A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
German and German-language Films
Andres Veiel, “Riefenstahl” (2024) Gaining access to 700 boxes of archives of the work of notorious German film director Leni Riefenstahl (1902 – 2003), who made…
Peter Cattaneo, “The Penguin Lessons” (2024) At first this film appears no more than a light, gentle comedy about a teacher upstaged by a penguin. In…
Michael Anderson, “Logan’s Run” (1976) Admittedly this film has not aged well over the past half-century: its sets look bad; its music soundtrack turns tired and…
Hiromasa Yonebayashi, “Mary and the Witch’s Flower” (2017) A visually very attractive family movie, clearly influenced by the Studio Ghibli animation style – indeed, director Hiromasa…
Tim Mielants, “Small Things Like These” (2024) Adapted from the novella of the same name by Claire Keegan, “Small Things Like These” is an understated character…
Hayao Miyazaki, “My Neighbour Totoro” (1988) The film that brought Studio Ghibli to an international audience, “My Neighbour Totoro” may be charming and sweet, suitable for…
Bong Joonho, “Mickey 17” (2025) Based on the science fiction novel “Mickey 7” by Edward Ashton, “Mickey 17” takes that novel’s premise – a space colonist…
Walter Salles, “Ainda Estou Aqui / I’m Still Here” (2024) Based on Brazilian writer Marcelo Rubens Paiva’s memoir of the same name, “Ainda Estou Aqui /…
Gia Coppola, “The Last Showgirl” (2024) Running to 90 minutes, this psychological drama about an ageing showgirl packs in much nuance and conflict, more so than…
Marc S. Nollkaemper, “The Space Between Us” (2015) In a future post-apocalyptic world, where the air is toxic to breathe, and scientists are experimenting with giving…