“While [Jesus Camp] isn’t without moments of absurdist humour – namely, the worshipping of George W. Bush, God’s 2IC who graces the camp in spirit as a cardboard cutout – it remains a candidate for the most terrifying film of the year. The children, however, cannot be labeled helpless victims in all of this: impressionable as they may be, some are clearly strong-minded enough to one day gain back their personal autonomy. As for the kid who admits to his peers that he still watches Harry Potter movies despite the boy wizard’s blacklisting as the devil? He’s already halfway there.”...[Read More]

Also from TIM WONG: programme launch revelations, plus thoughts on Deep Water (“not another tall tale of survival, but a quiet revelation of human fallibility, fraudulence, and compelling oceanic adventure”) and Old Joy (“economical, gloriously sparse, and ever so closely observed”). And from SIMON SWEETMAN, reviewing a reasoned and well-considered Michael Moore retort: “Manufacturing Dissent is a quiet marvel of even-handed filmmaking. Finally the Michael Moore backlash really has some grunt, for here are two fans of his work doing their best to understand his motives.”