The new Netflix All Quiet on the Western Front film is getting very good reviews, some comparing it to the acclaimed 1930 Best Picture version. Let's hope they're seeing it in Russia. "A chilling piece of anti-war filmmaking." --The Playlist "[Director] Berger proves here that All Quiet on the Western Front still packs a very loud punch." --Deadline "A beautiful, … [Read more...]
Operation Hyacinth | Film
In communist Poland, a police officer tasked with arresting gay men gradually gains sympathy for them and begins to question the brutal system in which he has played so pitiless a role. [ Operation Hyacinth credits: Dir: Piotr Domalewski/ Tomasz Zietek, Hubert Milkowski, Marek Kalita/ 112 min/ Drama, Foreign/ Sexual Liberty, Government as Bigot, Anti-Socialism/ Poland/ 2021/ … [Read more...]
The Closed Circuit | Film
Three businessmen in Poland are arrested for "organized crime," but as it turns out it's the government itself that's criminal. Based on a true story. [ The Closed Circuit credits: Dir: Ryszard Bugajski/ Janusz Gajos, Kazimierz Kaczor, Wojciech Zoladkowicz/ 120 min/ Action-Adventure, Drama/ Corrupt Government/ Poland/ 2013/ aka Uklad Zamkniety ] External Reviews "A … [Read more...]
Dear Comrades | Film
A communist party activist's faith in the communist system is shaken when she witnesses a government massacre of striking workers. [ Dear Comrades credits: Dir: Andrey Konchalovskiy/ AYuliya Vysotskaya, Vladislav Komarov, Andrey Gusev/ 121 min/ Drama, History/ Anti-Socialism/ Russia/ 2020] External Reviews "A knockout film about the Soviet nightmare.” --National … [Read more...]
Under the Sun | Documentary
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
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] “This film … [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 thoroughly enjoyable film is also a sweet and honest one, that works in every respect (it won a slew of … [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...]