A Man and a Dog Out For Air: inventive and original experimental animation piece
Robert Breer, “A Man and a Dog Out For Air” (1957) Why have I never heard of this wonderful animator before? This very short animation piece…
Eine Murul (Breakfast on the Grass): animation revisits an earlier animation based on famous painting
Priit Pärn and Mari Pakkas, “Eine Murul (Breakfast on the Grass)” (2011) Nothing like revisiting the scene of the crime when you want an idea for…
Põhja Konn: strange little film based on Estonian fairy tale
Riho Unt, “Põhja Konn” (2007) Quirky 14-minute short that mixes live action and stop-motion animation of sculpted figures, “Põhja Konn” is a strange, almost surreal piece for…
The Dark Knight Rises: bloated film seizes on Western anxieties to deliver a politically conservative message that undermines idealism
Christopher Nolan, “The Dark Knight Rises” (2012) Eight years after the events of “The Dark Knight”, Gotham City enjoys peace thanks to the Dent Act, named…
Northern European Films, Russian and Soviet Films
Exercises in Preparation for Independent Life: animated criticism of Soviet life and loss of childhood innocence and fun
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
Nael / The Nail (dir. Heino Pars): inventive stop-motion animation short about human nature and revenge
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…
Middle Eastern Films, North American Films
Cyberpunk trio of shorts proves substance still triumphs over style
Marcio E Gonçalves, “Rendering Lisa” (2010) Mehmet Can Koçak, “Perspective” (2011) Jesus Orellana, “Rosa” (2011) A homage to cyberpunk sci-fi writers William Gibson, Bruce Sterling and…
The Stark Truth: Interview with Greg Johnson (New Right versus Old Right) – commendable vision of meritocratic society founded on dubious arguments
Robert Stark, “The Stark Truth: Interview with Greg Johnson (New Right versus Old Right)”, (Voice of Reason, 22 June 2012) Robert Stark’s radio talkshow “The Stark…
Hysteria (dir. Tanya Wexler): a light-hearted giggle that riffs on women’s oppression and choosing between principle and respectability
Tanya Wexler, “Hysteria” (2011) A romantic comedy very loosely based on historical fact, “Hysteria” purports to tell how Dr Joseph Mortimer Granville invented the world’s first…
Linn (City): a well-meaning if dated moral tale about industrialisation
Reino Raamat, “Linn / City” (1988) Earnest and well-meaning, Raamat”s “Linn” is a moral tale of what happens when a town is overcome by industrialisation and…