Pelosi’s Power: a glowing hagiography with nothing significant to say
Michael Kirk, “Pelosi’s Power” (2022) Purporting to be an examination of the career and legacy of US Congress representative Nancy Pelosi, the current Speaker of the…
Documentaries
The American Colony of Thailand: how Thailand’s unstable politics is linked to the global opium trade
Carlton Meyer, “The American Colony of Thailand” (Tales of the American Empire, 2 September 2022) Once again this ongoing series on the history of US global…
Chinese and Chinese-language Films
Storing Freshwater in the Salty Sea: the upsides and downsides of coastal reservoirs to receive and store fresh water
“Storing Freshwater in the Salty Sea” (Asianometry, 22 August 2022) In this video, the Asianometry host digresses from economics, business and IT issues to one relevant…
French and French-language Films
Becoming Marilyn (2021): a fantasy of what Marilyn Monroe might have been
Michèle Dominici, “Becoming Marilyn ” (2021) Billed by production company Arte Distribution as a “unique portrait” of famed 1950s Hollywood screen icon Marilyn Monroe, this documentary…
Chinese and Chinese-language Films
Why the Soviet Computer Failed: detailed visual essay misses answering its own question
“Why the Soviet Computer Failed” (Asianometry, 8 July 2022) A very interesting visual essay, illustrated with archived photographs drawn from various sources, this Asianometry video delves…
Chinese and Chinese-language Films
South Korea’s Cram School Obsession: a survey of education and how it came to be in South Korea
“South Korea’s Cram School Obsession” (Asianometry, 4 July 2022) What initially started out as an investigation into South Korean families’ mania for after-school private tutoring for…
House of Maxwell (Episode 3): vague and confused end to a dishonest series
Daniel Vernon, “House of Maxwell (Episode 3)” (2022) Finally we reach the third and last episode of this sorry series supposedly investigating the scandals surrounding past…
House of Maxwell (Episode 2): pension fund scandal not treated with the importance deserved
Daniel Vernon, “House of Maxwell (Episode 2)” (2022) As with the opening episode of this three-part documentary series on the scandals surrounding Robert Maxwell and his…
Chinese and Chinese-language Films
China’s Massive Nearsightedness Problem: an insightful survey of how China is dealing with childhood and adolescent myopia
“China’s Massive Nearsightedness Problem” (Asianometry, 20 June 2022) With about 57% of its population in 2019 being myopic (short-sighted), and with schoolchildren in urban areas being…
House of Maxwell (Episode 1): a bad start to a series on Robert and Ghislaine Maxwell’s crimes
Daniel Vernon, “House of Maxwell (Episode 1)” (2022) First in a three-part series purporting to examine and connect the scandals surrounding British newspaper publisher Robert Maxwell…