Film Reviews · Backpex

Title	Overview		Toggle columns Title Overview
Harlan: In the Shadow of Jew Süss	Though almost forgotten today, Veit Harlan was one of Nazi Germany's most notorious filmmakers. His most perfidious film was the treacherous anti-Semitic propaganda film Jud Süß - required viewing for all SS members. An unrepentant and blindly obsessive craftsman, no figure - save for Leni Riefenstahl - is as closely associated with the cinema of the Holocaust years. (Harlan's epic Kolberg was the basis for Inglourious Basterds's pivotal film-within-a-film Stolz Der Nation.) This documentary is an eye-opening examination of World War II film history as well as the story of a German family from the Third Reich to the present; one that is marked by reckoning, denial and liberation.
Unlocked	After failing to apprehend the terrorist behind a Paris attack that claimed dozens of lives, CIA agent Alice Racine is forced to live in London as a caseworker. Her mentor unexpectedly calls her back into action when the CIA discovers that another attack is imminent. Alice soon learns that the classified information she's uncovered has been compromised. Running for her life, she turns to a former soldier to help her prevent a lethal biological attack on the citizens of London.
A Brooklyn State of Mind	Al Stanco has lived all of his life in Brooklyn and does some work for the local crime lord, Danny Parente. New to the neighbourhood is Gabriela, a filmmaker shooting a documentary on the real Brooklyn. Al and Gabriela become friendly but the relationship is strained when he discovers her true goal is to expose Parente's criminal activities. When Al sees the evidence Gabriela has uncovered, which implicates Parente in the death of many locals (including Al's own father), he seeks revenge in a dangerous confrontation with his boss.
Street Without End	Mikio Naruse’s final silent film is a gloriously rich portrait of a waitress, Sugiko, whose life, despite a host of male admirers and even some intrigued movie talent scouts, ends up taking a suffocatingly domestic turn after a wealthy businessman accidentally hits her with his car
The Sicilian	Egocentric bandit Salvatore Guiliano fights the Church, the Mafia, and the landed gentry while leading a populist movement for Sicilian independence.
Country	Gilbert Ivy and his wife Jewell are farmers. They seem to be working against the odds, producing no financial surplus. Gilbert has lost hope of ever becoming prosperous, but his wife decides to fight for her family.
Me, a Groupie	A beautiful blonde hooks up with a rock star, and after a night of sex and drugs, he leaves. She, though, has fallen madly in love with him, and sets out with her girlfriend across Europe to track him down. On the way, however, she gets mixed up with everyone from a gang of nasty bikers to a ring of devil worshipers.
Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?	Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me) tours the Middle East to discuss the war on terror with Arabic people.
The Avenging Conscience: or 'Thou Shalt Not Kill'	Thwarted by his despotic uncle from continuing his love affair, a young man turns to thoughts of murder. Experiencing a series of visions, he sees murder as a normal course of events in life and kills his uncle. Tortured by his conscience, his future sanity is uncertain as he is assailed by nightmarish visions of what he has done.
Forks Over Knives	Examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting our present menu of animal-based and processed foods.
Too Late the Hero	A WWII film set on a Pacific island. Japanese and allied forces occupy different parts of the island. When a group of British soldiers are sent on a mission behind enemy lines, things don't go exactly to plan. This film differs in that some of the 'heroes' are very reluctant, but they come good when they are pursued by the Japanese who are determined to prevent them returning to base.
The Inside of the White Slave Traffic	A dramatization of the methods in which young women are abducted or otherwise procured for prostitution.
Where Do We Go from Here?	Bill wants to join the Army, but he's 4F so he asks a wizard to help him, but the wizard has slight problems with his history knowlege, so he sends Bill everywhere in history, but not to WWII.
Sky Line	The concept of an elevator to space is not new. In the world of Arthur C. Clarke, it is a natural progression. What most people don't know is that men and women around the world are working hard to build it right this moment. Some want to solve the energy crisis, some want easier access to raw materials in the solar system, and some just want to travel to space and gaze upon their home planet. For all of them though, the elevator is more than just a science fiction plot, it is a way of life. Discover what happens when egos and passions collide in a quest to build the impossible.
Missing	Based on the real-life experiences of Ed Horman. A conservative American businessman travels to a South American country to investigate the sudden disappearance of his son after a right-wing military takeover. Accompanied by his son's wife he uncovers a trail of cover-ups that implicate the US State department which supports the right-wing dictatorship.

