A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
British Films, North American Films
Paul Thomas Anderson, “The Phantom Thread” (2017) If viewed as a comedy romance about a successful narcissist couturier who aspires to be part of the upper…
Robert Wise, “The Andromeda Strain” (1971) Although made over 45 years ago, this science fiction film about a team of scientists battling to identify and contain…
Ish and Daniel Renwick, “Failed By The State: The Struggle in the Shadow of Grenfell” (2017) How could it be that one of the wealthiest parts…
Roman Polanski, “The Pianist” (2002) Polanski has been a very significant director capable of making very moving and epic films with a strong message about the…
Lauren Greenfield, “The Queen of Versailles” (2012) Originally intended as a documentary on the construction of one of the largest single-family detached houses in the United…
Guillermo del Toro, “The Shape of Water” (2017) Inspired by the famous Hollywood classic “The Creature from the Black Lagoon”, Mexican director Guillermo del Toro delivers…
Multi-media Presentations, North American Films
Stephen F Cohen, “Rethinking Putin”, Annual Nation Cruise (2 December 2017) Professor Stephen Cohen is a scholar and professor emeritus of Russian studies at Princeton University…
Martin Scorsese, “The King of Comedy” (1982) I suppose most directors worth their salt who have amassed a considerable body of work have a sleeper film…
Sidney Lumet, “Serpico” (1973) As character studies go, “Serpico” is very good indeed: based on the biography of former New York City police officer Frank Serpico…
Australian and New Zealand Films
Catherine Hunter, “Glenn Murcutt – Spirit of Place” (2017) A beautiful and graceful documentary as elegant as the architecture of the man whose work it documents,…