4v291o
Nearly a 3.5… it is very fun and very well done, great little stories but the dialogue is so wooden it kept me from being swept away - the newr dialogue free samurai section is a humdinger tbf. Leaves me extra excited for the live-actioner.
]]>
couple of times… more than a couple, in fact, this got me good. that funny old feeling behind the eyes… anyway, the animation is fantastic and voice work top notch. the third act crisis feels standard/inevitable, and there’s a nagging feeling that the whole film has been laser-honed and workshopped for maximum feels - but I won’t/can’t/don’t hold that against it. It’s a very good film.
]]>
Pretty weak; boring too. The satire is limp, dialogue a whole lot of nothing and story repetitive and obvious. Skip.
]]>
I was an ant apologist, so po-faced and dumb and fun… this? this is just bad. Affleck, I’m an Affleck apologist too… but he’s totally off here, his line readings and characterisation stink. The story is over-egged boring tosh, when all it needs is a fun through line for the action - and then do good action. This can’t even give action, and gives it so late in the flick. And fuck this film for thinking it can be funny, like it ‘knew’ the first one was in on the joke. It wasn’t. You broke it. Now fuck off and disappear.
]]>
Left me very cold this time round; despite great ideas and an English countryside aesthetic of my youth but it just falls very flat. It’s all so inert though, and uninvolving. Lots of ‘acting’. Syrupy score.
]]>
Far too overwrought… never mind overlong. Why do the stakes have to be so ruddy high? Barely feels like a Mission movie until the final biplane hurrah (a finale that is structural copy of Fallout finale).
The first hour is positively fantasy sci-fi; Dr Strangelove without the jokes and twice the exposition.
The next bit is an Abyss riff with nods to 2001… and when I say Abyss, I mean the boring bit when Ed Harris is falling forever falling.
I really rate McQuarrie but he’s written himself into a corner here. It doubles down on the worst problems of Dead Reckoning (much like Ethan doubles down the twat). Every scene is emotionally overloaded and yearning for feeling and meaning, and it’s just flat. I want ann effing mission. Do a mission.
]]>
This is just about kinda fine. (rewatched with mother).
So much of the first half (two thirds?) is just clunky, the story herking and jerking along. Clearly there are production reasons why, but that shouldn’t be the viewer’s concern.
The submarine tease: yeh, like it; the allusions to the Entity are confusing
The sandy desert Isla bit: fine, dont mind it
The government info dump: dont like it, clunky; cross talking stakes waffle (the opposite of the amazing macguffin set up of Raiders)
The Middle Eastern airport: this sequence just doesn’t click; it should, but doesn’t somehow
The Rome car chase: the fun clicks in, in the main
The Vienna Party info dump: dont like it, clunky; the White Widow doesnt work as a character, too much chatty chat macguffin blah blah; it does then finally click into gear with Ilsa’s finale and Tommy’s odd alley fight though (Pom is the bomb in this)
The Train; yes, yes yes, tick tick boom, stars aplenty
Overall, a step down from Fallout, which was a step sideways and sort of up/down from Rogue Nation, which also was a step sideways up/down from Ghost P, which was a step down from MI:3, which was many steps up from Mission 2, which was a catastrophic step down from Mission 1, (which was, and is, and remains the best of the series.)
]]>
Offbeat, oddball and slight - this is a very good film. Didn’t quite warrant a rewatch, but this is definitely one to (single) watch. Fassbender is fantastic, the deadpan jokes generally land and its lacerating critique of its deluded would-be creative hero stung me just as much now as it did on first viewing.
]]>
The opening of this flick is superb; I was flinching to buggery at every jolt of said ‘Flight’. It also has Denzel is in my favourite Denzel mode: boozing too much, self loathing, shameful past (if this isn’t the unofficial sequel to Courage Under Fire I’ll eat my hat).
But then the soul-searching drama of it all gets dialled up a little too much and it inexorably becomes AA: The Movie… which is fine… I spose, but every scene feels overegged like it’s the key moment from a trailer. I don’t mind one explain-the-movie-and-drama-and-stakes ‘trailer’ scene, but this keeps serving them up one after the other.
I liked it a lot though.
I’m drunk right now
A slow-burner but I really appreciated how it didn’t spell things out. Solid enough; suggests a promising filmmaker duo up there with Moorhead/Benson. With this and the likes of Flashback, I’m becoming a Dylan O’Brien guy.
