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Reviews
Walkabout (1971)
Unexpectedly poetic and subtle
I caught this on TV recently, and was struck by how different it was from my expectations. I had thought that it would be an adventure story, which it was, but with a feeling that was closer to some of Peter Weir's films than to a normal desert survival story. The opening sequence, in particular, is quite odd. SPOILER: A schoolgirl and her younger brother are taken to the desert by their father. He seems completely ordinary, a bit stuffy, but then he starts shooting at his children and ultimately shoots himself in the head. No explanation is given for this: it simply happens, out of the blue, and sets the story in motion. For the rest of the movie, the sister and brother make their way across the desert and eventually are helped back to their home by an aborigine. The movie was directed by Nicolas Roeg, which explains the strange violent elements, but there is also a delicacy here in the desert images that is very different from anything in films like The Man Who Fell to Earth or Performance.
Man on Wire (2008)
Stunning, thrilling documentary
This is a thrilling documentary that holds your interest from start to finish. The story has an extra layer now because of the collapse of the twin towers of the World Trade Center. The real tale here, though, is the courage and daring of the high-ware act itself. It's tremendously entertaining to follow all the details of how the act is brought off. (Sorry for being vague, but I'm trying to avoid spoilers.) Technically, the film is extremely well-done, and the editing is particularly fine. I've talked to hundreds of people now who have seen this at different festivals, and everyone has agreed that it's a great movie. It's also one of those rare documentaries that should be seen on a big screen if at all possible, to get the full sense of the daring of the high-wire act.
Pyhän kirjan varjo (2007)
One of the best documentaries I saw last year
This was a terrific documentary, though you have to get its sense of humor to enjoy it. The point of the film is to show how ridiculous these big international companies make themselves by doing anything and everything to flatter the dictator of Turkmenistan and help support his regime. The film is very funny, and it really brings out the hypocrisy of these corporations. At the same time, you get a strong sense of how the people in Turkmenistan are being oppressed by their government, and how the corporations help this oppression by making public statements in support of the government. The film also does a nice job of showing the surreal world that the dictator created for himself. I laughed all the way through.