A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
Hayao Miyazaki, “The Boy and the Heron” (2023) A decade after “The Wind Rises”, the film that originally had been intended as his swansong, Hayao Miyazaki…
British Films, North American Films
Emerald Fennell, “Saltburn” (2023) Arriving in Sydney with little fanfare, “Saltburn” initially presents as a more contemporary variation of “Brideshead Revisited” with the latter’s hints of…
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s Speech on Martyr’s Day (11 November 2023) November 11 is celebrated by Lebanese political party and movement Hezbollah as Martyr’s Day in remembrance…
French and French-language Films
François Ozon, “Mon Crime / The Crime is Mine” (2023) On the surface, “Mon Crime” presents as a frothy light comedy romp paying homage to the…
Jim Henson, “Labyrinth” (1986) A film very much of its time, “Labyrinth” has not aged too well and the 1980s-era disco music oozes cheese from every…
Martin Scorsese, “Killers of the Flower Moon” (2023) At nearly three-and-a-half hours in length, “Killers of the Flower Moon” combines elements of revisionist / psychological Western,…
Essays, Multi-media Presentations
Vladimir Putin’s Valdai Speech at the XX Meeting (Final Plenary Session) of the Valdai International Discussion Club (Sochi, 5 October 2023) / Q&A Session After his…
Vladimir Putin’s Valdai Speech at the XX Meeting (Final Plenary Session) of the Valdai International Discussion Club (Sochi, 5 October 2023) In his speech at the…
Hlynur Palmason, “Volaða land / Vanskabte Land / Godland” (2022) Its plot looks simple enough, and it follows in the path of similar films such as…
Kenneth Branagh, “A Haunting in Venice” (2023) For his third outing as Belgian police detective Hercule Poirot, actor / director Kenneth Branagh chose to go with…