]]>
The music of it all is pretty great, and there’s some lovely moments… but Timmy C just doesn’t have it. The lad can play, but he can’t act (here). A thin performance from a thin actor.
]]>
The story is an absolute shambles; woefully episodic, the whole thing feels like wading through treacle. A shame, because some of the episodes are so promising - the train heist being the highlight. Alden could have been great too; Glover is a charisma vacuum as is Clarke, while Waller-Bridge is a series low. Woody and Bettany get the brief, alas it’s all
for nought. Not fussed about Lord & Miller (the film bros’ Russos) so would love to imagine the shit bits are theirs.
felt fresh and fun back in the day, but ooof is it a dated slog now. sure, some lovely Chan bit and one great line from Wilson, but this has no business being 110 effing mins.
]]>
Marvel doles out some hack have-a-hug-therapy. Sort of interesting, Pugh’s great; the story cogs positively grind along, but not aggravatingly. Boring asterisk reveal. A bit of a step up, but the bar is so low at this point whoop di do. I didn’t mind it, all told. If
you’d never seen any other Marvel movie there is zero here - these flicks really need to stand on their own two legs.
I really like this; solid crime business, neatly told - takes itself super seriously (to its credit).
]]>
Exceeded the very low expectations; initially I easily got on board a good dad trying to save his own skin.
Shyamalan sets a wonderfully stupid simmer in the first 50 mins, but lets his crock(ofshit)pot boil over once the concert trap is slipped.
Hartnett is great fun; I loved his facial tics, the casual carnage he causes is lols (drunk girl down the stairs; deepfat fryer girl).
The the merch guy knowing what’s going on was hilarious.
Of course, M Night fluffs plenty, not least when he seems to think the film is suddenly about his daughter the pop star. Boo! She stinks mate!
But… I can’t help be excited: given the ominous repetition of the word ‘monster’, I am eagerly anticipating another waffly mad Unbreakable-Split-Glass-esque trilogy. (vital note: Trap aint no Unbreakable obvs).
Let’s start spitballing the trilogy names please!
I’m going with: Trap-Release-Nest.
]]>
This is an ugly ugly film. To look at. To experience. A shambles too. Tom Hardy has rarely been more loathsome. The cgi cityscapes and car chases are pitiful… is it irable perhaps that Evans has tried to bring Hollywood to Wales? No. Wrongheaded more like. All the weight and realism of his first two masterworks flung out the window. First Netflix flushes Duncan Jones down the bog, and now Gareth too. Absolutely livid.
]]>
A really really really good film; has the familiarity of genre, but with so much depth and surprising/offbeat story moments. A low-key banger / George’s Moneyball.
]]>
If I take a dump will it go back up my arse?
A sweet Fawlty Towers-esque time-looping farce - great idea to have everyone in on the loops. Charmingly lo-fi and very well executed… but does wear a little thin.
a very good elaboration on the first Callister, clunky gamer stuff aside this earned its stripes.
]]>
Felt like someone explaining an idea to me than watching a story. Fun idea though; needed a ton more Will Poulter. The stakes were zero and I didn’t care about any of the characters.
]]>
Caveat: Watched this is two chunks, with a three week break in between.
It’s decent, I liked and appreciated it a lot more this time - it really works that there’s no world-ending threat looming. Baddie Bruehl does feel a tad wasted though.
It does feel too long; but worthwhile practice for Infinity War perhaps.
]]>
I enjoyed this a lot; reminded me of Longlegs, but it stuck the landing. It gets a bit bogged down come the reveal, but Schafer is very good and Dan Stevens is superb. Looks great, nicely odd, solid artsy modern horror.
]]>
Gerwig is a force of nature, a real joy to be around. This light, deep, lovely.
]]>
This is gently and lovely… until it rips your guts out. My son had been fairly poorly in the run up to rewatching this, so that may not had helped but as the mid second act built up to ‘that bit’ with Beth I was in pieces. Gerwig’s structure is superb - bringing together Beth’s recovery/end is an absolute masterstroke. The story tapers off a bit, but as a slightly meta interrogation of the writing of the book and the challenges women face it remains compelling. A very good film.
]]>
Films in the ‘war is hell’ genre thus far from the big hitters of Oliver Stone, Clint Eastwood, Stevie Spielberg, Peter Berg; Ridley Scott etc, whatever their merits, always veer into the overblown: hacky dialogue, clumsy voiceover, overegged story and Hollywood histrionics.
