A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
Brazilian Films, North American Films
Hector Babenco, “Kiss of the Spider Woman” (1985) I had read the Manuel Puig novel of the same name many years ago and found it an…
Italian and Italian-language Films
Giuliano Carnimeo, “The Case of the Bloody Iris” (1971) Known also as “What are those Strange Drops of Blood on Jennifer’s Body?”, this flick is representative…
Alfred Hitchcock, “Shadow of a Doubt” (1942) A dark film that explores the potential for violence beneath the patina of an apparently happy family, “Shadow of…
Wlodzimierz Haupe and Halina Bielinska, “The Changing of the Guard / Zmiana warty” (1958) A simply made stop-motion animation piece, this little film is a tragic…
Ingmar Bergman, “The Seventh Seal / Det Sjunde Inseglet” (1957) Set in Sweden during the Black Death (1347 – 1350), this famous film examines a man’s…
Australian and New Zealand Films
Daniel Nettheim, “The Hunter” (2011) Based on the novel by Julia Leigh, “The Hunter” is both a mystery thriller and a journey of self-discovery and redemption…
Dror Moresh, “The Gatekeepers” (2012) An astonishing and powerful documentary about the Israeli internal intelligence security agency Shin Bet as seen through the eyes and viewpoints…
Park Chanwook, “Stoker” (2013) Appropriately Chanwook Park’s Hollywood directing debut is a psychological thriller featuring an oddball protagonist who has lived a life of isolation for…
Walerian Borowczyk and Jan Lenica, “Once Upon a Time / Byl sobie raz” (1957) An amusing little cartoon with a circus freak-show organ music soundtrack, “Once…
Werner Herzog, “My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?” (2009) In this film, based on an actual incident, director Werner Herzog pursues his life-long fascination…