A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
Charlie Chaplin, “Modern Times” (1936) In its own way, “Modern Times” is significant as an example of how one actor / director adapted his style from…
Italian and Italian-language Films
Pier Paolo Pasolini, “The Hawks and the Sparrows / Uccellacci e Uccellini” (1966) A bit confusing and rambling, this road movie about a father and his…
Charlie Kaufmann and Duke Johnson, “Anomalisa” (2015) Not often does a film come along that encapsulates in its appearance and format its themes of human alienation,…
Australian and New Zealand Films
Rolf de Heer, “Charlie’s Country” (2013) A sad and compassionate film of a man’s search for identity and belonging, “Charlie’s Country” originated as a vehicle around…
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…
German and German-language Films, North American Films
Wim Wenders, “Paris, Texas” (1984) One of American cinema’s finest yet under-appreciated treasures must surely be the unassuming actor Harry Dean Stanton whose acting career reached…
Hiroshi Inagaki, “Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island” (1956) Inagaki’s third and last installment in the historical fiction drama series on the life and times of…
Hiroshi Inagaki, “Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple” (1955) Its predecessor in the Musashi Miyamoto trilogy might have won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film…
Hiroshi Inagaki, “Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto” (1954) One of the most famous people in Japanese culture is the swordsman and mystic Musashi Miyamoto, author of “Gorin…
North American Films, Russian and Soviet Films
Miguel Francis Santiago, “Crimea for Dummies” (RT Documentary, 2014) A unique and interesting film by Los Angeles film school graduate Miguel Francis Santiago, “Crimea for Dummies”…