A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
Middle Eastern Films, Northern European Films
Floor van der Meulen, Thomas Vroege, Issa Touma, “9 Days – From My Window in Aleppo” (2016) Filmed over nine days (hence the title) in August…
Australian and New Zealand Films
Klaus Toft, “Killers in Eden” (2004) Made for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, this television documentary explores an intriguing partnership forged between humans and wild animals that…
Northern European Films, Southeast Asian Films
Joshua Oppenheimer, “The Act of Killing” (2012) A chilling film, made all the more so by moments of black humour, kitsch and banality, “The Act of…
Prairie Public Television, “The Bank of North Dakota” (2005) In an age in which large private banks have a stranglehold over governments and economies, and by…
Australian and New Zealand Films
Jacob Hickey, “Dirty Business: How Mining made Australia (Episode 1)” (2012) If this first episode is typical of the three-part series, this documentary should be quite…
Herman Axelbank and Max Eastman, “Tsar to Lenin” (1937) Presented by Mehring Books and the Socialist Equality Party, “Tsar to Lenin” is an incredible historical document…
French and French-language Films
Jean Vigo, “À propos de Nice” (1930) Posing as “a day in the life” travelogue of the French city of Nice, Vigo’s documentary short is a…
Rob Balsamo, “9/11 Intercepted” (2011) Over a decade has passed since the World Trade Center attacks occurred and we are still no closer to knowing what…
Phil Grabsky, “The Surprising History of Egypt with Terry Jones” (2002) An entertaining trip into the lives and customs of every-day people of ancient Egypt, with…
Terry Jones, “Terry Jones’ Barbarians (Episode 1: The Primitive Celts)” (2006) This droll history lesson delivered by former Monty Python member Terry Jones examines the complicated…