5 December 2025 THE VOICE OF HIND REJAB **** (vo Arabic) There have recently been a slew of fine films, such as “All That’s Left Of You” or “Gaza: Doctors Under Attack”, concerning the horrendously dire situation of the Palestinian people.This one is the purest, most effective one. It will grab you by the throat […]
FILM: BUGONIA ***1/2 – be blown away!
28 November 2025 BUGONIA ***1/2 There’s a single-minded conspiracy theorist who believes he’s found the one alien who can lead him to saving our corrupt, degenerating world. And there is his docile, naive best-buddy whom he’s training to assist him in a wild scheme to kidnap the supposed alien – the razor-sharp female CEO of […]
FILM: JAY KELLY *** played by Mr. Charmer himself, George Clooney
21 November 2025 JAY KELLY *** This is a film that one cannot quite pin down. When I first saw it, it seemed to glow with the charm of a real life movie star (played by Mr. Charmer himself, George Clooney); it had the depth of a man realising, despite all the fame and glory […]
FILM: WIDOW CLICQUOT ***
14 November 2025 WIDOW CLIQUOT *** Feminism is not such a modern idea – there have been many strong, determined women throughout history. To note just a few – Cleopatra, Queen Elizabeth I, Madame Curie, Amelia Earhart, etc… Let’s add one more, much less known for her exploits than for her world-renowned champagne, Veuve Clicquot. […]
FILM: THE STRANGER + THE SMASHING MACHINE
7 November 2025 L’ÉTRANGER ***1/2 (vo French) The inimitable French auteur François Ozon has done it again, with his usual elegance and discretion, as with his other superbly varied films such as “Huit Femmes”, “Potiche”, Frantz” or “Grâce à Dieu”. This time he has taken the Albert Camus novel ‘The Stranger’ and given it the […]
FILM: THE DISAPPEARANCE OF JOSEPH MENGELE ***1/2
LA DISPARITION DE JOSEPH MENGELE ***1/2 (vo German) Kirill Serebrennikov is one of Russia’s most important new wave directors, with such powerful films as LETO, about a 1980s rock star, which made a huge splash in Cannes 2018, the feverish PETROV’s FLU, or the densely tragic TCHAIKOVSKY’S WIFE from 2022. Being an adamant dissident, he […]
FILM: FRANKENSTEIN **** a grand film not to be missed
24 October 2025 FRANKENSTEIN **** The exceptional Mexican director Guillermo del Toro is back once again with another of his moving studies on his favourite themes of myths, gothism and poetic beauty. His previous brilliant works have included the 2017 Oscar-winning “The Shape of Water” and his tenderly innovative “Pinocchio” which won the Oscar, BAFTA […]
FILM: ALL THAT’S LEFT OF YOU ****
17 October 2025 ALL THAT’S LEFT OF YOU **** (vo Arabic, English) This is a history of the Palestinian people personified by three generations of one family from 1948 to the present. Cherien Dabis, the Palestinian/American producer, writer and director of this film has not made this a political statement but rather the saga of […]
FILM: A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE ***
10 October 2025 A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE *** Katheryn Bigelow (Oscar-winning director of “The Hurt Locker” and “Zero Dark Thirty” – both concerning wars and the military) is back with another testosterone-filled thriller that feels too plausible for comfort. A missile that cannot be traced is launched against the U.S. We are in Washington D.C. […]
FILM: IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT ***1/2
3 October 2025 UN SIMPLE ACCIDENT ***1/2 (vo Farsi) Iranian director Jafar Panahi’s latest prize-winning film (Palme d’Or winner at Cannes 2025) is one of his most openly anti-governmental works. He has been a longtime activist for the freedom of his people, has suffered multiple house arrests, prison terms and has long been prohibited from […]