Garland and Mendoza distill the horror to the bare essentials, junk the patriotism, cod philosophy and character arcs, and dial up the boredom, stress, and gunfire. A superbly made flick, though not sure how long it’ll hang around my brain (a la Civil War).
A must-see for Garland guys.
]]>
A real mixed bag. I wasn’t filled with confidence at the One Day Earlier intro - always smacks of a lack of trust in the audience. But the next wonderfully patient character/history/place set up lured me right in. Coogler’s doing it all right - I’m caring about the characters so it matters when the vampiric shoe drops.
And then dusk of this Dusk till Dawn falls… and it all falls to pieces. Too silly to be scary, with action too brief and clumsily shot and edited to have any impact, and when the characters I’ve come to care for do meet their particular ends, it falls flat. The tone veers from a near parody of test scene from The Thing to histrionics of having to kill an infected loved one. I don’t mind a vampire film playing the greatest hits but if you’re not going to play them different, play them better.
By the time Michael B Jordan gets his hands on a Tommy gun for some righteous killing it’s too little too late. Also, the score is oppressive; fitting tunes, but (badly) noticeable.
Worth a watch for the world building and the fantastic performances from Delroy Lindo and Wunmi Mosaku.
]]>
Nice, back-to-basics Black Mirror. Lovely cast, tight tale… a very silly Dr Who-esque shoe that finally drops, but at least this one was fun. Won’t have the repeat watch factor of the C4 years.
]]>
been nearly 20 years… i’d dismissed it in my mind as one of those twee indie nonsense films. it’s really good, not perfect, but delivers a nicely anti-establishment message without bottling it. looks great, great cast, worthy of being in the canon.
]]>
have fond memories of the original, but not hugely fussed about it - seemed like brandon lee’s tragic death made the film important, as opposed to the film being any good (will rewatch it now to check).
the premise is guff of the lowest order, so a remake seems pointless. and this remake feels pointless, though fka twigs is disarming and fun, and it tries to do some interesting things. but it’s an hour 20 mins until the proper carnage kicks in. inexcusable really.
and please please please, can all opera/ballet scenes be banned from low rent action films like this? absolutely ruins a lovely bit of silly spatter.
]]>
invents a thing that no one would do to make a scathing point about broadband/smartphone contracts. not sure why. ken loach already made this point better; this is dreary, and then folds in old black mirror ‘fuck a pig or something bad will happen’ gubbins for extra heft. black mirror has been mainly guff since netflix (except the exceptional bandersnatch obvs). and yet I continue to rate brooker. 🤷
]]>
I was really disappointed with this at the cinema, and have continued to be baffled by its critical and fan approval. What was I missing?
There’s some good stuff here, of course: the action is superbly shot and cut, and there are some lovely details, Baby rewinding the Damned song to make up for a delay in a heist; him flicking through radio channels to find the right tune to escape; Spacey clearing away toy cars…
But it has glaring faults: Baby is a bellend; the dialogue is weak and come the third act pun-tastically guff; oh and the third Hamm showdown finale just keeps going and going, spinning its overblown wheels.
Chop 30 mins out of this, easy.
Wright feels like a director who has a nerd film bro shield around him now (along with Tarantino, and my man Sir Christopher). But this, World’s End and Last Night in Soho is an iffy enough run to make me question his choices. Sure, he can shoot the shit out of a flick, but he doesn’t seem to know what a good script is.
]]>
Easter Holidays / bonding with my kid.
My 9yo’s school had taken her class to see this for a cinema day (or something), and she was keen for me to watch it now it’s plopped on streaming.
Aside from some fun minions bantz this is appalling. The character design is for shit, there are no jokes, the story is a shambles, the voice acting is pathetic and Gru is one of the worst animated protagonists of all time. If you have a kid and they suggest it… get a new kid?
]]>
Technically impressive and very well made in the main, some superb and suitably shocking moments of horror, a great performance from Sizemore and a decent one from Hanks… but I just don’t like this film.
I don’t like: the slo-mo, the what-look-like-sets-but-turns-out-they-aren’t, Spielberg’s have-his-cake-and-eat-it approach of shoving the realities of war in our face all the while framing it with syrupy Hollywood storytelling; Matt Damon’s performance; how overlong it feels - god it feels long.
]]>
Watched on Sunday April 6, 2025.
]]>
My daughter was 1 when I saw this in the cinema - I found the idea of woods learning and (anti-capitalism) exceedingly invigorating. Viggo was great, the kids were fun, the Noam Chomsky song very funny. A lot of it stands up, but from the third act exhuming onwards it really blows its load. Overblown, unnecessary and very silly. It ends with such a clanging thud.
