Musical Epiphanies 2024: The Thrill of Discovering New Artists and Sounds


In May 2023, I listed out 15 bands that I had previously been unaware of and “discovered” during 2021-22, mainly due to Spotify’s amazing recommendation algorithm. The bands operated primarily in the rock and metal spectrum, covering a wide range of sub-genres like stoner rock, desert rock, psychedelic rock, prog rock, math rock/djent, drone metal, classic metal and pop-rock. Two truisms – there are a lot of talented but unknown musicians out there, many can be considered virtuosos, but equally, they all stand on the shoulders of giants as is evident from the musical influences from the 60s-80s that are evident in their compositions.

In the past few months, I’ve been at it again, steadfastly refusing to listen to my old favourites and diving into Spotify’s “Recommended for Today”, “More like …”, “Album Picks” and “New Releases for You” sections to try out bands I haven’t heard of before. In most cases, I end up liking a band because they sound like or remind me of an existing favourite, but there’s always some additional musical dimension they bring into play that makes them appealing. Given these are not mainstream bands, most of the background information comes from their websites and some dedicated album review sites (Progarchives in particular has never failed me).

Band: Crown Lands from Ontario, Canada
Personnel: Cody Bowles (vocals, drums) and Kevin Comeau (guitars, bass, keyboards)
Album: Fearless (2023)
Genre: Prog rock

Crown Lands won the Juno Award (the Canadian equivalent of the Grammy) for Breakthrough Group of the Year for their self-titled 2020 blues-rock debut album, which bore a striking resemblance to early Led Zeppelin, on account of Cody Bowles' high-pitched vocals. The band's name is a reference to government-owned land that was taken from indigenous peoples, and most of their songs revolve around the evils of colonialism. The band then teamed up Terry Brown, Nick Raskulinecz and David Bottrill, all of whom have done production work for Canadian prog-rock stalwarts, Rush. The resulting 2023 sophomore release, Fearless, delivers an uncanny recreation of the "Rush sound". The album kicks off with an 18-minute-long epic Starlifter: Fearless Pt.II which establishes the Rush connection right from the opening bars. The other standout songs are Dreamer of the Dawn, Context: Fearless Pt. I and Lady of the Lake. For Rush fans like me who were disappointed by the mellowing of their sound from the late 1980's, Fearless is a time machine back to that thrilling, bombastic 1970's sound.
Kevin Comeau and Cody Bowles from Crown Lands
Band: Earthside from New Haven, USA
Personnel: Jamie van Dyck (guitars, backing vocals, programming), Ben Shanbrom (drums, backing vocals), Frank Sacramone (keyboards/piano, programming) and Ryan Griffin (bass, backing vocals)
Album: A Dream in Static (2015)
Genre: Progressive metal

Earthside refer to their music as "cinematic rock" comprising elaborate, textured, symphonic and atmospheric songs. I chanced upon a track from their 2015 debut album, A Dream in Static, and was blown away by the orchestration (contributed by the Moscow Studio Symphony), which elevated their music above the standard hard rock fare. The band members have degrees in Music Production or Composition from Yale, Berklee and the Hartt School of Music, and are predominantly an instrumental group without a lead singer. They brought in guest vocalists Lajon Witherspoon (from rock band Sevendust), Daniel Tompkins (from prog metal band TesseracT) and Björn Strid (founder of Swedish death metal band Soilwork) for some songs, but it's the instrumental tracks like The Closest I've Come and Skyline that I really fell for. I was frustrated that such a remarkable musical collaboration could only have produced one album, and was then pleasantly surprised when the band released a follow-up in November 2023, titled Let The Truth Speak. I haven't listened to it much, although the title track featuring the powerful pipes of Daniel Tompkins sounds impressive. The sheer depth of their music assures me that I can look forward to several more hours of listening and discovery.
Band: This Winter Machine from Leeds, UK
Personnel: Al Winter (vocals), Gary Jevon -> Graham Garbett -> Simon D'Vali -> John Cook (guitars), Scott Owens -> Dom Bennison (guitars), Marcus Murray -> Andy Milner -> Alan Wilson (drums), Peter Priestly -> Dave Close (bass), Mark Numan -> Leigh Perkins (keyboards)
Albums: The Clockwork Man (2023), Kites (2021), A Tower of Clocks (2019), The Man Who Never Was (2017)
Genre: Prog rock/Neo-prog

This is my current favourite band, one that I stumbled upon just a few weeks ago and have been playing one album after another on heavy rotation. The band is named for vocalist and main songwriter Al Winter, who is supported by a cohort of accomplished musicians. 

I started off with their 2017 debut album, The Man Who Never Was, and the 16-minute-long title track is a straight out winner, underpinned by Mark Numan's piano and Al Winter's heartfelt vocals. The music is evocative and easy paced, reminding me of Al Stewart. Most tracks run close to ten minutes, with my favourite being the haunting After Tomorrow Comes, with Numan's piano similar to Kate Bush's work in her 2005 album Aerial. For a band to release a debut album of this quality and self-assurance is astonishing. 

The follow-up album, A Tower of Clocks continued in the same vein, although with a heavier feel as evidenced by the 9-minute opening track Herald and the closer, Carnivale. Bassist Pete Priestly seems to have a bigger role here, particularly in the playful Symmetry & Light. As with the first album, the songs work best when combining Al Winter's vocals and Mark Numan's keyboards/piano on tracks like In Amber. My only complaint with the second album is that Winter's previously smooth voice has taken on a harsh edge, which feels like it was adjusted in post-production. 

Their third album, Kites (2021), experienced some personnel changes due to creative differences and Covid-related scheduling complications; in particular I was sorry to see keyboardist Mark Numan go (he has a credit on one track, Broken). The album has a mix of guitar-driven tracks like The Storm Part II and Whirlpool (which share the same catchy riff), and contemplative songs like Sometimes and Pleasure & Purpose; this last one is quickly becoming a favourite on account of its poignant lyrics and vocal inflections. Similarly, Broken has a great singalong chorus perfect for live performances - 
"Stay with me until the morning, 
Hold me close until the end of time,
Seems like nothing lasts forever,
You see the world the same as me." 

And so, finally I ended up with their 2023 release, A Clockwork Man. Sadly, Al Winter's voice still sounds a bit over-produced, but the entire package really works with John Cook's grinding guitars emphasizing the progression to a heavier sound over the space of four albums and six years. The songs started growing on me one by one, including the 8-minute Solitude, Silence and Steam, the short-and-heavy Final Goodbye (with a prominent role for Dave Close's bass), the intricate Reflections and the closing track Falling Through a Hole in the Sky, which showcases the talents of new keyboardist Leigh Perkins.

I am looking forward to hearing this band live in the UK at some point of time.
Band: Ellesmere from Rome, Italy
Personnel: Roberto Vitelli (bass, keyboards), Giacomo Anselmi (guitars), Mattias Olsson (drums, percussion), John Wilkinson (vocals)
Album: Stranger Skies (2024)
Genre: Symphonic rock/Prog rock

This band was formed in 2014 as a musical project by Italian multi-instrumentalist Roberto Vitelli. I chanced upon their latest album, Stranger Skies, which was released in January 2024. The first thing that struck me as I listed to the opening track Northwards was the uncanny resemblance vocalist John Wilkinson has to Phil Collins. Upon reading about the band and this album in particular, I discovered this was not a coincidence, and in fact is part of Vitelli's vision to pay tribute to the Genesis' 1976 album A Trick of the Tail, on which Phil Collins took over lead vocalist duties from the departing Peter Gabriel. Previous Ellesmere albums have more in common with the meandering instrumental tracks of Emerson, Lake & Palmer, whereas on this album, Wilkinson's vocals provide a focal point for the songwriting, resulting in several entertaining tracks - Northwards, Tundra and Stranger Skies. The title track is notable for a passage featuring John Hackett (brother of Genesis' Steve Hackett) on the flute, which reminded me of Jethro Tull. I've never warmed to Genesis' much-acclaimed 1970's prog rock phase, but I have certainly enjoyed Ellesmere's tribute to them. 
Band: Eveline's Dust from Pisa, Italy
Personnel: Nicola Pedreschi (vocals, piano, Rhodes electric piano, keyboards), Lorenzo Gherarducci (electric & acoustic guitar, backing vocals), Marco Carloni (bass), Angelo Carmignani (drums)
Album: The Painkeeper (2016)
Genre: Prog rock

This is another prog rock band from Italy, which appears not to have been active since they released their third album, k. in 2019. I've mainly listened to their 2016 release, a concept album titled, The Painkeeper. Their sound revolves around Nicola Pedreschi's keyboards and pianos, and his accomplished vocals. This is an album with a surprising degree of variety, ranging from introspective/contemplative tracks like NREM and We Won't Regret to more experimental ones like A Tender Spark of Unknown and Joseph; the latter has a bit of everything in its 8-minute runtime, kicking off with a beautiful acoustic melody and then switching to regular hard rock guitar riffs, before moving into an eerie keyboard-led ending.
Band: Karfagen from Ukraine
Personnel: Antony Kalugin
Album: Messages from Afar: Second Nature (2024), Birds (2023), Birds of Passage (2020), Messages from Afar: First Contact (2017)
Genre: Symphonic prog/art rock

Wow, how could I have been unaware of someone as prolific as multi-instrumentalist and composer, Antony Kalugin? With his band Karfagen, he has released 19 albums in less than 20 years. In addition, he has released 7 solo albums, as well as 9 albums with his other band Sunchild, and 2 albums with Hoggwash. 

My first exposure to Karfagen was through their mammoth 22-minute long Birds, Pt.1 from the 2023 album Birds. It is a delightfully uplifting and playfully melodious piece, full of virtuoso keyboard passages and lush orchestration including wind instruments like saxophone and bassoon, as well as strings and the usual complement of guitars, bass and drums. The album itself is a unique entity, it's an instrumental recut version their 2020 release Birds of Passage. The entire album is essentially a single musical suite. Not since Vangelis has there been someone who can compose such appealing melodies on a keyboard and I can only imagine that Kalugin is not better known because he is not based in the UK or the US. 

I then went to Karfagen's 2017 album Messages from Afar: First Contact, which features a wider range of musical styles, and a mix of long and short tracks. Curious Talk features some delightful latin jazz influences; Faces in the Clouds and Vale of Dreams have guitar passages by Max Velychko that could have come out of a Steve Vai album; and the album closer Constant Flow is a 15-minute art rock tour de force, with saxophone adding some extra dimension. The band's latest release Messages from Afar: Second Nature came out at the end of January 2024, and continues in the same vein. 

I haven't yet checked out their other 16 albums, and I admit that as much as I like the music, it can get monotonous and feel like background music after a while. Nevertheless, this band is an incredible find, and Antony Kalugin is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished rock keyboardists in the world today.
Band: OK Goodnight from Boston, US
Personnel: Casey Lee Williams (lead vocals), Martin Gonzalez (guitar), Martín de Lima (keyboards, guitar, backing vocals), Augusto Bussio (drums, backing vocals), Peter de Reyna (bass)
Album: The Fox and the Bird (2023)
Genre: Prog metal

Along with Earthside, this is perhaps the heaviest band in this list, and is also comprised of graduates from Berklee. However, OK Goodnight has the distinction of having a female lead singer, Casey Lee Williams, whose spectacular soprano combines effortlessly with Martín de Lima's keyboards on The Falcon, and with the guitar attack of Martin Gonzalez on The Snake. Guest vocalist/songwriter Elizabeth Hull brings even more heaviness on two songs, The Bear and The Mountain. The full might of the band's heavy metal musicianship is on show in the short instrumental tracks, The Journey and The Nightmare, but they are equally appealing when they go soft and acoustic on tracks like The Bird and The Rain. There is no shortage of technical skill in this band and it shows through in every track. This is the only album on this list that I didn't find on Spotify, instead it was featured in a list of best prog metal albums of 2023; it definitely deserves to be there!
Casey Lee Williams, Augusto Bussio, Martin Gonzales, Peter de Reyna and Martín de Lima from OK Goodnight
Band: Legacy Pilots from Hamburg, Germany
Personnel: Frank Us (keyboards, guitars, bass, vocals), Lars Slowak (bass), Marco Minnemann (drums), and many others
Album: Con Brio (2018), Aviation (2020), The Penrose Triangle (2021), Helix (2023)
Genre: Symphonic prog

I'm not quite sure what to make of this band, which is essentially a musical project by German multi-instrumentalist Frank Us, with a revolving door of guest musicians. I've listened to four of their albums. The music is derivative and somewhat generic, taking inspiration from a multitude of prog rock influences, but for that reason quite likeable. Frank Us' voice is quite distinctive, sounding like it's going to break at any point (reminiscent of Japan's lead singer, David Sylvian), and his keyboards add variety to the rock sound, supposedly inspired by the sound of Emerson Lake & Palmer, but to my ears also not dissimilar to Neal Morse's playing style. His passion has attracted prog legends like Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree), Steve Rothery (Marillion) and Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater) to appear on his albums. I found myself listening to multiple tracks from their four albums, with the 2021 release The Penrose Triangle yielding the most consistent quality of compositions, including Better Days, Heaven Must Know, the instrumental As Dominos Fall, Coast Cards (great vocals from Liza Livgren), and A Change of Mind (a 10-minute, 3-part suite). 
Band: Haken from London, England, UK
Personnel: Ross Jennings (lead vocals), Charles Griffiths (guitars, backing vocals), Richard Henshall (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Diego Tejeida --> Peter Jones (keyboards, sound design, backing vocals), Thomas MacLean --> Connor Green (bass, backing vocals), Raymond Hearne (drums, percussion, cimbasso, tuba, backing vocals)
Album: The Mountain (2013), Virus (2020), Fauna (2023)
Genre: Prog rock

