Herzog’s Into the Abyss questions the meaning of life and death through the lens of capital punishment

As Connecticut just became the 17th US State to ban death penalty (http://goo.gl/12gpk) and Norway is judging Anders Breivik for his atrocious mass-murder in Oslo last year, Werner Herzog’s  “Into the Abyss: A Tale of Life, a Tale of Death” (2011) offers a timely and complex perspective on capital punishment. This is not your dogmatic, … Continue reading »

Kaurismäki’s “Le Havre” is a haven of human kindness tucked away from today’s pettiness

In France where the run-up to the presidential election is the excuse for the right-wing parties to fuel once again the scare of illegal immigration and harping on how it steals work from the “bons Français” or is a burden to the welfare state, it’s a real delight to discover “Le Havre” (2011) and Aki … Continue reading »