]]>
Watched on Friday April 4, 2025.
]]>
Okay, it’s not a 5*, but I think this is a great flick.
It’s not a great flick, but it hits all my film bingos (to say which ones would spoil it).
Every time I see any film dvd/streaming cover art for this, I think, ‘no, no, no, this is not the movie’. It’s totally missold and slept on and underappreciated. This isn’t Shudder cheap-o guff… it has its soft spots in the set up, but for a hustling horror/thriller flick like this, it looks great and is never cheap.
Yes, there’s mid-act story beat that is hurried/confused, but I don’t care - it’s fine, the ultimate pay off (and Melissa George’s stunning performance) is everything.
Double bill it with Timecrimes.
]]>
Lots to ire/like… forgot Cumberbatch was the chocolate assaulter, he makes sense as such a fiend and needs to get back to playing second fiendish fiddle. Joe Wright is just a syrupy theatre director, lots of craft and gets some lovely performances - but it’s all so mannered and planned and ‘filmed’. Where’s the magic? (there’s magic in Knightly and McCavoy’s chemistry, weird they didn’t do another flick).
The end, while true to the book, lands with a thud on film. Hate to say it (do I?), but based on the Dunkirk of it, and structure of the tale; Nolan would have smashed this out the park.
]]>
Always knew this as Midnight Sting, and it was on plenty Sky back in the mid-90s. A mostly agreeable con boxing flick (I say mostly, it could really do without Woods’/the camera’s lascivious treatment of Heather Graham). Louis Gossett Jr is great; as is Oliver Platt - the flick could double up on their screen time easy.
]]>
The narrative around this is nuts - it’s a live action version of Snow White. Who cares? It’s fine… in fact, some of it is really good. It’s a proper musical for starters; it knocks Wicked for six in that regard (a boring film with boring dead scenes and a few songs thrown in).
The updates to the ‘plot’ work well; Snow White is no longer an insufferable bore that loves house work - Zegler is superb btw. The songs are pretty good too. It’s still a kids flick though, so fairly boring, but its problems are all the source material.
It’s revealing the kicking it’s getting - seems that critics know no ones cares about so they can lay into it to get their clicks (whereas they wouldn’t dare say a bad word about Wicked and risk looking like a naysayer).
As I began; this is a live action version of Snow White; it’s exactly the thing it says it is and should be. My kid loved it.
]]>
As a case study for the sheer charisma of Hanks and Roberts, this is pretty good. Roberts radiates charm - that smile! in this flick! yes - in spite of (or because of?) the sadly limp material she’s given. Hanks too… why are there no laughs? Why is it barely romantic? Why are the stakes so low? Why aren’t there any life lessons (beyond ditch your loser husband)?
The Sunday afternoon sitcom energy is just weird. Why is there a scooter montage? I barely minded the fantasy of a young attractive woman sprucing up a mid-aged schlub, with said same schlub winning the heart of his drop dead gorgeous funny teacher - that’s fine! that’s Hollywood… it was all the other choices that had me baffled. Entertained too… but needled at what should have been. They probably had a great time making it. Time for another yard sale!
]]>
This went down real smooth - it got me a bit emotional; a high point of the inspirational sports + racism genre. Worth repeating the obvious: Denzel is great in this, and pairs very well with Will Patton. It’s naive and a bit soft, but the racist moments sting and it gives one hope that hate can be solved by a combo of mum jokes, The Temptations and team sports.
]]>
It’s been a week since Inside Man, and I’ve rewatched Training Day and He Got Game to dig in a bit with Denzel Washington, but it’s this, a flick I’ve never seen before that has given me a bit of an ‘aha’. I’ve taken Denzel for granted; he’s one of the greats - he’s always great, even if the film around him a bit blah. And he’s been in a fair few blah flicks. Why? I’m thinking it’s perhaps cos he’s such a star, and he’s so good, it’s rare for the film around him to contain/complement him or elevate him - he elevates (he aint no equalizer).
Anyway, back to this Courage war flick, sure it’s heavy handed and doesn’t really deliver on its Rashomon promise… but it does really let Denzel shine. He’s extra fantastic in this; man of integrity, riddled with guilt, on the booze, oozing charisma and smarts - these are the roles where we get close to what’s the full palette. A midpoint phone call scene with his wife and the final scene with his dead buddy’s parents are top top Washingon Monuments.
