4v291o

Part of a massive wave of Chinese cinema in the late 80s and early 90s, the style of Raise the Red Lantern is not for everyone, but the rich cinematography and production value is worth watching on its own.

Focusing on the wives of a wealthy landowner, shot entirely in one of China's many walled cities, the film explores the difficulties of female identity and family in the early 20th century, as well as the cultural gaps between the women and the lives they all lived prior to marrying.

With a fantastic performance by Gong Li, Raise the Red Lantern may be more a cultural piece of Asian cinematic history than a narrative, but it's still worth a watch.

Studio Ghibli's excursions into the real world are just as lyrical and beautiful as their fantasies, and Only Yesterday is a nostalgia tinged look at growing up, regrets and happy memories as a young woman ventures back to her hometown and re what it was like to be ten years old.

Contrasting the bustle of a modern Tokyo lifestyle to life in the rural Japanese countryside, the youth desperate to go in a different path to their parents and about the slow replacement of nature and spirituality with new ideas, the film balances all of this with a charming, natural coming of age tale, beautifully animated and with breathtaking music and endless charm. By contrasting the two stories, one already told and another about to be, it raises the idea that ultimately this could be anyone's story.

A classic British folk horror film stars the very not British Vincent Price, regardless, this is Civil War-era terror as seen through the eyes of a village where the main threat is not witches, but Matthew Hopkins, whose puritan methods and brutal ideology means no one is safe.

This is a very violent film even by today's standards, it doesn't sanitise the madness of the era, with large tracks of idyllic English countryside overrun by religious zealotry and lawlessness. It's a must watch for all fans of classic late 60s horror, complimenting the later Wicker Man perfectly.

This is a WEIRD film. You'd think the premise "Arnold Schwarzenegger is an undercover policeman at a kindergarten" would be funny, and it is, it's very amusing with plenty of Arnoldisms. But it's not a comedy, it takes itself incredibly seriously, which is commendable but also makes the film feel very bizarre.

The first ten minutes are almost completely serious, the story surrounding the film is very dark and it veers into adult territory regularly. There's nothing wrong with a mature kid's film, but is this even a kid's film? There's violence, drugs and sex. And adults won't want to sit through Arnold's hijinks with the kids. There's some interesting stuff here though, and its heart is in the right place.

A powerful costume drama with a tour de force performance from Nigel Hawthorne, The Madness of King George sensitively portrays a nation in crisis as the king's mental stability slowly deteriorates, raising questions on the true burden that the crown holds. It brings down the earth the idea that the King is still just a human, who struggles against his condition whilst still trying his best to rule whilst machinations are in place against him.

At first dismissed as imperial anger over the American Revolution, it's soon revealed that this is something that can even affect God's anointed ruler, and it sends the kingdom in crisis over its very identity. Hawthorne's moving performance should've been a lock in for Best Actor that year, and the production and music are stunning.

"Nicolas Cage" is at this point a film genre, where bizarre premises become fully realised films due to the presence of the one, the only, Nicolas Cage. The Surfer sees Cage get into a psychological tug of war with a group of beach surfers that lay claim to an Australian beach that he just wants to surf on. It's an expose on toxic masculinity by means of one of the most masculine pastimes, and it's very effective on that front.

And so begins a very, VERY slow burn Full Cage, sorta the mid-point between Pig and Mandy. Although seeing Cage scream and freak out is what we all go to his films for, it's almost *too* unpleasant at times, you just want him to win, and he does. Sorta. It's a bit too long and incredibly bizarre, but I still think this is a strong recent entry in the Nicolas Cage genre.

Mario Bava's penultimate film has an interesting production history, as it was incomplete upon his death and took over two decades to see the light of day with help from his son and various financers filling in the gaps. This has led to many, MANY different versions, but all of them follow the same basic premise - a gang of thieves hijack a car and force the occupants inside to keep driving. That's it.

Playing out in almost real time, the incomplete nature of the film gives it a very unique feel - unlike anything else Bava made, this is a thrilling, dark look at the cruelty of man. I'd say remake it so Bava's original vision can be properly fulfilled but it already has, and apparently wasn't very good. Oh well.

Talk about a film that could only exist in a certain few years of film history. The very premise - Middle Eastern terrorists hijacking a plane - is now as alien of a premise as an alien invasion, but the "Die Hard on a plane" formula works very well when a strike team is sent inside the plane and infiltrate it from the inside, all the whilst negotiations happen on the outside.

It's less concerned with action than it is with suspense and character dynamics, and it's a load of fun. David Suchet in particular is doing his best Alan Rickman impression and I always love seeing veteran British actors chew scenery for a quick paycheck. And Kurt Russell plays somewhat against type, which is refreshing. This film is achingly 90s but still a lot of fun.

Truth be told, I had NO interest in Thunderbolts. I like Marvel, but this one, easy skip. Where's Shang-Chi 2? Then the reviews came out. Okay, let's check it out.

Yeah, it's pretty good. Much has been made about how this one is "about" something, and I think that's unfair to other post-Endgame MCU films that are also about things, but Thunderbolts is unique in that the film resolves itself in a character perspective, not a massive fight to wrap everything in a nice bow. It gets DARK, anyone expecting a Gunn-esque antihero rag tag team is going to be surprised. I didn't care for much of these characters going in, but I certainly did afterwards, through the simple theme of these guys just... well, they suck. How do you deal with the fact you just SUCK? It's an interesting question.

With a focus on practical stunts and effects and authentic character dynamics, this is a throwback to 2013-19 Marvel that could make films about anything. I wish it was longer, as there's some characters and concepts that are underexplored - Bucky in particular feels very underused despite being the veteran character - but Thunderbolts is a delightful and engaging film that, yes, IS about something.

Oh, and try and avoid the Internet if you want to know what that asterix means.

What... in the FUCK is this? I mean, I'm in, but I'm intrigued. There's a reason there's never been a straightforward adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, and that's because the story and narrative are incomprehensible and beyond any form of visual storytelling. Almost.

