posted "Life in a small German village, before the first World War - dark and unsettling, deeply intelligent" about The White Ribbon.   April 23, 2010

Life in a small German village, before t …
Michael Haneke's latest may well be his greatest. It's a masterful depiction of the unraveling of a village, in the years leading up to the first Worl …

posted "A potent depiction of extremism, its motives and consequences; a timely reflection on a pivotal episode in German history" about The Baader Meinhof Complex.   February 13, 2010

A potent depiction of extremism, its mot …
The Baader Meinhof Complex is an at once exhilarating and horrific depiction of the rise and fall of a very prominent left-wing extremist group in '70 …

posted "Sacrifice, sin, and the possibililty of redemption - a bloody and brilliant Korean re-invention of the vampire mythos" about Thirst (Bakjwi).   October 30, 2009

Sacrifice, sin, and the possibililty of …
Sang-Hyun, a Roman Catholic priest, develops urgent cravings after he selflessly volunteers to be guinea pig in a dangerous medical experiment. He res …

posted "They're out there and they want to play" about Them (ILS).   August 06, 2009

They're out there and they want to play
Just for kicks, THEY make noises in the night; they surround, they torment, they threaten, they hurt. "Them" tells the apparently true story of a seem …

posted "Haiku review: stylistically brilliant, elliptical, powerful, moody and dark film about vengeance, atonement, and redemption" about Lady Vengeance.   July 17, 2009

Haiku review: stylistically brilliant, e …
Young boy, sad mistake  Thirteen years, long time to wait  Snow falls on white cake

posted "Visually inventive, blissful filmmaking - as crazy as the original Django" about Sukiyaki Western Django.   July 05, 2009

Visually inventive, blissful filmmaking …
A lone gunman rides into a small mining town, where two competing clans are searching for a legendary treasure. If you hadn't seen the original "spagh …

posted "Beautiful, haunting and mesmerizing coming-of-age (with Swedish vampires) story" about Let The Right One In (Låt den Rätte Komma In).   April 06, 2009

Beautiful, haunting and mesmerizing comi …
Oskar is a lonely and disturbed young man, living with an alternately distant and overprotective mother, whose loving but alcoholic father has left th …

posted "Loyalty overcome by longing -- in this sumptuously filmed tale of occupied China" about Lust, Caution (2007).   July 03, 2008

Loyalty overcome by longing -- in this s …
Wong Chia Chi is a young and inexperienced woman from Shanghai, studying at a Hong Kong university to escape from the Japanese occupation of her home …

posted "a worthwhile intoduction to some of what is possible in anime" about Perfect Blue.   August 31, 2005

a worthwhile intoduction to some of what …
While I wouldn't go as far as some, who have compared this to some of the greatest anime (and some of the greatest films of any genre -- this is not H …