A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
Michael Engler, “The Chaperone” (2018) A film of self-discovery and self-transformation leading to personal freedom, “The Chaperone” is a fictional account of real-life silent movie icon…
Andrea Jaurrieta, “Ana by Day / Ana de Dia” (2017) You feel vaguely dissatisfied with and trapped by your life as a lawyer studying for a…
Oleg Uzhinov, “Masha and the Bear (Season 1, Episode 17: Recipe for Disaster)” (2009) Despite its title, this charming little short turned out to be the…
Italian and Italian-language Films
Paolo Sorrentino, “Loro / Them” (2018) Originally made in two parts totalling three hours, this fictional drama about Italian media magnate and former prime minister Silvio…
Adam McKay, “Vice” (2018) A rather patchy satirical study of the life of former US Vice-President Dick Cheney, “Vice” shows how an unscrupulous individual can attain…
French and French-language Films
Philippe le Guay, “Normandy Nude / Normandy Nue” (2018) One of a distinctly French genre of comedy films – Cedric Klapisch’s “Back to Burgundy” is another…
Michael Mayer, “The Seagull” (2018) Quite why this film adaptation of the famous play by Anton Chekhov couldn’t have been set in the United States in…
Tim Wilkime, “Adam Ruins Everything (Season 2, Episode 4: Adam Ruins Dating)” (2017) If ever there were profitable scams preying on people’s insecurities in finding lasting…
Spike Lee, “BlacKkKlansman” (2018) Filmed as a blaxsploitation-styled comedy drama, this work revolves around a real scenario in which a black American police officer in Colorado…
Satoshi Kon, “Tokyo Godfathers” (2003) No, this ain’t no cult yakuza film – though yakuza types do appear for a short while – but instead this…