Laputa, Castle in the Sky: a joyful adventure film with an earnest social responsibility message
Hayao Miyazaki, “Laputa, Castle in the Sky / Tenko no shiro Ryaputa” (1986) One of
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind: visually beautiful film with a strong but naive and woolly-brained ecological message
Hayao Miyazaki, “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind / Kaze no tani no Naushika”
Australian and New Zealand Films
The Big Blue: a wondrous mystery world of blue whales in the Southern Ocean
Jeni Clevers (producer), “The Big Blue” (2006) There’s an area in the Southern Ocean just
British Films | French and French-language Films
Mayerling: lavish visuals cannot hide workman-like script and direction, and wooden acting
Terence Young, “Mayerling” (1968) Better known perhaps for directing three James Bond films in the
Australian and New Zealand Films
Killers in Eden: an informative documentary on a unique relationship between humans and wild animals
Klaus Toft, “Killers in Eden” (2004) Made for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, this television documentary
The 47 Ronin (dir. Hiroshi Inagaki): a drawn-out epic about maintaining abstract ideals in a changing society
Hiroshi Inagaki, “The 47 Ronin / Chushingura: Hana no Maki, Yuki no Maki” (1962) The
Blancanieves: silent Gothic melodrama of a brief summer of shining innocence before a long winter of fascism
Pablo Berger, “Blancanieves” (2012) In the style of old 1920s expressionist silent films, Berger’s “Blancanieves”
What’s to be Done with Chechnya? – an Essay on Chechen-Russian relations and problems
WHAT’S TO BE DONE WITH CHECHNYA? Chechnya: a Troubled Region After the Boston Marathon bombings
Eastern European Films | North American Films
The Forgiveness of Blood: psychological drama of two teenagers caught between rapid modernisation and age-old traditions
Joshua Marston, “The Forgiveness of Blood / Falja e Gjakut” (2010) Hard to believe that
Northern European Films | Southeast Asian Films
The Act of Killing: chilling documentary on mass murderers and the society that supports and celebrates their deeds
Joshua Oppenheimer, “The Act of Killing” (2012) A chilling film, made all the more so