Harlan: In the Shadow of Jew Süss

Though almost forgotten today, Veit Harlan was one of Nazi Germany's most notorious filmmakers. His most perfidious film was the treacherous anti-Semitic propaganda film Jud Süß - required viewing for all SS members. An unrepentant and blindly obsessive craftsman, no figure - save for Leni Riefenstahl - is as closely associated with the cinema of the Holocaust years. (Harlan's epic Kolberg was the basis for Inglourious Basterds's pivotal film-within-a-film Stolz Der Nation.) This documentary is an eye-opening examination of World War II film history as well as the story of a German family from the Third Reich to the present; one that is marked by reckoning, denial and liberation.

Unlocked

After failing to apprehend the terrorist behind a Paris attack that claimed dozens of lives, CIA agent Alice Racine is forced to live in London as a caseworker. Her mentor unexpectedly calls her back into action when the CIA discovers that another attack is imminent. Alice soon learns that the classified information she's uncovered has been compromised. Running for her life, she turns to a former soldier to help her prevent a lethal biological attack on the citizens of London.

A Brooklyn State of Mind

Al Stanco has lived all of his life in Brooklyn and does some work for the local crime lord, Danny Parente. New to the neighbourhood is Gabriela, a filmmaker shooting a documentary on the real Brooklyn. Al and Gabriela become friendly but the relationship is strained when he discovers her true goal is to expose Parente's criminal activities. When Al sees the evidence Gabriela has uncovered, which implicates Parente in the death of many locals (including Al's own father), he seeks revenge in a dangerous confrontation with his boss.

Street Without End

Mikio Naruse’s final silent film is a gloriously rich portrait of a waitress, Sugiko, whose life, despite a host of male admirers and even some intrigued movie talent scouts, ends up taking a suffocatingly domestic turn after a wealthy businessman accidentally hits her with his car

The Sicilian

Egocentric bandit Salvatore Guiliano fights the Church, the Mafia, and the landed gentry while leading a populist movement for Sicilian independence.

Country

Gilbert Ivy and his wife Jewell are farmers. They seem to be working against the odds, producing no financial surplus. Gilbert has lost hope of ever becoming prosperous, but his wife decides to fight for her family.

Me, a Groupie

A beautiful blonde hooks up with a rock star, and after a night of sex and drugs, he leaves. She, though, has fallen madly in love with him, and sets out with her girlfriend across Europe to track him down. On the way, however, she gets mixed up with everyone from a gang of nasty bikers to a ring of devil worshipers.

Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?

Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me) tours the Middle East to discuss the war on terror with Arabic people.

The Avenging Conscience: or 'Thou Shalt Not Kill'

Thwarted by his despotic uncle from continuing his love affair, a young man turns to thoughts of murder. Experiencing a series of visions, he sees murder as a normal course of events in life and kills his uncle. Tortured by his conscience, his future sanity is uncertain as he is assailed by nightmarish visions of what he has done.

Forks Over Knives

Examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting our present menu of animal-based and processed foods.

Too Late the Hero

A WWII film set on a Pacific island. Japanese and allied forces occupy different parts of the island. When a group of British soldiers are sent on a mission behind enemy lines, things don't go exactly to plan. This film differs in that some of the 'heroes' are very reluctant, but they come good when they are pursued by the Japanese who are determined to prevent them returning to base.

The Inside of the White Slave Traffic

A dramatization of the methods in which young women are abducted or otherwise procured for prostitution.

Where Do We Go from Here?

Bill wants to join the Army, but he's 4F so he asks a wizard to help him, but the wizard has slight problems with his history knowlege, so he sends Bill everywhere in history, but not to WWII.

Sky Line

The concept of an elevator to space is not new. In the world of Arthur C. Clarke, it is a natural progression. What most people don't know is that men and women around the world are working hard to build it right this moment. Some want to solve the energy crisis, some want easier access to raw materials in the solar system, and some just want to travel to space and gaze upon their home planet. For all of them though, the elevator is more than just a science fiction plot, it is a way of life. Discover what happens when egos and passions collide in a quest to build the impossible.

Missing

Based on the real-life experiences of Ed Horman. A conservative American businessman travels to a South American country to investigate the sudden disappearance of his son after a right-wing military takeover. Accompanied by his son's wife he uncovers a trail of cover-ups that implicate the US State department which supports the right-wing dictatorship.