A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
Chinese and Chinese-language Films, French and French-language Films
Olivier Assayas, “Clean” (2004) Rare are the movies in which two main characters happen to be father and his daughter-in-law yet just this month I’ve already…
George Lucas, “THX1138” (1971) Before he became famous for his “Star Wars” series of films, George Lucas was noted chiefly for his dystopian sci-fi flick “THX1138”…
Harmony Korine, “Spring Breakers” (2012) Contrary to most reports I’ve seen or heard about this film, “Spring Breakers” is actually a very well-made piece with a…
Akira Kurosawa, “The Hidden Fortress” (1958) Inspiration for George Lucas’ “Star Wars: A New Hope”, the 1978 space-fantasy flick that spawned an industry, this unusual historical…
Bob Rafelson, “Five Easy Pieces” (1970) One of the saddest films I have seen, “Five Easy Pieces” was conceived as a character study vehicle by the…
French and French-language Films
Claude Miller, “Thérèse Desqueyroux” (2012) Claude Miller’s swansong film is a historical drama piece starring Audrey Tautou in the eponymous role occupied by Emmanuelle Riva in…
Bob Fosse, “Cabaret” (1972) Loosely based on a Broadway play and a 1950s film which in turn were based on two novellas by British writer Christopher…
French and French-language Films
Alice Winocour, “Augustine” (2012) In the early years of the twentieth century in France, the ambitious Professor Charcot (Vincent Lindon) runs a hospital for female patients…
Juan Antonio Bayona, “The Impossible / Lo Impossible” (2012) Someone should have told Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts before they signed up to this film the…
French and French-language Films
Georges Franju,” Thérèse Desqueyroux” (1962) A remake of this film with Audrey Tautou as the titular character was shown at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012…