A film about the Dutch Nazi propaganda filmmakers of WWII (especially their ringleader Jan Teunissen) as well as the historians studying them, this doc pulls together decades of jaw-dropping audio interviews, stunning and illuminating historical footage, and top-notch Dutch-deadpan reaction shots from the historians themselves. (I love how, at the beginning, in a moment that will be especially helpful for international viewers, one of the historians immediately pulls off his headphones to make a crack about how absolutely obnoxiously affected…

The candy-colored production design gorgeously complements the tongue-in-cheek tone that is more likely to induce stomach-churning nausea than outright laughter (though it elicits some chilling chuckles indeed).

Surprisingly nuanced and layered for a farce that seems this silly on the surface. In other words: an unsettling, well-done satire of humanity's bleakest hypocrisies. The abuses we pass down through the hierarchies of power, a series of slaps that starts at the top, leaving every link in the chain dissatisfied, fearful, angry.…

Good to see German Expressionism alive and well in this British talkie from 1960. (Not just the choice to film in B&W and the sets and lighting, but the acting / directing as well – especially in the 17th-century opening.) I shouldn't overthink any of the plot elements or timeline of the characters and this town, but 10 out of 10 for atmosphere.

This is very much my kind of thing, so I was into it. Interesting to see how…

Rewatching some of these earlier Spielberg films, what stands out to me – aside from his overall visual prowess of course – is the small character moments he creates that make his stories feel so groundedly human.

It's a shame his filmmaking style has shifted away from the stubborn realism that drove the cast and crew of this film so crazy. Unfortunately, I don't find plotting and pacing to be Spielberg's greatest strengths, then or now. (I know he didn't…