This British band has been around since 2010 and their latest studio album, Fauna, was heavily promoted on Spotify. This is one of the hardest working bands around, having released 7 albums in 13 years. I listened to Fauna, but struggled to warm up to it. I then checked out some earlier albums and the one that caught my attention was their 2013 release, The Mountain, which contains their most popular song, Cockroach King, as well as other strong efforts like Atlas Stone, In Memoriam, Because It's There and Falling Back To Earth - the last of these is the typical meandering prog rock opus, running almost 12 minutes, and containing multiple musical styles within one track. This album contains all the signature elements of prog rock, including time signature changes, virtuoso keyboard lines and Ross Jennings' artful vocal delivery. Raymond Hearne's machine gun drumming is a notable element of their music (and he plays the tuba too!). Returning to Fauna, I was better able to appreciate it, particularly Island in the Clouds and Elephants Never Forget. The band makes the effort to build unpredictability into their song structures and listening to their music feels a bit like watching the Christopher Nolan movie Tenet - one can appreciate the brilliance and inventiveness, but it didn't always translate into an entertaining package. Online reviews indicate a steady musical progression from album to album, so I will make time to listen to Affinity (2016), Vector (2018) and Virus (2020); an initial pass of Virus reveals a vocal and musical style very much like Caligula's Horse.
Band: Honorary Astronaut from USA
Personnel: Casey Crescenzo (vocals, guitar, keyboards)
Album: EP. 001
 (2020)
Genre: Alt rock/Indie rock

This is a bit of a cheat, as it's not a new discovery; Honorary Astronaut is a side project of Casey Crescenzo, whose full-time band, The Dear Hunter, I became a big fan of after listening to their 2023 album Antimai. This 5-song EP released in 2020 is a one-off creative outlet for Crescenzo and has a couple of songs, E.K.E. and Final Dream Machine, that I really like. The album has a laid-back easy-listening rock sound, with Crescenzo's distinctive mellifluous vocal delivery style being the big draw.
Band: Soup from Trondheim, Norway
Personnel: Erlend Viken (vocals, keyboards, guitars, church organ, percussion, Fx), Ørjan J. Langnes (guitars, keyboards, soprano organ, saxophone, percussion, Fx, backing vocals), Jan Tore Megård (bass, backing vocals), Espen Berge (drums, percussion, bass organ, Fx, backing vocals)
Album: Children of E.L.B. (2010), The Beauty of Our Youth (2013), Remedies (2017)
Genre: Prog rock/Neo-prog

What I enjoy the most about Soup's music are Erlend Viken's feather-soft vocals and the grandeur of their compositions. The is best illustrated in the 11-minute long track The Boy and the Snow from their 2017 album Remedies - 4 minutes of gentle acoustic instrumentals lead to a lullaby-soft vocal section (reminiscent of Neil Young in his CSNY days); this is followed by a blast of organ music that switches to a long passage of stoner rock slowly building up to another organ-based crescendo, accompanied by a rousing choral harmony. I put this band in the same category as Elder (my beloved prog rock discovery of 2023), but with a more textured and varied musical palette. The 13-minute-long Sleepers is another magnificent composition from the same album, with one of the grooviest bass lines I've ever heard on a rock song. The achingly beautiful Nothing Like Home closes out the 42-minute album. If you'd like to sit in a darkened room and get lost in music that is equal parts soothing and breathtaking, then this is the album to do it with. The production values are absolutely outstanding, giving each of the instruments enough breathing room in each composition; what a joy to hear strings, horns and organs share the same musical space as guitars, keyboards and drums. Simply magnificent! I have just started listening to their 2013 release, The Beauty of Our Youth and their 2010 breakout album Children of E.L.B., both of which have already yielded some rewarding songs.
Band: Riverside from Warsaw, Poland
Personnel: Mariusz Duda (vocals, bass), Maciej Meller (guitar), Michał Łapaj (keyboards, Hammond organ), Piotr Kozieradzki (drums)
Album: ID.Entity (2023)
Genre: Prog rock

I first came across Polish singer/songwriter Mariusz Duda a couple of years ago when Spotify popped up a song by his band Lunatic Soul from their 2010 album Lunatic Soul II. I learned that the band was a side-project to his day job with the prog rock group Riverside. I didn't sustain interest in Lunatic Soul and neither did I bother to explore any Riverside songs. However, when Riverside's 2023 release ID.Entity started picking up buzz, I decided to check the album out, and was pleasantly surprised by the accessibility of the songs; I'm not sure if the album will stand the test of time, but certainly on the first pass, I found that the album had a wide selection of accessible rock tracks - Friend of Foe?, Post-Truth, The Place Where I Belong, I'm Done With You, Self-Aware, Age of Anger, Together Again. I intend to return to the album and find out if the songs retain their appeal after the initial flush of discovery.
Band: Klone from Poitiers, France
Personnel: Yann Ligner (vocals), Guillaume Bernard (guitars), Matthieu Metzger (saxophones, piano, keyboards), Jean-Etienne Maillard <--> Hugues Andriot (bass), Aldrick Guadagnino --> Michael Moreau (guitars), Florent Marcadet --> Morgan Berthet --> Laurent Thomas (drums)
Album: Le Grande Voyage (2019), Here Comes the Sun (2016)
Genre: Prog rock

Klone has been around for two decades, releasing eight albums, touring regularly and opening for well-known bands like Gojira and King's X. Still, I hadn't heard of them until a few days ago when I randomly picked their 2019 album Le Grande Voyage from my "Recommended for Today" list. The music is atmospheric and heavy, with soaring vocals from Yann Ligner, punctuated by Jean-Etienne Maillard's bass, best exemplified by the tracks Yonder and Breach. The songs are built on a heavy metal substrate, but then spring unexpected surprises like the textured, ethereal guitar play on Sealed, Matthieu Metzger's saxophone on Indelible, and lush orchestration on Hidden Passenger. On The Great Oblivion, the vocal harmonies and grinding guitars are reminiscent of Alice in Chains. A cursory play-through of their 2015 album The Dreamer's Hideaway revealed a much heavier sound reminiscent of 90's grunge, that I definitely found worth revisiting. Their 2016 album Here Comes the Sun features notable tracks like Immersion (more Alice in Chains influences), Fog (with a surprising mix of light and heavy instrumentation) and Grim Dance. It's clear there has been a progression in sophistication from album to album. Over the years, Ligner (vocals), Guillaume Bernard (guitars) and Metzger (keyboards) have remained the constants, with bass duties switching between Maillard and Hugues Andriot. Their most recent release from 2023, titled Meanwhile, feels a bit monotonous (particularly Ligner's vocals, which start to feel one-dimensional after a few songs) and so far, only the beautifully wistful Apnea has stood out for me. 
Band: Cocteau Twins from Grangemouth, Scotland
Personnel: Elizabeth Fraser (vocals), Robin Guthrie (guitar, bass, keyboards, drums) and Simon Raymonde (bass, keyboards)
Album: Milk & Kisses (1996), Four-Calendar Cafe (1993), Heaven or Las Vegas (1990)
Genre: Alt rock, Dream pop, Darkwave

The only outlier on this list are the Cocteau Twins, who are not prog rock/metal, not a "discovery" by any stretch of the imagination (they were among the pioneers of the "shoegaze" sound in the late 80's), and sadly, not active, having disbanded in 1997. I had vaguely heard of the band, but listened to them for the first time in Jan 2024 following the release of a remastered version of their 1996 album, Milk & Kisses. Having fallen in love with songs like Half-Gifts, Calfskin Smack, Tishbite and Rilkean Heart, I went on to listen to 1993's Four-Calendar Cafe and loved Bluebeard and Squeeze-Wax...and these are not even considered to be their best albums, I guess that may be Heaven or Las Vegas (1990). Elizabeth Fraser's vocals are pure magic and I can only imagine what it must have been like to have this ethereal pop-rock sound first hit the airwaves like a breath of fresh air more than thirty years ago. I can't believe I missed listening to this band during their heydays in the 1980's and 90's, but better late than never!

Certainly in the rock and metal genres, I feel there is very little in terms of virtuosity, variety or inventiveness separating the famous bands that fill stadiums around the world, and these other talented bands which have only a few thousand followers on Spotify or Bandcamp. It certainly feels like an injustice, especially given that these artists are unlikely to grow beyond their niche following and how little they earn through Spotify. I feel intimidated and exhilarated in equal parts thinking about how much more there is to discover for years to come.

A Criterion Channel journey, films #131-140


This is the 14th entry in my series of thumbnail reviews of films I’ve been watching on the Criterion Channel streaming service since September 2021. I watched this set of ten films in August 2022.

This latest set of films include Mira Nair’s hit from 1991 starring Denzel Washington, a comedy/spy-thriller from the 1960s starring Gregory Peck and Sophia Loren, a couple of classic American comedies starring the dazzling on-screen pairing of William Powell and Myrna Loy, a poignant film about the tragedy of war by Italian master Vittorio De Sica, a searing portrait of social decay by Argentinian director Lucrecia Martel, a biopic of American boxing champion Jim Corbett starring Errol Flynn, and three engrossing films by British humanist director Mike Leigh.

Mississippi Masala (1991): Indian-American filmmaker Mira Nair‘s sophomore feature is a romantic drama, starring Denzel Washington and Sarita Choudhury as a young interracial couple in love, who struggle to overcome prejudices from their respective communities. The cast is peppered with an impressive array of American, British and Indian actors including Roshan Seth, Sharmila Tagore and Charles S. Dutton. But it’s Sarita Choudhury, in her film debut, who steals the show as the sexy and fiercely strong-willed daughter of Indian immigrants, who like many second-generation youngsters, seeks to break away from the shackles of her community. The film was nominated for a Golden Lion at Venice, building on the Oscar nomination Ms. Nair received for her 1988 debut film, Salaam Bombay!; she would go on to win the Golden Lion for her 2001 drama, Monsoon Wedding.

Denzel Washington and Sarita Choudhury in Mira Nair’s Mississippi Masala (1991)

Arabesque (1966): Stanley Donen made his name directing some of Hollywood’s biggest musicals like On the Town, Singin’ in the Rain and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers in the 1950s, then graduated to big-budget romantic comedies like The Grass Is Greener and Charade. Following in the same Hitchcockian vein as Charade, this comedic spy-thriller featured two of the biggest box office draws of the era – Gregory Peck and Sophia Loren. Peck plays Prof. David Pollock, an unassuming professor of Egyptology at Oxford University, who is drawn into an international web of intrigue involving a message written in hieroglyphics that different parties want to get their hands on. Sophia Loren plays the glamorous femme fatale whose loyalties are initially unclear. There are plenty of twists and turns to the plot before it reaches a satisfying conclusion. The score by Henry Mancini was nominated for a Grammy, and is reminiscent of his Pink Panther theme from three years earlier.

After the Thin Man (1936): Myrna Loy and William Powell were among Hollywood’s most successful onscreen couples, appearing in 13 movies together. They were particularly well-known for the Thin Man series of films, one of the earliest movie franchises in Hollywood history. Dashiell Hammett’s novel about Nick and Nora Charles, a retired private detective and his whip-smart socialite wife, was first adapted to the screen in 1934 and audiences fell in love with Loy and Powell’s witty banter and natural comic timing. This sequel features more of the same blend of comedy and mystery…the plot is almost immaterial, as the entertainment value comes mainly from Loy and Powell’s on-screen chemistry. The film received an Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay and four more sequels followed over the next 11 years, although with diminishing box office returns.

I Love You Again (1940): W.S. van Dyke directed the first four Thin Man films and after the third, he reteamed with stars Myrna Loy and William Powell in yet another comedy of manners built around their celluloid charm. The plot revolves around Powell’s character, who experiences amnesia, causing him to switch between two diametrically different characters. Throw in a love triangle and a real-estate scam, and you have the recipe for a laugh-a-minute movie-watching experience.

Sunflower (1970): Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni star as ill-fated lovers separated by World War II (shades of The Cranes Are Flying) in this international co-production directed by Italian master Vittorio De Sica. Antonio, a soldier posted in Naples during World War II, falls in love with a local girl, Giovanna. In spite of his best efforts to avoid being sent to the frontlines, Antonio is dispatched to the Russian front, leaving Giovanna behind to wrestle with loneliness and anxiety. After the war ends, she is among the thousands of women waiting to learn the fate of their beloved. Is her husband dead or missing in action? Sophia Loren brings pathos to her role as the presumed war widow, seeking closure while clinging to the memory of those few days of joy in the distant past. A sombre and at times, heart-rending film, this is considered one of director De Sica’s lesser efforts when held up against his body of work. A few months after its release, De Sica released another war-themed film, The Garden of the Finzi-Continis, which went on to win the Oscar for Best Foreign Film.

La Cienaga / The Swamp (2001): Several years ago, I watched Argentinian director Lucrecia Martel‘s highly acclaimed 2008 film, The Headless Woman. I struggled to get through it and couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about. I am happy to say that I had a very different experience with Ms. Martel’s debut film La Cienaga. This tale of ennui and spiritual decay, depicts the comings and goings of a wealthy family vacationing at their country estate during a hot and humid summer. Like watching a car crash in slow motion, the slow-burning narrative strips away the family’s thin façade of respectability to reveal the baseness of their human needs and wants. The film was nominated for the Golden Bear at the Berlinale and won several awards in its native Argentina.

