A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
Australian and New Zealand Films
Bruce Beresford, “The Fringe Dwellers” (1986) Based on the 1961 novel of the same name by Nene Gare, this gentle and minimally made movie is a…
Todd Solondz, “Palindromes” (2004) A dark comedic fairy tale about a girl trapped in a life that goes around in circles, “Palindromes” does have the air…
Hayao Miyazaki, “Princess Mononoke” (1997) When I first saw this movie about a decade ago, like everyone else I was bowled over by the stunning animated…
French and French-language Films
Jean-Luc Godard, “Bande à part” aka “Band of Outsiders” (1964) Once upon a time, the French had a knack for making gangster and pulpy crime movies in…
Kim Kiduk, “Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter … and Spring” (2003) Presented in five episodes that mimic the yearly cycle of the seasons, this film follows a…
French and French-language Films
Francois Truffaut, “The 400 Blows” (1959) This debut feature film by director Francois Truffaut is a very affecting one. By the standards of its time (1950’s),…
Crisitan Mungiu, “4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days” (2007) A bleak and often heartbreaking offering from young Romanian director Cristian Mungiu, this movie about a…
Latin American Films (Spanish language)
Walter Salles, “The Motorcycle Diaries” (2004) A film about two guys in their 20s riding on a motorcycle through South America in the 1950s should have been…
French and French-language Films, West African Films
Jean-Stephane Sauvaire, “Johnny Mad Dog” (2008) A film of child soldiers set in an African country experiencing a long and protracted civil war, “Johnny Mad Dog”…
Joel and Ethan Coen, “True Grit” (2010) Adapted from the 1968 novel of the same name by Charles Portis, “True Grit” can be read as both…