A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
Vladimir Putin’s Valdai Speech at the XX Meeting (Final Plenary Session) of the Valdai International Discussion Club (Sochi, 5 October 2023) In his speech at the…
Hlynur Palmason, “Volaða land / Vanskabte Land / Godland” (2022) Its plot looks simple enough, and it follows in the path of similar films such as…
Kenneth Branagh, “A Haunting in Venice” (2023) For his third outing as Belgian police detective Hercule Poirot, actor / director Kenneth Branagh chose to go with…
Alejandro Monteverde, “Sound of Freedom” (2023) Inspired by and loosely based on the work of activist / author Tim Ballard, “Sound of Freedom” is a straightforward…
David Lane, “Thunderbird 6” (1968) Despite the box office failure of “Thunderbirds Are Go”, United Artists had enough faith in the British television show’s creators Gerry…
David Lane, “Thunderbirds Are Go” (1966) Based on the famous British children’s television puppet action adventure series “Thunderbirds”, this film could have garnered an international audience…
British Films, North American Films
Christopher Nolan, “Tenet” (2019) For an example of how not to make a blockbuster sci-fi thriller, Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” must surely rate as the number one…
Kim Ki-young, “Hanyo / The Housemaid” (1960) Delirious and overwrought in its soap-opera melodrama, this cult classic of South Korean cinema works as a satire of…
Christopher Nolan, “Oppenheimer” (2023) Aside from all the Hollywood fanfare fluff surrounding its release, Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” is actually an intriguing character study and legal drama…
Jordan Vogt-Roberts, “Kong: Skull Island” (2017) An example of how post-2000 Hollywood is squeezing as much juice as it can from all its past films (plus…