Gentleman Jim (1942): Prolific American director Raoul Walsh brings to the big screen this biopic of boxing champion “Gentleman Jim” James Corbett, with the title character played by the charismatic Errol Flynn. The film picks up the narrative during Corbett’s days as a bank teller when he was introduced to boxing during its emergence as an organized professional sport. As with all sporting biopics, the film follows Corbett’s battles both on and off the sporting stage, the latter being his attempts to win the heart of Victoria, a young upper class woman who is in equal parts, annoyed and attracted to the brash young man. The film was among the last of Flynn’s big hits, with his star starting to fade towards the late 1940s. Director Raoul Walsh made over 150 films, including classics like High Sierra (1941) with Humphrey Bogart, White Heat (1949) with James Cagney and Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951) with Gregory Peck.

High Hopes (1988): Mike Leigh was the featured director on Criterion in August 2022, and I ended up watching a bunch of his films at one stretch. High Hopes was his first film to receive wide theatrical distribution, and is a bittersweet comedy chronicling the ups and downs in the lives of a working-class couple living in central London. The film is an exploration of relationships – between partners, with siblings, an elderly parent, and with friends and neighbours. It is also a subtle commentary on the impact of Margaret Thatcher’s economic policies in the 80s. All of this is delivered in a matter-of-fact style, through everyday mundane events and the interactions of the soft-spoken, unassuming protagonists, played by Philip Davis and Ruth Sheen. The international film community sat up and took notice, with the film being nominated at festivals in London, New York and most importantly, at the Venice Film Festival.

Life is Sweet (1990): Mike Leigh’s first major commercial success was also the breakthrough film for many of its cast members, who would go on to sterling careers – Alison Steadman (the excitable Mrs. Bennett in the 1995 BBC hit Pride and Prejudice), Jim Broadbent (Oscar winner for Iris in 2001), Timothy Spall (Wormtail in six Harry Potter movies), Stephen Rhea (Oscar nominated for 1992’s The Crying Game) and David Thewlis (nominated at Cannes in 1993 for Naked). Andy (Jim Broadbent) and Wendy (Alison Steadman) are a working class couple living in North London with their twin twenty-something daughters; the film follows their lives over the course of a summer, covering events that are humorous, disturbing, heart-breaking and bittersweet. David Thewlis plays the lover of one of the twin daughters, and Timothy Spall is hilarious as a slightly unhinged family friend with delusions of grandeur.

Secrets & Lies (1996): Mike Leigh’s most commercially successful film features yet another memorable ensemble performance from some of Britain’s most talented actors. Brenda Blethyn is extraordinary as an emotionally fragile middle-aged woman who is contacted by the illegitimate daughter who she had given up for adoption at birth. Her instinctive reaction is denial, but eventually she accepts the reality and they start meeting in secret, getting to know each other. There are subplots involving the other members of her dysfunctional family – her kind-hearted son (Timothy Spall), snobbish daughter-in-law (Phyllis Logan, the housekeeper from Downton Abbey), her rude and discontented daughter (Claire Rushbrook). The bombshell final act brings the entire cast of characters together who react with disbelief, resentment and anger at the revelation. Actress Marianne Jean-Baptiste navigates a difficult role as the birth daughter who maintains her poise amidst all the family hysterics. The film won the Palm d’Or at Cannes, was nominated for five Oscars and 7 BAFTAs, deservedly winning the BAFTA for Best British Film and Best Screenplay. Mike Leigh works at the peak of his powers and handles a difficult topic with great sensitivity and empathy.

Here are the links to the previous thumbnails: #1-10, #11-20, #21-30, #31-40, #41-50, #51-60, #61-70, #71-80, #81-90, #91-100, #101-110, #111-120 and #121-130.

Rebel Moon: A fine line between homage and copycat


The first part of Zack Snyder’s space opera duology, Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire, hit Netflix in Dec 2023. What started off as a Star Wars spec script that Snyder pitched to Lucasfilm, eventually morphed into an “original” IP with ambitions of kicking off a multimedia franchise, including video games and graphic novels. Given its origins, it’s only to be expected that the script would have recognizable elements from the Star Wars universe, which in turn has inspired space operas for the past half century. But while watching the movie, it became clear that it’s not just Star Wars that Snyder has copied, or paid homage to. The entire film appears to be a pastiche of stereotypes, story beats, characters and imagery culled from a range of science fiction, fantasy and action films. Certainly, as a filmmaker, Zach Snyder has the right to bring to screen whatever he feels like, and if Netflix wants to spend $150 million financing it, that’s their prerogative too, but it really makes me wonder why such a gifted director and his screenwriters could not come up with one original idea in a two hour space opera with so much opportunity for world building. I’ve listed the more obvious “influences” below, and perhaps sharp-eyed movie buffs may have picked up other references.

Rebel Moon Storyline – Seven Samurai (1954): The overall storyline borrows heavily from Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, in which a village of farmers hire a group of ronin to protect them from bandits who will come to the village after harvest to take their crops. In Rebel Moon, a farming community on an isolated moon seeks to recruit warriors to protect them from soldiers who threaten to take away their crop. They send one of their farmers, Gunnar (played by Michiel Huisman) along with Kora (Sofia Boutella), a mysterious woman who joined the community the previous year.

Opening Exposition – all Star Wars films: No one would dare copy the on-screen scroll which has become a hallmark of the Star Wars franchise, and has become one of the most elegant devices to deliver exposition at the start of a movie. Instead, Rebel Moon delivers the audio equivalent via Anthony Hopkins’ instantly recognizable and clearly enunciated voice. He describes a galactic empire thrown into chaos due to regicide, an ambitious and ruthless senator who steps into the power vacuum, and rebellion emerging on the outer fringes of the Imperium…all familiar story beats for Star Wars fans.

Imperium Soldier’s uniforms – Nazi Wehrmacht: In Star Wars, the Empire’s ruthless troops were called Stormtroopers after the Nazi infantry soldiers of World War II, however their white armor and skull-like helmets were a wholly original design. In Rebel Moon, the troops of the Imperium are kitted out to look like Nazi stormtroopers, and Admiral Atticus Noble (played with fiendish delight by Ed Skrein) certainly looks the part of a Nazi Field Marshall, with his jackboots, trench coat, collar patches, metal gorget and rigid peaked cap.

Ed Skrein as Admiral Atticus Noble in Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire (2023)

Imperium Scribes – The Bene Gesserit from 2021’s Dune: The admiral and his troops are accompanied by tall, red-robed characters who look a bit like the black clad Bene Gesserit priestesses in Dune, with their shroud-like veils and high hats. The background notes for Rebel Moon state that the red-robes are Scribes, a religious order tasked with recording the achievements of the Imperium, who accompany armies and delegates to view events as they take place. Unlike the vocal and politically active Bene Gesserit, the Scribes appear to be passive observers, and in fact remain very much in the background in the film.

Jimmy, the mechanical knight – C3PO from the Star Wars films: For fans of C3PO, the humanoid robot famous for his dulcet tones voiced by British actor Anthony Daneils, Zack Snyder has created the character of Jimmy, a mechanical soldier, voiced by another British actor, Anthony Hopkins.

Kora’s combat experience – “No Man’s Land” battle scene from 2017’s Wonder Woman: As Kora recounts her upbringing as a soldier of the Imperium, the accompanying flashback features a combat sequence clearly inspired by the World War I scene in Wonder Woman (on which Zack Snyder was a producer). Although it lasts only a few seconds, the slow motion shots of soldiers charging across a desaturated battle-scarred landscape while tracer rounds streak past them, will be familiar to fans of the thrilling scene in which Diana charges across open land against a hail of German bullets.

Ecto-restraints used by bounty hunters – Boba Fett’s carbonite from 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back: Rebel Moon has bounty hunters called Hawkshaws, reminiscent of Mandalorian bounty hunters like Boba Fett in Star Wars. While Boba Fett famously used carbonite to incapacitate and transport Han Solo, the Hawkshaws have a visually similar, though far more sophisticated device called an eco-restraint. In this one aspect, I have to say that the Rebel Moon writers and production designers actually came up with something superior to the idea they copied.

Bar scene in the port city of Providence – Mos Eisley cantina scene from 1977’s Star Wars: In Star Wars, Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi journey from Luke’s farm to the spaceport town of Mos Eisley, where they go into a tavern looking for transportation off the planet. There they encounter various scum and get into a bar fight, a scene surely inspired by similar set-ups in various Westerns of the 40s and 50s. In what is virtually a lift of that story beat, Kora and Gunnar arrive at the Port City of Providence, looking for information and transportation…and of course, they get into a bar fight.

Kai, the mercenary – Han Solo from the original Star Wars trilogy: Charlie Hunnam seems to be channeling Harrison Ford in every scene he’s in as Kai, a roguish and handsome mercenary who Kora and Gunnar meet in Providence.

Bennu – The hippogriff from 2004’s Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: The third instalment in the Harry Potter film series features an entertaining sequence in which Harry uses respect and empathy to befriend a dangerous mythical creature called a hippogriff (inspired by the gryphon from Greek mythology). Rebel Moon features an almost identical looking creature called a bennu, and here too, the untamable beast is won over by an ex-nobleman named Tarak through empathy rather than by force.

Harmada, the spider-creature – The scorpion monster from 2001’s The Mummy Returns: Jenna Malone plays a human-spider hybrid named Harmada in Rebel Moon. She bears an uncanny resemblance to the CGI human-scorpion monster in The Mummy Returns, which was the resurrected embodiment of Mathayus, the Scorpion King (and was Dwayne Johnson’s first ever big-screen role).

All of the above happens by the half-way point of the film, and these scenes and characters were so derivative, that I found it challenging to focus on the storyline. Fortunately, the second half of the film charts its own path and is capped off with an entertaining action sequence in the third act. This gives me reason to hope that the second part, due in April 2024, will feature similarly well executed scenes, which even if not original, put a fresh spin on tired tropes. All credit must go to Sofia Boutella, who effectively portrays the intensity and pain of her character Kora. She also shows off some amazing moves in the action scenes.

A Criterion Channel journey, films #121-130


This is the thirtheenth entry in my series of thumbnail reviews of films I’ve been watching on the Criterion Channel streaming service since September 2021. I watched this set of ten films from the end of June till end July 2022.

This latest set of films include two classics from the British filmmaking duo Powell & Pressburger, a beautifully shot romantic drama from Hong Kong auteur Wong Kar-Wai, an indie crime drama directed by Paul Schrader, a classic Western pairing James Stewart and Marlene Dietrich, a Japanese family drama starring the incomparable Setsuko Hara, a WW2 spy thriller from legendary director Fritz Lang, a Japanese-set film noir from indie director Samuel Fuller, a fictionalized account of the great Chicago fire of 1871 and a dark psychological thriller starring Gene Tierney.

Light Sleeper (1992): Paul Schrader emerged in the 1970’s as the enfant terrible of American cinema, with his hard-edged, male-oriented scripts for leading directors like Sydney Pollack, Martin Scorsese and Brian de Palma. He hit the headlines during the 80’s for writing or directing controversial films like American Gigolo, Patty Hearst and The Last Temptation of Christ. From the 90’s, he entered a mellow phase, starting with this drama/thriller, Light Sleeper. Willem Dafoe plays John LeTour, a drug dealer working for a woman (Susan Sarandon) with a high class clientele. After years in the drug business, LeTour has become a jaded lost soul, living with insomnia (hence the film’s title) and experiencing a midlife crisis. A chance encounter with his ex-wife rekindles some of his old spark and a longing for a better life. But it’s not so easy to escape his circumstances, and LeTour becomes embroiled in a series of events beyond his control. Willem Dafoe infuses every scene with LeTour’s existential pain, and forms the emotional core of this sombre film. Schrader followed up Light Sleeper with a series of middling films for the next 25 years, and then made something of a comeback after 2017, directing three well-regarded films all featuring conflicted “lone wolf” men – First Reformed, The Card Counter and Master Gardener.

Ministry of Fear (1944): This spy thriller set in England during World War II comes with amazing credentials – directed by Fritz Lang, based on a novel by Graham Greene and starring Ray Milland. I found the storyline to be quite convoluted and somewhat far-fetched, making the entire viewing experience feel like something of a chore. I am not even going to attempt to summarize the film, except to say that it involves a palm reader at a fête, a medium at a séance, a blind man who is not blind, a “Macguffin” in the form of a cake, and exploding bombs. It wasn’t really my cup of tea. Apparently director Lang apologized to Graham Greene for the liberties that the film’s script took with his novel. On the other hand, the BFI has included this film in its list of Top 10 film adaptations of Graham Greene’s stories, so clearly it has some merits. A year later, actor Ray Milland would go on to win the Best Actor Oscar for his best known role, as the alcoholic writer in The Lost Weekend.

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943): This film was the first colour production from the celebrated British filmmaking duo of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, in the early years of their incredibly fertile creative period spanning the 1940’s. Featuring pioneering technicolor cinematography, it is considered one of the greatest British films ever made. It tells the engrossing story of a career military officer, his military achievements and his personal life. Soft spoken Roger Livesey plays the character of Clive Wynne-Candy, ageing on-screen over four decades, from his days as a Lieutenant in 1902 until his return from retirement during World War II. Wynne-Candy is an eccentric character, frequently at odds with his superiors and peers on account of his seemingly whimsical decisions, which in fact are driven by a sharp tactical mind and strong moral code. Deborah Kerr, at the tender age of 21, was cast as three different characters, each playing a significant role in Wynne-Candy’s life over the years. This film is a product of its time, capturing the essence of British military gentry during the first half of the 20th century; irrespective of one’s opinion of British foreign policy during this period, this film is a must-watch for cinephiles for its story of a life fully lived.

