A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
Martin Scorsese, “What’s a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This?” (1963) Martin Scorsese, “The Big Shave” (1967) Two hilarious short films from Martin…
Martin Scorsese, “It’s Not Just You, Murray!” (1964) Made by Scorsese as a film student at New York University under the tutelage of Haig Manoogian, this…
Stanley Kubrick, “Dr. Strangelove or: How I learned to stop worrying and love the Bomb” (1964) Notable as the film that features British actor Peter Sellers…
David Cronenberg, “Cosmopolis” (2012) A profound and thoughtful film on the nature of the corporate fascist mind-set, “Cosmopolis” is a quasi-cyberpunk road movie across New York…
Riho Unt and Hardi Volmer, “Nõiutud Saar (The Enchanted Island)” (1985) Another gem from Tallinnfilm studios and this time it’s a cute stop-motion animation short with…
Alfred Hitchcock, “Family Plot” (1976) Considering that the famous British director was in bad health when he made this film, I find “Family Plot” to be a…
Larry Charles, “The Dictator” (2012) I confess I saw this latest Sacha Baron Cohen film to see how offensive and tasteless it is. Truly dictatorial “The Dictator” is,…
French and French-language Films, Northern European Films
Aki Kaurismäki, “Le Havre” (2011) A heartwarming comedy drama that focusses on deception and the plight of illegal migrants, “Le Havre” features characters, a plot and…
French and French-language Films, German and German-language Films
Roman Polanski, “Carnage” (2011) Not one of his better efforts due to the nature of the original play but then again, a comedy from Polanski is…
Latin American Films (Spanish language)
Luis Buñuel, “Simon of the Desert / Simón del Desierto” (1965) Buñuel skewers again institutional religion and sanctimonious belief, this time in a satire based on the…