LTorchin's Page

As usual, notes that could use some editing:

Obviously, I approached this film with no small amount of trepidation. Holocaust revisionism is queasy-making ground for any film, even those that through their use of David Bowie in the soundtrack might seem to eschew any attempt at historical realism. At the same time, this film raises enough issues and topics for discussion that I contemplate putting it on my syllabus the next time I teach ‘Representing the Holocaust’. This is a war film, to be su… Continue

In which I discuss the film Brüno (Larry Charles, US, 2009). Jokes will be referenced.

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Admittedly, I entered the cinema with low expectations. Brüno had never been one of my favourite characters and the film's alternative title: Bruno: Delicious Journeys Through America for the Purpose of Making Heterosexual Males Visibly Uncomfortable in the Presence of a Gay Foreigner in a Mesh T-Shirt suggested this might b… Continue

Just the other day, I finally watched our department’s latest acquisition, The Other Europe (Poul-Erik Heilbuth, Denmark, 2006). The documentary addresses the issue of immigration in Europe, focusing on the undocumented workers. While a fairly bog-standard documentary in style, it is nevertheless compelling for its argument: that undocumented workers are a fundamental and inextricable part of the European… Continue

Spoiler Alert: In thinking about border crossings in this film, I give an overall synopsis.

Given Transsiberian's play with borders and questions of relative criminality, one could see this as an interesting companion piece to Pineapple Express (David Gordon Green, 2008). Of course, given that I watched this film almost immediately after viewing Pineapple Expre… Continue

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (Mark Herman, 2008)

If The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas didn’t look to be so much of a phenomenon in either print or film form, I might not be so bothered. But according to the local cinema manager, the demand for the film outweighs the number of available prints—a signal of moderate success. More troubling is that the novel, written by John Boyne is used in schools. It appears educators are also prepping the film f… Continue