A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
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…
Kinji Fukasaku, “Battle Royale (Director’s Cut)” (2000) For all its extreme violence and other liberties it takes, for me this film reads like a satire of…
Ingmar Bergman, “Persona” (1966) A visually stunning film, shot in black and white film and using contrasts of lighting and landscape to illustrate its themes of…
Chinese and Chinese-language Films, French and French-language Films
Olivier Assayas, “Clean” (2004) Rare are the movies in which two main characters happen to be father and his daughter-in-law yet just this month I’ve already…
Shane Carruth, “Upstream Color” (2012) Since making “Primer”, Shane Carruth’s career as film director and producer has definitely leapt ahead. There is still a rough-edged quality…
Franciszka and Stefan Themerson, “The Adventure of a Good Citizen / Przygoda czlowieka poczciwego” (1937) Experimental film-making got off to an early start in Poland in…
J Searle Dawley, “Frankenstein” (1910) Made by Edison Studios in 1910, this is the first adaptation of the famous Gothic horror novel by Mary Shelley onto…