Black Narcissus (1947): Black Narcissus is an adaptation of a 1939 novel exploring the efforts of a convent in setting up a school in a remote Himalayan kingdom. Faced with a barrage of cultural barriers and distractions, the nuns become increasingly unstable and emotionally disturbed. One of them in particular, Sister Ruth (played by Kathleen Byron in an extraordinary performance), starts lashing out at her colleagues and becomes desperate to leave the nunnery, while Sister Clodagh (Deborah Kerr) tries to maintain order and decorum among the group. It was Kerr’s second film with Powell/Pressburger after The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, and soon after, she would cross over to Hollywood and superstardom. Indian-born actor Sabu plays a notable role as the local prince, a few years after he made a splash in the films The Thief of Bagdad and Jungle Book. Besides the incredible acting performances, the film features Oscar-winning colour cinematography by Jack Cardiff. The mountainous locales are breathtaking, and I was amazed to learn that none of it was shot on location, but done entirely through camera trickery involving matte paintings and scale models.

Destry Rides Again (1939): There have been three different films bearing this title, all supposedly adaptations of the 1930 Max Brand novel. This middle version only borrows the novel’s name but features a completely different story; however, the classic pairing of James Stewart and Marlene Dietrich makes this the one to watch. Stewart plays Tom Destry, a newly arrived deputy lawman in an unlawful town, whose pacifist approach makes him the object of ridicule. However, an iron hand lurks under the velvet glove and soon the chief baddie (played by Brian Donlevy) realizes he has to resort to strong arm tactics to get rid of Destry. Marlene Dietrich gets top billing in the film as the saloon singer/gangster’s moll with a heart of gold, although by this time her star was on the wane in Hollywood. Director George Marshall had directed three Laurel and Hardy films in the early 30’s and certainly knew how to create an entertaining blend of comedy and action.

In Old Chicago (1938): The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 provides the framework for this highly fictionalized account of the real-life O’Leary family, from whose barn the fire is alleged to have originated, as per some historical accounts. The first two-thirds of the film concerns itself with the rising fortunes of the O’Leary brothers, particularly the hustler Dion O’Leary (played by heartthrob Tyrone Power) and his rivalry with businessman Gil Warren (Brian Donlevy, in one of his standard villainous roles). The action-filled third act depicts the city-wide conflagration, with the burning homes, crowds and chaos acting as the backdrop for the showdown between O’Leary and Warren. Although the film purports to be based on real-life events, most of the names and incidents are fictitious, and this is essentially a formulaic Hollywood Golden Age film with music, romance and action. Director Henry King was a reliable filmmaker for 20th Century Fox studios, making a number of successful and well regarded films with Tyrone Power (Jesse James, The Black Swan) and later with Gregory Peck (Twelve O’Clock High, The Gunfighter).

Sound of the Mountain (1954): Setsuko Hara is well known for her roles as the good-natured and frequently self-sacrificing wife/daughter in a number of films by Japanese master Yazujiro Ozu (hence her nickname, the “Eternal Virgin”). She also appeared in similar roles in a couple of films for another iconic Japanese director, Mikio Naruse, who specialized in downbeat social dramas. Sound of the Mountain is adapted from a novel by Nobel Prize winner Yasunari Kawabata, and stars Ms. Hara as a woman living in an unhappy marriage with a philandering husband. The key difference in this drama, compared to her other on-screen roles, is that her character demonstrates resolve and agency, rather than conforming to social norms. Prolific character actor, Sō Yamamura plays a key role as her father-in-law, who loves her as a daughter and provides emotional support. The mid-1950’s proved to be director Naruse’s most successful period, as he followed up this film with his two most celebrated works – Late Chrysanthemums and Floating Clouds (both of which I have yet to watch!).

House of Bamboo (1955): Samuel Fuller‘s diverse film repertoire included Westerns, war dramas and noirs. House of Bamboo is a crime drama released midway during Fuller’s prolific run in the 1950’s, when he was directing a film every year, and in some cases working on multiple productions at the same time. During his career, Fuller made a few films set in Asia (Steel Helmet and Fixed Bayonets! in Korea, China Gate in Vietnam and Merrill’s Marauders in Burma), and this one, House of Bamboo, takes place in Japan. Of course, the protagonists in all these Asia-set films were white men (no other sort of movie could get made for US audiences at that time). The story revolves around a group of ex-US military servicemen who have set up a criminal gang in Tokyo, and the attempt by an undercover Army investigator to infiltrate them. Robert Ryan continues his streak of playing menacing baddies while Robert Stack is the undercover investigator. DeForest Kelley, better known as Dr. McCoy from Star Trek, has a role as one of the gang members. Other than the novelty of the overseas setting, this is a by the numbers 1950’s crime drama, although the end product is elevated by the performances of Ryan and Stack.

Leave Her to Heaven (1945): Gene Tierney is chilling in her portrayal of a beautiful socialite who marries a successful novelist after a whirlwind romance, and then reveals the dark side of her romantic obsession. I was reminded of similar characters played by Ida Lupino in They Drive By Night (1940), Jean Simmons in Angel Face (1952), Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction (1987) and Rosamund Pike in Gone Girl (2014). What made this film notable at the time of its release is that it is scripted as a film noir, but shot like a glossy Douglas Sirk melodrama, filmed in glorious Technicolor (for which cinematographer Leon Shamroy won an Oscar). Tierney’s character Ellen Berent, is breathtakingly beautiful in every shot, which only makes her scheming, manipulative behaviour all the more shocking. Her performance garnered a Best Actress Oscar nomination, one of the highlights of a successful career which included hits like Laura, Heaven Can Wait and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir.

In the Mood for Love (2000): This stunningly shot romantic tale of love and longing features Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung as star-crossed lovers in 1962 British Hong Kong. In their period costumes and hairdos, they rank among the best looking romantic pairs ever seen on screen, in the same league as Alain Delon/Monica Vitti in L’Eclisse, Penelope Cruz/Javier Bardem in Jamon Jamon and Jean-Louis Trintignant/Anouk Aimee in A Man and a Woman. The heart tugging and evocative performances by Cheung and Leung, plus the stylish and atmospheric look created by cinematographer Christopher Doyle’s stark lighting and dark shadows, are the highlights of this modern classic; every scene aches with desire and melancholy. Director Wong Kar-Wai had to feverishly sort through hours of footage to complete the film in time for its debut at Cannes; among the scenes left on the cutting room floor is this one of the pair dancing in a hotel room…probably discarded because it was too lighthearted, it nevertheless gives a sense of their natural chemistry. Sofia Coppola credited the film as a key inspiration for Lost in Translation and named Wong Kar-Wai when accepting her Oscar for best original screenplay.

Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung are the star-crossed lovers in Wong Kar-Wai’s In the Mood for Love (2000)

Here are the links to the previous thumbnails: #1-10, #11-20, #21-30, #31-40, #41-50, #51-60, #61-70, #71-80, #81-90, #91-100, #101-110 and #111-120.

Godzilla Minus One – redemption and family drama amid kaiju chaos


Takashi Yamazaki is that rare director who has successfully directed both family dramas and big budget action spectacle. His 2005 heart-warming, nostalgia-driven 1958-set neighbourhood drama, Always – Sunset on Third Street won the Japanese Academy Award for best film. In 2013, he repeated the feat with The Eternal Zero, a film that delves into the life and motivation of a kamikaze pilot during World War II. In between, he brought to the big screen the much anticipated adaptation of the classic anime show Space Battleship Yamato, featuring a star-studded cast including veteran heartthrob Kimura Takuya. Yamazaki now becomes the latest director to tackle one of the oldest film franchises in the world – Toho Studios’ Godzilla.

The latest iteration of the world-famous mutant monster in Toho Studios’ Godzilla Minus One, directed by Takashi Yamazaki

Godzilla cinematic history

The Godzilla “brand” co-exists today in two parallel media franchises – the Japanese language series produced by Toho, and the English language Hollywood series produced by Legendary Pictures under license from Toho, and released worldwide by Warner Bros. Following a disappointing 1998 version directed by Roland Emmerich, the current Hollywood franchise was launched in 2014 with Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla, and subsequently has been mashed up with the King Kong character into a lucrative franchise dubbed the MonsterVerse, which now also includes an animated series on Netflix and a well-received live action series on Apple TV+.

The Japanese Godzilla films from Toho have been releasing almost continuously since the monster’s debut in 1954. The various on-screen incarnations have been classified into four different “eras”, Showa (1954-75), Heisei (1984-95), Millennium (1999-2004) and Reiwa (2016-present). The Reiwa era kicked off with the highly acclaimed Shin Godzilla and was followed by three anime feature length films (released 2017-18), before this much-awaited return to live action directed by Yamazaki, with the title Godzilla Minus One making it a reboot of the 1954 origin story.

Ryunosuke Kamiki as Kōichi Shikishima, the main human protagonist of Godzilla Minus One

Plot summary

The film is set in the aftermath of World War II and therefore represents a return to a familiar period setting for the director. Its main human protagonist is a navy pilot, Kōichi Shikishima (played by Ryūnosuke Kamiki, who started his career as a child voice actor on Studio Ghibli films). In the closing days of the World War II, Kōichi returns to an island airfield, unable to complete his kamikaze mission due to mechanical problems. When the mechanics check the plane, it emerges that Kōichi faked the trouble as an excuse to avoid death. Soon after, the outpost comes under attack from a horrifying dinosaur-like creature; Kōichi has the opportunity to kill it with his airplane’s machine gun, but is frozen with fear, and his fatal hesitation results in widespread death and mayhem. Overcome with shame, Kōichi returns to a ruined Tokyo, only to find that his parents have been killed in a bombing attack. With no family and no honour, Kōichi is at the end of his rope, when a chance occurrence leads to him providing shelter to a young widow and an orphaned infant. Over time, the three traumatized survivors form a cohesive family unit; Kōichi is recruited as a minesweeper and finally puts his gunnery skills to good use destroying unexploded wartime mines. He is able to support the widow and the little child, and seems well on his way to recovering his self-esteem and living out a comfortable life.

At this point, the fully grown creature appears off the Japanese coast, perhaps mutated by American nuclear tests in the Pacific Ocean. With the American navy reluctant to enter into military action for fear of ratcheting up the Cold War with the Soviets, its left to the Japanese navy to protect the nation. Kōichi’s minesweeper boat is called into action to support the navy, and their encounter with the creature, as it attacks naval vessels and subsequently lays waste to Tokyo, forms the central part of the film’s second act. A nation battered by war is now on its knees following the kaiju attack, and in the final act, it is left to a ragtag group of individuals to come up with a plan to destroy the monster. Drawn from both military and civilian backgrounds, the team brings together a wide range of skills and capabilities – engineering, naval strategy and undiluted courage – to take the fight to the monster.

Key characters and performances

What distinguishes this Godzilla film from its predecessors is director Yamazaki’s focus on the human characters, leading the audience to be heavily invested in the final outcome. For a kaiju film, there is an unusually large number of human protagonists that we are rooting for.

Kōichi’s partner (played by popular actress Minami Hamabe) is more than just a filler character. She is resourceful, financially independent and shows compassion and empathy as Kōichi grapples with his inner demons. Sae Nagatani as the little girl Akiko, is an endearing child actor and has a couple of emotional moments that tug at the heartstrings.

Kōichi’s minesweeper crew comprises a mix of character tropes that one would expect to see in an ensemble film – a brilliant and cheerful engineer with a mop of wild salt and pepper hair, a no-nonsense ship captain whose brusque exterior hides a heart of gold, a sincere crewman whose courage saves the day at a critical moment and a reliable technician who works around the clock to deliver the equipment in the nick of time.

Another notable character is Kōichi’s neighbour, Sumiko, a brusque woman who initially harangues Kōichi for his cowardice but thereafter emerges as a critical pillar of support. Played by a de-glamorized Sakura Ando, she has a particularly endearing scene towards the end, delivering an important piece of news to Kōichi, and unable to manage her own emotions.

This brings me to the performance of Ryunosuke Kamiki as Kōichi Shikishima. An actor of diminutive stature, Kamiki brings a controlled and underplayed intensity to his role, successfully portraying a man who constantly lives with a sense of shame, unable to erase the memory of his past cowardice. At the end of the film, his outpouring of suppressed emotion when he redeems himself is indeed heartwarming.

The evolution of Godzilla from Toho to Hollywood and back

Long time Godzilla fans will be familiar with its various onscreen representations in Japanese and Hollywood productions.

The original Japanese films of course, had the kaiju played by a man in a rubber suit, with a tiny head, googly eyes, an upright stance and “thunder thighs”. That look has largely remained unchanged across the first three eras, with the creature played by a man in a suit even into the 21st century; minor tweaks include the eyes getting smaller and the dorsal plates becoming bigger.

In contrast, the much reviled 1998 Hollywood CGI version reimagined Godzilla as a slinky T-rex with an evil grin. The 2014 Hollywood revival consciously retained the original look, although more muscular and bigger, topping off at 354 feet; in the subsequent two MonsterVerse movies, Godzilla grows to even larger 394 feet. The Hollywood Godzillas certainly look like real beasts, rather than a man in a suit.

I believe this influenced the Toho designers when they kicked off the Reisei era in 2016. Firstly, Shin Godzilla took the unusual approach of manifesting the creature in various stages of its physical development, like the metamorphosis of a butterfly; in the early stages, it looks like a bug-eyed worm, making for one of the ugliest kaijus I have ever seen; the full-grown version is the largest ever Godzilla at 388 feet height, and is also the most grotesque iteration with a narrow upper torso contrasting with its outsized legs, and red lesions showing up through cracks in the skin.

