The Cranes are Flying: expressive and soulful film of hope despite the tragedy of war
Mikhail Kalatozov, “The Cranes are Flying / Letyat zhuravli” (1957) A soulful film of hope and optimism amid the cruelties of war, this story of a…
nausika
French and French-language Films
The World According to Monsanto: hard-hitting documentary about the infamous agribusiness corporation
Marie-Monique Robin, “The World According to Monsanto / Le Monde selon Monsanto” (2008) At issue in this informative documentary directed by the investigative journalist Marie-Monique Robin is…
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired – an examination of celebrity culture and corruption in US justice system
Marina Zenovich, “Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired” (2009) On the surface this film is about Polish-French director Roman Polanski’s conviction for having sex with an underage…
Tomorrow I’ll Wake Up and Scald Myself with Tea: exuberant science fiction time-travel comedy with a subversive message about lost opportunities and possibilities
Jindrich Polak, “Tomorrow I’ll Wake Up and Scald Myself with Tea / Zitra vstanu a oparim se cajem” (1977) One of a number of comic science…
Latin American Films (non-Spanish / non-Portuguese)
Modulations, Cinema for the Ear: boring and direction-less survey of electronic dance music genres from 1970s to 1990s
Iara Lee, “Modulations, Cinema for the Ear” (1998) Billed as a history of electronic music and music technology in the 20th century. “Modulations …” turns out to…
Australian and New Zealand Films
What the Future Sounded Like: modest little documentary on a pioneering electronic music company in Britain
Matthew Bate, “What the Future Sounded Like” (2006) Here be a good little documentary about the synthesiser company Electronic Music Studios (London) Ltd, formed by British composers…
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy: potentially great movie struggling under weak sub-text and sketchy plot
Tomas Alfredsson, “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” (2011) I’m too young to know the 1979 BBC TV series starring Alec Guinness but general critical consensus is that this movie adaptation…
The Fall of the House of Usher / The Pit, the Pendulum and Hope (dir. Jan Svankmajer): two film shorts of fear, terror and oppression
Jan Svankmajer, “The Fall of the House of Usher” (1981), “The Pit, the Pendulum and Hope” (1983) Both these live action / stop-motion animation films by…
An exceedingly demeaning portrait of a significant feminist / anarchist figure in “Emma Goldman – An exceedingly dangerous woman”
Mel Bucklin, “Emma Goldman – An Exceedingly Dangerous Woman” (2003) This portrait of Emma Goldman, the American woman anarchist / political activist / writer / feminist…
A is for Atom (dir. Carl Urbano): educational propaganda film presents a mildly benevolent view of nuclear energy
Carl Urbano, “A is for Atom” (1952) Created and produced by John Sutherland and sponsored by General Electric, this promotional / education film is aimed at junior…