Jan Svanmajer tries his best, using stop motion and puppets to create a bizarre cityscape with which the book's famous moments are reinterpreted under the glare of Soviet influence. Credit must also go to Kristýna Kohoutová as Alice, who is the ONLY actual person in the film. Not too bad. There's no actual narrative, but I can hardly call that a case of bad adaptation. If you like weird visuals, this one is for you.

Wilson! WILSON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Essentially a one man show for Tom Hanks, delivering an incredible performance, Cast Away is quite a bit longer than I think a film like this should be but the material is strong, depicting a strong survival spirit as the months and years drift by. The special effects and cinematography really shine, but it's the bookends that make this film.

Opening the film with Chuck's normal life makes it heartwrenching when it's ripped away, and the denoument once he's rescued is a gut punch. His girlfriend moved on, because she thought he was dead, and he now has to figure out where to go from here. Did he deserve this? Of course not, but it's what he got. Weirdly spiritual and endearing as endings go.

This was Terry Jones' first post-Python project as director, and given his name is on some of the most beloved comedies of all time, you'd expect a film about an illegal brothel to be very funny, right? Except... it's not that funny. It's ittedly not entirely Jones' fault, as he's not a writer on this, but maybe he should've been, although that might not have fixed everything.

The tone is all over the place, it's trying to be sincere and take the message serious but the presentation and characters are broad and comedic. I wasn't sure how much of this was meant to be funny. The same problems that plague Meaning of Life on one side and Erik the Viking on the other plague this film with regards to how Jones approaches the material - as solo director, it really makes you conclude that Life of Brian was a one hit wonder for him.

This is, and remains a colossal film, incredibly epic and a time capsule into a time when movie musicals ruled the world. I haven't seen the stage show, or Spielberg's film, but you know it's a big film when Spielberg is the one remaking it. This is simply a massive film, massive music, massive scope, massive filmmaking. In 1961 this must have been the biggest film ever.

Impeccable choreography and ahead of its time cinematography, with great songs, it's hard to really fault it. It's Romeo and Juliet as told through the cultural divides between white and Puerto Rican New Yorkers, and it stands as probably the most iconic version of the story. It's long, but I had a good time regardless, and there's absolutely zero question as to how this won Best Picture.

This is my personal favourite Indiana Jones film. It's not as GOOD as Raiders, but it has a rich story, a tight plot, genuine pathos and that ending puts a massive smile on my face. I didn't grow up with these films, I've only seen each of them once, but the ending feels definitive. It's about as classic of an adventure as you can get, with Indiana Jones reconciling with his father and the cynical adventurer of Raiders is now a humourous and warm figure who knows more about his roots.

Sean Connery as Henry Jones Sr is simply iconic, as is villain maestro Julian Glover as, well, Julian Glover. Perfectly matching the action of Raiders with the humour of Temple of Doom without making that film's bizarre tone and story choices, Last Crusade is where it should've all ended.

I'm no revisionist, certainly when it comes to films that came out long before I was born, but Temple of Doom is still a film I'm glad exists if only for Ke Huy Quan. If he's happy about his participation, then I'm happy, and knowing where he ends up in the future makes this film all the more worth it. Truth be told, I've never thought Short Round was racist. It's the Indian aspects that are problematic...

It's a dark, cynical but also childish sequel/prequel that is basically a bottle episode, taking place mostly in the dark mines. Despite its mixed legacy it's weirdly the Indiana Jones film that has the most homages, with the opening, mineshaft chase, bridge battle all being very well known. But there's no real adventure or story here, it's just Indiana Jones being tortured, hypnotised and bizarre mysticism. Is it entertaining in a weird way? Yes. But Spielberg and Lucas were clearly unhappy making it, and it's no wonder the next film went back to the Raiders template.

I mean, it's one of the most iconic movies ever, and revisiting it after years and years and years only re-emphasises that fact. What makes Raiders of the Lost Ark so great? It's the characters who are just layered enough to be interesting but not dominate the adventure aspects, the thrilling setpieces, the Saturday morning feel, the sweeping lens of a director at the height of his character and not treating the audience like children.

Children like it when their heroes are complex anti-heroes who learn the value of what they actually pursue and can take any graphic violence as long as there's a happy ending. They can take a film that takes the time to set up the chases and plot with quiet moments of character growth. Forty years later, it still entertains at any age. This may sound cliched, but they really don't make em like they used to.

Peter Jackson's ultra low budget debut is essentially an amateur production, or at least feels like one, shot over four years with every varying special effects. Jackson himself turns up as a character, which shows how constrained this production is. It's so low budget it makes Evil Dead, a similar debut from a soon to be legendary genre filmmaker, look like... well, Lord of the Rings.

It's bizarre to think that just 17 years later he'd be winning more Oscars than you can think. The plot is essentially an alien incursion in a small New Zealand town as the population has been replaced, and the aliens fight a small group of rag-tag investigators. That's essentially all there is to it, with gore, lots of practical effects and shootouts. It's a fun little timecapsule of where a legendary filmmaker began as just a guy with a camera and a dream.

It's safe to say that this film is already becoming a bit of a big deal, and for all the right reasons - the Black Panther films stand as some of the MCU's best work due to the highly personal and stylised approach Ryan Cooger takes to them, and it's clear that his practising on a larger budget has resulted in what will probably go down as his magnum opus. A sprawling tale of the American deep south, with music, dance and of course, vampires.

It's a film that lingers in your mind, there's so many layers to this film, from the relationship between faith and community to the violent backdrops of colonialism and how music transcends all racial barriers. The vampire as metaphor is in this film representative of the fear of the "other" flipped onto its head from the perspective of ethnic minorities in fear of the white man. And these are incredible vampires, animalistic and pure evil.

The cinematography is insane, the music brilliant, and Michael B Jordan's duel role is fantastic. Were it not for genre bias, this film would already be cited as a Oscar frontrunner. But I'm rooting for it anyway. It has to be seen to be believed. Watching it is the best review.

It's hard to really take The Matrix as just a simple film of its time, it's so influential, right up there with Star Wars and Iron Man, to name just two other films that changed everything.

