Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple – bridging two films capably with character and thematic developments
Hiroshi Inagaki, “Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple” (1955) Its predecessor in the Musashi Miyamoto
Citizenfour: a riveting fly-on-the-wall documentary thriller about media, government surveillance and pressures on whistle-blowers
Laura Poitras, “Citizenfour” (2014) As both fly-on-the-wall real-time documentary and historical thriller, “Citizenfour” is a
BBC versus President Bashar al Assad of Syria: an example of grace and restraint under pressure and prejudice
BBC News Interview with President Bashar al Assad (9 February 2015) For an example of
Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto – the early days of a famous swordsman celebrated with ambition and energy
Hiroshi Inagaki, “Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto” (1954) One of the most famous people in Japanese
John David Ebert Lecture on Oswald Spengler: a detailed summary of “The Decline of the West”
John David Ebert, “Mythologies of the Evolution of Consciousness: Oswald Spengler” (Astrological Institute in Scottsdale,
The Man We Want to Hang: a subjective if not very experimental homage to Aleister Crowley
Kenneth Anger, “The Man We Want to Hang” (2002) After over 20 years in which
Late but not entirely forgotten – a 2014 Review Round-up!
Dear Under Southern Eyes Readers, Yes I did forget to post my customary round-up of
An affectionate if subjective review of a musician’s life in “George Harrison: Living in the Material World (Part 2)”
Martin Scorsese, “George Harrison: Living in the Material World (Part 2)” (2011) I had expected
The Theory of Everything: an amazingly lightweight romantic drama
James Marsh, “The Theory of Everything” (2014) Despite the title, this biopic about English cosmologist
Puce Moment: a nostalgia piece that foresees the arrival of pop music videos
Kenneth Anger, “Puce Moment” (1949) In the space of just 6 minutes, this short acts