Monthly Archives: May 2022

I had to look up this Dutch translation after taking in the tense, suspenseful World War II drama “Riphagen,” retitled “Riphagen: The Untouchable” for its Netflix release. “Nagelbijter” is the only Dutch word for it — “nail biter.” It’s a … Continue reading →

Glib, aged mercenaries face off with an Army patrol trapped with them in an Afghan tunnel in “The Prey: Legend of Karnoctus,” a C-movie that wants to embrace the campy cheese, but never gets closer than arm’s length. Starring cigar-chomping … Continue reading →

A dystopian, political, topical and fantastical musical from Africa, “Neptune Frost” is as unusual a film as you’ll see this year. This Rwandan musical is cryptic and meandering, and easier to decipher than it is to follow. But like an … Continue reading →

The old joke that “Assault rifles are for gangsters, and rednecks too lazy to learn to shoot” comes to mind when sitting through the mayhem of “White Elephant,” a cop-hunted-by-hitmen thriller starring a lot of old-in-the-tooth action stars. This unfortunately-timed … Continue reading →

An iconic tune’s tortured journey to fame, a songwriter’s ticket to immortality.

As dying-man’s-last-road trip dramas go, “Hole in the Wall (Gat in Die Muur)” has more “hole” than “wall.” Dull, uninvolving and downright off-putting in the story it tells and the way that it tells it, “Wall” doesn’t make sense until … Continue reading →

Here’s all you need to know about this ever-so-slight teen romance from Mexico, “Anonymously Yours.” It’s all about how two kids meet by mistake via texts, and decide to keep their “relationship” secret — “No personal information, no pictures, no … Continue reading →

Forget the cop-out of an anti-climax that the makers of “The Policeman’s Lineage” insisted upon, and you’ve got a decent thriller built around the struggle for a young Korean cop’s soul. Director Lee Kyu-maan and screenwriter Bae Young-Ik set up … Continue reading →

“Beast” is an awkward blend of camp, over-the-top action picture and even campier over-produced production numbers featuring gorgeous stars of the Indian cinema and a sea of sexily-choreographed Indian extras. Two and a half hours of slaughter, song and dance? … Continue reading →