A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
French and French-language Films
François Dupeyron, “Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran” (2003) This is an easy-going coming-of-age story based on a novel of the same name set in…
German and German-language Films
Chinese and Chinese-language Films
Lu Chuan, “Kekexili: Mountain Patrol” (2004) Not often that you come across a film bearing a strong conservation message combined with a package of stunning…
Gareth Edwards, “Monsters”, Vertigo Films (2010) Some time in the not too distant future, a NASA space probe has gone and collected some alien…
Kim Jiwoon, “The Good, the Bad, the Weird” (2010) An affectionate homage to Sergio Leone’s spaghetti / paella Westerns of the 1960’s, this Korean riff on…
Marc Forster, “The Kite Runner” (2006) Based on a best-selling novel by Afghan writer Khaled Hosseini, this is a picturesque film of childhood friendship that for…
Alfred Hitchcock, “Rear Window” (1954) From the days when Hollywood occasionally made films that featured rich sub-text and challenged audiences to question their role as viewers comes this…
Latin American Films (Spanish language)
Guillermo del Toro, “Pan’s Labyrinth” (2006) This is an excellent film that successfully combines dark fantasy and horror with historical drama set in fascist-ruled Spain in…
Abbas Kiarostami, “Taste of Cherry” (1997) Source: www.thefilmpilgrim.com On the surface this looks like a very minimalist, in parts improvised film about a man contemplating suicide…
German and German-language Films
Werner Herzog, “Fitzcarraldo” (1982) For all the off-screen controversies and shenanigans that bedevilled the making of this film, “Fitzcarraldo” turns out to be a decent enough…