In Godzilla Minus One, we initially see a younger version of Godzilla, only 50 feet tall and looking like a regular bipedal therapod; the grown-up Godzilla which attacks Tokyo a few years later is 164 feet tall (the same height as the 1954 original) and is back to the traditional Toho proportions. However, the significantly larger dorsal spikes and meaner facial features contribute to bringing this iteration closer in line with the look of the Hollywood MonsterVerse avatar.

Fans will enjoy scrolling through Gizmodo’s slide by slide run-through of the various versions.

Box office performance and future

Buoyed by near universal critical acclaim, Godzilla Minus One has been a box office hit in Japan since its release in early November, and also has become the highest grossing Japanese language live action film in North America. A total worldwide gross of $74 million (and counting) doesn’t appear too impressive until one realizes that the film was made in Japan for less than $15 million, making it highly profitable. With the film being shortlisted for Best Visual Effects at the upcoming Oscars, and also featuring in various year-end lists, it is likely to keep bringing in audiences for the next few months. A black & white version titled Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color will be released in Japan in early January as an homage to the 1954 original, and will likely draw in repeat viewers.

A Criterion Channel journey, films #111-120


This is the twelfth entry in my series of thumbnail reviews of films I’ve been watching on the Criterion Channel streaming service since September 2021. I watched this set of ten films from the end of May till mid June 2022.

This latest set of films includes a British drama from 1940 starring Laurence Olivier, a 1975 action film featuring blaxploitation queen Pam Grier, an American romantic drama scripted by Billy Wilder, provocative French director Louis Malle’s debut film, an American noir film starring Ida Lupino as an unhinged femme fatale, a British period drama with a narrative built around popular songs of the time, a beautifully shot biopic of American poet Emily Dickinson, and three WW2 films – an extraordinary thriller set in Northern Africa, a romantic comedy set in post-war Berlin, and a propaganda piece starring Humphrey Bogart.

21 Days (1940): I usually associate British thespian Laurence Olivier with heavy-duty dramatic roles. But during the same period that he was making a name for himself with big-budget Hollywood films like Wuthering Heights, Rebecca and Pride and Prejudice, he also starred in this modest British thriller. Given that the film’s script was co-written by famed novelist Graham Greene, featured an extra-marital affair and a murder, and starred Vivien Leigh and Olivier, this should have made for compelling viewing. Unfortunately, I found it rather tedious, but thankfully was saved by the short running time of 72 minutes. This was Basil Dean’s final film as a director, and thereafter with the onset of WW2, he was appointed as the director of the entertainment branch of the British armed forces.

Friday Foster (1975): A-list African-American actors Pam Grier and Yaphet Kotto headline this film about a photographer who gets caught up in a conspiracy to murder the leading figures in African-American politics. As a key entry in the blaxploitation film genre, it delivers exactly as advertised, with the usual diet of nudity (just a few seconds, but highly anticipated in the days before online porn) and action, intertwined with commentary on the race and gender issues of the day. Singer Eartha Kitt and actor-musician Scatman Crothers make appearances, and Carl Weathers can be seen in one of his earliest big-screen roles. Director Arthur Marks is recognized by film historians for his contributions to blaxploitation, with the last half dozen of his films made in this genre; Quentin Tarantino supported a 1998 theatrical re-release of his 1973 film, Detroit 9000.

Hold Back the Dawn (1941): Charles Boyer and Olivia de Havilland make for a captivating screen couple in this critically acclaimed romantic drama from prolific director Mitchell Leisen. Boyer plays a European man trying to cross over to the US from a Mexican border town, who pretends to fall in love with a naive American school teacher, so that he can marry her and obtain a US citizenship. Naturally, various developments come in the way of him carrying out his cunning plan, not unlike the Sandra Bullock-Ryan Reynolds immigration dramedy The Proposal. The onscreen charm of the two stars make this an engaging watch, in spite of the implausible plot. Billy Wilder co-wrote the script, and it was amongst his last credits as a screenwriter before he launched his celebrated career as a director. The film received six Oscar nominations, including for Best Picture, Best Screenplay and Best Actress.

Elevator to the Gallows / Ascenseur pour l’échafaud (1958): Louis Malle was just 24 years old when he made his feature debut with this noir-inspired crime thriller. His cinema verite approach, honed after three years of documentary filmmaking with naturalist Jacques Cousteau, foreshadowed the French New Wave which officially kicked off a few months later with the release of Claude Chabrol’s Le Beau Serge. Malle directed actress Jeanne Moreau without make-up, revealing her true beauty and bringing her international stardom after years on the fringes. Moreau and Maurice Ronet play lovers who plot to kill the woman’s husband; the title of the film refers to the role played by an elevator in the unraveling of their carefully laid out plans. The film is noted for its desolate jazz score by Miles Davis, which he improvised and recorded in the studio while the film footage was screened for him. I fell in love with the photography and the lighting (particularly the interior scenes later in the film), although I’ve never been enamoured by Moreau as a leading lady. Malle went on to a storied filmmaking career, equally adept across thrillers, romances, comedies and dramas.

They Drive By Night (1940): Prolific director Raoul Walsh directs this intense film noir headlined by 30’s and 40’s leading man, George Raft, with Humphrey Bogart playing a key supporting role, just before his big breakthrough with High Sierra and The Maltese Falcon. Set in the world of commercial trucks, the script shines a light on the exploitation of truck drivers and the unsafe conditions they were asked to work under. Raft and Bogart play trucker siblings; one wants to move up the food chain and get into big business, while the other wants to stick to his roots and remain self-employed. Their onscreen chemistry works well, highlighting their different personalities but also their unshakeable bond. But the real star of the movie is British actress Ida Lupino, who plays a psychotic femme fatale who will do anything to get what she wants, not unlike Jean Simmons’ character in Angel Face a decade later. The powerhouse cast and compelling, twisty plot makes for quite a ride. Raoul Walsh’s next film was the acclaimed film noir, High Sierra, which reunited him with Bogart and Lupino.

Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988): As I write this blog, I’ve just read the news that the film’s director Terence Davies has passed away at the age of 77. All obituaries refer to this semi-autobiographical film as one of the high points of his career. It is set in his native Liverpool and stars the incomparable Pete Postlethwaite as an abusive, controlling father ruling over a working-class family in the 1940’s and 50’s. Much of the film’s slice-of-life narrative is built around how families and communities spent time together, inevitably at pubs and frequently entertaining themselves by singing the most popular songs of the day; with so many of these set-pieces, the film could technically be classified as a musical. Unfortunately, as a viewer who is neither from that era nor that region, I could not appreciate this film nearly as much as a native Britisher. What does come through is how desperate the hopes and dreams of women and young people are in a patriarchal society, when the man of the house had the power to give and to take away.

A Quiet Passion (2016): I followed up right away with another Terence Davies masterpiece, an impeccably mounted period drama set during the mid-19th century, which follows the life of reclusive American poet Emily Dickinson. It stars Cynthia Nixon (best known as Miranda from Sex and the City) as the poet, and the luminous Jennifer Ehle as her younger sister. There is also a pleasing supporting turn from veteran Keith Carradine as their strict but supportive father. The film tracks Dickinson’s life from a relatively normal and carefree youth to an increasingly severe, bitter and reclusive middle age, wracked by various personal tragedies, both overt and hidden. Cynthia Nixon is the very embodiment of the character and sadly this performance was not sufficiently recognized during the awards season.

Cynthia Nixon (left) and Jennifer Ehle in Terrence Davies’ A Quiet Passion (2016)

Five Graves to Cairo (1943): I thoroughly enjoyed this entertaining WW2 film set in a small town in Northern Africa during the desert campaign of German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (a scene-chewing performance by Austrian director-turned-actor Erich von Stroheim). Franchot Tone is perfectly cast as Corporal Bramble, the sole survivor of a British tank crew, who seeks shelter in the hotel only to find it taken overrun by the Germans preparing for the next phase of their campaign. With only the hotel owner and a French chambermaid as his protectors, Bramble must use his wits and his luck to escape…and perhaps thwart the German onslaught in the process. Anne Baxter is thoroughly entertaining as the saucy and somewhat unreliable chambermaid, while Armenian actor Akim Tamiroff uses his distinctive natural accent to great effect as the Arab owner Farid. This was Billy Wilder’s second film as a director and a year later, he shot to fame with his next effort, the crime/noir thriller, Double Indemnity.

A Foreign Affair (1948): I moved on right away to one of Billy Wilder’s best known films, a cynical comedy-drama set in post WW2 Berlin. A highly principled Congresswoman (played by Jean Arthur) arrives in Berlin as part of a congressional committee to review how US troops are operating in peacetime Europe. She is shocked to hear rumours that a possible Nazi sympathizer is freely operating as a cabaret singer (played by Marlene Dietrich) under the protection of a US Army officer. She sets out to uncover the truth and gets caught up in a comedy of errors. The film was essentially a face-off between two screen legends at the tail end of their careers as leading ladies. Like all Billy Wilder products, the film has charismatic characters delivering snappy dialogue and memorable comedic set-pieces. This is definitely one to watch for all cinephiles.

Action in the North Atlantic (1943): This film was conceived as a tribute to the Merchant Marines, the civilian naval arm of the US government, which played a key role transporting war supplies during WW2. Imposing character actor Raymond Massey and Humphrey Bogart (fresh off the success of Casablanca) play the captain and first officer respectively of a Merchant Marine cargo ship. Tasked with carrying supplies to the Soviet port of Murmansk within the Arctic circle, the crew must rely on their courage, wits and experience to survive a cat-and-mouse pursuit by German U-boats. This by-the-numbers wartime propaganda film benefits from authentic war footage provided by the US government, and the screen presence of its stars.

Here are the links to the previous thumbnails: #1-10, #11-20, #21-30, #31-40, #41-50, #51-60, #61-70, #71-80, #81-90, #91-100 and #101-110.

A Criterion Channel journey, films #101-110


This is the eleventh entry in my series of thumbnail reviews of films I’ve been watching on the Criterion Channel streaming service since September 2021.

I watched these ten films between from the end of May to late June 2022, some of it while recovering from Covid!

This latest batch of films being reviewed include two Japanese comedy-satires from one of the masters of the genre, two films from the Czech New Wave of the 60’s, an all-time Russian classic from the 50’s, an all-time French classic from the 30’s, an early effort from one of Britain’s most celebrated directors, a UK spy film that predates but shares DNA with James Bond, an American comedy from the 30’s starring W.C. Fields, and a 70’s blaxploitation thriller featuring the top three male stars of the genre.

Tales of a Golden Geisha / A-Ge-Man (1990): This is a film from the middle period of Juzo Itami‘s career, after he made a splash in the mid-80’s with three highly acclaimed comedy-dramas, The Funeral, Tampopo and A Taxing Woman. All his films feature his wife Nobuko Miyamoto, and in this one she plays the lead role of a geisha named Nayoko, who brings good luck to her male companions (known as an “Ageman”, hence the title). Itami, in his usual style, skillfully uses humour to shine a light on the human foibles of corruption, greed and pride. Not as good as Itami’s first three films, but a fun viewing experience all the same.

Intimate Lighting / Intimní osvětlení (1965): Lovers of world cinema are familiar with the Czech New Wave film movement of the 1960’s, from which emerged world famous directors like Miloš Forman, Jiří Menzel and Ivan Passer. Passer started off as a writer, collaborating with Forman on several of his films before making his directorial debut with Intimate Lighting. It is a simple slice-of-life story about a cellist who is invited back to his home village to play in an upcoming local concert. The cellist arrives with his girlfriend and the rest of the film uses the interactions between the villagers and the two visitors to meditate on friendships, generational gaps and cultural differences. Watching the movie in the 21st century provides a a quietly humourous, heart-warming and at times, wistful look back at a simpler time. I also loved the B&W cinematography by Miroslav Ondříček who went on to become a regular collaborator with Miloš Forman. Passer eventually crossed over to international and Hollywood productions in the 70’s and late in his career directed the award-winning biopic Stalin for HBO (1992).

Zdeněk Bezušek and Věra Křesadlová as the cellist and his girlfriend in Ivan Passer’s Intimate LIghting (1965)

The Cranes are Flying / Letyat zhuravli (1957): I finally got to watch this landmark film, which won the Palm d’Or at Cannes in 1958. It’s production signposted a new era in Soviet filmmaking marked by greater artistic freedom, following the death of Stalin in 1953 and the more open policies adopted by his successor Nikita Khruschev. Put together the keywords “Soviet”, “pacifist” and “humanist” and it’s no spoiler to state up front that this film is steeped in tragedy; in fact such an outcome almost feels inevitable after the opening shot of the two carefree lovers Veronika and Boris skipping happily along the riverside. News soon follows that the Germans have invaded and the lovers are to be separated as Boris must go to the front. Things get progressively more grim for Veronika in the months and years that follow, and the story comes to its conclusion with the end of the war in 1945. Besides the intense acting performance from Tatiana Samoilova as Veronika, the lighting and the camera angles create a stunning viewing experience; cinematographer Sergey Urusevsky’s work has surely been the inspiration for an entire generation of filmmakers. Director Mikhail Kalatozov had been directing documentaries and features since the 1930’s, but this film remains his most celebrated work.