And yet... it does still hold up just as a film, regardless of the impact. The innovative action, the slick storytelling, the simple yet effective worldbuilding, the way the tone is masterfully balanced between serious science fiction and wildly entertaining setpieces. The iconic score, the imagery, this was a phenomenon then and remains thrilling now, unlike many films around the same time that are time capsules into culture at the turn of the millennium, The Matrix feels both fresh and still, somehow ahead of its time.

Watching it is the best review possible. It's just, in a word, badass. And although I mourn the Cage/Yeoh version we never got, the cast are iconic in their own right, turning Keanu Reeves into the superstar he deserved to be.

Kubrick is, ittedly, a hit and miss guy for me. Sometimes I ire the craft more than the film, due to his cold, clinical style.

And then the guy makes this, I mean, talk about a perfect fucking film. Split into two halves but both halves brilliant in their own ways, this is war viewed through the lens of someone who has long lost faith in humanity. Through endless drills and torment, Sergeant Hartman has turned these boys into monsters, and it's these monsters that enter the ruins of Vietnam to fight for something they don't even fully understand.

Sure, the film is very quotable, but the craft and structure are impeccable, contrasting the claustrophobia of the barracks to the open spaces of a warzone. It's a total classic. Not a film to watch all the time, but one that rewards, every time.

This is an 80s Stephen King adaptation, and it's a very, VERY 80s Stephen King adaptation - a able screen adaptation that could probably do with a redo down the line because this is able but just a bit plain, a lot of focus is on the drama and family issues, which is fine, but the haunting feel of the anthology is missing. King wrote the screenplay too, which makes this feel even weirder.

Great werewolf effects, and whenever it's on-screen the film shines. But this is trying to be too many things, it wants to be The Goonies and also Friday the 13th. Refocus on the horror and stem closer to the book (King is not a fantastic screenwriter) and this would be a fantastic contemporary horror film.

Indian cinema is a massive blindspot for me - how can I possibly even scratch the surface of an entire sub-continent's worth of films where individual states make enough films to make Hollywood blush? Sholay's a good start though, often considered the apex of Indian blockbuster filmmaking, it's certainly an experience.

Musical numbers and dances mixed with Hitler pastiches, Western pastiches and brutal, violent action that spreads out over three hours. As a total alien to Bollywood outside of RRR, this was... certainly an experience! And I'm glad I did it, this is an epic film exploring national identity, violence and a lot more, blending every genre under the sun

Four Prime Ministers and a monarch separates Paddington in Peru from the last instalment, and there is something missing - no, it's not Sally Hawkins, although the focus on Mrs Brown in this film is distractingly weird given the recast, but Paul King. Dougal Wilson does a strong job as a first time director but perhaps moving the bear out of London was a strong concept, if not a premise that really works with this series.

It's still fun, and the cast are still totally, 100% committed, especially Hugh Bonneville as Mr Brown, and Olivia Coleman is totally batshit bonkers. The heart and soul are still there, but it just feels very, radically different from the other two films, I don't think Paddington as an adventure film works. But the message is moving and the ending is great. Just don't expect Paddington 2.

Based on a real life incident with all names and locations changed, Aftermath is notable for being one of Schwarzenegger's only real drama films, with no genre influences at all, and proof he can in fact be a dramatic performer if he wants to. No catchphrases, just a grieving man trying to comprehend how to move forwards after his wife and daughter are killed in a freak plane collision. Meanwhile, the air traffic controller who was behind the incident wrestles with the guilt of what he did, in a really well executed dual narrative.

The film also does a great job exploring the corporate side of affairs, with the airlines trying their best to avoid their part to pay and using underhanded methods to avoid justice, resulting in a tragic chain of events. This is not your typical Arnold film, and it really makes me wish he did more like this.

I'm getting those Tony Leung stats up, so I'm logging this too.

Seriously, I'm not kidding, Red Cliff is insane, Chinese directors operate on 101% capacity when directing in their own language, this is the most elaborate and glorious shit you'll ever see.

Fuck it, I'm reviewing both films in one, they were written, produced and released as two parts of one story, with only a few months separating them. Yes, John Woo, the fucking man, directed a 4 hour 50 minute war epic seemingly without breaking a sweat. This feels like the final, grandiose mission statement of a legendary world filmmaker, adapting Chinese history with grit and awe.

A true epic in every sense of the word, Red Cliff cannot be cut down into a single film. The scope and scale put Hollywood to shame, with warring sides trying to mediate between war and peace, nation and identity, the right of kings vs the right of men. Anchoring this epic is Tony Leung's magnetic screen presence, assisted by a magnificent ensemble cast.

You'll never see anything like the uncut version of Red Cliff which is so long and ambitious it makes Branagh's Hamlet look like a Youtube short. Will I rewatch it? Probably not, I only have so many five hours in my life. Am I glad I saw it? Hell yeah.

A very violent and edgy sequel to Come Drink With Me, replacing the class and style with borderline taboo content for the time, emulating the feel of Spaghetti Westerns, Golden Swallow is a complex love triangle with swords and bloods.

Cheng Pei Pei is still the lead role although disappointingly only gets one major fight, although it is a fantastic one, and whilst the change in style is quite obvious, there's still a lot of great visuals and classic Shaw Brothers storytelling. I didn't like it as much as its predecessor, but it's still a fun time.

Ang Lee's debut film is a sensitively directed drama that introduced the world to the director's trademark exploration of tradition vs modernity and the struggles of individuality vs the collective responsibility everyone holds. The clash of East vs West, as depicted between an elderly Chinese man who moves in with his son and his English speaking daughter in law, is deftly explored. Eastern tradition dictates that the young look after the old, Western tradition embraces forging your own path.

The film does not pick a side and balances out both perspectives, and Sihung Lung, who would star in Lee's next two films as similar paternal figures, does a fantastic job as a sensitive and kind soul trapped in an alien world.

A black comedy that is both incredibly funny whilst making you feel bad for laughing, Four Lions is a risky project that could've easily sparked controversy, given how soon after the 7/7 attacks it was, but thanks to great performances and pitch perfect satire, it works, with comedy influences ranging from Monty Python to The Thick of It.

