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Swinging back round to this one again, as ever I seem to on repeat viewings for having seen a clip in my Instagram scrollings, honestly sometimes I think it's a blessing and a curse to have subscribed to so many film centric pages, I just come away from every doom scroll session with a need to see this film, that film etc and my watchlist remains, unloved and staring at me from the corner of my room.

I Warrior being a big thing amongst the lads back in the day, I was working a spell in a call centre in 2011-12, the kind of men I'm describing by writing lads in that fashion, I'm sure you'll understand what I mean, particularly if you're British like myself. They loved it, I even saw acquaintances of mine at the time getting some of Tommy's tattoos. I've never quite got the hype of fighting, perhaps shamefully on my part I've spoken down about it as a form of sports entertainment, growing up I was an F1 kid, then Tennis and Snooker, I didn't see the class in brawling that drew me into the sports I love. An oddity to be sure on my part in hindsight, I am after all a staunch fan of action cinema and all the physical violence they come with.

As the years have lurched on, as I've mellowed and matured with them, a lot of my youthful misplaced arrogance has departed, staying all too long as it did, and I have come to find an ever increasing sense of respect and iration for anyone who gets in a ring, cage or on a mat, and throws the gauntlet down with another for a physical contest. Whilst a fictional story, Gavin O'Connor's Warrior feels like a fitting testament to that kind of respect and iration on his part.

More than anything else with this film the performances of Hardy, Edgerton and Nolte just demand one's attention and respect, it's a great later career turn from Nolte, heart-breaking and full of pathos. Edgerton might not get to play with the same kind of extroversion as his two co-stars, his battles as Brendan are more internal as is his rage, but you really feel it with Edgerton as he's in the midst of it all. What really holds your eye though is Tom Hardy, he's at his raw animalistic best in this, probably trialing a lot of the physicality he would bring to Bane a year later in The Dark Knight Rises, even if he's sat still there's this energy and aura to him in Warrior, this is a defining characteristic of Hardy as a performer, and it's such a sight to see when he's pumped up as he is here in Warrior. Terrifically enjoyable.

Upping to a full fat 5/5 because it's the right thing to do. Why I didn't do it originally is beyond me at this moment in time, but life is about righting one's wrongs isn't it?

Won't waste much time on needless words for this one today, I saw it available via Prime and just dived straight in, I mean it's been a loaded evening for me between Raging Bull and this as a double feature, but a cinematically rewarding one to be sure.

I love the choice of close-up shots Demme makes use of in this, the perspective of it, the feel of it and how it allows you to see every detail of the performances being given in of the expressions and facial contortions.

Adore this film.

I watched this when I was young, too young really, and not in the sense of oh this is some violent delight that should be kept out of the sight of children, instead it was a case of my being too young to appreciate the artistry of Raging Bull, what Scorsese and Thelma Schoonmaker achieve here in the edit, what De Niro is doing in the quiet moments before the rage overcomes him and Jake defies all sense of logic and rationale and smashes through whatever is in front of him, in the process only damaging himself, constantly again and again in what becomes a pitiful life. I was young then but I'm not anymore, and I thought I'd come back and try and see again with fresh eyes what all the fuss is about, why is this film above so many great works from Scorsese so often considered his outright best, it's a question I've long held after that initial viewing all those years ago, and tonight I think I've answered it for myself.

It's just a powerfully raw film, a timeless look at the folly of man conveyed painfully so through the story of Jake LaMotta, a rising star, a talent and an eventual champion, constantly beset by the cruelty of conceit and the mimetic nature of one's own worth and happiness, always looking outward at what isn't being given to him, or fearful of what can be taken away from him, for all his power and ability, Jake is ruled by the indifference of crippling insecurity, it plagues him in every waking moment, and makes him a violent irrational man whom those closest to him can do nought but fear the reprisal of.

I think the reason why Raging Bull wasn't a runaway success commercially in 1980 is fairly simple, coming so soon in the wake of the Rocky films being launched, I'm not sure audiences on the whole could find it in themselves to tolerate such a dour story by comparison, regardless of it's truthful origins. I think in some ways it might have been necessary for the acclaim to build slowly over time with Raging Bull, it's loudest in it's quietest scenes and ages, it's a thoughtful observation of our ability to ruin oneself in uncontrolled anger and pride. I can see why this film took a minute for people, it did for me, I mean yeah I was young but honestly watching this nearly twenty years ago there was nothing I got about it, nothing for me that I could latch onto, but now I'm onboard for it finally and I get it.

