A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
North American Films, Russian and Soviet Films
Sean Baker, “Anora” (2024) Presenting as a comedy variation on the Cinderella story, “Anora” deftly skewers Western neo-capitalism, the class system and trashy culture that are…
Hirokazu Kore-eda, “Broker” (2022) A young woman brings her baby to a church’s baby box and leaves her child in front of it. She is unaware…
Scott Woodburn, “Rick and Ruby” (2019) Playing like an episode in a never-ending road-movie series across America, “Rick and Ruby” is a buddy mini-movie packing comedy,…
Ridley Scott, “Thelma & Louise” (1991) Two best friends – one a waitress whose musician boyfriend frequently leaves her on her own when he goes on…
Australian and New Zealand Films
Alister Lockhart, Patrick Sarell, “Nullarbor” (2011) Across the longest stretch of straight road through the flat desert that is the Nullarbor Plain in southern Australia is…
British Films, Eastern European Films
“Abandoned Soviet Fairground Ride in Transnistria” (Bald and Bankrupt, 2019) During his travels in Moldova in early 2019, the English vlogger known as Bald and Bankrupt…
British Films, Eastern European Films
“Abandoned Europe / Road to Ratus” (Bald and Bankrupt, April 2019) “Could be awesome, could be shit” … well, going to Ratus couldn’t be any worse…
Australian and New Zealand Films
Benjamin Gilmour, “Jirga” (2018) The wonder is that this film got made at all as it was filmed in Afghanistan, and in areas possibly still dominated…
Chinese and Chinese-language Films
Jia Zhangke, “The World” (2004) In future years, this film, long and meandering though it is, may well be regarded as an early masterpiece in Jia…
Eastern European Films, German and German-language Films
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,…