The Sun (Alexander Sokurov, 2005). Measured by the other Sokurov WWII dictator movie I’ve seen, this one is much less opaque (and much more devastating) than Moloch, his Hitler picture. A pretty remarkable film, in fact: Hirohito’s last days as a god, rendered as a series of small scenes in nice rooms where horror has its roots. The lead performance by Issey Ogata is quite a feat, executed with near-constant attention to a busy mouth twitch. (full review 1/8)
Strongman (Zachary Levy, 2009). The fact that this documentary about a man who would dearly love to make his living doing feats of strength (yes, he seems to be about 100 years late for such a job position) is both compelling and creepy-crawly. You don’t have to squint too hard to recognize it as not so much about a single muscleman as about a common mindset loose in America. (full review 1/8)
Extraordinary Measures (Tom Vaughan, 2010). A variation on the almost completely forgotten George Miller film Lorenzo’s Oil, and also based on fact. Harrison Ford looks awfully relaxed about not having to carry the show. (full review 1/22)
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