A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
British Films, Middle Eastern Films
Craig Murray, “Ceaseless Fire” (2025) Continuing his tour of Lebanon, UK citizen journalist Craig Murray visits southern Lebanon to find that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF)…
Drew Hancock, “Companion” (2015) A low-budget sci-fi thriller film with a young cast and a deceptively simple, straightforward plot becomes a magnet for commentary on aspects…
Jack Arnold, “Creature from the Black Lagoon” (1954) For a film of its vintage, made over 70 years ago with a straightforward story and an unremarkable…
British Films, Middle Eastern Films
Craig Murray, “What the Hell is that?” (2025) Currently visiting the Middle East as a citizen foreign-correspondent journalist, British ex-diplomat Craig Murray chanced to see part…
Italian and Italian-language Films, North American Films
Edward Berger, “Conclave” (2024) Who’d have thought that a film about a group of Roman Catholic cardinals electing a new Pope could turn out to be…
Pedro Almodóvar, “The Room Next Door” (2024) Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar’s first English-language feature film addresses the issue of voluntary euthanasia / suicide and its effects…
Robert Eggers, “Nosferatu” (2024) Incredibly the years 2023 and 2024 saw two remakes of F W Murnau’s famous horror silent film “Nosferatu – Eine Symphonie des…
Dear USE readers, I haven’t seen very many films this year but I have endeavoured to watch films that I believed – or was led to…
North American Films, Russian and Soviet Films
Sean Baker, “Anora” (2024) Presenting as a comedy variation on the Cinderella story, “Anora” deftly skewers Western neo-capitalism, the class system and trashy culture that are…
British Films, North American Films
Ellen Kuras, “Lee” (2024) An earnest biopic, “Lee” follows the career of US photographer / photojournalist Lee Miller (played by Kate Winslet) during two periods in…