Tatiana Samoilova in Mikhail Kalatozov’s The Cranes are Flying (1957)

The Gentle Art of Japanese Extortion / Minbo (1992): Juzo Itami’s follow-up to Tales of a Golden Geisha has Nobuko Miyamoto cast as a lawyer who specializes in dealing with yakuza-related crime. Miyamoto’s character helps out a hotel which is losing its clientele after it becomes a favourite haunt of the local yakuza. As with all Itami films, there are craven villains and do-gooders with hearts of gold, all wrapped up in an entertaining mix of satire and physical comedy. As with Tales of a Golden Geisha, this film too is a lightweight by sufficiently entertaining entry in Itami’s oeuvre. It’s a well documented fact that Itami’s irreverent depiction of yakuza in this and other films earned their ire, and it’s considered highly likely that his death in 1997 after falling from a rooftop was actually murder rather than suicide.

The Human Beast / La Bete Humaine (1938): This is the middle entry in Jean Renoir’s trifecta of critically acclaimed masterpieces released in the late 30’s, sandwiched between Grand Illusion and Rules of the Game. Loosely adapted from Emile Zola’s 19th century psychological thriller, the film features Jean Gabin as Lantier, a train engine driver with a history of violent behaviour, triggered by alcohol and sexual desire. Obsessing over his train engine and immersing himself in his work has helped him control his urges. But everything begins to unravel when a beautiful young woman convinces him to help her conceal a crime. His subsequent emotional entanglement with this femme fatale unleashes his bestial side and leads to tragic consequences. La Bete Humaine can be considered a proto-noir, and with most of the narrative set on a train or near the railroad, there is plenty of symbolism for film aficionados to delve into. Although it is a much admired classic, I found it a disquieting and not particularly enjoyable viewing experience.

49th Parallel (1941): Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger together wrote, directed and produced a series of influential films in the 1940’s which are considered classics of British and world cinema. The first of their films to gain critical attention was this war film, their 3rd effort, which received Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Screenplay. Although rising star Laurence Olivier headlines the picture, the story in fact focuses on the six surviving members of a German U-boat crew who are marooned on the North American coast during the war, and their attempts to secretly travel across Canada and get a boat to Japan. As this was a war propaganda film funded by the British government, the purpose of the story was to show the infighting and lack of honour among the Germans, and also to highlight to the then-neutral US government the dangers posed to the US by German action in the North Atlantic against Canadian ships. I found the opening act engaging but then the pacing started to drag in the middle before ending strongly with an action-led finish.

Capricious Summer / Rozmarné léto (1968): Of the half dozen acclaimed Czech New Wave films from the 1960’s that I’ve watched, this one by Jiří Menzel is my least favourite. The film presents village life as experienced by three middle-aged friends, whose summer repose is enlivened by the arrival of a traveling magician and his beautiful assistant. Although it’s highly regarded, I think I just didn’t have the cultural context to appreciate it, and therefore found it to be slow and uninteresting. In comparison, Menzel’s My Sweet Little Village made nearly 20 years later, and providing much of the same human insight in a village setting, is a more accessible and enjoyable film.

Q Planes (1939): This lighthearted spy thriller stars Laurence Olivier and is the film he made in the UK just before hitting the big time in Hollywood with William Wyler’s Wuthering Heights. Olivier plays test pilot Tony McVane, who works for a company building experimental aircraft for the British government. But the aircraft and their crew start vanishing during test flights and neither the government’s best spymaster (played by Ralph Richardson) nor intrepid reporter Kay Hammond (played by Valerie Hobson) can unravel the mystery. McVane volunteers to be the bait and pilots the next experimental plane, hoping to discover the fate of the other missing aircraft. Sure enough, he uncovers foreign machinations, leading to an action-packed finale. With its mix of spies, international villains, advanced technology and dry British humour, one would think I was describing a James Bond film. Well, guess what! Twenty years later, one of the film’s writers, Jack Whittingham, was hired by Ian Fleming and production partner Kevin McClory to help write the script for the first James Bond film. That script ended up becoming the novel Thunderball, which although not the first Bond film, did provide the template for the film series.

Million Dollar Legs (1932): Watching a W.C. Fields comedy is a very particular experience. Irrespective of the film and the character he plays, Fields typically adopts the persona of a hard-drinking scoundrel with contempt for children and dogs, who nevertheless has a heart of gold and does the right thing. As with many comedies of that era, the story played second fiddle to the lead comic (e.g., Harry Lloyd, Charlie Chaplin, The Marx Bros.) and the comedic elements – either slapstick or outlandish dialogue. In Million Dollar Legs, Fields plays the President of the fictitious nation of Klopstokia, who decides to enter his country into the Olympics in order to win a cash prize to save his country from bankruptcy! As I said, the story doesn’t really matter. There’s a gag every few minutes and the one hour run time goes by pretty quickly.

Three The Hard Way (1974): Gordon Parks Sr. kicked off the blaxploitation wave with Shaft in 1971. Three years later, his son Gordon Parks Jr. brought together three iconic Black superstars – martial artist turned actor Jim Kelly, NFL player turned actor Fred Williamson and another NFL player turned actor, Jim Brown – in this film about a secret plan by a white supremacist organization to perpetrate a black genocide. As with all films in this genre, there is gratuitous nudity and plenty of action and violence (by the standards of the 70’s). The brisk 90 minute runtime keeps everything ticking along and it’s always fun when the bad guys get what’s coming at the end.

Here are the links to the previous thumbnails: #1-10, #11-20, #21-30, #31-40, #41-50, #51-60, #61-70, #71-80, #81-90 and #91-100.

Musical Epiphanies: The Thrill of Discovering New Artists and Sounds


Being confined to working from home since 2020 gave me a lot of time to explore films, books and music from directors, authors and artists I had previously no exposure to. As much as I love my old favourites, and I look forward to their latest work, there is a special joy in discovering a new filmmaker, author or artist whose work is different but just as enjoyable.

That certainly has been the case with music in the past few years during which I have published a series about new music from old favourites (2020 Parts 1 and 2, 2021 Parts 1 and 2 and 2022 Parts 1, 2 and 3). But now I really need to do justice to all the new sub-genres, albums and artists I’ve fallen in love with during the same period. There are fifteen bands in this post, covering the gamut of stoner rock, desert rock, psychedelic rock, prog rock, math rock/djent, drone metal, classic metal, pop-rock, synth-pop and big band jazz.

Band: 35007 from Eindhoven, Netherlands
Personnel: Bertus Fridael (guitar), Mark Sponselee (synthesizer), Michel Boekhoudt (bass) and Sander Evers (drums)
Album: Liquid (2002)
Genre: Stoner rock/space rock

The band's name "35007" spells the word "LOOSE" in beghilos, i.e., "calculator spelling", in which numbers entered into a calculator with a seven-segment display, can be read as English letters when the display is turned upside down.

The Dutch band is no longer active, but was known for its instrumental space rock/stoner rock albums in the early 2000's. I like the 2002 album, Liquid, particularly the tracks Evaporate and the trippy 13-minute-long Voyage Automatique. Think of them as a spacier version of American instrumental band Russian Circles, with distorted guitars and synthesizers, built on a foundation of drone metal drumming.
Band: Earth from Olympia, Washington, USA
Personnel: Dylan Carlson (guitars), Don McGreevy (bass), Steve Moore (piano, organ) and Adrienne Davies (drums)
Album: The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull (2008)
Genre: Drone metal

Earth is sometimes referred to as the slowest heavy metal band in the world. The band's sound is defined by founder Dylan Carlson's distorted guitars and Adrienne Davies' slow, deliberate drumbeats. Carlson's Black Sabbath influences are evident, particularly on their signature album from 2008, The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull. The title track is my favourite, but the entire album is so sonically cohesive that one can treat it like a single 53-minute composition and listen to without a break end-to-end.
Adrienne Davis and Dylan Carson from Earth
Band: Caligula's Horse from Brisbane, Australia
Personnel: Jim Grey (vocals), Sam Vallen (lead guitar), Zac Greensill -> Adrian Goleby -> n.a. (rhythm guitar), Dave Couper -> Dale Prinsse (bass) and Geoff Irish -> Josh Griffin (drums)
Albums: Rise Radiant (2020), In Contact (2017), Bloom (2015), The Tide, the Thief & River's End (2013)
Genre: Prog rock

I've written in detail recently about C-Horse's mind-blowing 2017 concept album, In Contact. The band are not a one-trick pony (er...horse) however, having shown promise way back in 2013 with their second album (also a concept album) The Tide, the Thief & River's End, and getting better with every release. The band seemed to veer off into a more pop-oriented sound with Bloom in 2015, before doubling down on their prog-rock origins with their next two albums, culminating in 2020's Rise Radiant. This last album features two outstanding, though contrasting tracks - the explosive and cinematic Valkyrie, and the thoughtful and evocative Autumn, with one of the most beautifully written and sung bridges I've heard: "Leading time to river's toil as the hollow takes shape || Leading myth to mother soil || Being made and unmade || Oh, and change has always been this way...". Jim Grey is among the finest rock singers in the business today, and it's really his falsettos that elevate this band's accessible, melodic output above that of many other prog rock bands with equally proficient musicianship. I can't wait for their next release.
Band: The Olympians from New York City, USA
Personnel: Aaron Johnson (trombone), Dave Guy (trumpet), Michael Leonhart (trumpet), Sugarman (saxophone, flute), Leon Michels (multiple instruments) Nicholas Movshon (bass, drums) Homer Steinweiss (drums), Evan Pazner (drums), Fernando Velez (percussion), Anja Wood (cello), Antoine Silverman (violin), Megan Conley (harp), Thomas Brenneck (guitar) and Toby Pazner (keyboards, vibraphone)
Album: The Olympians (2016)
Genre: Jazz/Soul instrumental

The Olympians comprise musicians from the Brooklyn-based indie funk/soul record label, Daptone Records. The band was created by keyboardist Toby Pazner who, while touring in Athens, apparently had a dream in which a toga-clad figure asked him to retell the great tales of Ancient Greece through music. He came back to New York City and pulled together his musician friends from the label to work on this project. I love this album and its groovy, cinematic, big band sound.
Band: Yawning Man from La Quinta, California, USA
Personnel: Gary Arce (guitar), Alfredo Hernandez -> Bill Stinson (drums), Mario Lalli (bass, vocals) and Mathias Schneeberger (keyboards)
Album: The Revolt Against Tired Noises (2018), Rock Formations (2005)
Genre: Desert rock

Yawning Man have been around since 1986, and along with Brant Bjork and his band Kyuss, were the founders of the Palm Desert Scene, a collection of bands whose "generator parties" gave birth to the desert rock/stoner rock sub-genre. Characterized by elements of psychedelia and art rock from the 60's as well as grunge and sludge metal, the music is deliberately slow-paced and hypnotic. The band's signature track is the 3-minute-long Catamaran, which kicks off with a catchy, jangly guitar riff, segues to a spaced-out verse that could have been sung by Jimi Hendrix, then abruptly switching to a grunge-heavy chorus. The band has been performing the song live for years, but it was only in 2018 that they finally recorded a studio version for The Revolt Against Tired Noises album. Other tracks on the album like Black Kite and Misfortune Cookies could well have influenced the psychedelic aspects of bands like Khruangbin. On the other hand, the instrumental title track on their 2005 album, Rock Formations, sounds like an homage to Dick Dale's 60's surf sound. There's a lot to unpack from the music of these living legends, who  continue to record new material, with a studio album, Long Walk of the Navajo, due out in June.
Band: Arc de Soleil from Sweden
Personnel: Daniel Kadawatha
Album: Bocosaurus EP (2021), Train of Liberation EP (2021), Libertalia EP (2020), The Thief in Marrakesh Got Caught in Amsterdam Trying to Escape EP (2019)
Genre: R&B/Soul/Rock instrumental

Arc de Soleil is one of the many musical projects by Sri Lankan-born Swedish musician Daniel Kadawatha, who released a number of EPs under this stage name between 2019 and 2021. The music sounds a lot like an instrumental version of Khruangbin (with the exception of the Casino Funk EP from July 2022 which has, well, a funky sound). I love the "Khruangbin clone" eastern rhythms and I am happy to put Arc de Soleil on shuffle and listen to anything from these EPs, especially the three tracks from the EP, The Thief in Marrakesh Got Caught in Amsterdam Trying to Escape.
Band: Thank You Scientist from Montclair, New Jersey, USA
Personnel (on Terraformer): Tom Monda (guitar, shamisen, sitar, synthesizer), Salvatore Marrano (vocals), Cody McCorry (bass), Sam Greenfield (saxophone, clarinet), Joe Gullace (trumpet, flugelhorn) and Faye Fadem (drums)
Album: Terraformer (2019)
Genre: Prog rock, jazz-rock

The first thing that struck me on listening to this band's acclaimed 2019 album was that vocalist Salvatore Marrano sounds uncannily like Rush's Geddy Lee or Coheed and Cambria frontman Claudio Sanchez. In fact, the best description for the band would be "Coheed and Cambria with a horn section" although that doesn't do justice to their genre-defying inventiveness and sly sense of humour. It's not surprising that the band were signed on by Sanchez to his Evil Ink Records in 2012 and have toured with Coheed and Cambria. The band have released three albums, although I've only listened to their most recent release, the double-album Terraformer, which is an hour and a half of unpredictable fun. The album has a mix of straight-up modern jazz tracks like Wrinkle and Chromology, pop ballads like New Moon, and epic prog rock tracks of 8-10 minute length like FXMLDR (pronounced "Fox Mulder"), Everyday Ghosts, Life of Vermin, the cinematic Anchor and the awesome title track Terraformer. Chromology features an extended violin solo that reminded me of L. Shankar's work with Shakti.
Thank You Scientist
Band: Trip the Witch from multiple locations in the US
Personnel: Dean DeLeo (guitar), Tom Bukovac (guitar, keyboards) plus Steve Mackey (bass), Sean Claire (violin), Dave Eggar (cello), Matt Rollings (keyboards) and Ian Fitchuk/Jason Sutter/Chris McHugh/Shannon Forrest (all drums)
Album: Trip the Witch (2021)
Genre: Neo-psychedelic rock

