A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
Multi-media Presentations, Russian and Soviet Films
Kirill Kleymenov and Maria Sittel, “Direct Line with Vladimir Putin” (RT.com, 16 April 2015) Every year since he has been President of Russia, and also when…
British Films, French and French-language Films
Roman Polanski, “Tess” (1979) Closely based on the original Thomas Hardy novel “Tess of the d’Urbervilles”, which serves as an indictment of Christian religious hypocrisy, male…
German and German-language Films, North American Films
Wim Wenders, “Paris, Texas” (1984) One of American cinema’s finest yet under-appreciated treasures must surely be the unassuming actor Harry Dean Stanton whose acting career reached…
Alex Gibney, “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room” (2005) A bit gimmicky in parts, especially in its transitions, but overall this documentary on the biggest…
British Films, North American Films
Kenneth Branagh, “Cinderella” (2015) Being a Disney production, this live-action version of the tale as Disney tells it can only go so far in its reinterpretation…
Andrey Zvyagintsev, “Leviathan” (2014) Often taken as reflective of the current socio-political situation in Russia, this film about an ordinary man, living in a remote part…
Hiroshi Inagaki, “Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island” (1956) Inagaki’s third and last installment in the historical fiction drama series on the life and times of…
German and German-language Films, North American Films
Maria Pia Mascaro, “Hollywood and The Pentagon: A Dangerous Liaison / Marschbefehl für Hollywood” (2003) People may be surprised that the United States Department of Defense…
North American Films, South African Films
Neil Blomkamp, “Chappie” (2015) In amongst the ruined buildings, the body count, the junk metal and unexploded cluster munitions that form the detritus long after the…
Kenneth Anger, “Invocation of My Demon Brother” (1969) If like me, you’ve already seen a considerable number of films by Kenneth Anger, this one won’t add…