The Kazakhstani documentary “We Live Here” unravels a story of criminal negligence or is it state manslaughter? Between 1949-1991 over 456 nuclear tests were conducted by the USSR in a test site area on the Kazakhstani steppes covering an area of 18,300 square kilometers, roughly the size of Israel. Open air testing ceased in 1963Continue reading “Toronto Hot Docs 2025: “We Live Here”: Nuclear Cruelty: Criminal Negligence or is it State Manslaughter?”
Category Archives: film
Toronto 2025 HOT DOCS: “Ultras”: Familial Football Fanaticism of Stadium Schizophrenics
“Ultras” explores rather fittingly the culture of Ultras in 8 countries and 4 continents including England, Sweden, Italy, Morocco, Indonesia, Egypt, Mexico and Argentina. Ultras are those noisy, swaying, boisterous and vociferous masses at football games. Are they suffering from Stadium Schizophrenia? Masses of the life weary, battered by ordinary cares and problems untilContinue reading “Toronto 2025 HOT DOCS: “Ultras”: Familial Football Fanaticism of Stadium Schizophrenics “
RKS 2025 Film: “Greek Mother’s Never Die”: Authenticity and Stereotypes
Rachel Suissa, writer and director of “Greek Mother’s Never Die”, says the film is a personal journey based on her Greek mother and the happenings in her own life. It started as a one woman show, then a television show and now a movie. Twenty-five-year-old Ella (Abby Miner) was born in Greece to an AmericanContinue reading “RKS 2025 Film: “Greek Mother’s Never Die”: Authenticity and Stereotypes”
RKS 2025 CANADIAN Documentary: “The Spoils”: Morality Butts Heads with Legality and Political Games
Morality dictates the conclusion to be drawn from the “looting” of art by the Nazis in World War II is such art should be returned to the heirs of the owners the Nazis “stole” it from. Legality may dictate otherwise due to the civil law doctrine in Germany (and in common law jurisdictions) a purchaserContinue reading “RKS 2025 CANADIAN Documentary: “The Spoils”: Morality Butts Heads with Legality and Political Games”
Crazy8s: “The Reveal”: Sweet, Tender and Compassionate Sewn Nicely Together with a Chuckle: A Comedic Fairy Tale?
“The Reveal” if I may remark in a cheesy way using a word my Grade One teacher drilled in our young noggins never to write in a sentence is nice. It is also sweet, tender, compassionate and at times humorous. It operates in a dual universe of two different reveals. The reveal is an eventContinue reading “Crazy8s: “The Reveal”: Sweet, Tender and Compassionate Sewn Nicely Together with a Chuckle: A Comedic Fairy Tale?”
RKS 2025 Film: “Misericordia”: Anger, Violence, Guilt and Lustcentric Blind Eyes
Jérémie Pastor (Félix Kysyl), an unemployed baker from Toulouse, returns to his native country village to attend the funeral of his former boss and town baker J.P. Rigal. A one-night stay at widower Martine Rigal’s (Catherine Frot) extends itself to no set date. Vincent Rigal (Jean-Baptiste Durand) expresses hostility then violence towards Pastor thinking heContinue reading “RKS 2025 Film: “Misericordia”: Anger, Violence, Guilt and Lustcentric Blind Eyes”
Crazy8s: “My Mother the Zombie”: Teenage Lust in Threatening Overdrive Meets Mother Zombie
Running since 1999, Crazy8s is an annual 8-day short filmmaking challenge providing support and funding to 6 emerging and mid-career filmmakers to produce a short film and provides training opportunities to crew and cast. After a Gala Screening and Afterparty, the films go on to be seen by audiences worldwide at film festivals and onContinue reading “Crazy8s: “My Mother the Zombie”: Teenage Lust in Threatening Overdrive Meets Mother Zombie”
RKS 2025 CANADIAN Film: “The Dogs”: A Suggestive Brain May Be Popping Around Like Popcorn Watching This One
Perhaps my brain has popped around just a bit too much and after reviewing 200 films yearly how do you think your brain would be? Of late many “horror movies” are more suggestive of the horror of mental illness than in ghoulish figures and spooky noises. Think of “Chucky” or “Freddy”. Both meet the definitionContinue reading “RKS 2025 CANADIAN Film: “The Dogs”: A Suggestive Brain May Be Popping Around Like Popcorn Watching This One”
Crazy 8’s: Film is Like a Box of Chocolates: W7éyle (Moon’s Wife)
Running since 1999, Crazy8s is an annual 8-day short filmmaking challenge providing support and funding to 6 emerging and mid-career filmmakers to produce a short film and provides training opportunities to crew and cast. After a Gala Screening and Afterparty, the films go on to be seen by audiences worldwide at film festivals and onContinue reading “Crazy 8’s: Film is Like a Box of Chocolates: W7éyle (Moon’s Wife)”
The 27th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival: “Sticks and Stones-Unmasking the Truth of Cyberbullying”
TIDF was a wrap on 16March2025 but I have a couple more documentaries left in my review basket such as “Sticks and Stones-Unmasking the Truth of Cyberbullying” from Australia and Greece. I can’t see this as a classic documentary but rather an educational video directed towards parents of children active on social media. Cyberbullying isContinue reading “The 27th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival: “Sticks and Stones-Unmasking the Truth of Cyberbullying””
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