A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
Alexei Popogrebsky, “How I Ended This Summer / Kak ya provel etim letom” (2010) Out of a very threadbare and unbelievable plot, Alexei Popogrebsky manages to…
Kon Ichikawa, “The Makioka Sisters” (1983) Admittedly this is a beautifully shot film and its style is very graceful but even the skill and experience of…
Quentin Tarantino, “Jackie Brown” (1997) Of the early films directed by Quentin Tarantino that have achieved cult status, perhaps the jewel of them all is this…
Kon Ichikawa, “Conflagration / Enjo” (1958) Based on the novel “The Temple of the Golden Pavilion” (itself based on an actual incident) by notorious Japanese writer…
Vladimir Putin’s Address to the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, New York City (28 September 2015) Apparently Russian President Vladimir Putin last attended…
Xi Jinping’s Address to the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, New York City (28 September 2015) The President of the People’s Republic of…
British Films, East African Films
Fernando Meirelles, “The Constant Gardener” (2005) Based on the novel of the same name by John le Carré, this film combines elements of the spy thriller…
Arabic-language Films, Russian and Soviet Films
Russian Media Interview with President Bashar al Assad (16 September 2015) Syrian President Bashar al Assad granted a rare interview to representatives from various Russian media outlets including…
Australian and New Zealand Films
ABC News / Lateline Interview with Dr Bouthaina Shaaban (17 Spetember 2015) One amazing demolition job that I’ve seen recently is this ABC News / Lateline interview with Dr Bouthaina Shaaban,…
Arabic-language Films, French and French-language Films
Gillo Pontecorvo, “The Battle of Algiers / La Bataille d’Alger / La Battaglia di Algeri” (1965) Filmed 50 years ago, this Italian film drama of the Algerian…