4v291o

Past Lives is one of the greatest debuts I've ever seen. It's a film that leaves you yearning for something that can never be and desperate to relive memories that refuse to fade. Celine Song's direction is exact but not clinical, and captures both the beauty and isolation of our protagonists' surroundings. It’s a piece that wouldn't work if the two performances at its centre weren't as finely tuned as the direction. Thankfully, Greta Lee and Teo Yoo are able to portray the nervous energy of two people who desire one another but who aren't able to act on that desire, as well as the devastation that their inevitable distance provokes.

Stolen Youth is a bizarre and disturbing of indoctrination. The exploitation of vulnerability is at the centre of the piece, with director Zach Heinzerling utilising recordings from within the cult to devastating effect. They illuminate the discomforting manipulation and abuse carried out by the cult's leader, a peculiar figure who has seemingly rubbed shoulders with former heads of state. The documentary is driven by those who were manipulated, the fascinating but horrendous experiences of which are handled with empathy and care, and is consistently engaging despite its deliberate pace.

I didn’t really know anything about Theatre Camp before going in and was pleasantly surprised to be greeted with a sharp mockumentary reminiscent of the work of Christopher Guest. Theatre Camp is consistently funny in its loving satire and is infused with an inviting warmth. The film pokes fun but is never mean-spirited, and as a result, is a joyful crowd-pleaser.

We get a few of these disposable survival thrillers a year and The Dive doesn't do enough to separate itself from the pack. The film is initially engaging with brief moments of what verges on nail-biting tension, sporadically interrupted by weak attempts to add depth to the thinly drawn protagonists. I didn’t expect an intense character study but I do wish it had taken more advantage of its underwater setting.

Run Rabbit Run is a dull, visually indistinct and monotonous attempt at prestige horror. Its biggest crime is only giving the brilliant Sarah Snook one note to play, that of a distressed mother endlessly shouting her irritating child's name. The amount of fat that is on this relatively short film is mind boggling; at least a quarter of the scenes could have been sacrificed with no impact on the cohesion of the plot or the development of its characters. A painful 100 minutes.

Watched on Tuesday August 22, 2023.

I actually watched this last week but forgot to log it, which probably shows what kind of impression it made on me. Lizzy Caplan and Antony Starr are entertaining as overtly sinister and deranged parents in what is a sporadically chilling horror, but the film, though competently made, is altogether too bland and shallow to truly keep you up at night.

I enjoyed No Hard Feelings as a throwback to the kind of R-rated, raunchy comedies that have become all but extinct. Nothing about the film is particularly spectacular; some jokes land better than others, the direction is anonymous and it overstretches itself by about 20 minutes. It is, however, a consistently enjoyable time-killer, the kind of which contemporary Hollywood doesn’t really allow for, elevated by a charismatic movie star on entertaining form.

When someone mentions Chrisopher Nolan I naturally think of Inception. It is perhaps the film that most encapsulates all of the filmmaker’s idiosyncrasies. Inception is a great idea depicted with dazzling spectacle and technical prowess, featuring sequences as innovative and engrossing as any blockbuster ever produced. It is given momentum by an iconic score, music which has been incessantly imitated ever since, as well as its own uniquely convoluted take on the heist structure. However, though I understand why it exists, the frequency of clunky exposition is incredibly tiering on a rewatch, and has the unfortunate effect of diluting the cast's charisma. This is probably the main reason why I struggle to connect to the characters on an emotional level, even when Nolan lays it on thick as he does with Cobb.

Watched on Wednesday August 9, 2023.

Themes of grief and addiction being represented by mysterious demonic forces has become a common trend in horror over the past ten years. In that sense, Talk to Me is nothing particularly new, but that doesn’t much matter when the execution is of such high quality. From first time feature directors Danny and Michael Philippou, the film is a sometimes chilling, often confrontationally brutal, exorcise in genre filmmaking, ed by a pleasingly particular sense of humour. While it’s not perfect, and is certainly less enjoyable once the novelty of its macguffin wears off, Talk to Me is a very impressive debut.

Watched on Sunday August 6, 2023.

Watched on Thursday August 3, 2023.

My love of Oppenheimer has motivated me to revisit some of Christopher Nolan's work. I was in my teens when The Dark Knight was released so it naturally made a huge impression. On the whole, I still believe Christian Bale's second outing as the caped crusader is a fantastic example of blockbuster filmmaking, even if my opinion has diminished slightly over time. The plotting is utterly ridiculous, which may actually be a positive, and your mileage may vary on Batman's existence as a one-man surveillance state. Of course, Heath Ledger is undeniable as the joker, and is the main reason why this film is so rewatchable. Plus, it's about as good as a Heat imitation is ever going to get.