On to some other his 90s I’ve let slide - Pelican Brief, I’m looking at you.
]]>
Some lovely stuff going on here; looks great - Spike Lee typical visual flourishes/saturated colours/talking heads/montages are all very welcome… but it feels dramatically underpowered, too long and cliched (hooker with a heart of gold, gimme a break). Ray Allen’s stiff performance doesn’t help, and while Denzel is compelling as ever, there’s no real meat or consistency to his character. The final father vs son game is a welcome moment, but it comes too late in the day, and the final shot is a brick.
]]>
It’s my harsh feeling that Bong’s English-language films suck; I flag that in case you think I’m biased.
His English-language films suck, and this may be the worst of them. The shame of it is the clone idea is so fun and philosophically compelling, but he ditches it (along with the laughs) about an hour in.
After an hour, the story fully shifts into a insufferably shit Trumpian ‘satire’ hamfistedly overloaded with Okja sprinkles. Now I’m sure this might have felt edgy and exciting when they were filming it in 2022, but watching it now, it feels tone deaf and sad. The horror already happened: Trump won. Watching Ruffalo do a shit SNL impression of him doesn’t make me feel better, it just jars. History has made this a fool.
But never mind that nitpick… by god does this film feel long. It just keeps going (film and this review). There’s supposedly a ‘studio’ cut that tested better; I can imagine. So much of this could GO and it would improve it. Even setting up the premise, which I was sort of enjoying, is hugely overegged.
A total waste of time, money and talent.
]]>
Oooof, I had this logged as a 5*… boy is that some egg on my face. Sure, Denzel is super duper in this flick, but that doesn’t make it a 5-bagger. It’s a lovely little premise, if ludiscrously heightened, but Ethan Hawke is a real weak link and it just hangs about for far too long.
Loads better than Inside Man (partly why I watched this was to wash away the bland taste of that Spike Lee t), but this is one-man-show Denzel and nothing more. That was enough then; looking back, it’s a bit annoying - why don’t more of the films he’s in live up to him? Maybe he’s just too prolific; Devil in a Blue Dress, Malcom X, Fallen, He Got Game, Crimson Tide, Roman J Israel, American Gangster all live up to him… that’s a decent list on reflection.
Too many Safe House/2 Guns/OutofTime/Pelham/Unstoppable/Equalizing guff clouding the water.
I’ve strayed off topic. Training Day ed the time fine.
]]>
Willem Dafoe’s in this. Forgot that.
Forgot how overlong and tension-free it is too. Takes an hour (an hour!) for Denzel and Clive to have their first proper face-off. The script is far too self-satisfied, especially given the ‘twist’ is a trick that featured in a Jonathan Creek episode years earlier. There are some nice touches: the hostages have lovely ‘real people’ vibes, plus Spike throws in some police brutality jabs… but it’s all just very dull and slow and of zero consequence. Sure, Denzel’s great, as he always is in the many middling flicks he’s been in… but it doesn’t give this a .
]]>
Confidently slight, great score, nicely deadpan dialogue and a compelling enough low-stakes//mildy tense vibe keeping things ticking over. Patient, wily, sort of dull - fittingly matching Fassbender’s lead turn. I’ll take Soderbergh’s exercises in genre any day of the week though. A lot to like - just nothing to write home to Letterboxd about. (another flick woefully missold by the trailer - a trailer that can’t even be arsed to flex Tom Burke or Naomie Harris! Burke is, incidentally fantastic; and it could have used more Harris too).
]]>
Spry snappy direction and a winning Josh Hartnett (finally bringing some of that Faculty msgic he teased us with all those eons ago) make this watchable; the horribly pony script make it far harder work than it should be. How dare any (ANY) film steal the exact same hero backstory from The Last Boy Scout. Absolutely unforgiveable stuff. And here it doesn’t even make sense that Hartnett would be self-loathing about it - he did a GOOD thing, he’d be chuffed to bits.
Still, some lovely bits of carnage I wasn’t suspecting from the really ropey trailer.
]]>No Deer Hunter you say… well, it’s not vital, it’s got, as William Goldman says, ‘comic book’ logic, and isn’t really about the Vietnam war.
I’ve also broadened it out to flicks that feature Vietnam war veterans… becaus, why not?
Films I’ve not seen… didn’t make the list.
- Platoon
- Full Metal Jacket
- Dead Presidents
- Apocalypse Now
- Hamburger Hill
- Rescue Dawn
- Casualties of War
- Tropic Thunder
- Southern Comfort
- Good Morning, Vietnam
...plus 11 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>The titles so far we’ve covered on The Movies You Forgot You Forgot podcast - available now!
