A Haunting in Venice: behind the storm and the haunted house, a formulaic plot appears
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…
nausika
Sound of Freedom: despite good intentions, the film is a shallow representation of child sex trafficking
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…
Thunderbird 6: flying a bit higher than its predecessor
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…
Thunderbirds Are Go: no, the film didn’t go well at all
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
Tenet: beneath the gloss and sci-fi gibberish, a banal plot with flat characters appears
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…
Hanyo / The Housemaid (dir. Kim Ki-young): a delirious melodrama critical of Western culture and Confucian traditions
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…
Oppenheimer: intriguing character study / legal drama on the use and misuse of power
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…
Hollywood tries to squeeze blood out of the stone that is “Kong: Skull Island”
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…
Australian and New Zealand Films
Storm Boy: a film of unusual friendships and the cycle of life
Henri Safran, “Storm Boy” (1976) A moody and melancholy film, ostensibly about a lonely boy who raises three pelican chicks and remains close to one of…
Bram Stoker’s Dracula: a lavish and surreal film skirting over social issues in Western society now and in the 1890s
Francis Ford Coppola, “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” (1992) A visually lavish and often surreal presentation, Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation of the famous vampire novel still holds up…