This Time Away: a succinct and heartwarming character study with a sting in its tail
Magali Barbe, “This Time Away” (2019) A very heartwarming little film, succinct and taut in its telling, yet filled with tenderness and depth, this character study…
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Chinese and Chinese-language Films
A bombastic tale of quest, physical and spiritual, in “Jiang Ziya: Legend of Deification”
Teng Cheng, Li Wei, “Jiang Ziya: Legend of Deification” (2020) Inspired by the 16th-century Chinese novel by Xu Zhonglin, “The Investiture of the Gods”, itself based…
Essays, Multi-media Presentations
Unadulterated Propaganda versus Accuracy: Alexei Navalny versus the ‘underpants poisoner’
Latika Bourke, “Alexei Navalny versus the ‘underpants poisoner'” (Sydney Morning Herald, 5 February 2021) As examples of crude mainstream media propaganda bashing Russia and in particular…
Essays, Multi-media Presentations
Vladimir Putin’s Davos online forum speech (2021): a plea for cooperation and mutual respect in striving for peace and prosperity
Vladimir Putin’s Davos online forum speech (2021) Invited to the Davos online forum organised by the World Economic Forum over 25 – 29 January 2021, Russian…
Korean Films, North American Films
Loyal Citizens of Pyongyang in South Korea: how South Korea and the US use North Korean defectors as propaganda tools
David Yun, “Loyal Citizens of Pyongyang in South Korea” (2018) Made by then UCLA undergraduate student David Yun, this short terse documentary challenges the Western narrative…
Australian and New Zealand Films
All flash and style but little substance in “Occupation: Rainfall”
Luke Sparke, “Occupation: Rainfall” (2020) Here’s a brisk and flashy science fiction action film done on a small budget with plenty of Australian bravado and no…
Australian and New Zealand Films
Tusalava: a unique animated classic inviting many interpretations
Len Lye, “Tusalava” (1929) It must have been astonishing enough when it was first released with its original piano music score by woefully under-rated Australian experimental…
The Empire’s 2016 Coup in Turkey: an entree into the history of fraught relations between two NATO allies
Carlton Meyer, “The Empire’s 2016 Coup in Turkey” (Tales of the American Empire, 22 January 2021) Rather light on the day-to-day details of the attempt by…
My Salinger Year: a small-scaled film that never leaves its comfort zone
Philippe Falardeau, “My Salinger Year” (2020) A film about finding your own voice and creative outlet, and being able to express that creativity, “My Salinger Year”…
Two & Two: a study of how an individual dedicated to the truth can live in a police state society
Babak Anvari, “Two & Two ” (2011) Notable for its minimal grey and dreary setting which throws all the audience’s attention onto the dialogue, the plot…