A documentary filmmaker invited by North Korea to make a propagandistic film turns the tables on his instrusive minders by recording everything -- including the Orwellian lives of his fearful film subjects. [ Under the Sun credits: Dir: Vitaliy Manskiy/ 106 min/ Documentary, Foreign/ Anti-Socialism/ 2015/ aka V luchakh solntsa / Latvia ] External Reviews "Accompanied … [Read more...]
Balloon | Film News
Two East German families make a daring escape to the West via a homemade hot-air balloon. Based on a true story. [ Balloon credits: Dir: Michael Herbig/ Friedrich Mücke, Karoline Schuch, David Kross/ 125 min/ Action-Adventure, Drama, Family, Foreign, Thriller/ Escape From Socialism/ Germany/ 2020] Now available on Amazon streaming. External Reviews "Balloon revels in … [Read more...]
Pad Man | Film Review
An heroic and independent entrepreneur creates a low-cost sanitary pad for the world’s poor, but must overcome cultural shame associated with menstruation to get his invention accepted. Based on a true story. [ Pad Man credits: Dir: R. Balki/ Akshay Kumar, Radhika Apte, Sonam Kapoor/ 140 min/ Biography, Comedy, Drama/ Creator-as-Hero, Individualism/ India/ 2018/ aka Padman … [Read more...]
Shin Godzilla (2016)
Godzilla returns to attack Japan, but this time with an unlikely ally: a sclerotic Japanese government that is disastrously slow to respond. [ Shin Godzilla credits: Dir: Hideaki Anno, Shinji Higuchi/ Hiroki Hasegawa, Yutaka Takenouchi, Satomi Ishihara/ 120 min/ Action-Adventure, Sci-Fi/ Incompetent Government, Individualism/ a.k.a. Godzilla Resurgence/ Japan] Mary … [Read more...]
Good Bye Lenin (2003)
A young man in newly liberated East Germany tries to hide the fall of communism from his enthusiastically socialist mother because doctors say the shock would kill her. [ Good Bye Lenin credits: Dir: Wolfgang Becker/ 121 min/ Comedy, Foreign/ Anti-socialism] This German-made comedy captures, in its own ironic way, the fall of communism far better than any straightforward … [Read more...]
Mao’s Great Famine (2011)
Mao Zedong's "Great Leap Forward," a far-reaching program of forced modernization intended to transform China into a socialist paradise, instead results in the greatest holocaust in human history — with a death toll of 45 million. Also listed as La grande famine de Mao. [ Mao's Great Famine credits: Dir: Patrick Cabouat, Philippe Grangereau/ 52 min/ Documentary, History/ … [Read more...]
Herod’s Law (1999)
An innocent janitor appointed mayor of a small Mexican town gradually succumbs to the temptations of power and is transformed into a small-time despot. Also listed as La ley de Herodes. [ Herod's Law credits: Dir: Luis Estrada/ 120 min/ Comedy/ Corrupt government, Power corrupts/ Mexico] External Reviews "The title of Herod's Law refers to a governing principle of … [Read more...]
Leviathan (2014)
ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE: BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM When the mayor of a Russian coastal town uses eminent domain to seize a home, the owner fights back--but he can't win against the corrupt and all-powerful Leviathan state. [ Leviathan credits: Dir: Andrey Zvyagintsev/ Aleksey Serebryakov, Elena Lyadova, Roman Madyanov/ 140 min/ Drama/ Eminent Domain, Corrupt … [Read more...]
Court (2014)
When an Indian folk singer is accused of singing lyrics that encouraged a young man to commit suicide, he is held for trial indefinitely in India's meandering court system. [ Court credits: Dir: Chaitanya Tamhane/ Usha Bane, Vivek Gomber, Pradeep Joshi/ 116 min/ Drama/ Law & Liberty, Incompetent Government] External Reviews "There are courtroom dramas, and then … [Read more...]
Dancing With Style (2012)
A fourteen-year-old boy pursues his love of ballroom dancing and classical music, despite bullying and peer pressure. [ Dancing With Style credits: Dir: Xander de Boer/ 17 min/ Documentary Short/ Individualism/ Netherlands] Note: the full film, "Dancing With Style," may be viewed online here. Dancing With Style is just a short 17-minute film, but it sums up in its few … [Read more...]