Trip the Witch is a predominantly instrumental band that was formed during Covid; the musicians recorded their respective music without ever meeting in person. Dean DeLeo is well known to rock fans as the guitarist of Stone Temple Pilots and Tom Bukovac is a highly regarded sessions guitarist. The album is filled with delightful, easy-listening tracks like Wall of Sound and Surfside Lounge. The only track with vocals is the album-opener, Saturn We Miss You, featuring none other than the legendary Yes vocalist Jon Anderson, whose vocal cords are in fine fettle at the age of 78. 
Band: The Dear Hunter from Providence, Rhode Island, USA
Personnel: Casey Crescenzo, (lead vocals, guitar, organ), Nick Crescenzo (backing vocals, drums & percussion), Maxwell Tousseau (backing vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion), Robert Parr (backing vocals, guitar, keyboards) and Nick Sollecito (bass)
Album: Antimai (2022), Act V: Hymns with the Devil in Confessional (2016), Act III: Life and Death (2009) 
Genre: Prog rock

I've still not recovered from my month-old love affair with The Dear Hunter's 2022 album, Antimai. I've also listened to three of the band's earlier releases which form part of the Act series of concept albums, recorded over a 10-year-period from 2006-16. I haven't enjoyed the harder, rock-opera sound of the Act albums as wholeheartedly as Antimai, nevertheless the third and fifth albums have some fantastic songs. In Cauda Venenum from Act III, which switches between raucous screaming vocals and soothing a capella could well have been something recorded by The Mars Volta for their 2005 album, Frances the Mute. Act V, released in 2016, is more mainstream characterized by songs like Cascade, Gloria and The Fire. This musical direction eventually brought the band to the richly orchestrated and exuberant Antimai in 2022. I look forward to the sequel album, titled Sunya, rumoured to be released some time this year.
Band: Sumerlands from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Personnel: Arthur Rizk (guitar), Brendan Radigan (vocals), John Powers (guitar), Brad Raub (bass) and Justin DeTore (drums)
Album: Dreamkiller (2022)
Genre: Heavy metal

In the midst of the dozens of evolving rock and metal sub-genres, Sumerlands presents a refreshing throwback to the classic metal of the early 80s, reminiscent of bands like Dio, Dokken and later iterations of Black Sabbath and Rainbow, with chugging uncomplicated riffs and clean high-pitched vocals. At just over half an hour, even the length of their two albums, Dreamkiller (2022) and Sumerlands (2016) harks back to the limitations of the pre-digital era. I've mainly listened to Dreamkiller, and enjoyed the album opener Twilight Points the Way, but by the time I got to the third or fourth song, the sameness of the music had me zoning out. The second last track, The Savior's Lie, grabbed my attention, sounding a lot like a solo Ozzy Osbourne song from the 80's. The band is the brainchild of rock producer Arthur Rizk. 
Band: Polyphia from Plano, Texas, USA
Personnel: Tim Henson (guitar), Scott LePage (guitar), Clay Gober (bass) and Clay Aeschliman (drums)
Album: Remember That You Will Die (2022)
Genre: Prog Rock/Math Rock

Tim Henson and Scott LePage are frequently included in lists of the most talented rock guitarists in the world today, along with the likes of Plini, Tosin Abasi (Animals as Leaders), Misha Mansoor (Periphery) and Yvette Young (Covet). All these virtuosos have a highly technical guitar playing style that is now classified under the sub-genres of math rock and djent. Henson and LePage have been creating guitar magic with their band Polyphia since 2014 and have released four albums so far, steadily building up a fan following. Their most recent album, Remember That You Will Die, features guitar god Steve Vai on the mind-blowing Ego Death. Unlike other math rock and djent bands, Polyphia have introduced elements of EDM, funk and hip-hop into their music, making it quite difficult to categorize them. With a heavier emphasis on syncopation vs. melody, this is music to admire and be awed by, rather than to hum to. Henson cuts a striking figure with his neck tattoos and androgynous look and is fairly active on his Instagram handle.
Scott LePage and Tim Henson from Polyphia
Band: Covet from San Jose, California, USA
Personnel: Yvette Young (guitar), Jon Button (bass) and Forrest Rics -> Jessica Burdeaux (drums)
Album: catharsis (2023), technicolor (2020), effloresce (2018)
Genre: Math rock/Prog rock

As mentioned in the Polyphia section, Yvette Young is one of the rising stars in the rock guitar firmament. Learning piano at the age of four led to her developing her own unique finger-tapping technique for the guitar. Young came into the public eye in 2009 when she started posting YouTube videos of herself playing guitar, which led to a solo tour of Japan and eventually the creation of her own band, Covet, a trio with a bassist and drummer. Unlike Young's predominantly acoustic solo work, Covet is firmly ensconced in the prog rock/math rock genre, as evidenced by their albums, technicolor (2020) and effloresce (2018). With a new bassist and drummer on their latest album catharsis, they have pivoted to a brighter, chirpier sound, best represented by the delightful track firebird. 
Band: Elder from Massachusetts, USA
Personnel: Nick DiSalvo (vocals, guitar), Jack Donovan (bass), Mike Risberg (guitar, keyboards) and Georg Edert (drums)
Album: Innate Passage (2022), Omens (2020), The Gold and Silver Sessions EP (2019)
Genre: Prog rock/Stoner rock

Elder is one of my most recent discoveries. Their 2022 album, Innate Passage, has featured in a number of Best Prog Rock of 2022 lists. Their long meandering songs, relaxed pacing and slightly distorted guitars remind me of Wishbone Ash tracks like Persephone from their self-titled 1974 album. All the tracks in Innate Passage are at least 8 minutes long with Merged In Dreams - Ne Plus Ultra topping off at nearly 15 minutes. Guitarist Nick DiSalvo is also the lead singer, and it's obvious from his limited range that he is not a specialist vocalist; this is part of the appeal the band has for me, as the sound harks back to the rough-around-the-edges rock bands and unpolished studio production of the late 60s. Although their current sound sits firmly in the stoner rock sub-genre, their 2008 self-titled debut album leaned much harder into doom metal, before drifting towards stoner/psychedelia with their follow-up Dead Roots Stirring in 2011. I've really enjoyed my first passes through their 2019 EP The Gold and Silver Sessions and the 2020 album Omens, so there's clearly a lot to explore in this band's back catalogue.
Band: Djo from Massachusetts, USA
Personnel: Joe Keery
Album: Decide (2022)
Genre: Synth-pop

Fans of the Netflix hit Stranger Things will be familiar with actor Joe Keery, who plays the character Steve Harrington. Keery also releases music under the name Djo, and his second album, Decide is an absolute delight, tickling all my musical taste buds which were left bereft by the retirement of Daft Punk. This album was on high rotation on my Spotify playlist soon after it was released in September 2022, and is still my go-to for sophisticated synth-pop, with winning tracks like Runner, Half Life and Climax.
Band: Phoenix from Versailles, France
Personnel: Thomas Mars (vocals, drums, percussion), Laurent Brancowitz (lead guitar, keyboards), Christian Mazzalai (rhythm guitar) and Deck d'Arcy (bass, keyboards), 
Albums: Alpha Zulu (2022), United (2000)
Genre: Pop-rock/synth-pop

A couple of years ago, I chanced upon an energetic pop song titled Too Young by a French pop-rock band Phoenix from their 2000 album United. Another track Honeymoon also caught my fancy, but somehow I forgot all about them and didn't explore their subsequent albums. Fast forward to a few months ago, and critics were abuzz about their latest studio release, Alpha Zulu. The 35-minute long album is a real tour-de-force, filled with a number of synth-pop confections. The opening title track grabs your attention right away with the infectious and mischievous chorus: "Woo ha, singing hallelujah || Pray to your God, cover your lies || God or guru, hey hey hey". The second track, Tonight follows in the same energetic vein. The next song, The Only One is perhaps my favourite from the album, with strong  musical references to Daft Punk, as is also the case with the keyboard riff from another song, Artefact. After Midnight and Season 2 are the other notable songs on the album. Incidentally, band frontman Thomas Mars is married to celebrated director Sofia Coppola.

Nothing beats the joy of serendipitous discovery; I love that moment while listening to new music, when something clicks inside and there is a realization that the song is a “keeper”. Then comes the fun of diving deeper into the band’s music and the dawning recognition that it’s all just as good, if not better. Next comes the research into the band’s composition, history, back catalogue and critic/user reviews. Spotify and the internet at large have created a treasure trove for music lovers and an avenue for talented musicians to find their audience across the world.

Favourite rock/metal concept albums (Part 13) – In Contact by Caligula’s Horse


About a year ago, I chanced upon a song named Firelight by an Australian prog rock band called Caligula’s Horse. The lead singer’s stylized syllable emphasis, intonations and falsetto vocals made for a unique and delightful sound, with the sweeping guitar solos and distinct bass line all adding up to an appealing package. I quickly scoured through the full album, Bloom, and found another song called Daughter of the Mountain which I also liked. For some reason, I moved on to other music and forgot all about the group.

Last week, while browsing lists of best prog rock albums from the past decade, the band’s name popped up again. So this time I listened to four of the five albums in their discography, and came away a full-on fan. I started with their breakout 2013 concept album, The Tide, the Thief & River’s End, then moved on to listen properly to the aforementioned Bloom (from 2015) which featured a lighter, pop-oriented approach that had clearly appealed to me with those two songs from last year. Next came another concept album, In Contact (2017), and finally their 2020 release, Rise Radiant. Each album had a strong suit of songs, all showcasing Jim Grey’s amazing vocal range, lyrical depth, and remarkable technical proficiency. While parts of their early music reminded me of American rock band Incubus, they have evolved their own style since Bloom.

Eventually, the album that I kept coming back to was In Contact, for the nuance of the concept behind the album and the breadth of song-writing quality across all tracks.

Caligula’s Horse in 2017, from left to right: Josh Griffin (drums), Adrian Goleby (guitar), Jim Grey (vocals), Sam Vallen (lead guitar), Dave Couper (bass)

Artist: Caligula’s Horse (referred to as C-Horse by fans), comprising Jim Grey (lead vocals), Sam Vallen (lead guitar and all other instruments), Adrian Goleby (guitar), Dave Couper (bass) and Josh Griffin (drums). Guest saxophone solo on Graves by Jørgen Munkeby.

Album: In Contact (2017)

Narrative type: Metaphysical musings

Album theme/concept: An exploration of human creativity; the motivations, hopes, triumphs and tragedies of artists.

Best songs: Will’s Song (Let the Colours Run), The Hands Are the Hardest, Love Conquers All, Songs for No One, Graves, Atlas – revisited (bonus track).

What makes it special: Jim Grey’s soaring, frequently plaintive, falsetto-fueled vocals differentiate the C-Horse sound from that most contemporary rock and metal bands. The lyrics (written by Grey) have real depth and the music written by lead guitarist Vallen is technically complex, featuring a tightly interlocked rhythm section, comprising Adrian Goleby’s machine-gun guitar riffs, Josh Griffin’s precision drumming and Dave Couper’s varied bass playing styles.

The 10 tracks on the album are clustered under four chapters, To The Wind, The Caretaker, Ink and Graves, each of which describe a different artist.

The four songs in the first chapter, To The Wind, follow the fate of an alcoholic painter in decline, who must fight his addiction to save himself, or succumb to the demands of fans and indulge his weakness to produce one more great piece. The album’s second track, Will’s Song, is a standout, exploring the painter’s self-imposed pressure to excel in his craft; fast-paced drumming and a staccato guitar riff bookend the verses, but the real standout is the vocal-guitar-drum combination that accompanies the post-chorus line: “Let the colours run!“; what a pity it only appears twice on the song. The next track, The Hands Are the Hardest, is a mellow, melodic tune that begins with a distinctive riff and features vocals that recall ’80s American singer Christopher Cross. The song perfectly captures the theme of the chapter, depicting how the painter’s alcoholism is gradually robbing him of his artistic abilities. The chapter closes off with a short epilogue, the softly sung, Love Conquers All, as the artist thinks back to his life and his decisions: “If only I had the time, If only these hands were mine”…Jim Grey’s heartfelt delivery of these plaintive words gets me every time.

The second chapter, The Caretaker, about a musician who wants his songs be used for good, contains two songs. The first is an anthemic track that is sure to be popular in live performances, Songs for No One, with Grey’s falsetto reaching new highs in the chorus. The second track, Capulet, is good, but relatively speaking, not one of my favourites from the album.

The third chapter is Ink, and contains three songs which tell the story of a cynical poet named Ink (modeled on the fictitious gonzo journalist, Spider Jerusalem, from the Transmetropolitan comics) who works with his brother to improve the corrupt cyberpunk city they live in. Many reviewers have commented on the 3-minute spoken word track Inertia and the Weapon of the Wall, a piece of poetry written by Jim Grey. It takes some courage for a rock band to do this, as they are sure to be labeled as pretentious by some critics. I am not a fan of poetry, so I typically skip this track whenever I listen to the album, but admittedly, it’s an interesting recording, with the passionately delivered monologue spiced up with whispers and sound effects to accentuate key phrases. The third song in the chapter, The Cannon’s Mouth, is perhaps the heaviest track in the album, signposted by a hulking, oh-too-short, goosebump-inducing riff after the first chorus and another one after verse 5 at the end of the song.

