A personal journal of film and documentary reviews, and reviews of anything else that intrigues me.
Volker Schlöndorff, “The Handmaid’s Tale” (1990) Based on the dystopian novel by Canadian writer Margaret Atwood, “The Handmaid’s Tale” as realised by Volker Schlöndorff is a…
Neil Blomkamp, “District 9” (2009) The inspiration for this science fiction film arises from a context in which racial segregation and exploitation informed the basis for…
Alex Garland, “Ex_Machina” (2015) At first glance, Alex Garland’s directorial debut flim “Ex Machina” looks like the total triumph of style over substance but like its…
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…
North American Films, South African Films
Neil Blomkamp, “Chappie” (2015) In amongst the ruined buildings, the body count, the junk metal and unexploded cluster munitions that form the detritus long after the…
British Films, North American Films
Christopher Nolan, “Interstellar” (2014) “Interstellar” managed to hold my attention for most of its 169-minute duration which was quite a feat as the plot is quite…
Australian and New Zealand Films
Michael and Peter Spierig, “Predestination” (2014) Based on a short story by Robert Heinlein (“All You Zomvies” which features no zombies, disappointingly enough), “Predestination” is an…
Korean Films, North American Films
Joon-ho Bong, “Snowpiercer / Seolgugyeolcha” (2013) Joon-ho Bong’s first outing in the English language is an enjoyably silly ride into the post-apocalyptic dystopian SF genre. Concerns…
Jonathan Mostow, “Surrogates” (2009) “Surrogates” has an interesting sci-fi concept with potential for philosophical speculation about the nature of being and reality in the style of…
Rob Ager, “The War on Bugs” (2012) Researched, written, edited and narrated by Rob Ager, this documentary examines the themes of the science fiction film “Starship…