A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
Essays, Multi-media Presentations
Vladimir Putin’s Valdai Speech at the XII Meeting (Final Plenary Session) of the Valdai International Discussion Club (October 2015) Compared to his speech at XI Meeting…
Avi Lewis, “This Changes Everything” (2015) Billed as a film about climate change, this documentary essay based on Canadian journalist Naomi Klein’s eponymous book actually follows…
Stanley Kubrick, “The Seafarers” (1953) Stanley Kubrick’s first film made in colour turns out to be a 30-minute documentary promoting a trade union for crews of…
Alexei Popogrebsky, “How I Ended This Summer / Kak ya provel etim letom” (2010) Out of a very threadbare and unbelievable plot, Alexei Popogrebsky manages to…
Kon Ichikawa, “The Makioka Sisters” (1983) Admittedly this is a beautifully shot film and its style is very graceful but even the skill and experience of…
Quentin Tarantino, “Jackie Brown” (1997) Of the early films directed by Quentin Tarantino that have achieved cult status, perhaps the jewel of them all is this…
Kon Ichikawa, “Conflagration / Enjo” (1958) Based on the novel “The Temple of the Golden Pavilion” (itself based on an actual incident) by notorious Japanese writer…
Vladimir Putin’s Address to the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, New York City (28 September 2015) Apparently Russian President Vladimir Putin last attended…
Xi Jinping’s Address to the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, New York City (28 September 2015) The President of the People’s Republic of…
British Films, East African Films
Fernando Meirelles, “The Constant Gardener” (2005) Based on the novel of the same name by John le Carré, this film combines elements of the spy thriller…