The Three (or rather four) Stooges if they were a group of wannabe jihadist bombers, the film expertly dissects the pointlessness of their goal whilst making them weirdly endearing. Barry, a white Muslim convert, is the comedy MVP, apparently based on a former BNP member who accidentally converted to Islam. Yes, really.

Shot in a mixture of found footage and conventional style, the film also features multiple options for "funniest explosion in film" as well as the funniest conversation ever about a Wookie.

Overshadowed by The Matrix the same year, David Cronenberg's take on the turn of the millennium existential crisis everyone went through is, befitting the director's usual style, extremely weird, with layers upon layers of a complex assassination plot revolving around a virtual computer game attached to the flesh of the .

Yeah, this is an odd one. Made even weirder by that curveball of an ending that both makes total sense and wraps everything up in a neat bow, but also adds further questions on top of questions. I can't tell how much of this is any good, but I certainly had a fun time.

Anchored by an incredibly charismatic and dominant Tim Curry as a hapless butler, Clue is the original Knives Out, a self-aware, metatextual murder mystery where strangers are invited to a house and are given roles to play, only for the murders to start. It's insanely funny, with a fantastic cast and a great sense of energy - there's no surprise this became a stage play. Everyone has a motive, everyone is a suspect, it's genuinely engaging storytelling that invites the audience to become a participant in the ongoing mystery.

It's notable for having three endings that was played at different cinemas - the version most available has two as "what ifs" before a final, real reveal, which is great, but I was a bit fatigued due to the other two. It's a gimmick that works better if you have the option to choose which ending. Regardless, it's a very fun, ahead of its time comedy film, and Curry is incredible.

Song Kang-Ho and Choi-Min Sik clash pre-fame in South Korea's answer to Heat and John Woo, not quite up to those high standards as the plot is borderline incomprehensible but the action more than makes up for it, with intensity and emotional resonance.

Exploring South Korea's national identiy as it enters the 21st century, Shiri has outstanding stunt and action scenes and fantastic performances, as expected. Two characters very different but similar in their loyalties to their nations, divided by ideology and dangerous to each other. It's a protracted game of cat and mouse with various other sides involved. It's hard to find, but I recommend you do.

After a lifetime trying to develop this film, Peter Jackson used his Oscars victory for free reign over fulfilling his childhood dream. And Peter Jackson clearly LOVES King Kong. Maybe a bit TOO much. He wants to make the version of the film he imagined in his head as a child, when technology wasn't as good, and use state of the art effects to indulge in massive extended new setpieces. He wants to also remake the original film as faithfully as possible.

The two contrasts results in an endurance test as the original film is slavishly followed with long new additions thrown in. This is LONG. And Jackson clearly has used the film to explore his own faith in filmmaking after Lord of the Rings, with the Carl character clearly being a surrogate for how far he'll go to fulfil his dream of making King Kong. An interesting idea, but Jack Black is distractingly miscast. I can't tell if I just don't like Black in general or if it's just this film, but... no.

The ion is there, clearly, and this is not a bad film. A film with so much craft put in cannot be dismissed as bad and certainly not lazy. But I personally prefer Skull Island's *update* of the story, not a wish fulfilment with bigger and better effects. But the effects ARE fantastic, and I imagine it was great fun at the cinema in 2005. After this, I get the feeling Jackson was done.

Gordan Gekko is the original "literally me" character, a character so utterly misunderstood that many blame him for the last forty years of Wall Street capitalism. That's a bit of an overreaction, and it's hardly the film's fault that the point can be so spectacularly missed - the film ends with prison sentences and a total loss of morality and humanity from young Bud Fox. Clearly, Gekko is not to be emulated.

Granted, the point is missed frequently with Oliver Stone films, to the point where he sometimes accidentally creates great films by missing the point of his own argument (like JFK). Wall Street may have provoked mass discussion and controversy but content wise is moderately tame, preceding the likes of American Psycho and Wolf of Wall Street as a blistering takedown on Reaganite capitalism.

A London based gangster moves back up north to Newcastle where his twisted spiral of revenge unleashes itself. One of Michael Caine's most iconic roles, Carter is not a hero, but there is sympathy for how his neglected, forgotten family have been mistreated by the state and the gangsters they roped themselves into.

It's to the film's credit that this character manages to be endearing whilst never condoning his off-screen past or his current violent rampage. Dark and subversive, Tarantino before Tarantino, it's a classic of British 70s cinema.

A *very* funny black comedy involving androids, robberies and murder conspiracies, the marketing gives the central twist away but fortunately there's several more that keeps the film from being a generic film about the warnings of AI.

I mean, I'm all for films like that, but this film has a bit more to say about toxic masculinity and greed, with a mean streak to it that meant I never knew exactly what would happen. Sophie Thatcher is fantastic, as is Jack Quaid doing a very deliberate subversion of his character from The Boys. Even if you think you know where the story is going because of the marketing, there's still a handful of surprises along the way.

My first Godzilla film at the cinemas, and to be honest, rewatching it I kinda agree with some of the critics on this one. It IS too long, and honestly, I just didn't care for most of the characters. I like Madison, this certainly isn't the worst Godzilla film centred around a child, but her parents... oh my god! Worst parents ever! It's a shame because if the thematic focus would come to the forefront, this would possibly be top ten.

Essentially, the kaiju are the true rulers of Earth, and humanity are just parasites. It’s a fascinating approach that is possibly a climate change metaphor, especially with how the kaiju are framed and spoken of, like they’ve already won and there’s nothing left to do. All anyone can do is just sit and watch, akin to GMK or one of the Honda classics.

The scope and scale is immense, the kaiju have never looked better and this version of Ghidorah... *chef's kiss*. But the human drama IS an issue, the ideas are heavy and thematic but I just... didn't care for the humans. And there's too many, like why is Bradley Whitford and Zhang Ziyi here? Regardless, a very, VERY fun film, worthy of the King. I have a massive shit eating grin on my face watching this.

