A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
Kenzo Masaoka, “Suteneko Tora-chan” (1947) A charming film about an orphaned kitten found and adopted by a family of cats, “Suteneko Tora-chan” addresses some of the…
Robin Wright, “Land” (2021) For her directorial debut, US actor Robin Wright chose to do a challenging character study of a bereaved woman, Edee (played by…
Carlton Meyer, “The American Occupation of Iran 1941 – 1978” (Tales of the American Empire, 13 March 2020) So much history is covered in this short…
Australian and New Zealand Films
“Taking on the banks: The truth about the Australia Post Cartier watches affair” (Citizens Insight / Australian Citizens Party, 19 February 2021) In this video, the Australian…
Noburo Ofuji, “The Bear Dodger” (1948) Made in 1948 but with characters drawn in a much older early-1930s style, this animated short has a moral behind…
Noburu Ofuji aka Fuyo Koyamano, “Tengu Taiji” (1934) A very comical tale about a town besieged by tengu – dangerous goblin spirits with the characteristics of…
Ikuo Oishi, “Ugokie kori no tatehiki” (1933) Japanese animators in the 1930s sure loved the Max Fleischer style of animation and Ikuo Oishi was no different:…
British Films, French and French-language Films
Florian Zeller, “The Father” (2020) Detailing an elderly father’s deterioration from dementia, and the effects his condition has on the people around him, this film adopts…
Yoshitsugu Tanaka, “Entotsuya Peroo” (1930) Known also as “Chimney Sweep Peroo”, this unusual animated film made in 1930 relies on silhouette or shadow animation to tell…
Yuichi Kondo, “Ryoko’S Qubit Summer” (2018) Here is a sweet film about an unusual love affair between an AI researcher and an AI creation. In the…