Human Resources: documentary on mind control is mind-exploding
Scott Noble, “Human Resources” (2010) What can I say? This two-hour documentary on the history of government and elite attempts to control human behaviour and direct…
Silmido: excellent film about a series of incidents in South Korean history that has a universal resonance
Kang Woosuk, “Silmido” (2003) Apparently based on actual incidents, this epic film ought to have been just a straightforward “Dirty Dozen” action film with a sketchy…
Italian and Italian-language Films
Fallujah, the Hidden Massacre: documentary makes case for war crime but provides no context for attack
Sigfrido Ranucci and Maurizio Torrealta, “Fallujah, the Hidden Massacre” (2005) This 27-minute film plays like an extended news or current affairs report: it originally aired on…
If only more BBC music documentaries were like “The Outsider: the Story of Harry Partch” …
Where Evil Dwells: superficially slight and crude slasher flick packs a heavyweight wallop
David Wojnarowicz and Tommy Turner, “Where Evil Dwells” (1985) Loosely based on an actual American court case in which 17 year old youth Ricky Kasso killed…
French and French-language Films
Pierre Henry, or the Art of Sounds: subjective documentary says nothing about pioneer’s place in experimental music
Eric Darmon, Franck Mallet, “Pierre Henry, or the Art of Sounds” (2006) A so-so documentary about the French experimental music pioneer, Pierre Henry, who with his mentor…
The show goes on in “Queen: Days of our Lives (Part 2)”
Matt O’Casey, “Queen: Days of our Lives (Part 2)” Contrary to my expectations, knowing something of the band’s history, I found the second part of the…
Just another ordinary rock music documentary in “Queen: Days of our Lives (Part 1)”
Matt O’Casey, “Queen: Days of our Lives (Part 1)” (2011) To mark the 40th anniversary of a beloved British rock music institution, the BBC made this…
Rabbit’s Moon: two very different films in mood and themes in spite of superficial similarities
Kenneth Anger, “Rabbit’s Moon” (started 1950: long version 1972, short version 1979) Based on a Japanese myth about a rabbit on the moon, this film comes…
Fireworks: an ambivalent and powerful celebration of sexual attraction, submission and sadomasochism
Kenneth Anger, “Fireworks” (1947) Quite a remarkable debut film this is from a 17-year-old Kenneth Anger which is a coming-of-age piece recreating a dream he had:…