Over the past few days I have been rewatching my favourite trilogy for the hundredth time. It was, however, the first time I have watched them with my better half, which inevitably created a whole rollercoaster of emotions. Nothing will ever change my feelings for the Before Trilogy; I love each film unconditionally. I wrote a longer review for the series a while back so I won’t belabour the point here.

Watched on Friday July 28, 2023.

Watched on Thursday July 27, 2023.

Watched on Friday July 28, 2023.

Watched on Thursday July 27, 2023.

I have misgivings about him but few directors could make a three-hour biographical drama as awe-inspiring, nerve-shredding and of such intense spectacle as Christopher Nolan. With Oppenheimer, he has delivered his most accomplished, and uncomfortably powerful, film.

This isn’t a triumphant tale of one man’s greatest achievement. It’s a reckoning with momentous and catastrophic choices. It’s those intense feelings of guilt and uncertainty blown up for the IMAX screen, a screen often centred on Cillian Murphy’s haunted expression. 

I shouldn’t imply that any character is given great depth - even Oppenheimer himself feels more like a theoretical idea than a living, breathing person - but the editing choices Nolan makes create an intensity of feeling that, while not subtle, are incredibly effective. 

I am very sympathetic to the criticisms of Oppenheimer’s third hour, which is undeniably less compelling than the audacity of what came before. What it does is build to a climax that, I believe, justifies its existence. 

Nolan is not my favourite director - he’s probably not even in my top 20 - but he certainly is one of a dying breed. A director of big-budget original films that attract audiences in their droves, and one utterly devoted to practical filmmaking. 

That filmmaking left me riddled with anxiety in a way no piece of art has in a long time - not with concern for the events of the film, but for the potential of an apocalyptic future.

Despite the strength and persistence of its marketing campaign, I did have a slight fear that Barbie would be a sickly ment disguised as cinema – it is based on a corporation's most famous product after all. Thankfully, Greta Gerwig is far too talented to develop a shallow and vapid piece of brand worship. In fact, she has directed a hypnotically vibrant and bold production that is subversive and insightful in its own uniquely invigorating way.

At its core, Barbie is a big Hollywood comedy, and is very successful at being so. Margot Robbie is perfectly cast as the 'stereotypical' embodiment of the iconic doll, whose existential crisis provides the main narrative thrust, and adds sincere depth and soul to the titular character. Ryan Gosling's airheaded but devoted Ken, initially reminiscent of a cloying Labrador, is a reliable source of comedy.

The pair's interactions with the 'real world' are clever and knowing, an achievement of Gerwig and Noah Baumbach’s dynamic script. This clever writing is also entertainingly performed by a large ensemble cast of recognisable faces, some of whom are better served than others, utilised in an original and surprising fashion.

Though you can't quite forget the origination of the film, it is funny and distinct enough to distract you from its slightly cynical reason for existence. With its elaborate sets, colourful aesthetic and delirious energy, I can't imagine anyone seeing Barbie and not be brimming with positivity.

I’m really glad that Barbie is going to be a huge hit but I’m not looking forward to the slew of toy-based pictures we’ll get as a result. I’m pretty sure the vast majority won’t be this thoughtful.

Say what you want about Joel Schumacher but the man knew how to direct engrossing and visually distinct pieces of entertainment. A Time to Kill certainly has its flaws but I am inevitably attracted to mid-budget dramas populated by huge movie stars, the likes of which we don’t really get anymore. That being said, the piece isn’t really equipped, and is frankly too trashy, to do justice to the themes it is attempting to investigate. Films are of course time capsules of the period in which they are released, and A Time to Kill is no doubt a product of the 90s.

I wouldn't say I am a huge fan but I do enjoy the music of Wham and George Michael. In true Netflix fashion, this a polished and tidily put together documentary which has an energetic pace to match the mood of Wham's endlessly catchy brand of 80s pop. It’s a film that flourishes when focussing on the duo's endearing friendship but is too brief to offer any further depth. While it functions as a celebratory highlight reel - a very enjoyable one - I can't imagine it is particularly illuminating for die hard fans.

