A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
Middle Eastern Films, Russian and Soviet Films
“The Syrian Diary” (Rossiya 24, 2013) Made for Russian television, this documentary follows Rossiya 24 reporter Anastasia Popova and a Syrian army unit she is attached…
North American Films, Northern European Films
Lars von Trier, “Dancer in the Dark” (2000) Lars von Trier’s one attempt at making a tractor musical is the third and final installment in a…
Yasujiro Ozu, “Floating Weeds” (1959) In the hands of a lesser director, the soap opera plot of this film would have become sensationalist drama, soon to…
Dear Readers, Another year has passed, it’s time for another summary of what I consider to be the best films I’ve seen at the cinema, on…
Stephen Frears, “Philomena” (2013) A gentle film about an elderly woman searching for the son she was coerced into putting up for adoption half a century…
British Films, Russian and Soviet Films
George Galloway and Gayatri Pertiwi, “Sputnik: Orbiting the World with George Galloway (Episode 2)” (RT.com, 23 November 2013) Broadcast on the 50th anniversary of the assassination…
Masaki Kobayashi, “Kwaidan” (1964) Often billed as a horror film, “Kwaidan” is in fact a quartet of fantasy stories of which three were based on traditional…
Shohei Imamura, “The Eel / Unagi” (1997) Japan’s boys in blue have an enviable record in obtaining a near 100% rate of criminal convictions and never…
Seijun Suzuki, “A Tattooed Life / Irezumi Ichidai” (1965) A surprisingly touching and quite emotional drama, told in a traditional way, this is an underrated yakuza…
British Films, Russian and Soviet Films
George Galloway and Gayatri Pertiwi, “Sputnik: Orbiting the World with George Galloway (Episode 4)” (RT.com, December 2013) In this episode, the Galloways enquire into institutional racism…