A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
Faye Fillingham, “The Simulation” (2021) Initially this short seems light-hearted and amusing but on repeated viewings its dark heart is gradually revealed. A young woman, Agatha…
Alex Magaña, “Mukbang” (2022) Originating in South Korea, mukbang is an Internet-based audiovisual broadcast or blog in which the host eats various quantities of food while…
Andy Alvarez, “Sol” (2020) In a world devastated by climate change (and perhaps global war), two survivors – Claudia (Rukiya Bernard) and her young daughter Marisol…
Australian and New Zealand Films
Josh Tanner, “Wandering Soul” (2016) An intensely claustrophobic film, seemingly a ghost story set during the Vietnam War, “Wandering Soul” follows two Viet Cong fighters, Dao…
Scott Woodburn, “Rick and Ruby” (2019) Playing like an episode in a never-ending road-movie series across America, “Rick and Ruby” is a buddy mini-movie packing comedy,…
Australian and New Zealand Films
Lachlan McLeod, “Clean” (2022) As this documentary demonstrates, there’s much more to the word “clean” than first appears. Initially the topic of the film was trauma…
Anthony Fabian, “Mrs Harris Goes to Paris” (2022) A light and lively film harking nostalgically back to an idealised vision of post-WWII Paris, “Mrs Harris Goes…
Essays, Multi-media Presentations
Vladimir Putin’s Valdai Speech at the XIX Meeting (Final Plenary Session) of the Valdai International Discussion Club (Moscow, 27 October 2022) As is his usual custom,…
Ihsanul Huq, “The Collector” (2021) A very moving story thanks to its lead actor Frank Collison, this short film revolves around a choice his character is…
Chinese and Chinese-language Films
“Land Reform in the Philippines” (Asianometry, 17 October 2022) For most of its existence as an independent nation since 1946, the Philippines has suffered from unequal…