A clear, reasoned perspective on the phenomenon of racism, American History X is a fascinating study of the way a moral and rational person can be twisted and corrupted by social forces. Read the rest of this entry »

A strangely poignant political film in these post-2001 days. What is great about this film is that it doesn’t take the easy way out and blame the ills of the world on the inexplicably evil actions of the powerful few. Read the rest of this entry »

There are so many reasons to love this film: it is a masterpiece of production design - the brightly coloured suburban utopia/wasteland next to the dark and gothic (and much more Burtonesque) inventor’s mansion Read the rest of this entry »

Beautifully shot but brutal. I’m not sure Nick Cave’s screenplay successfully tells the story he wanted it to - many of the characters’ actions and motivations seem unfathomable, and ultimately you wonder what the point is supposed to be. Read the rest of this entry »

Powerful drama about an American tourist who tried to smuggle hash out of Turkey and was sent to prison to endure terrible hardships.

I have to say, I don’t quite understand the controversy about this film - at least not in terms of it being a piece of propaganda about how bad Turkey and all Turkish people are. Read the rest of this entry »

James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart together on the silver screen? How can you lose? Read the rest of this entry »

A heck of a powerful film in the tradition of Papillon. I love the way events just kind of unfold without any sort of embellishment by the filmmaker. The narrative is devoid of any kind of moralising and just lets you form your own opinions on what is happening. Read the rest of this entry »