Category Archives: movies

no monkey business (film: Better Man – Michael Gracey, 2024)

Released at the end of 2024, ‘Better Man‘ could also be considered one of the first films of 2025, when it reaches mass distribution in the main international film markets. It is a very favorable period for musical films, films … Continue reading

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Agatha in France (film: Le crime est notre affaire – Pascal Thomas, 2008)

‘Le crime est notre affaire‘ made in 2008 by Pascal Thomas was one of my holiday viewings this season. The film is the third in a series of screen versions of Agatha Christie’s novels, adapted and transferred to France. More … Continue reading

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the fight against forgetting (film: The Ring / HaTabat – Adir Miller, 2024)

‘The Ring’ (‘HaTabat’ – 2024), written by Adir Miller and directed by him together with Doron and Yoav Paz, is a film that starts from some excellent premises. It is based on a true story that happened during the Holocaust … Continue reading

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not a Christmas movie (film: Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence – Nagisa Ôshima, 1983)

‘Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence‘ (1983) is not a Christmas film, despite its title. The film director is Nagisa Ôshima, a Japanese filmmaker of great talent and great audacity. If we must necessarily place the film in a category, it would … Continue reading

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Almodóvar Faces Death (film: The Room Next Door – Pedro Almodóvar, 2024)

In his latest film, ‘The Room Next Door‘ (2024), Pedro Almodóvar faces Death. Many of the great filmmakers have done it: Fellini, Bergman, Haneke, Kurosawa, Hitchcock. Some earlier, others towards the end of their careers and lives, Hitchcock in every … Continue reading

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father and son (film: Che ora è – Ettore Scola, 1989)

‘Che ora è‘, Ettore Scola‘s 1989 film, is an admirable demonstration of the fact that great films can often be simple and that sophisticated effects or complex plots are not always necessary to reach the hearts of viewers. All one … Continue reading

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comedy in hell (film: A Perfect Day – Fernando León de Aranoa, 2015)

I had some good reasons to choose to see ‘A Perfect Day‘. The director is Fernando León de Aranoa, who since 2015 has made some good and very good films, two of which I had seen and written about. The … Continue reading

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a cry for freedom (film: Sheytan vojood nadarad / There is No Evil – Mohammad Rasoulof, 2020)

Mohammad Rasoulof‘s 2020 film ‘Sheytan vojood nadarad‘ (‘There is No Evil‘ is the English title) confirms once again that great cinema can be made even under dictatorship. It is not always possible and many stars have to line up for … Continue reading

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midlife crisis (film: Itinéraire d’un enfant gâté – Claude Lelouch, 1988)

The 1988 ‘Itinéraire d’un enfant gâté‘ (English title: ‘Itinerary of a Spoiled Child‘) is the second of three films directed by Claude Lelouch featuring Jean-Paul Belmondo. Three films that belong each to different periods in the careers of the director … Continue reading

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a duty to talk (film: White Bird – Marc Foster, 2023)

To prevent history from repeating itself, the stories of episodes of the Holocaust, of other genocides, and of acts of political terror and terrorism must be made known in all their horror. The best testimonies are those of survivors. But … Continue reading

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