A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
French and French-language Films
Luis Buñuel, “The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie / Le Charme Discret de la Bourgeoisie” (1972) This comedy-of-manners film about six people who constantly make arrangements to…
László Nemes, “Son of Saul / Saul Fia” (2015) Of all the stories László Nemes could have chosen to film to launch his career as a…
French and French-language Films
Luis Buñuel, “The Phantom of Liberty / Le Fantôme de la Liberté” (1974) This film might be seen as a snapshot in the life of modern…
Jay Roach, “Trumbo” (2015) This biopic of Hollywood screen-writer Dalton Trumbo’s career from the late 1940s to 1970 is a vehicle for a survey of the…
Christian Davies, “David Bowie Under Review 1976 – 1979: The Berlin Trilogy” (2006) David Bowie’s death in early January 2016 left behind a considerable artistic legacy…
Charles Haid, “Sally Hemings: An American Scandal” (2000) More notable for the performances of its lead actors Carmen Ejogo as Sally Hemings and Sam Neill as…
Charlie Kaufmann and Duke Johnson, “Anomalisa” (2015) Not often does a film come along that encapsulates in its appearance and format its themes of human alienation,…
Middle Eastern Films, North American Films
Gavin Hood, “Rendition” (2007) Rarely does Hollywood release a film that attempts to address and deal with issues critical of US government foreign and domestic policy…
Tim Burton, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” (2007) US film director Tim Burton has long been fascinated with non-conformists and outsiders, especially those…
Tom McCarthy, “Spotlight” (2015) On rare occasions Hollywood can still demonstrate an ability to make good films about muck-raking journalism and Tom McCarthy’s “Spotlight”, based on…