once Upon a Time in the Middle East”
Wen Muye, “Once Upon a Time in the Middle East” aka “Welcome to the Dragon Restaurant” (2026) Its story told using flashback narrative structure, this Chinese…
The End of Oak Street: dinosaurs as a metaphor for hidden middle class suburban repression
David Robert Mitchell, “The End of Oak Street” (2026) The premise is intriguing enough, and one might detect a critique of 1980s- American-style suburbia (with all…
The ethics of colonisation, enslavement, resistance and intervention in “Doctor Who: The War Games”
David Maloney, “Doctor Who: The War Games” (Season 6, 1969) One of the longest stories in the “Doctor Who” television series, totalling ten episodes, “The War…
A convoluted action / military thriller with a Bond-style villain in “Doctor Who: The Invasion”
Douglas Camfield, “Doctor Who: The Invasion” (Season 6, 1968) This eight-part serial featuring Patrick Troughton as the second incarnation of the beloved British sci-fi hero Doctor…
French and French-language Films
The Wizard of the Kremlin: a shopping list of events in recent Russian history, shorn of their context and lacking in real people
Olivier Assayas, “The Wizard of the Kremlin” (2025) Based on the novel of the same name by Giuliano da Empoli, published in 2022, “The Wizard of…
German and German-language Films, Italian and Italian-language Films
Taboo – Egon Schiele: a radical early 20th-century artist’s life and society under the psychoanalytic spotlight
Michele Mally, “Taboo – Egon Schiele” (2026) In this lively documentary on the life of early 20th-century Austrian artist Egon Schiele (1890 – 1918), Italian director…
Chinese and Chinese-language Films, Southeast Asian Films
Dear You: hope, dreams, resilience and community identity maintained over decades of separation
Lan Hongchun, “Dear You” (2026) Made on a budget equivalent to US$2.06 million or nearly $3 million in Australian currency, with little marketing and promotion, and…