A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
Reviews of films from Russia and from the Soviet period (1917 – 1991) including all films made during that time in countries that are now independent.
D Zyuz’kov, Natalia Yurchenko documentary (1984) A curious little 20-minute gem on Youtube, this Soviet television documentary about the gymnast Natalia Yurchenko, made about the time…
Northern European Films, Russian and Soviet Films
Priit Pärn and Kulno Luhts, “Harjutusi iseseisvaks eluks / Exercises in Preparation for Independent Life” (1980) In typically insouciant style, animator Priit Pärn serves up another short…
Northern European Films, Russian and Soviet Films
Heino Pars, “Nael / The Nail” (1972) Droll little animation short “Nael” consists of four stories that illustrate aspects of life in Soviet Estonia in the 1970s using…
Julian Assange, “The World Tomorrow (Episode 11: Anwar Ibrahim)” (Russia Today, 3 July 2012) In this final installment in his interview series, Assange goes over to…
Northern European Films, Russian and Soviet Films
Ando Keskküla, “Jänes (The Hare)” (1976) One of the trippiest animation films I have seen since starting this blog and I have seen a fair few,…
Northern European Films, Russian and Soviet Films
Priit Pärn and Hille Kuusk, “Eine Murul (Breakfast on the Grass)” (1987) Inspired by the Edouard Manet painting “Luncheon on the Grass”, this 25-minute short follows…
Andrey Zviagintsev, “Elena” (2011) A stylistically beautiful yet minimal film about class, alienation and the moral and spiritual emptiness of materialism in a country as much…
Julian Assange, “The World Tomorrow (Episode 10: Noam Chomsky and Tariq Ali)” (Russia Today, 26 June 2012) Here is a really disappointing choice of interviewees: Noam Chomsky…
Julian Assange, “The World Tomorrow (Episode 9: Imran Khan)” (Russia Today, 19 June 2012) For his next episode, Julian Assange springs a real surprise by interviewing…
Julian Assange, “The World Tomorrow (Episode 8: Cypherpunks – Part 2)” (Russia Today, 12 June 2012) Continuing his discussion with Cypherpunks Andy Müller-Maguhn, Jérémie Zimmermann and…