And that brings us to the final chapter, Graves, which contains one song, a 15-minute-long opus of the same name, that I just can’t get enough of. The song is about a sculptor who is plagued by anxiety and the delusion that there is a rival stealing his work. It is constructed of four distinct parts, subtitled Faint Heart, A Few Peaceful Years, The Boy and The Broken Wheel and Hands Shape Stone. The opening riff of Faint Heart is truly cinematic and sets the tone for the rest of the section, with the urgency of the three verses conveying the sculptor’s anxiety, followed by a beautiful musical interlude that reminds me of some of Robert Fripp’s best solo work. This brings us to A Few Peaceful Years and the poignantly sung, deeply emotional chorus:

"We are the fire that whispers our mother's words
Help me, love (Help me to finish it)
We are the soil that joy gave form, you, oh
We are the dream and these are my father's hands
Help me, love (Help me to finish it)
We are the soil that joy gave form, ooh
Help me finish it"

The third section, The Boy and The Broken Wheel, switches down the pace further with an a capella bridge, leading to three beautifully written verses, before ending with the “We are the fire…” chorus from the previous section. The final section features a short saxophone solo by Swedish musician, Jørgen Munkeby. By this time, at the 12-minute-mark, I’m so emotionally exhausted that I use the climax crescendo to recover and slowly tune out, as the opening riff comes back to close out this amazing track. Graves was originally written to be released as an EP, and apparently was an arduous effort, taking two months to write and record, and leaving Sam Vallen creatively spent and dealing with writer’s block afterwards. It’s well worth the effort and no doubt will become one of the defining tracks of the band’s career.

The album ends with a bonus track, a re-recording of Atlas, a song from their 2013 album, The Tide, the Thief & River’s End. Having heard this new version first, I prefer its fuller production values to the original version. The lovely, wistful chorus feels like it could carry you away on the wind:

"The ocean at my window
Here, here I find myself again
All broken bones and eyes that wear their age
Like going home is etched on every page"

Given this was the first album for Adrian Goleby and Josh Griffin (they replaced Zac Greensill on guitar and Geoff Irish on drums respectively from Bloom), the cohesion between the musicians is extraordinary, as if they have been playing together all their lives. It’s been three years since their last album Rise Radiant came out (also, extremely enjoyable), and I wait with bated breath for their next release.

Here are the other bands/albums featured in this series:-

A Criterion Channel journey, films #91-100


This is the tenth entry in my series of thumbnail reviews of films I’ve been watching on the Criterion Channel streaming service since September 2021. I watched these ten films in April 2022, which means I a a year behind in writing about them! Whereas the majority of films I’ve watched on Criterion have been from the mid-twentieth century, there were coincidentally a number of contemporary films in this set.

The films include a French-Belgian comedy-drama, a Japanese anthology about love, a Danish drama that won the Oscar for best foreign film, a Mexican film that delves into the little-known lives of hotel maids, the 1978 adaptation of a famous Agatha Christie novel, the sequel to one of the best-known blaxploitation films of all time, an early directorial effort by celebrated Italian screenwriter Pier Paolo Pasolini, a classic American romantic drama from the pre-Code era, a Palm d’Or winner from Romania, and the screen adaptation of a classic Jack London novel.

My Worst Nightmare / Mon pire cauchemar (2011): If you are looking for a lightweight film featuring heavyweight actors, this movie is worth your time. 16-time Cesar nominee, Isabelle Huppert, pairs off with Belgian multi-hyphenate, Benoît Poelvoorde, in this pleasing but formulaic comedy-drama. It seems to me that Huppert typically choses to portray characters who are stern, cold or uptight, and that’s certainly the case here, as she plays a perfectionist art dealer Agathe, who lives with her son and her partner in a wealthy Parisian district. Into their lives arrives Patrick (played by Poelvoorde) a fun-loving, skirt-chasing, building contractor whose irreverence and free-thinking approach upends Agathe’s orderly lifestyle. Director/co-scriptwriter Anne Fontaine introduces some twists and turns to keep this typical “clash of the classes” romance from becoming too predictable. Fontaine previously worked with Poelvoorde in the 2005 drama In His Hands and more recently, was widely celebrated for the 2016 film, The Innocents.

Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy / Gūzen to Sōzō (2021): Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi hit the headlines in 2021 for his slow-burning and thoughtful Oscar-nominated drama, Drive My Car. It was actually his second feature release that year, with the first being this engrossing three-part anthology spotlighting three different female characters experiencing intensely emotional interactions with other people. In Episode 1, Kotone Furukawa plays a model who discovers that her best friend is in love with her ex-boyfriend. In Episode 2, Katsuki Mori plays a woman who agrees to participate in a deception to help out a friend, but her actions have unintended consequences. In Episode 3, Fusako Urabe plays a woman who is at a train station and has a chance encounter with an old school classmate; their reminiscing leads to the unexpected dredging of long-buried, unresolved feelings. Hamaguchi does not take sides in his storytelling, his lens is an objective watcher of people, using a filmmaking style hewing closely to Dogme 95, the now discarded Danish filmmaking movement which eschewed the use of props, background score or artificial lighting in films. It allows us to focus entirely on the conversations and emotions of the characters; well worth the effort of a patient viewer.

In a Better World / Hævnen (2010): Celebrated Danish director Susanne Bier won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film for this fascinating story that straddles two worlds connected by its pacifist protagonist’s response to violence. Anton (played by Mikael Persbrandt) splits his time between a Sudanese refugee camp and his native Sweden. He witnesses unimaginable horrors inflicted by Sudanese warlords on innocent civilians, but is compelled by his principles to offer his services to both victims and perpetrators. His furloughs home are not stress-free either, as his young sons find it difficult to reconcile their father’s pacifism to their first-hand experience of bullying. From this helpless situation, Susanne Bier and her frequent writing collaborator Anders Thomas Jensen, bring Anton’s narrative threads together to a satisfying resolution. Jensen incidentally directed the entertaining 2020 revenge drama Riders of Justice starring Mads Mikkelsen. In the past decade, Bier has expanded her footprint into some impressive English-language thrillers including the post-apocalyptic Bird Box and two mini-series, The Night Manager and The Undoing.

The Chambermaid / La camarista (2018): Much as the maid Cleo occupied the moral and narrative center of Alfonso Cuarón’s award-winning Mexican drama Roma in 2018, another film from the same country in the same year took the audience on an insightful journey into the life of a hotel housekeeper. Lila Avilés graduated from small acting roles to directing short films to this extraordinary feature directing debut. The film could easily be a companion-piece to HBO’s The White Lotus anthology series, as it lays bare the lives of the privileged as seen through the eyes of the hotel support staff. Gabriela Cartol portrays housekeeper Eve, toiling to cater to the exacting whims of the hotel management and its wealthy customers, while striving to make incremental improvements in her own life during her off-duty hours, many of which are spent in the bowels of the hotel; one can’t help but think of the Eloi and the Morlocks in H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine. With absolutely no melodrama, Cartol’s stoicism quietly tugs at your heartstrings; well worth the watch.

Death on the Nile (1978): I am an unabashed fan of actor-director Kenneth Branagh‘s two sumptuously produced Agatha Christie adaptations – 2017’s Murder on the Orient Express and 2022’s Death on the Nile. Having watched the latter upon its release on Netflix in early 2022, I was curious to know how the 1978 version compared. As with all Agatha Christie adaptions past and present, this film too boasts an all-star cast, with Peter Ustinov playing Poirot, supported by Mia Farrow, David Niven, Bette Davis, Maggie Smith, Angela Lansbury and cultural icon Jane Birkin. The only characterization that I found annoying was Indian actor I.S. Johar’s portrayal as the obsequious Mr. Chaudhury. Of course, with source material of this calibre, the film is wholly serviceable, but I must admit that the eye-popping production design of Mr. Branagh’s modern adaptation (along with the equally noteworthy cast) has an advantage, and its his version which pops up in my visual memory when the name comes up. The 1978 version was directed by John Guillermin, one of the go-to directors for big-budget adventure films of that era, having helmed The Towering Inferno and the King Kong remake in the preceding four years.

Shaft’s Big Score (1972): Confident in the success of Shaft, their seminal 1971 blaxploitation film, MGM had already contracted writer Ernest Tidyman, director Gordon Parks and star Richard Roundtree to return a year later with another adventure featuring the tough-talking, hard-loving private detective, John Shaft. The result is Shaft’s Big Score, which like all sequels has more of everything, but naturally loses the spontaneity of the original. However, the film delivers on the strength of Roundtree’s charisma, the action set pieces (cars, boats, helicopters), the big brassy 70s score and of course the obligatory nudity; in fact, the character was marketed as a brash American version of James Bond. In between the two Shaft films, writer Tidyman had won an Oscar for best adapted screenplay for The French Connection, with which the Shaft sequel shares a few action beats. One year later, John Guillermin directed the next entry, Shaft in Africa, after which the character moved to the small screen with a TV series and TV movies.

Mamma Roma (1962): Pier Paolo Pasolini was a giant of Italian 20th century art and politics, with a body of work that spanned novels, poetry, essays, theatre and film. He co-wrote the screenplay for the Fellini classics, Nights of Cabiria and La Dolce Vita, and other well-regarded dramas such as Il bell’Antonio and Girl in the Window, before launching his own directorial career in the early 60’s. I had read so much about Pasolini and enjoyed watching the aforementioned films which he had written, so I was looking forward to watching something directed by him. I had also heard a lot about the film’s star, Anna Magnani, known for portraying boisterous, earthy characters. That’s certainly the case in Mamma Roma, in which she plays a prostitute who leaves her profession so that she can bring up her teenage son in a more wholesome environment. As with most Italian neorealist films, one shouldn’t expect a happy ending. Honestly, I was a bit underwhelmed by the film with the unsympathetic characters (particularly her son) and the depressing subject matter putting me off, which was surprising, given I’ve felt intense empathy while watching many other neorealist tragedies.

Morocco (1930): Marlene Dietrich shot to fame with The Blue Angel directed by Josef von Sternberg in 1930. The film’s success in Germany brought her to the attention of Paramount studios, who put her under contract, and quickly paired her opposite Gary Cooper in Morocco, with the same director. Morocco thus became the first Marlene Dietrich English language film released in the US in 1930, and created the famous on-screen Dietrich persona of an exotic and daring femme fatale (the English language version of The Blue Angel was released in the US the following year). Dietrich was cast as a night club singer in both these films, giving her the opportunity to show off her singing and performing talents. In particular, the night club sequence in which Dietrich performs wearing a man’s formal evening attire and kisses a female member of the audience was considered scandalous for its time (this was before the Hays Code of self-censorship was adopted by Hollywood in 1934). The film is set during the late 1920’s in Morocco and focuses on a unit of the French Foreign Legion, coming into town after a military campaign. Gary Cooper plays a hard-living, womanizing soldier in the unit, and needless to say, sparks fly when he meets Dietrich’s character at a local night club. Their relationship is complicated by romantic entanglements that each of them has with other partners on the side. Various twists and turns ensue putting their relationship in jeopardy before the inevitable melodramatic ending.

Gary Cooper and Marlene Dietrich in Joseph von Sternberg’s Morocco (1930)

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days / 4 luni, 3 săptămâni și 2 zile (2007): I have had this film on my watchlist for years, ever since it won the Palm d’Or at Cannes. The film is set in an unnamed Romanian town in 1987 during the period of communist rule; at this time, the country had an abortion law, Decree 770, that made it very difficult to get a legal abortion. Naturally, a black market emerged for illegal procedures, resulting in medical complications and thousands of fatalities over the years. These are the circumstances under which a young woman Găbița (played by Laura Vasiliu) finds herself pregnant, and enlists the help of a close friend Otilia (played by Anamaria Marinca) to find a doctor willing to perform the abortion. The two women then enter a downward spiral involving bad luck and bad people. I struggle to find the right words to describe their harrowing experience, and the uncaring social underbelly that exploits their need. This hard-hitting drama is more relevant today than ever before, and a must-watch for any cinephile or student of the human condition. Director Cristian Mungiu‘s career will probably be defined by this film, although he has continued to win awards for his subsequent efforts like Beyond the Hills (2012), Graduation (2016) and R.M.N. (2022).

The Sea Wolf (1941): Jack London’s classic 1904 adventure story got its fifth screen adaptation, this time helmed by Michael Curtiz for Warner Bros. studio. Powerhouse actor, Edward G. Robinson, is aptly cast as sadistic boat captain Wolf Larsen, a learned man with the heart of a beast, who makes life hell for his crew. Larsen’s boat picks up a man and a woman from a sinking ship, and the captain incorporates them into his on-going psychological games, driving his crew further to the edge of mutiny. British actress Ida Lupino and character actor Alexander Knox play the two hapless rescuees, Ruth Webster and Humphrey Van Weyden, while John Garfield switches on his standard on-screen brooding persona as George Leach, one of the mutineers. The film adaptation deviates from the original novel to dial up the adventure angle, and creates a romantic relationship between Ruth and George, whereas none exists in the novel. I can’t say that I “enjoyed” the film, as there was a bit too much melodrama and negativity for my liking. Director Curtiz had previously delivered several Errol Flynn hits such as Captain Blood, The Charge of the Light Brigade and The Adventures of Robin Hood and his next film Casablanca, would make him a Hollywood legend for all time.

Here are the links to the previous thumbnails: #1-10, #11-20, #21-30, #31-40, #41-50, #51-60, #61-70, #71-80 and #81-90.