Category: Reviews
An Honest Liar: Understanding James ‘The Amazing’ Randi
Things are not always as they appear in An Honest Liar, a film in which misdirection and a carefully constructed series of narrative revelations result in the film’s structure emulating its subject matter. This wonderful documentary, directed by Tyler Measom and Justin Weinstein, provides an insightful look into the fascinating life of famed magician and…
Life Itself: A Roger Ebert Primer
Steve James’ Life Itself, a documentary about the life of internationally recognised Pulitzer Prize winning film-critic, Roger Ebert, was always going be subject to high expectations – especially given his unfettered access to Ebert in the months leading up to his passing. The good news is that, generally speaking, James manages to live up to…
Mehran Tamadon’s Iranian: An Atheist and Four Mullahs
What would happen if an Iranian atheist invited four mullahs to come and stay with him for a weekend and discuss the prospect of a secular coexistence? This is the unlikely situation presented in Iranian, the latest documentary from Paris-based Iranian filmmaker, Mehran Tamadon. Fascinating, frustrating, confronting, and occasionally amusing, Tamadon’s film is a powerful…
Backwater: A Japanese Pubescent Nightmare
Given the stagnant state of its numerous characters, Shinji Aoyama’s Backwater is certainly appropriately named, although the film is so loaded with references to various forms of effluence that at one point I had to double check that the film wasn’t called ‘Backwash’. That’s not necessarily a criticism, but it is a warning… this is…
School of Babel: A Filmic Appreciation of the Migrant Experience
Watching Julie Bertucelli’s documentary, School of Babel, one is left with the distinct impression that many of the world’s more significant problems would be better left in the hands of children… and it’s probably true. This simple, yet profoundly moving documentary details a year in the lives of a group of young students in a…