The Stylist: a beautifully made character study with a basic plot and sketchy psychology
Jill “Sixx” Gevargizian, “The Stylist” (2016) Never did a psychotic serial killer look more fragile or seem so worthy of our compassion and sympathy as Claire…
Malacostraca: personal and career inadequacy, family breakdown and resentment leading to tragedy
Charles A Pieper, “Malacostraca” (2018) Playing like a conventional creature-feature horror flick with all the inconsistencies the genre often attracts – how on earth does the…
Locksmiths: a parable commenting on the decay and degeneration of Western society
James Kwon Lee, “Locksmiths” (2015) Behind the laconic, even mundane title is a surprisingly taut and unbearably suspenseful story with a heartbreaking climax in which two…
Redacted Tonight (Season 4, Episode #271): covering the most under-reported news stories of 2018 – 2019
“Redacted Tonight (Season 4, Episode #271)” (RT America, 14 December 2019) In this episode, Redacted Tonight host Lee Camp runs through several stories picked up by…
Thicker Than Water: a touching film about a mother’s love and care
Seung Yeob Lee, “Thicker Than Water” (2015) Modern South Korean families, in particular the relationship of mothers with their sons and the extremes the mothers will…
British Films, Russian and Soviet Films
Vladivostok 2020: portrait of a very Russian city on the edge of the Pacific Ocean
Graham Phillips, “Vladivostok 2020” (2020) In this 20-minute showcase of the glories of Vladivostok, the famed Pacific Ocean gateway to Russia, investigative British journalist Graham Phillips…
Corrections: a tale of obsession, extreme control, psychological projection and denial
Nicholas Tucker, “Corrections” (2017) A tale of obsession and extreme control in a future dystopian society, this short film is completely character and dialogue-driven, revolving around…
The Time Agent: a time travel story of loneliness and alienation
Jude Chun, “The Time Agent” (2016) In its own unassuming way, “The Time Agent” is a deconstruction of a once common style of narrative in genres…
Nano: hard-boiled pulp fiction ho-hum plot with an unusual premise
Mike Manning, “Nano” (2017) This short film has the look and feel of a proof-of-concept work itching to be made into a full-length feature film or…
The Replacement: an inquiry into the nature-versus-nurture dilemma
Sean Miller, “The Replacement” (2018) What starts out as an investigation of the consequences of cloning in this sci-fi comedy short turns out almost to be…