A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
British Films, North American Films
Yorgos Lanthimos, “Poor Things” (2023) A visually sumptuous feast, set in an alternative late Victorian steampunk world, “Poor Things” is a science fantasy concoction revolving around…
British Films, North American Films
Emerald Fennell, “Saltburn” (2023) Arriving in Sydney with little fanfare, “Saltburn” initially presents as a more contemporary variation of “Brideshead Revisited” with the latter’s hints of…
Kim Ki-young, “Hanyo / The Housemaid” (1960) Delirious and overwrought in its soap-opera melodrama, this cult classic of South Korean cinema works as a satire of…
Francis Ford Coppola, “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” (1992) A visually lavish and often surreal presentation, Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation of the famous vampire novel still holds up…
Chris McKay, “Renfield” (2023) A cheerfully cheesy vehicle for Nicolas Cage to finally fulfil his life’s ambition to play Count Dracula, “Renfield” shifts the focus away…
Brandon Cronenberg, “Infinity Pool” (2023) Take away the extreme violence, the scenes of sleazy sex and the over-acting and what we end up with is a…
William Crain, “Blacula” (1972) In 1780, a noble African Prince (William Marshall), known as Mamuwalde, visits Transylvania with his wife Luva to solicit the help of…
Eastern European Films, French and French-language Films
Jerzy Skolimowski, “EO” (2022) Inspired by Robert Bresson’s 1966 film “Au hasard Balthazar”, this Polish film follows the adventures of circus donkey EO after the circus…
Japanese Films, North American Films
Jorge Lucas, Sumire Takamatsu, “Bakemono” (2019) Even in modern times, the demons and spirits of yore can still find a way to inveigle themselves into people’s…
Noh Doyeon, “Human Form” (2014) A deeply unsettling short film about a teenage schoolgirl’s quest to change her appearance through plastic surgery to attain physical beauty…