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…
Horror
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…
Alone: drama and emotion in a tiny space-pod
William Hellmuth, “Alone” (2020) A moving film about connection – and about how so strong humans’ need for connection can be that some individuals will travel…
Flyby: an ingenious but weak film on time literally slipping away
Jesse Mittelstadt, “Flyby” (2019) In its own way this film can be considered a horror film, focusing as it does on how an alien force seems…
Hillary (Episode 4: Be Our Champion, Go Away): concluding episode delving into outright fantasy and falsehood
Nanette Burstein, “Hillary (Episode 4: Be Our Champion, Go Away)” (2020) If the first three episodes of this series on Hillary Rodham Clinton are essentially worshipful…
Hillary (Episode 3: The Hardest Decision): more fawning over a despicable subject
Nanette Burstein, “Hillary (Episode 3: The Hardest Decision)” (2020) Purporting to show how Hillary Rodham Clinton became a feminist icon to millions of women (and quite…