A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
Brazilian Films, Portuguese-language Films
Jose Padilha, “Elite Squad” (2007) An examination of corruption and brutality in a special forces unit of the Military Police of Rio de Janeiro state in…
Latin American Films (Spanish language)
Walter Salles, “The Motorcycle Diaries” (2004) A film about two guys in their 20s riding on a motorcycle through South America in the 1950s should have been…
French and French-language Films, West African Films
Jean-Stephane Sauvaire, “Johnny Mad Dog” (2008) A film of child soldiers set in an African country experiencing a long and protracted civil war, “Johnny Mad Dog”…
Charles Ferguson, “Inside Job” (2010) For many people, this incisive documentary on the immediate origins of the 2007 – 08 Global Financial Crisis will prove a…
Joel and Ethan Coen, “True Grit” (2010) Adapted from the 1968 novel of the same name by Charles Portis, “True Grit” can be read as both…
Sabine el Gemayel, “Niloofar” (2008) That familiar maxim “Less is more” applies as much to making movies as it does in composing music and creating other…
Peter Greenaway, “The Draughtsman’s Contract” (1982) British director Peter Greenaway’s first full-length feature film is a lovely feast for the eyes and ears, and the…
Alan Bridges, “The Shooting Party” (1985) Mainly notable for being the last movie to feature James Mason before his death in 1984, this film about a group of…
Sally Potter, “Orlando” (1992) Based on British writer Virginia Woolfe’s novel “Orlando: a Biography”, this film by Sally Potter is a flimsy work that fails to…
Christopher Nolan, “The Dark Knight” (2008) Second in British-American director Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy that began with “Batman Begins” (2005) and will finish with “The Dark…