A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
French and French-language Films
Georges Franju, “Eyes without a Face” / “Les yeux sans visage” (1959) Lean and elegant in narrative style, this film treats a pulpy mad-scientist horror story in…
Roger Corman, “Little Shop of Horrors” (1960) Here’s a cute comedy horror piece made on the cheap in just two days in 1960 that speaks to…
Australian and New Zealand Films
Sonia Bible, “Recipe for Murder” (2010) Contrary to what most people think about the 1950’s, the decade or the early part of it at least wasn’t…
Australian and New Zealand Films
Peter Jackson, “Heavenly Creatures” (1994) Having made his reputation as purveyor of gory splatter horror comedy flicks to amuse teenagers and kidults, New Zealand director Peter…
French and French-language Films
Henri-Georges Clouzot, “Les Diaboliques” aka “The Devils” (1955) At first “Les Diaboliques” doesn’t seem anything like director Henri-Georges Clouzot’s previous film “Wages of Fear”: one is…
French and French-language Films
Henri-Georges Clouzot, “Wages of Fear” (1953) On paper, this movie’s plot looks so simple, even kindergartners would yawn at it: an American oil company offers to…
French and French-language Films
Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro, “Delicatessen” (1991) How to describe this droll French movie that tackles cannibalism in a light-hearted manner? It’s at once a dystopian…
Yasujiro Ozu, “Early Summer” (1951) Calm and serene with a thin plot, “Early Summer” looks at a family and the changes it undergoes as a result…
Australian and New Zealand Films
Bruce Beresford, “The Fringe Dwellers” (1986) Based on the 1961 novel of the same name by Nene Gare, this gentle and minimally made movie is a…
Todd Solondz, “Palindromes” (2004) A dark comedic fairy tale about a girl trapped in a life that goes around in circles, “Palindromes” does have the air…