David Stanners

Latest Film Reviews

• 
  With A Girl Of Black Soil (2007)

  Review preview for With A Girl Of Black Soil

  Drawing pathos from an audience for what is an inescapable plight for the family, there is little to do but feel for the young girl whose precociousness and indomitable spirit keep things watchable

  South Korean family drama about an economically impoverished family and their difficulties with one another.
• 
  Lagerfeld Confidential (2007)

  Review preview for Lagerfeld Confidential

  There’s really not a great deal to this documentary - it is flimsy in build. But then so is fashion.

  A peek behind the mysterious shades of Chanel’s iconic front man.
• 
  A Promise To The Dead: The Exile Journey Of Ariel Dorfman (2007)

  Review preview for A Promise To The Dead: The Exile Journey Of Ariel Dorfman

  There’s a lot of meandering in this documentary but this does not detract from the overall impact.

  An exploration of the exiled life of writer Ariel Dorfman.
• 
  The Baker (2007)

  Review preview for The Baker

  Its thin, sketchy plot relies heavily on little moments of comedy irony to pull it up by the bootstraps.

  Comedy thriller where a hit man, takes refuge from his boss by finding work as a baker in a quiet Welsh village.
• 
  Blind Mountain (2007)

  Review preview for Blind Mountain

  Once again Li Yang, has directed a fascinating portrayal of the contradictions inherent in the world’s fastest growing economy.

  Looking for work in rural northern China, a female student is kidnapped by a businessman posing as her employer, and sold into a family as the son’s bride to be.
• 
  A Massacre Foretold (2007)

  Review preview for A Massacre Foretold

  Higgins has done a good job in telling an untold story of political deception of which there are probably hundreds, but far less trendy than Iraq or the middle-east.

  Documentary about the massacre of a group of indigenous Mexicans by government backed paramilitaries.
• 
  Kurt Cobain - About A Son (2006)

  Review preview for Kurt Cobain - About A Son

  Cobain’s story is perfectly juxtaposed with some spectacular photography. 

  A look at the life and music of Kurt Cobain, narrated by the man himself.
• 
  Stranger Than Fiction (2006)

  Review preview for Stranger Than Fiction

  Has enough quirkiness and originality in both concept and script to provide a springboard for some terrific performances.

  A fictional character fights for his life in the real world.
• 
  The Dawn Chorus (2006)

  A boy and girl return to where their parents’ plane crashed 7 years earlier.
• 
  KZ (2006)

  Review preview for KZ

  KZ is well balanced, and thought provoking, if at times a bit dry.

  Exploration of the dark ironies surrounding Austria's Mauthausen concentration camp.