Separating Arnold’s career into three distinct chapters was an inspired move, and works to highlight the bizarre trajectory it takes. Arnold himself is an entertaining and often funny presence, still displaying the unorthodox charisma that made him the world’s biggest movie star. The documentary actually discusses the unsavoury aspects of his history more than I thought it would, though you couldn’t exactly call it a thorough investigation. Overall, it’s an entertaining documentary about an iconic figure.

Watched on Thursday July 13, 2023.

With Dead Reckoning Part One Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie have yet again proved that Mission: Impossible is the zenith of blockbuster filmmaking. No other series of similar scale delivers the same level of thrilling immersion as this actor-director combination. A franchise being just as exciting in its seventh instalment as it was in its first is an incredibly rare thing.

One aspect that has always been consistent in Mission: Impossible is Tom Cruise's intense commitment to outdoing anything he has attempted before. This instalment is full of action sequences that are both nerve-shredding and amusing, with Cruise, often literally, throwing himself into each dangerous scenario as if he gains sustenance from providing grand entertainment.

However, I believe the film's extended runtime hampers its momentum. Towards what is a brilliant third act, I began to feel a restlessness never before present with this series. That probably isn't unrelated to the villain of the piece, a rogue AI, the introduction of which requires an endless amount of monotonous exposition. Of course, Mission: Impossible is no stranger to ludicrous exposition but, for whatever reason, I found it to be more overbearing on this occasion.

Gentle misgivings aside, this is still a testament to what can be achieved when a studio backs filmmakers and stars who are dedicated to creating entertainment of immense practicality and designed to conjure the most visceral of reactions.

It’s strange to think that a series that started life as a stylish but relatively low-key espionage thriller has become the pinnacle of blockbuster filmmaking. Fallout features a series of jaw-dropping action sequences, culminating in an absolutely insane third act that tops anything the franchise has ever delivered. The combination of Cruise and McQuarrie depict spectacle like few others.

Christopher McQuarrie takes the helm with Rogue Nation and solidifies the franchise’s new direction. What elevates this above the previous entry for me is the introduction of Rebecca Ferguson, who is utterly captivating as essentially Ethan Hunt’s British equivalent. The film also contains two of the series’ best set-pieces, those being the wonderfully suspenseful Vienna opera and the thrillingly kinetic Morocco chase - both are so good that I can forgive a slightly flat third act. I still rank the first one above this - De Palma is a favourite of mine - but there’s not much in it.

Watched on Sunday July 9, 2023.

In order for franchises to survive long-term it is essential they evolve, and Ghost Protocol is a significant part of Mission: Impossible’s evolution. Brad Bird introduces a breezier tone, a greater emphasis on gadgets and, while they were always a staple of the series, an increased focus on the daring exploits of Tom Cruise. Ghost Protocol isn’t my personal favourite but it deserves a lot of credit for revitalising the series.

I think most of my fondness for Mission: Impossible III comes from the inclusion of Philip Seymour Hoffman as its villain. So much so, I think the film would be improved by giving him more screen time. The action sequences are shot and edited frantically, a style in-vogue for 2006, but they do benefit from enhanced personal stakes. Solid but not spectacular.

My main point of curiosity about going back to Mission: Impossible II was to see if it was quite as bad as I ed. While not great, and a million miles away from being John Woo's best film, there are still plenty of things to enjoy. The sequel does away with the measured suspense of De Palma's original, instead eyeing visceral thrills and shallow indulgences. This makes for a less memorable, and sometimes laughable piece of work, though I would be lying if said I wasn't glued to the screen for the entirety of its runtime.

Watched on Friday July 7, 2023.

I don't know if I will have time to rewatch all of the Mission Impossible films before seeing the new one but I'm going to try. Despite being directed by a revered auteur and starring Tom Cruise, these feel like slightly humble beginnings, especially considering the grandiosity of the sequels. Though the series is now known for the increasingly daring stunts undertaken by Cruise, this initial instalment is basically just a solid espionage thriller with some exciting heist elements and typical De Palma flourishes. While some of it feels dated, particularly the final action sequence, I'm pleased to say that this holds up really well.

Watched on Wednesday July 5, 2023.

Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade are perfect pieces of escapist entertainment. It would be unrealistic to expect the fifth instalment of a tired franchise to reach those levels – very few blockbusters do – but I did hope for a fun and engaging adventure. Unfortunately, I found The Dial of Destiny to be a cumbersome and slightly tedious experience.   
 