Look. Look. LOOK. What the fuck is this?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

I went full Ramsay here, like, WHAT in the FUCK was this trilogy. So Godzilla Earth, the largest, coolest looking Godzilla ever, just stands in one place getting bitten by metaphorical Ghidorah whilst one character has some dream sequence philosophy sequences then the characters just... fuck off. They leave Earth again. So what was the point?

I appreciate the experiment, but these are barely Godzilla films. Just do ONE film, make it survival focused, and we'd be getting somewhere. This film was such a setback for Toho it took them four years to make another Godzilla film, with only the Monsterverse keeping the character going in the mean time. This may be the last Godzilla film I hadn't seen, but I ain't fucking ending the marathon like this, I need some King of the Monsters and monkeys and minus ones.

Sure looks nice though!

I mean, what was this? Seriously? It's like it just blurred into my mind, did anything actually HAPPEN?

This trilogy feels like it's the worst of both worlds - it could easily just be one film with emphasis on the Godzilla-infected world and the humans trying to resettle, or it can be a multi-season TV show where the themes and ideas can come into focus. Neither is the case though, so we have the emptiest animated film this side of a Dreamworks Apple TV+ sequel.

A *city of Mechagodzillas*... with no Mechagodzilla. WHAT? The creative difficulties were clear, as the creative team wanted more battles, but it was Toho pushing them to do weird stuff. Was Godzilla even in this film?

This is one of three animated films released on Netflix to try and take Godzilla in a brand new direction, depicting an Earth already taken over by Godzilla and the kaiju and humanity returning. There's some big ideas at play here, and the first act is great when it focuses on the humans returning back and wondering if they even should.

Unfortunately, it's the title that lets the film down - there's barely any kaiju in this film apart from Godzilla, and he's GREAT! Big, bulky, a literal part of this abandoned Earth and its true king, a fantastic design... but it's the "planet of the monsters" with about four monsters. I know they are being saved for the other two films, but most of the second half is just mechs and spaceships shooting Godzilla, which is fun but not exactly intellectual.

Japan's recent government failings and natural disasters are satirised and critiqued in Shin Godzilla, the most flagrantly satirical and scathing film for a very long time. "I know writers who use subtext and they're all cowards" applies to this film most blatantly since 1954, using the Fukushima meltdown and rise in nationalist sentiment as the backdrop to explore bureaucratic government failings. It shows how easy disasters can happen with neglectful leaders trying their hardest to protect their own reputations over public safety.

Godzilla slowly evolves into the familiar figure, beginning at first as a screaming nuclear blob evolved from decades of government waste, fraud and abuse, making this the most distinct incarnation yet. Legendary's Godzilla existed to prove the Big G still had more stories to tell, and Toho's response was to tell that new story, offering a fresh perspective that plays more like a dark comedy than a kaiju film. It's an interesting companion piece to Your Name, another film rife with subtext over the 2011 disasters, as well as to Bong Joon-Ho's The Host.

The second American attempt at Godzilla, naturally, requires a Brit in the director's seat to get it right. What Gareth Edwards understands is scale, scale, scale - the crush of Godzilla's foot, the idea that humans are just tiny, tiny insects compared to the gargantuan might of the monsters.

This is expanded upon in the other Monsterverse films, but what I think Edwards *really* understands is something Godzilla 2000 was attempting to do - in a world where giant monsters run freely, of course there'll be some sort of fascination to follow or track them. Humans can't understand these colossal beings, but perhaps they can't be understood.

Incorporating everything from the recent Fukushima disaster to America post-9/11, Godzilla 2014 gets right everything Emmerich got wrong. Sure, the human characters are NOT great, which stops it from being a grade-A classic of the series, but it's still a film that puts the GOD in Godzilla.

I watched nearly the entire Milennium era in a single day, and that's after nearly a WEEK of nothing but Godzilla, so I feel like I'm justified in being a bit bemused why for the 50th anniversary of GODZILLA what feels like half the film is dedicated towards kung-fu fights with 2000s bad guys in leather cloaks getting into karate and gun battles with a retired MMA fighter. Who wants to kill Godzilla with a KATANA. WHAT?

The kaiju are, weirdly enough, in the background. When they fight, it's great! Lots of fantastic little cameos, although the main appeal - Godzilla fights his way through his rogue's gallery - is lost when they don't receive the primary focus a lot of the time. There was so much opportunity to explore the different eras and the evolution of the storytelling, but it's confusingly a total reboot, ignoring even the original film. It's like if the Doctor Who 50th anniversary ignored the last 50 years and was about some d-list antagonist from one previous story having karate battles with Space UNIT. WHAT is this film?

I don't hate it, but it's such a bizarre way to see out 50 years of Godzilla. Destoroyah feels like a much better tribute, and because this era kept resetting it means Final Wars has to start from scratch. What a strange entry into a strange, strange franchise. And then... nothing... for a decade...

It's the same film.

IT'S THE SAME FILM.

Except Akane goes away. Boooooo! If this film followed her story directly, we'd be looking at another top class instalment. Instead, Tokyo SOS just feels like a greatest hits of so many other stronger Godzilla films, from Honda's classic Mothra vs Godzilla to Terror and Against Mechagodzilla. It's the last film, with Mothra thrown in. And it feels very rushed, with many of the same plot points with weaker characters and Mechagodzilla is still the MVP, but this just feels like diminished returns. Fun fights, but that's all this really has.

This is the Pacific Rim sequel (prequel? It was over a decade earlier) that we deserved, Mechagodzilla being constructed and operated by humans allows for some really strong human characters, with Yumiko Shaku as Akane Yashiro being one of my all time favourite Godzilla characters, if not my number one favourite. She makes a huge mistake at the beginning of the film, and has to earn that respect back, fighting the Japanese patriarchy to prove she can fight Godzilla back too.

This is character driven Godzilla done right. And the fights, always a highlight of this era of Godzilla, are insanely great. You feel every punch and this version of Mechagodzilla, built from the bones and remains of the original 54 Godzilla, is perhaps the best metaphor for man using a monster to destroy a monster that the series has.

