A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
British Films, French and French-language Films
Kurt Engfehr, Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno, “The Yes Men Fix the World” (2009) Well no, actually they don’t but that was a pretty good little…
Joel Coen, “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” (2000) An amusing road film based on Homer’s The Odyssey, “O Brother …?” takes viewers on a quick and…
Australian and New Zealand Films, British Films
Janice Sutherland, “Murdoch (Part 2)” (2013) As I suspected, the second half of this series turns out to be a damp squib: it’s basically a rundown…
Harmony Korine, “Spring Breakers” (2012) Contrary to most reports I’ve seen or heard about this film, “Spring Breakers” is actually a very well-made piece with a…
Australian and New Zealand Films, British Films
Janice Sutherland, “Murdoch (Part 1)” (2013) Here be the story of the rise and rise of the global media mogul Rupert Murdoch and his empire News…
Robert Greenwald, “Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch’s War on Journalism” (2004) An impassioned documentary intended to rouse its mainly American audience to action, “Outfoxed …” exposes in considerable…
French and French-language Films
Anne Fontaine with Wladimir Yordanoff, “Nathalie” (2003) Trust the French to do upper middle class feminist angst with a dash of secret lesbian desire like no-one…
“Tea and Conversation with David Lyons: Oolong Tea” at The Tea Centre, Sydney, 27 April 2013 Once again I found myself sitting in the mezzanine level of…
Latin American Films (Spanish language)
Pablo Larraín, “No” (2012) Set in late Pinochet-era Chile when the old dictator general, under international pressure to allow democracy to return to the South American…
Akira Kurosawa, “The Hidden Fortress” (1958) Inspiration for George Lucas’ “Star Wars: A New Hope”, the 1978 space-fantasy flick that spawned an industry, this unusual historical…