A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
Sidney Lumet, “Serpico” (1973) As character studies go, “Serpico” is very good indeed: based on the biography of former New York City police officer Frank Serpico…
Denis Villeneuve, “Blade Runner 2049” (2017) In its own leisurely way, “Blade Runner 2049” is a very absorbing, even hypnotic film with stunningly beautiful sets that…
Latin American Films (Spanish language)
Pablo Larraín, “Neruda” (2016) Very loosely based on an episode in Chilean poet-politician Pablo Neruda’s life, when he and his wife Delia were forced to go…
Jules Dassin, “Topkapi” (1964) His heist film “Rififi” proved to be such a classic that it ended up being spoofed as well as imitated so US…
French and French-language Films
Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli, “Une Vie de Chat / A Cat in Paris” (2010) Some kitties are happy to spend their hours traipsing from one…
Australian and New Zealand Films
Rolf de Heer, “The Tracker” (2002) On the surface, a simple story of four men hunting a fugitive who has committed a crime, “The Tracker” is…
Akira Kurosawa, “High and Low” (1963) Most movies based on pulp crime / police procedural novels rarely exceed their pulpy inspirations but legendary Japanese director Akira…
British Films, French and French-language Films
Christian Volckman, “Paris 2054: Renaissance” (2006) A glossy animated style of minimal black-and-white presentation, emphasising detail, mood and atmosphere in a future Paris governed by corporations…
German and German-language Films
Wim Wenders, “Der Amerikanische Freund / The American Friend” (1977) Based on the novel “Ripley’s Game” by Patricia Highsmith, “The American Friend” is at once a…
Sam Lim and Bruce Timm, “Batman: the Killing Joke” (2016) That “Batman: the Killing Joke” has lasted nearly 30 years as a milestone in the history…