After a couple of false starts, THIS is the film that feels like a response to the Tristar 98 film. A Godzilla film ABOUT something, that proves the kaiju formula can be used for more than just fighting. Whilst there's a LOT of fighting here, it's impactful due to the storyline - a raging, vengeful ghost Godzilla, created from the souls of the dead of World War II, seeks to destroy Japan, in doing so becoming the very thing that created it in the first place.

This is without question the most sadistic, downright *evil* Godzilla of all time, with some outright morbid imagery and actions, and I love how the film subverted many of the series' tropes, from a heroic King Ghidorah to everything the humans do being utterly useless. Only nature itself can tame this monster. The only real criticism beyond the mouthful of a title is I wish it committed 100% to the serious tone akin to the original or Minus One, as the comic relief feels out of place.

Of all the Godzilla films ever made, it's one of them. It's Godzilla fighting a giant bug created from a black hole, and that is the beginning and end of the narrative. Nothing here is done in a more interesting way than other films, and I don't understand why this was another continuity reboot when it could've followed Millennium very well.

Some welcome strong female roles and a fantastic final fight - a highlight of Millennium era Godzilla so far - lift it up from the reall dour Showa era ones, as it was quite entertaining when Godzilla was on screen. But, yeah, this one is certainly a film. Not much to say beyond this being the one with the Godzilla belly flop.

This is a weird one. Rushed out a year after Tristar's film so Toho can show how it's done, the film feels very of its time, whilst also feeling like a Heisei film in all but production style. It feels plot wise like an old Ishiro Honda vehicle though, focusing on Godzilla trackers who track down Big G like weather events... and there's a UFO. What?

This is so bizarre, it's like it's flexing itself as a greatest hits promo by encoming the styles of both existing eras, but there's also long stretches of quite dull human stuff, unexplained aliens and awkward CGI. It's certainly novel though, for a rush job it's very well put together. The final fight and scene though are PERFECT, and this is an excellent rendition of Godzilla himself

I mean... it's not the worst thing ever. Certainly not a Last Airbender-style trainwreck where it works as neither an adaptation or a film, it's mildly fun when it re to BE a Godzilla film, but an extended riff on Jurassic Park's third act is where the first American attempt at Godzilla loses me.

The way I see it, if the characters and setting were moved to Japan and this was a Toho film, it would still be pretty weak. The story is poor, the characters annoying, and there is nothing to SAY. And if there is nothing to say, then I expect cool monsters beating the shit out of other cool monsters. But Zilla (as he has been rechristianed) is barely in the film, so what's left? Jurassic Park, except it's a bit shit. Ironically Jurassic Park is a better Godzilla film.

The effects are pretty good for the time, and on its own it's a mediocre turn your brain off film with unintentional hilarity, but you can see why Toho prematurely ended the Big G's homeland hibernation. The same year Blade fired the first shots of the superhero boom, Godzilla 98 ended any attempt at kaiju glory for well over a decade.

Whilst Terror of Mechagodzilla had a feeling of unintentional finality to it, Destoroyah was planned from the start to bring the Heisi era to an end, which makes you wonder why it wasn't the 40th anniversary film, cause I've had a good time with 90s Godzilla but one of the post-Ghidorah films could've probably been sacrificed (not you Space Godzilla my beloved).

Maybe it IS because I've just sat through this whole run over a few days, but I definitely felt something here, made even more prominent by what I watched next. With a massive scope and feel, an increased production value, a booming score and direct links to the 1954 film, including a surprise cameo, Destoroyah wraps up the themes of this run perfectly - that of man's inability to understand or control Godzilla, that he exists to represent man's follys and mockery of nature. The best fights, the best emotional impact, this run of Godzilla has been a total blast (pun intended), and I'm gonna miss it.

1. Princess Mononoke
2. Whisper of the Heart
3. Spirited Away
4. Castle in the Sky
5. The Tale of The Princess Kaguya
6. The Boy and the Heron
7. My Neighbor Totoro
8. When Marnie Was There
9. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
10. Only Yesterday

...plus 11 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
2. The Terminator
3. Predator
4. True Lies
5. Last Action Hero
6. Maggie
7. Conan the Barbarian
8. Total Recall
9. Commando
10. The Last Stand

...plus 8 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

So versatile and eccentric is Cage's filmography, particularly in recent years, that it seems he has now become the main selling point that transcends plot, genre or anything else. These films would not exist without Nicolas Cage - he is now a genre in his own right, all having much more in common with each other than their genres. They are bizarre, off-kilter and seemingly exist just to have Nicolas Cage do things weirdly. There's no other films like them.

1. Vampire's Kiss
2. Time to Kill
3. The Rock
4. Con Air
5. Face/Off
6. Bringing Out the Dead
7. Adaptation.
8. The Weather Man
9. The Wicker Man
10. Knowing

...plus 16 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Face/Off
2. Raising Arizona
3. Lord of War
4. Pig
5. Dream Scenario
6. Longlegs
7. Mandy
8. Matchstick Men
9. Leaving Las Vegas
10. Red Rock West

...plus 59 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Lawrence of Arabia
2. Everything Everywhere All at Once
3. The Godfather Part II
4. The Godfather
5. Parasite
6. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
7. Unforgiven
8. The Last Emperor
9. Ben-Hur
10. Gandhi

...plus 34 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Bullet in the Head
2. Lust, Caution
3. Hard Boiled
4. A City of Sadness
5. Red Cliff
6. Red Cliff II
7. The Grandmaster
8. Hero
9. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
10. Infernal Affairs

...plus 8 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Face/Off
2. Bullet in the Head
3. Red Cliff
4. Red Cliff II
5. The Killer
6. Hard Boiled
7. A Better Tomorrow
8. Windtalkers
9. Silent Night
10. Once a Thief

...plus 4 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Lust, Caution
2. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
3. The Wedding Banquet
4. Pushing Hands
5. Sense and Sensibility
6. Life of Pi
7. Ride with the Devil
8. Hulk

It's the big G's 70th birthday this year, so I'm watching every single Godzilla film to celebrate. Will rewatch some Monsterverse ones to jog my memory with a greater understanding of the franchise and how they fit in.

