A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
French and French-language Films, German and German-language Films
Jean-Jacques Annaud, “The Name of the Rose” (1986) Based on Umberto Eco’s novel of the same name, this film is a very good if underrated adaptation…
Italian and Italian-language Films
Michele Botticelli, “At the Mountains of Madness” (2011) With the release of Ridley Scott’s “Prometheus” in 2012 and Guillermo del Toro’s resumption of the movie project…
Italian and Italian-language Films
Sigfrido Ranucci and Maurizio Torrealta, “Fallujah, the Hidden Massacre” (2005) This 27-minute film plays like an extended news or current affairs report: it originally aired on…
Italian and Italian-language Films
Pier Paolo Pasolini, “Salò or the 120 days of Sodom” / “Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma” (1975) Grim and harrowing to watch but an…
Italian and Italian-language Films
Pier Paolo Pasolini, “Medea” (1969) This film will always be a personal favourite of mine for its exploration of a human society and the kind of woman…
French and French-language Films, German and German-language Films
Orson Welles, “The Trial” / “Le Procès” (1962) This film is a visually striking adaptation of the famous Franz Kafka novel. Welles’s directorial approach tries to…