Red Joan: a stodgy film skirting issues about loyalty, betrayal and the nature of the British state
Trevor Nunn, “Red Joan” (2019) Adapted from the novel of the same name which as the film acknowledges is based on the real-life case of Melita…
Propaganda Films
Films made with an obvious bias to serve a larger agenda or to mitigate a controversial topic and make it safe for general public consumption.
Michael Palin in North Korea (Episode 2): an attractive visual experience spoilt by repetitive propaganda police-state stereotypes
Neil Ferguson, “Michael Palin in North Korea (Episode 2)” (2018) In this second and final episode, Michael Palin ventures outside Pyongyang to spend a few days…
Michael Palin in North Korea (Episode 1): Western insistence on stereotyping a country ruins a striking travelogue
Neil Ferguson, “Michael Palin in North Korea (Episode 1)” (2018) At least two years in the making, this 2-part travel documentary follows comedian / world traveller…
Vice: satirical biopic is as empty as the man it lampoons
Adam McKay, “Vice” (2018) A rather patchy satirical study of the life of former US Vice-President Dick Cheney, “Vice” shows how an unscrupulous individual can attain…
A sense of Cold War paranoia and self-righteous American exceptionalism in “Espionage Target – You!”
“Espionage Target – You!” (1964) Commissioned by the United States Department of Defense for training US military and civilian personnel sent abroad, this film is an…
Undercover in Idlib: secret snapshot of jihadi-held Idlib province in northwestern Syria
Jenan Moussa, “Undercover in Idlib” (2017) Presented and narrated by Jenan Moussa, a reporter for Al Aan TV in Dubai, this 22-minute documentary on the situation…
BlacKkKlansman: use of race politics demeans the achievement of a black police officer in exposing the Ku Klux Klan’s evil
Spike Lee, “BlacKkKlansman” (2018) Filmed as a blaxsploitation-styled comedy drama, this work revolves around a real scenario in which a black American police officer in Colorado…
Those Who Said No: a slickly made and polished film that is less than honest about the politics of the activists it champions
Nima Sarvestani, “Those Who Said No” (2015) A very polished film, complete with stereotypical mournful droning music in parts, this Iranian / Swedish documentary follows proceedings…
Origins: The Journey of Humankind (Season 1, Episode 3: The Power of Money) – a shallow and confusing enquiry into the historical importance of money
Celso R Garcia, “Origins: The Journey of Humankind (Season 1, Episode 3: The Power of Money)” (2017) One viewing of this episode of the National Geographic…
Eastern European Films, German and German-language Films
The Final Journey: a formulaic road movie about hope and reconciliation in the Ukrainian civil war
Nick Baker-Monteys, “The Final Journey / Leanders Letzte Reise” (2017) The plot may be a familiar one – aged pensioner Eduard Leander (Jurgen Prochnow), recently widowed,…