Since Yesterday: the Untold Story of Scottish Girl Bands (Blair Young & Carla J. Easton)
An enjoyable film about Scottish all-women/girl bands, of which there were not too many.
Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger (David Hinton)
Directed by David Hinton but it feels Martin Scorsese is the auteur here. Not only does he narrate this film about the British film-makers, he also talks about his own relationship to their films (and to Michael Powell personally) as well as their influence on his own film-making.
Devo (Chris Smith)
Useful documentary about the Akron band that never mentions their Subgenius links while nevertheless making them abundantly clear to anyone "in the know".
Sidonie au Japon (Élise Girard)
A rare non-depressing film starring Isabelle Huppert, in which she plays an author on a promotional tour of Japan who finds herself being haunted by her recently deceased husband except it's more about her coming to terms with her grief than a ghost story as such. Surprisingly funny.
City of Wind (Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir)
A teenage boy in Ullan Bator has to grapple with normal adolescent stuff while also being a shaman who helps people engage with the spirit world. The film leaves somewhat open whether all this shaman stuff is charlatanry, with the protagonist giving the impression he is none-too-sure either.
I Saw the TV Glow (Jane Schoenbrun)
Two misfits bond over love of a YA fantasy TV series that they start taking way too seriously. Schoenbrun's films are often seen as trans-allegories, and I get it, there is some gender-identity stuff going on here, but this felt more like it was about neurodivergence and obsessive fandom generally.
Crossing (Levan Akin)
A woman travels with a gormless young lad from Georgia (polyphonic singing, not banjos) to Istanbul in search of her trans niece who has moved there and disappeared.
Dune 2 (Denis Villeneuve)
They love that spice.
Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat (Johann Grimonprez)
As previously discussed, this is that documentary about jazz in the cultural Cold War and the shameful overthrow and murder of Patrice Lumumba, the Congo's first prime minister.
About Dry Grasses (Nuri Bilge Ceylan)
Another long Ceylan film about people in the Anatolian sticks, in this case about a not-particularly likeable teacher who finds himself accused of inappropriate behaviour by a female student. Film should have people from the Turkish Tourist Board signing you up for holidays as you leave the cinema.
Perfect Days (Wim Wenders)
He cleans toilets, he listens to cassettes, he gets on with life, he is reminded of past unpleasantness. Previously reviewed.
The Zone of Interest (Jonathan Glazer)
The bad thing is already happening. You can't see it but you hear it in the distance.
The Zone of Interest image source (An Táin Arts Centre)
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