A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
Marc Evans, “Mr. Burton” (2025) Told in conventional British history drama style, “Mr. Burton” tells the story of the early life of acclaimed 20th-century Welsh actor…
British Films, North American Films
Danny Boyle, “28 Years Later” (2025) A much-anticipated entry in the series of films that began 20 years ago with “28 Days Later”, this film of…
Hayao Miyazaki, “My Neighbour Totoro” (1988) The film that brought Studio Ghibli to an international audience, “My Neighbour Totoro” may be charming and sweet, suitable for…
Arabic-language Films, Middle Eastern Films
Mohamed Kordofani, “Goodbye Julia” (2023) A morning car accident becomes an unlikely catalyst in a plot that explores the complicated relationship, with all its differences, prejudices…
Michael Mohan, “Immaculate” (2024) The, er, venerable niche horror subgenre known as nunsploitation is revived and refreshed as a vehicle for one young woman’s transformation through…
Hayao Miyazaki, “The Boy and the Heron” (2023) A decade after “The Wind Rises”, the film that originally had been intended as his swansong, Hayao Miyazaki…
Jim Henson, “Labyrinth” (1986) A film very much of its time, “Labyrinth” has not aged too well and the 1980s-era disco music oozes cheese from every…
Australian and New Zealand Films
Henri Safran, “Storm Boy” (1976) A moody and melancholy film, ostensibly about a lonely boy who raises three pelican chicks and remains close to one of…
Desiree Akhavan, “The Miseducation of Cameron Post” (2018) Set in 1993, this coming-of-age drama follows a teenaged girl’s sudden entry into a cruel world of psychological…
Max Pearce, “Apotheosis” (2022) A very polished short film, with similarities in themes and plot to the better-known movie “Gattaca”, itself not a great money-maker on…