Worker solidarity to save the day and a mining colony in “Alien: Ore”
Kailey and Sam Spear, “Alien: Ore” (2019) To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Ridley Scott’s sci-fi horror film “Alien”, the film production company 20th Century Fox…
Horror
Watership Down: exploring political freedom in the form of a foundation myth
Martin Rosen, John Hubley, “Watership Down” (1978) A vivid and beautifully presented tale, this British film portrays what might be a foundation myth of an imaginary…
Vampires in Greek Myth: an introduction to a universal cultural phenomenon through the Ancient Greek worldview
Dr Garrett Ryan, “Vampires in Greek Myth” (Told In Stone, 30 October 2021) Casting our fears regarding death and women who might be less than ideal…
Murder on the Orient Express (dir. Sidney Lumet): a pedestrian treatment of a murder mystery
Sidney Lumet, “Murder on the Orient Express” (1974) Initially beginning as a lavish drama set in an exotic 1930s Istanbul, Sidney Lumet’s “Murder on the Orient…
The Destruction of Laos: casting light on a shameful aspect of the Vietnam War
Carlton Meyer, “The Destruction of Laos” (Tales of the American Empire, 15 October 2021) Many people know that the Vietnam War dragged Cambodia into its horrors…
How medicine and nursing became the accomplices of genocide in “Caring Corrupted: The Killing Nurses of The Third Reich”
James Bailey, “Caring Corrupted: The Killing Nurses of The Third Reich” (2017) A grim and horrifying film, all the more so for its clinical, matter-of-fact tone…
CTRL Z: gentle romantic time-travel comedy with a sting in its tail
James Kennedy, “CTRL Z” (2017) Cats may have nine lives but the characters in this very funny sci-fi romantic comedy end up having nearly 4,800 lives…
Vikaari: how war and instability might breed a new species of predatory, psychopathic human
Sandun Seneviratne, Charlie Bray, “Vikaari” (2020) Cunningly disguised as a TV current affairs article / mini-documentary, complete with different styles of filming including videotaping, this short…
Unregistered: living authentically versus living a comfortable but insecure lie
Sophia Banks, “Unregistered” (2018) This short film commenting on the treatment of undocumented immigrants in the United States during Donald Trump’s presidency (2017 – 2021) has…
Chinese and Chinese-language Films, Spanish Films
The Fisherman: character study of outsider-turned-superhero in alien invasion short
Alejandro Suarez Lozano, “The Fisherman” (2015) A cleverly made and succinct little SF horror film set in Hong Kong, “The Fisherman” combines a character study that…