Sõda: political satire as animal fable takes on a dark tone
Riho Unt and Hardi Volmer, “Sõda” (1987) It has the look of a political satire disguised as an animal fable and I would say that the…
Kapsapea: an entertaining parody of action adventure / romance films
Riho Unt, “Kapsapea / A Cabbage” (1993) A stop-animation parody of action adventure films like the Indiana Jones movie series, “Kapsapea” revolves around the travails of…
Why the Rise of Fascism is Again the Issue: clarion call for everyone to know and resist resurgent global fascism
John Pilger, “Why the Rise of Fascism is Again the Issue”, JohnPilger.com (26 February 2015) Australia’s conscience comes with a real name: this is John Pilger…
Yuck! A 4th Grader’s Short Documentary about School Lunch: young investigator’s sleuthing into public school lunch program is queasy to stomach
Zachary Maxwell, “Yuck! A 4th Grader’s Short Documentary about School Lunch” (2012) Here comes wisdom from the mouths of babes … in this case, 9-year-old Zachary…
Northern European Films, Southeast Asian Films
The Look of Silence: a grim and monotonous film about a personal quest but no context to make sense of it
Joshua Oppenheimer, “The Look of Silence” (2014) A companion piece to Oppenheimer’s earlier documentary “The Act of Killing”, this film considers the effects of Indonesia’s purges…
Australian and New Zealand Films
Under Skin, In Blood / You Turn / Karroyul / Man Real / Nulla Nulla / On Stage / Maap Mordak: seven shorts showcasing Aboriginal Australian film-making talent
Larissa Behrendt, “Under Skin, In Blood” (2015) Ryan Griffen, “You Turn” (2015) Kelrick Martin, “Karroyul” (2015) Tracey Rigney, “Man Real” (2015) Dylan River, “Nulla Nulla” (2015)…
A biased narrative that splits hairs in “Michael Mosley: The Truth About Meat”
Andrew Lachman, “Michael Mosley: The Truth About Meat” (2014) Second in a series of documentaries hosted and narrated by BBC science presenter Michael Mosley, this episode…
The Virgin Spring: a profound and moving work on vengeance, justice and the remoteness of religion
Ingmar Bergman, “The Virgin Spring / Jungfrukällan” (1960) Perhaps not so celebrated as “The Seventh Seal”, this morality tale on the nature of humanity, the remoteness…
Ex_Machina: style is part of the substance in a low-budget SF film that tackles complex issues
Alex Garland, “Ex_Machina” (2015) At first glance, Alex Garland’s directorial debut flim “Ex Machina” looks like the total triumph of style over substance but like its…
German and German-language Films
Metropolis (dir. by Fritz Lang, reconstructed + restored): near-full restoration carries a populist message of fear and conservative belief
Fritz Lang, “Metropolis (reconstructed + restored)” (1928) I’ve had the opportunity to see “Metropolis” (which I reviewed some years ago) again in its reconstructed and restored…