Films you forgot you EVEN saw in the first place… for various reasons, spanning the textbook forgettable to the so powerful you’re mind slotted it as ‘yeh, I’ve seen that, superb…’ but the specifics have faded.
- Nocturnal Animals
Superb set up…
- Blades of Glory
Near laffs…
- Life of Pi
Tea towel philosophy… gorgeous and not without merit though.
- The Adjustment Bureau
Angels.
- Revolutionary Road
Hits harder… and harder.
- Reign of Fire
Bale… becoming Bale; Matty McConnigles shines; see why Gerard Butler became a star. Dragons don’t work cinematically.
- The Science of Sleep
Let’s be creative.
- Anger Management
Annoying.
- Kingdom of Heaven
A whole lotta swash, some buckle… interesting character journerys though?
- The Ninth Gate
Such a movie, satisfyingly structured… and yet, still a europudding.
...plus 48 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>1973 is a very very tough call (Day of the Jackal, The Sting, The Wicker Man, The Exorcist); and 1975 too (Cuckoo’s Nest, Deep Red, Barry Lyndon, Three Days of the Condor)
]]>You know the rules: it’s Pick One. You can only
pick one per year….
Ooof, 1990, how to choose between Goodfellas and Miller’s Crossing??? HOW?
1992 / tough, very closely run with Hard Boiled, Resevoir Dogs, Braindead and A Few Good Men
1995 / this year is nuts. Seven, Heat, La Haine, Casino, Die Hard with a Vengeance
1998 / followed my heart, Ronin, Rushmore, Lebowski, Truman, Pi… what a choice to make?!
1999 / one of THE years… Magnolia, Sixth Sense, Fight Club, The Insider…
]]>The game is Pick One from each year… what one will you pick?
‘87/‘88 were tough calls…
]]>The game is Pick One… pick one film from each year of the 21st century. You’ll ‘know’ what that flick is…
This Pick One is by @nathanhardie…. it is also a good list.
- American Psycho
- Training Day
- City of God
- Oldboy
- Sideways
- Brokeback Mountain
- The Departed
- No Country for Old Men
- The Dark Knight
- Fantastic Mr. Fox
...plus 14 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>The game is Pick One… pick one film from each year of the 21st century. You’ll ‘know’ what that flick is…
This Pick One is by @daraghnolan… it’s a good list.
- American Psycho
- Amélie
- Punch-Drunk Love
- Memories of Murder
- Before Sunset
- Brokeback Mountain
- The Departed
- American Gangster
- Synecdoche, New York
- Fantastic Mr. Fox
...plus 14 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>That one film from every year of the 21st century. You can only pick one… so pick ONE!
- Memento
- Spirited Away
- Adaptation.
- Oldboy
- Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
- Brokeback Mountain
- The Prestige
- No Country for Old Men
- The Dark Knight
- Moon
...plus 14 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>The game is Pick One… pick one film from each year of the 21st century. You’ll ‘know’ what that flick is…
This Pick One is by Movies You Forgot You Forgot podcast co-host Joe Devine… it’s a good list (swings heavy on LoTR though).
- Gladiator
- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
- Before Sunset
- Brokeback Mountain
- Children of Men
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
- The Dark Knight
- The Road
...plus 14 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>‘Kitteridge, you’ve never seen me very upset’
(Doing this ahead of a series rewatch… rankings may change)
]]>... you just have to carry on watching this film. It compels you. ‘I’ll just watch this bit, I love this bit...’ But then the next bit comes and you love that bit too.
- Die Hard
- Aliens
- The Fly
- Gattaca
- Glengarry Glen Ross
- Good Will Hunting
- Heat
- Miller's Crossing
- Moon
- Ronin
...plus 10 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
]]>Started this list thinking it would be easy... but it turns out that De Palma has plenty of latter day guff, and he just about scrapes a Top 10 at all.
Notes/Opinions:
Mission to Mars is much maligned but actually very decent and at least bothers to be different.
Carlito’s Way is better than Scarface. Both are dated, but Scarface is a very dated.
Mission Impossible is his best film.
Most of his Hitchcock homages are great fun, Snake Eyes and Body Double in particular.
I don’t really rate Carrie.
Just because Tarantino said Blow Out is amazing, doesn’t make it so. It’s a thick man’s The Conversation/Blow-Up. Great ending though.