Category Archive: Drama

2 Comments

Wild Strawberries (Day 8)

 My Opinion: 6.4 || There’s much to admire, but I don’t think it holds the same fascinating power as Persona (my one other Bergman). As a frequently dreamy meditation on memory and age, it… Continue reading →

2 Comments

The Front Line (Day 7)

My Opinion: 4.7 || An intermittently strong but ultimately flawed anti-war film. Strong acting, cinematography, and action staging are undermined by forced and wooden dialogue and too many credibility-straining moments. TITLE: The Front Line (Go-ji-jeon)… Continue reading →

3 Comments

A Separation (Day 5)

 My Opinion: 9.3 || Outstanding film. Like Tree of Life or Annie Hall or Persona, it’s impossible to identify a boundary between script and direction — it’s so obvious that they spring from a singular, cohesive vision.… Continue reading →

1 Comment
The Bicycle Thieves

Bicycle Thieves (Day 2)

My Opinion: 7.3 || You go into a movie like this expecting sad, but what kind of sad? Dreary sad, tear-jerker sad, despair-for-humanity sad? Turns out it’s a better form of sad than any… Continue reading →

3 Comments

Chunking Express (Day 1)

My Opinion: 6.5 || Some outstanding moments, a bold visual identity, memorable performances — and inspired use of music. But (great) style overwhelms narrative, and the lack of storytelling cohesion keeps it from being… Continue reading →

  • About Me


    I'm an author and consultant in Portland, Oregon. My novel 'Beheld' will be published this June.

  • The Mission

    To watch and write about one new foreign film a day for 100 days. It's a cinematic world tour -- with an emphasis on diversity of language, era, and style.

    In addition to the daily commentaries, I'll post weekly and monthly wrap-ups. And explore cool ways of graphing the films and my responses to them.