The Salisbury Poisonings (Part 4): manipulative propaganda posing as maudlin soap opera
Saul Dibb, “The Salisbury Poisonings (Part 4)” (2020) The tedium finally comes to an end in this fictional account of what the British government and news…
The Salisbury Poisonings (Part 3): more overwrought schlock drama
Saul Dibb, “The Salisbury Poisonings (Part 3)” (2020) In this episode, Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey (Rafe Spall) recovers from his poisoning attack in hospital, only to…
The Salisbury Poisonings (Part 2): cheap TV drama populated by cast of cardboard stereotypes
Saul Dibb, “The Salisbury Poisonings (Part 2)” (2020) Part 2 of this dreary mini-series purporting to show the effect of the Skripal poisoning incident on the…
The Salisbury Poisonings (Part 1): British propaganda at its most excruciatingly atrocious
Saul Dibb, “The Salisbury Poisonings (Part 1)” (2020) As an example of British propaganda targeting Russia and perceived Russian militarism, this BBC miniseries is remarkably fourth-rate.…
Eastern European Films, North American Films
The 2014 American Coup in Ukraine: textbook example of how the US invades and makes over other nations
Carlton Meyer, “The 2014 American Coup in Ukraine” (Tales of the American Empire, 21 August 2020) A very timely release in Carlton Meyer’s Tales of the…
Australian and New Zealand Films
Nullarbor: laconic little road movie on the need to work together
Alister Lockhart, Patrick Sarell, “Nullarbor” (2011) Across the longest stretch of straight road through the flat desert that is the Nullarbor Plain in southern Australia is…
Los Angeles 1991: a common humanity emphasised in an almighty shootout
Miguel de Olaso, Macgregor, Bruno Zacarias, “Los Angeles 1991” (2015) The tale seems contrived and some suspension of disbelief may be required but essentially this taut…
Latin American Films (Spanish language), North American Films
La Carnada: one boy’s road to Hell paved with love and concern in a spider web of exploitation
Josh Soskin, “La Carnada” (2014) In a poverty-stricken town in Mexico not far from the border with the United States, 13-year-old Manny (Angel Soto Jr) is…
Australian and New Zealand Films
The Disappearance of Willie Bingham: portrait of a society exploiting emotions and desire for vengeance
Matt Richards, “The Disappearance of Willie Bingham” (2015) A truly unsettling short realist film about a bureaucracy gone insanely inhuman, pandering to the lowest common denominator…
Retouch: a character study about struggle and sudden unexpected freedom
Kaveh Mazaheri, “Retouch” (2017) A stunning character study of a married woman, submissive to her bullying husband, who is unexpectedly given a new lease of life…