A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
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.
Italian and Italian-language Films
Pier Paolo Pasolini, “The Gospel According to St Matthew / Il Vangelo Secondo Matteo” (1964) Perhaps more historically accurate or Biblically faithful films – or even…
Avi Lewis, “This Changes Everything” (2015) Billed as a film about climate change, this documentary essay based on Canadian journalist Naomi Klein’s eponymous book actually follows…
Stanley Kubrick, “The Seafarers” (1953) Stanley Kubrick’s first film made in colour turns out to be a 30-minute documentary promoting a trade union for crews of…
Australian and New Zealand Films
ABC News / Lateline Interview with Dr Bouthaina Shaaban (17 Spetember 2015) One amazing demolition job that I’ve seen recently is this ABC News / Lateline interview with Dr Bouthaina Shaaban,…
Arabic-language Films, French and French-language Films
Gillo Pontecorvo, “The Battle of Algiers / La Bataille d’Alger / La Battaglia di Algeri” (1965) Filmed 50 years ago, this Italian film drama of the Algerian…
Andrew Lachman, “Michael Mosley: The Truth About Meat” (2014) Second in a series of documentaries hosted and narrated by BBC science presenter Michael Mosley, this episode…
German and German-language Films
Fritz Lang, “Metropolis (reconstructed + restored)” (1928) I’ve had the opportunity to see “Metropolis” (which I reviewed some years ago) again in its reconstructed and restored…
British Films, North American Films
Kenneth Branagh, “Cinderella” (2015) Being a Disney production, this live-action version of the tale as Disney tells it can only go so far in its reinterpretation…
BBC News Interview with President Bashar al Assad (9 February 2015) For an example of grace under pressure, I think few people can acquit themselves as…
Kenneth Anger, “The Man We Want to Hang” (2002) After over 20 years in which he made no films, the American cult underground film director Kenneth…