A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
Matthew Pollock, “Adam Ruins Everything (Season 2, Episode 2: Adam Ruins Weight Loss)” (2017) A very timely episode in the second season of the educational comedy…
Australian and New Zealand Films
Colin Eggleston, “Innocent Prey” (1983) Maybe the problem is her southern Texan drawl or the overly bouffant permed hair but Cathy (P J Soles) does seem…
Ziad Doueiri, “The Insult” (2018) On one level, this Lebanese film illustrates the power of an utterance to inflame hidden animosities and escalate them (in a…
Matthew Pollock, “Adam Ruins Everything (Season 2, Episode 1: Adam Ruins Pregnancy)” (2017) Appropriately for a first episode of a new season, the topic covered is…
Australian and New Zealand Films
James Bogle, “Kadaicha” (1988) From the early 1970s to the late 1980s, thanks to increased Federal government investment in the Australian film industry, there was truly…
Japanese Films, North American Films
Shinji Aramaki, “Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars” (2017) Multiplying not quite as fast as the enemy Arachnids did in the original Paul Verhoeven “Starship Troopers” film…
Australian and New Zealand Films
Rolf de Heer and Peter Djigirr, “Ten Canoes” (2006) An engrossing story of another story, “Ten Canoes” acts as both a morality tale and an ingenious…
Goro Miyazaki, “Tales from Earthsea / Gedo senki” (2006) Watching this film, gorgeous as it is visually, I couldn’t help but feel that it’s a classic…
North American Films, Northern European Films
Bjorn Runge, “The Wife” (2017) As films go, “The Wife” is enjoyable mainly for Glenn Close’s understated performance as the title character: for the most part,…
Latin American Films (non-Spanish / non-Portuguese), Middle Eastern Films
Abby Martin, “Empire Files: Israelis Speak Candidly About Palestinians” (October 2017) Abby Martin is an American journalist who hosts an ongoing current affairs show The Empire…