A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
Osamu Tezuka, “Jumping” (1984) Boing! BOING! BOI-I-I-ING-G-G!!! Here comes “Jumping” by the legendary Osamu Tezuka, creator of Astroboy, who made a fair few experimental anime film…
Kwon Ohsung, “Doggy Poo” / “Ganggajidong” (2003) Here is a very sweet and beautiful little film about having purpose in life and being valuable in the greater…
Ari Folman, “Waltz with Bashir” (2008) Few movies about war must be as personal and intense as this animated film about an Israeli ex-soldier’s gradual acknowledgement of the…
Vladimir Chebotaryov and Gennady Kazansky, “Chelovek-Amfibiya” aka “Amphibian Man” (1962) An unusual science fiction / fantasy / romance of a doomed love affair combined with a…
Hayao Miyazaki, “Kiki’s Delivery Service” (1989) A charming coming-of-age film about a young witch who undergoes a series of challenges, not the least of which is…
David Lynch, “Eraserhead” (1977) Five years in the making from 1971 to 1976, “Eraserhead” was David Lynch’s full-length directing debut feature. Based on his experiences in…
David Lynch, “Blue Velvet” (1986) A beautiful film to watch with noirish elements and a lot of symbolism yet oddly not very suspenseful or satisfying. “Blue…
Alfred Hitchcock, “Downhill” (1927) Before he found his niche as Master of Suspense, the young Alfred Hitchcock made a few films in several genres that include…
Katsuhiro Otomo, “Akira” (1988) In an alternative but parallel universe in 1988, a scientific experiment using young children as test subjects for research into superhuman mental…
Australian and New Zealand Films
Peter Jackson, “Heavenly Creatures” (1994) Having made his reputation as purveyor of gory splatter horror comedy flicks to amuse teenagers and kidults, New Zealand director Peter…