Every.

Single.

One.

1. Godzilla Minus One
2. Godzilla
3. The Return of Godzilla
4. Godzilla vs. Destoroyah
5. Shin Godzilla
6. Godzilla vs. Hedorah
7. Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah
8. Mothra vs. Godzilla
9. Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack
10. Godzilla vs. Biollante

...plus 28 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

So my brain doesn't permanently break over watching Godzilla fight rubber monsters for a week, a totally unrelated list about times a director's second film was great or important in some way, sometimes even better.

• Cabaret

  Bob Fosse

• The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

  Tobe Hooper

• Jaws

  Steven Spielberg

• Assault on Precinct 13

  John Carpenter

• Days of Heaven

  Terence Malick

• The Deer Hunter

  Michael Cimino

• Alien

  Ridley Scott

• Life of Brian

  Terry Jones

• The Elephant Man

  David Lynch

• Mad Max 2

  George Miller

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

1. The Girl Who Knew Too Much
2. Blood and Black Lace
3. A Bay of Blood
4. Black Sabbath
5. Planet of the Vampires
6. Kill, Baby... Kill!
7. Black Sunday
8. Danger: Diabolik
9. Five Dolls for an August Moon
10. Baron Blood

...plus 1 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

When ranking a King film, two things must be considered - its strengths as adaptation, and its strengths as a film divorced from the source material. Plus personal preferences of course. If it's a well made film but a poor adaptation (glares at Kubrick) it can only get so far, conversely a film that improves on a weaker King book gets higher.

1. Carrie
2. The Mist
3. The Shawshank Redemption
4. Doctor Sleep
5. Misery
6. Creepshow
7. The Green Mile
8. Christine
9. The Monkey
10. Stand by Me

...plus 12 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• Seven Samurai
• Godzilla
• Lawrence of Arabia
• A Fistful of Dollars
• For a Few Dollars More
• The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
• Night of the Living Dead
• The Big Boss
• Cabaret
• The Godfather

...plus 112 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Top 200, compiled from two lists, in release order so to not totally mess my brain trying to rank them.

• Nosferatu
• Metropolis
• Pandora's Box
• City Lights
• The Great Dictator
• Citizen Kane
• Casablanca
• Seven Samurai
• Godzilla
• Vertigo

...plus 190 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
2. Full Metal Jacket
3. Paths of Glory
4. A Clockwork Orange
5. Spartacus
6. The Killing
7. The Shining
8. Barry Lyndon
9. Eyes Wide Shut
10. 2001: A Space Odyssey

Some directors only made one film, these are the best of the true one hit wonders. I am leaving out any films from anyone whose debut is within the last few years and could make another, and if Keanu Reeves decides to make a long awaited second film like Michael Keaton I will gladly remove him from the list. Most of these films are by directors who died tragically too soon to complete another film.

• The Night of the Hunter

  Charles Laughton

• Johnny Got His Gun

  Dalton Trumbo.

• Godzilla vs. Hedorah

  Yoshimitsu Banno

• The Way of the Dragon

  Bruce Lee

• UHF

  Jay Levey

• Whisper of the Heart

  Yoshifumi Kondō

• Man of Tai Chi

  Keanu Reeves

• Last Night in Soho
• Pig
• tick, tick... BOOM!
• Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
• Nightmare Alley
• No Time to Die
• The Last Duel
• Boiling Point
• Candyman

1. Kingdom of Heaven
2. Alien
3. Matchstick Men
4. The Last Duel
5. Gladiator
6. Blade Runner
7. Black Hawk Down
8. The Martian
9. Thelma & Louise
10. The Duellists

...plus 6 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Oldboy
2. The Handmaiden
3. Thirst
4. Decision to Leave
5. t Security Area
6. Lady Vengeance
7. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance
8. Stoker
9. The Moon Is... the Sun's Dream
10. I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK

1. Starve Acre
2. Lost River
3. Morbius
4. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
5. Terminator Genisys
6. Patient Zero

1. Raging Bull
2. The Godfather Part II
3. Taxi Driver
4. Brazil
5. The King of Comedy
6. Once Upon a Time in America
7. Heat
8. The Irishman
9. The Deer Hunter
10. Cape Fear

...plus 14 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Raging Bull
2. Taxi Driver
3. The Wolf of Wall Street
4. Bringing Out the Dead
5. The Age of Innocence
6. Killers of the Flower Moon
7. The Last Temptation of Christ
8. The King of Comedy
9. The Aviator
10. Shutter Island

...plus 11 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Batman Returns
2. Batman
3. Beetlejuice
4. Toy Story 3
5. The Paper
6. Spider-Man: Homecoming
7. Pacific Heights
8. Clean and Sober
9. The Merry Gentleman
10. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

...plus 9 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Batman Returns
2. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
3. Ed Wood
4. Edward Scissorhands
5. Batman
6. Beetlejuice
7. Big Fish
8. Sleepy Hollow
9. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
10. Frankenweenie

...plus 3 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Toy Story 2
2. Up
3. Ratatouille
4. WALL·E
5. Turning Red
6. Finding Nemo
7. Toy Story 3
8. Inside Out
9. Toy Story
10. The Incredibles

...plus 6 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Hamlet
2. Henry V
3. Thor
4. Belfast
5. A Haunting in Venice
6. Dead Again
7. Much Ado About Nothing
8. All Is True
9. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

1. Kingdom of Heaven
2. V for Vendetta
3. Lord of War
4. Munich
5. War of the Worlds
6. Serenity
7. Lady Vengeance
8. The Descent
9. Sin City
10. Hard Candy

1. There Will Be Blood
2. Lust, Caution
3. Sunshine
4. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
5. Hot Fuzz
6. The Mist
7. Ratatouille
8. The Orphanage
9. Zodiac
10. Atonement

