A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
André Øvredal, “Troll Hunter / Trolljegeren” (2010) Inspired perhaps by the example of “The Blair Witch Project” and “Man Bites Dog” from the 1990s and “Cannibal Holocaust” from…
Australian and New Zealand Films
Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement. “What We Do in the Shadows” (2014) Just when you think that everything that can be done in the horror film…
Henry Koster, “Harvey” (1950) This film about a middle-aged bachelor whose only friend and companion happens to be an invisible giant bunny rabbit could have ended…
Australian and New Zealand Films
Peter Weir, “The Plumber” (1979) Originally made for television, this low-budget film combines the psychological thriller with cheerful larrikin Aussie black comedy and light commentary on…
Australian and New Zealand Films
Peter Weir, “The Cars that Ate Paris” (1974) Acclaimed Australian director Peter Weir’s directorial full-length debut is an oddball comedy horror flick that riffs on a…
German and German-language Films
Rainer Werner Fassbinder, “Liebe ist kälter als der Tod / Love is Colder than Death” (1969) Gangster films might be an unusual choice for film-makers to…
French and French-language Films
Roman Polanski, “Frantic” (1988) For a film proclaiming itself “Frantic”, this suspense thriller is surprisingly cool, calm and collected as it follows its hapless protagonist doctor…
Martin Scorsese, “The Wolf of Wall Street” (2013) Adapted from the 2007 memoir by the former convicted stockbroker swindler and current motivational speaker Jordan R Belfort,…
Stephen Frears, “Philomena” (2013) A gentle film about an elderly woman searching for the son she was coerced into putting up for adoption half a century…
Sion Sono, “Suicide Club / Jisatsu Sakuru” (2002) Famous for its controversial premise, full-on gory presentation and an arresting opening sequence of 54 school-girls jumping off…