Perhaps, the most noticeable characteristic of those earlier entries is how sublime the action sequences are. They are coherent, tightly edited, impressively practical and punctuated with moments of brilliant physical comedy. Here, we essentially get a series of never-ending chase sequences, which start promisingly enough in the midst of a vibrant and thematically relevant parade, but ultimately become repetitive, indistinct and headache-inducing.  
 
The most saddening thing about this is that Harrison Ford is genuinely very good. He of course carries his effortless, everyman charm but also a soulful sense of guilt and regret. As a man of advancing years, his performance portrays a melancholic reflection, a feeling made all the more stark by the indecently expensive de-aging sequences.  

The Dial of Destiny ends on a beautifully tender note, which I appreciated, but that doesn't undo the baffling 40 minutes that proceeded it. While the film is certainly better than Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, it is still a lacklustre entry into a previously incredible franchise.

Watched on Sunday July 2, 2023.

You Hurt My Feelings is a perfectly pitched dramedy which poses low-stakes but near universal questions about the nature of honesty within long-term relationships. There is nothing overtly sensational about the piece, but its exquisitely drawn reality of life is quietly intoxicating. Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tobias Menzies are on entertaining form, sharing the chemistry of two people who have long inhabited each other’s lives, and Nicole Holofcener’s dialogue never fails to make me laugh.

I am a casual enjoyer of Wes Anderson's work but wouldn't say I am an ardent enthusiast of the idiosyncratic auteur, and I am certainly not an authority on his much-discussed style. Sufficed to say, you won't be receiving a thorough analysis of each meticulous frame of Asteroid City from me, but I will offer some general thoughts.  

Quite predictably, Anderson has crafted an absorbing world of vibrant delights and intense detail, populated by a typically star-studded cast devoted to the eccentric filmmaker's approach. Despite those glowing comments, I would be lying if I said I was completely enraptured by the piece.  

Its whimsical nature mimics the experience of eating a rich desert – initially pleasant but eventually nauseating, and I am disappointed by how detached Anderson keeps us from the events taking place on screen, a decision of certain intentionality but one I find to be generally alienating. This alienation is compounded by a frustratingly convoluted framing device. 

It’s a film that provokes contemplation so I may change my mind upon a second viewing. For now, I may rewatch Rushmore.

Frustratingly, I haven’t had much time to nurture my Letterboxd so far this year, something I hope to now rectify. I had carved out time to finally go and see Asteroid City but a massive leak erupted in my flat, forcing me to settle for the Extraction sequel on Netflix.

The elaborate action sequences are impressive, which showcase modern techniques but also allow the film to function as a charming throwback to the testosterone-fuelled adventures of the 80s, though it lacks the emotional attachment the best of those were able to conjure. 

Aside from that, we are given a broad and generic plot, unknowable and forgettable characters, and various examples of wooden and stilted dialogue. Frankly, any scene that isn’t an action sequence is torturously flat and dull. If you are an enthusiast of well-constructed and daring set-pieces, which I am, then it is an easy recommendation. Otherwise, I would avoid.

It's unfortunate for The Flash that it has been released so soon after Across the Spider-Verse, which is probably the zenith of big screen multiversal storytelling. It's certainly unfair but also an unavoidable fact that the gloriously animated neighbourhood spider people were at the centre of my mind as I watched yet another bland looking superhero film with mediocre CGI. 
 
That's not to say that this long-awaited mash-up of characters and universes was devoid of any enjoyment. Like Barry Allen himself, Andy Muschietti’s film moves at a blistering pace, and is peppered with enough jokes to keep one amused for the majority of its runtime. It is also somewhat successful at exploiting our nostalgia; I’m not so inhuman as to be immune to the joys of seeing Michael Keaton don the famous cowl once again. 

The Flash is a strange one because it is both full of heart and as cynical as big blockbuster filmmaking can be. Aside from being generally messy when it comes to plot, there are certain creative decisions that are at the very least cheap and crass, and at most deeply unethical. This just isn’t for me but I guess it was never going to be.

Watched on Wednesday June 14, 2023.

Of the recent slew of biographical dramas fixated on the marketing of a particular product, Blackberry is certainly the most distinct.   
 
The film's documentary style creates a discomforting sense of realism, separating it from the bland, by the numbers approach used by most of the genre; it has more in common stylistically with TV shows like The UK Office or Succession, rather than Ben Affleck's Air. 