1. The World's End
2. Blue Is the Warmest Color
3. The Wolf of Wall Street
4. Snowpiercer
5. Pacific Rim
6. The Tale of The Princess Kaguya
7. The Double
8. Locke
9. Prisoners
10. The Grandmaster

1. Whiplash
2. Nightcrawler
3. John Wick
4. X-Men: Days of Future Past
5. When Marnie Was There
6. Gone Girl
7. Guardians of the Galaxy
8. The Babadook
9. Interstellar
10. Paddington

• Mad Max: Fury Road
• Burn Burn Burn
• Inside Out
• The Witch
• The Martian
• High-Rise
• Crimson Peak
• Krampus
• Room
• The Daughter

1. Your Name.
2. Arrival
3. The Handmaiden
4. A Silent Voice: The Movie
5. Train to Busan
6. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
7. Hunt for the Wilderpeople
8. The Wailing
9. Zootopia
10. Deadpool

1. Logan
2. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
3. Get Out
4. One Cut of the Dead
5. Paddington 2
6. John Wick: Chapter 2
7. Okja
8. The Shape of Water
9. Star Wars: The Last Jedi
10. Sweet Country

1. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
2. Hereditary
3. Mandy
4. Black Panther
5. Leave No Trace
6. Game Night
7. Bad Times at the El Royale
8. Avengers: Infinity War
9. Prospect
10. Mission: Impossible – Fallout

1. Jojo Rabbit
2. Parasite
3. The Farewell
4. Avengers: Endgame
5. Us
6. Doctor Sleep
7. 1917
8. Ad Astra
9. The Irishman
10. Knives Out

1. Godzilla Minus One
2. John Wick: Chapter 4
3. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
4. Dream Scenario
5. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
6. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
7. Oppenheimer
8. Killers of the Flower Moon
9. ages
10. The Beast

I've seen enough of this excellent year in cinema that I wanna do a separate list, will try and work on one list for every year.

1. Everything Everywhere All at Once
2. Pearl
3. Decision to Leave
4. Turning Red
5. Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio
6. Prey
7. Glass Onion
8. Aftersun
9. Nope
10. RRR

The complete filmographies of the six Monty Python cast , in surname order - Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin. Gilliam and Jones will be represented by their directing work as well as their on-screen performances, I will note if they are not in the film. Obviously the films sometimes have more than one of them but I can't list a film more than once.

• The Magic Christian
• Doctor in Trouble
• The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer
• The Statue
• And Now for Something Completely Different
• Monty Python and the Holy Grail

  Directed by Jones and Gilliam.

• The Odd Job
• Life of Brian

  Directed by Jones.

• Monty Python's The Meaning of Life

  Directed by Jones.

• Yellowbeard

...plus 138 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Every film (including the Batman films) of every feature film Batman - Adam West, Michael Keaton, Kevin Conroy (Mask of the Phantasm GOAT), Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Christian Bale, Will Arnett, Ben Affleck and Robert Pattinson. If anyone wants to do a marathon, this is the list - have seen similar (very helpful) lists for the Doctors and Bonds, here's my small contribution. Excluding parts of TV shows not seperately released as a feature, so no Family Guy or Justice League animated series.

• Voodoo Island
• The Young Philadelphians
• The FBI Story
• Geronimo
• Tammy and the Doctor
• Soldier in the Rain
• Robinson Crusoe on Mars
• The Outlaws Is Coming
• Mara of the Wilderness
• The Relentless Four

...plus 467 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Franchises which only needed one film, or rather franchises where I've seen the first and have no interest in any others or nothing I've seen justifies any further expansion. No sequels, no remakes.

• Jurassic Park
• Ghostbusters
• Pacific Rim
• The Crow
• Jaws
• Psycho

1. Alien
2. Snowpiercer
3. V for Vendetta
4. The Elephant Man
5. Nineteen Eighty-Four
6. Hellboy
7. A Man for All Seasons
8. Watership Down
9. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
10. The Shout

...plus 10 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Of course we all know the most accurate one is Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, where nothing was embellished or made up at all.

• Lawrence of Arabia
• Becket
• Patton
• 10 Rillington Place
• Serpico
• The Story of Adele H.
• The Bronte Sisters
• Raging Bull
• The Elephant Man
• Gandhi

...plus 8 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Videodrome
2. The Fly
3. Dead Ringers
4. The Dead Zone
5. The Brood
6. Crimes of the Future
7. A History of Violence
8. Scanners
9. A Dangerous Method
10. Rabid

...plus 2 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. The Thing
2. Prince of Darkness
3. Halloween
4. They Live
5. In the Mouth of Madness
6. Assault on Precinct 13
7. Escape from New York
8. Starman
9. Big Trouble in Little China
10. Christine

...plus 4 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

I've seen at least three films from every year since 1960, so I can go from there. Need to watch more pre 1960.

• Psycho
• Yojimbo
• Lawrence of Arabia
• The Girl Who Knew Too Much
• Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
• Planet of the Vampires
• The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
• The One-Armed Swordsman
• The Lion in Winter
• On Her Majesty's Secret Service

...plus 54 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Possession
2. Jurassic Park
3. Event Horizon
4. The Piano
5. In the Mouth of Madness
6. Hunt for the Wilderpeople
7. Sweet Country
8. The Daughter
9. Dean Spanley
10. Sleeping Dogs

...plus 9 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• Last Night in Soho
• Eileen

1. Donnie Darko
2. Nightcrawler
3. Zodiac
4. Velvet Buzzsaw
5. Okja
6. Prisoners
7. Spider-Man: Far From Home
8. Brothers
9. Life
10. Nocturnal Animals

...plus 3 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. The Nice Guys
2. Gladiator
3. L.A. Confidential
4. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
5. 3:10 to Yuma
6. American Gangster
7. Robin Hood
8. The Insider
9. The Quick and the Dead
10. A Beautiful Mind

...plus 1 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. John Wick: Chapter 4
2. John Wick
3. Speed
4. Bram Stoker's Dracula
5. John Wick: Chapter 2
6. The Matrix
7. John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum
8. The Devil's Advocate
9. River's Edge
10. Man of Tai Chi

...plus 6 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.