Roman J. Israel, Esq.: character study of a fallible human being trying to live authentically in an inauthentic world
Dan Gilroy, “Roman J. Israel, Esq.” (2017) Once in a while an intelligent and worthy
Salisbury! A Day in Skripal City: a snapshot of a city in shock and uncertainty
Graham Phillips, “Salisbury! A Day in Skripal City” (July 2018) In late July, British journalist
Korean Films | North American Films
The Faces of North Korea: a soulful visual poem showcasing the humanity and achievements of North Korea
Andre Vltchek, “The Faces of North Korea” (2018) Visually poetic, even soulful to watch, this
Over Your Dead Body: an extreme, almost cartoon-ish horror ghost film homage where life imitates art
Takashi Miike, “Over Your Dead Body” (2014) From the incredibly prolific director Takashi Miike, who
Steppenwolf: a stodgy and soporific adaptation of a cult counter-culture novel
Fred Haines, “Steppenwolf” (1974) There was a period in the 1960s when this 1927 novel
Formulaic coming-of-age heroic fantasy blends with Thai Buddhist beliefs in “The Legend of Muay Thai: 9 Satra”
Pongsa Kornsri, Gun Phansuwon, Nat Yoswatananont, “The Legend of Muay Thai: 9 Satra” (2018) Not
5 Centimetres per Second: an insubstantial trilogy on the fleeting nature of youthful love, hope and desire
Makoto Shinkai, “5 Centimetres per Second” (2007) As with his “Your Name”, Makoto Shinkai’s earlier
Chinese and Chinese-language Films
The World: a slow and meandering narrative reveals a rich world of hope, pain and tragedy behind superficial capitalist glamour
Jia Zhangke, “The World” (2004) In future years, this film, long and meandering though it
No Date, No Signature: a traffic collision leads to an investigation of class conflict and an unsympathetic bureaucracy in a gritty realist drama
Vahid Jalilvand, “No Date, No Signature” (2017) A chance encounter between two characters who would
French and French-language Films
Back to Burgundy: a family melodrama beset by cliches and stereotypes blessed by a celebration of viticulture
Cedric Klapisch, “Back to Burgundy / Ce qui nous lie” (2017) An otherwise rather ho-hum