However, I found myself to be emotionally detached for large portions of its runtime. The style I previously praised, though carrying the illusion of intimacy, was strangely distancing, a feeling compounded by the picture's time-hopping structure. Unfortunately, I never felt the cinematic equivalent of that keyboard click.

Watched on Thursday June 8, 2023.

There is something strangely discomforting about watching actors perform a direct transcript, and Tina Satter’s directorial choices work to heighten that discomfort. Despite this painful unease, the story feels overstretched even at 83 minutes, with any tension eventually dissipating. Reality is successful as a showcase for Sydney Sweeney, who effectively embodies a woman desperately trying not to suffocate under the pressure of immense authority. I found it interesting as an intellectual exercise but not one I’ll be returning to.

Watched on Tuesday June 6, 2023.

I would love to go against the grain and say Across the Spider-Verse is an overly hyped symbol of mediocrity. However, I was completely hypnotised by the incredible amount of detail in each painstakingly designed frame. The varying worlds are visually distinct, and this isn’t a case of beautiful but stilted imagery; this is a wildly kinetic and propulsive cinematic experience. It is certainly a more unwieldy beast than its predecessor, a common feature for a sequel, and its lack of finality may prove grating to some. Still, this feels like a significant landmark in animation and in the wider superhero genre as a whole.

Rewatching Zodiac on a whim was probably an odd choice but one I don't regret. I truly adore David Fincher's moody, meticulous serial killer thriller - it no doubt tops my ranking of the director's incredible filmography. The word riveting is probably overused but it certainly applies here. Fincher takes the All the President's Men approach and injects an even greater sense of forward momentum, delivering a piece that is engrossing in its well-paced mystery and terrifying in its stark depiction of horrendous violence. A film about obsession crafted by the most obsessive of filmmakers.

I suppose there is some ironic fun to be had in Hypnotic’s commitment to escalating stupidity, that’s if you can tolerate the laughable dialogue, endless contrivances and a Ben Affleck in autopilot. It's a piece that mimics other sci-fi thrillers of much greater quality and innovation, and is mostly hollow despite its lame efforts to surprise. Frankly, Hypnotic is just properly rubbish, but is schlocky in a way that some may find slightly entertaining.

Watched on Tuesday May 30, 2023.

My favourite films of all time - in no particular order.

• When Harry Met Sally...
• A Nightmare on Elm Street
• Halloween
• The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
• Before Sunrise
• Before Sunset
• Before Midnight
• Almost Famous
• Rashomon
• Ikiru

...plus 95 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

My favourite movies of this past year. It is based on UK release dates and may get updated when I catch up on a couple of things I missed.

1. The Worst Person in the World
2. Triangle of Sadness
3. Aftersun
4. Decision to Leave
5. Top Gun: Maverick
6. Moonage Daydream
7. Athena
8. Everything Everywhere All at Once
9. RRR
10. The Banshees of Inisherin

My ranking of Pixar's feature releases, from crimes of animation to certified masterpieces.

1. Coco
2. Toy Story 2
3. Toy Story 3
4. Ratatouille
5. Inside Out
6. The Incredibles
7. Up
8. Toy Story
9. Monsters, Inc.
10. WALL·E

...plus 15 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

My ranking of the films Quentin Tarantino has directed.

1. Inglourious Basterds
2. Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood
3. Pulp Fiction
4. Jackie Brown
5. Reservoir Dogs
6. Kill Bill: Vol. 1
7. The Hateful Eight
8. Kill Bill: Vol. 2
9. Django Unchained
10. Death Proof

My ranking of Martin Scorsese’s non-documentary films.

1. Taxi Driver
2. GoodFellas
3. After Hours
4. Raging Bull
5. The King of Comedy
6. Casino
7. Mean Streets
8. The Departed
9. The Wolf of Wall Street
10. The Irishman

...plus 15 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

As we experience a turbulent Phase Four, I thought it would be nice to make a list to remind myself that I actually enjoy some of these films.

1. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
2. Guardians of the Galaxy
3. Iron Man
4. Avengers: Endgame
5. Captain America: Civil War
6. Avengers: Infinity War
7. Thor: Ragnarok
8. The Avengers
9. Spider-Man: No Way Home
10. Black Panther

...plus 17 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

The films released in the 2010s that most struck a cord with me.

• A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
• The Social Network
• Mustang
• Before Midnight
• The Witch
• Under the Skin
• Whiplash
• Get Out
• The Wolf of Wall Street
• Sing Street

...plus 21 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.