I'm genuinely surprised Scorsese didn't win for this after watching tonight, it's such a brilliantly composed picture, it should have swept the awards it was nominated for is my feeling, but I do need to watch Ordinary People and The Elephant Man, so it's just a feeling for now.

You understand immediately from just the title alone that this film is going to ruffle the feathers of a lot of people, even people who have no intention of sitting down with it, perhaps especially those people dare I say. I think it's easy to get lost in an extreme response to a film like Black or White, arguments could be made that it's an insultingly simplistic affair given it's subject matter, that seemed to be the general consensus of critics a decade ago, though I'm not sure I entirely agree.

I was thinking a lot about a later 2010s film whilst I watched Black or White, Marc Webb's Gifted with Chris Evans, another film with a heightened custody battle between a squabbling family in the wake of tragic loss, and in both films the drama can feel a little overwrought by how they both convey their stories to audiences, yes we're not in the kind of raw and heavy territory that something like Kramer vs. Kramer or even Marriage Story, but there's still some merit to what's on offer here I feel.

I really quite like Costner in this for instance, he works well with Jillian Estell as the little girl Eloise oblivious to the war being fought over her by her grandparents, I enjoy the relationship the two bring to the screen. I wasn't so sold on Spencer, the way she's playing this makes you think you're supposed to be watching a comedy at times, which feels tonally out of step with what Costner is doing. I thought Mpho Koaho as the overtly friendly and eager tutor flirted with the same issue as Spencer's performance, but I think this character was more appropriate for levity and I enjoyed his performance.

I think that's the main issue with Black or White for me, it's a little unsteady in itself as it runs along, there's potential drama at the forefront, but then these comedic bits keep popping up undercutting the heavier tone Binder's film feels like it should stick with. It's good enough for me to think positively on it, but not enough to live with something like Gifted or especially Kramer vs. Kramer.

I've been curious about returning to this film most of all in this full rerun of the series ahead of Final Reckoning this week, because I haven't seen it since the cinema and it's very easy to get swept up in a film when taking it in via the theatrical experience, that huge screen and bombastic sound system really help any film, but action films in particular really benefit from such treatment.

Looking back at the late spring/early summer of 2023, there must have been something in the water because we had three major releases that year decided to make like a banana and split, with this seventh instalment of the Mission series accompanied by Across the Spider-Verse and Fast X, and I caught all of them in theatres and walked out of all of them a little confused about the necessity for such a decision in each case, it seems a like a choice that will obviously take a hit on the individual merits of either film, that said for honesty's sake here I was floored by Across the Spider-Verse as so many of us were, and my rating for Dead Reckoning surely shows I was impressed enough with this film to come away thinking quite highly of it, however... Following on from Fallout I can't help but think this is an obvious step down from the heights this film series was at prior.

I mean in of narrative concerns I'm just not as engaged by an antagonist like "the entity", and even less so by chief henchman Gabriel, which is less to do with the performance of Esai Morales to be clear, it's just this is a first time character and they want it to be this deeply personal embitterment between Cruise's Hunt and Gabriel, so quite randomly for a film series that doesn't often reflect or reference what came before, Dead Reckoning not only does so but even mildly retcons the history of Hunt as we know it, all in an effort to achieve a sense of history between Hunt and Gabriel to make this film work, and it sort of does in the moment, but my god how much better would these Reckoning films be if Sean Harris' Solomon Lane was back on the loose, with his loyalist apostles in tow, hell bent on revenge against Ethan and his friends after they foiled their plans twice over. The film wouldn't have to work nearly so hard as it does to achieve that bitter animosity, it's there already from actual true history in this film series.

One cannot deny the impression left by the scale and scope of Dead Reckoning, it feels like the biggest film so far in the series because it is, not just in of it's set pieces or it's jet setting either, until Final Reckoning drops later on this week currently Dead Reckoning stands as the longest film in the series, the pair of them together will be close to six hours in length, which is a lot of Cruise and company engaging in stunt work spectacle, dare I say too much even? There's a creeping sense in this film that this is the case, I found watching the Rome sequence on this viewing somewhat harder going than I imagined it was going to be, I it more fondly in the cinema setting, this extended car chase sees Cruise and Atwell on the run from the Italian police, Gabriel's rogues and even Shea Whigham and Greg Tarzan Davies' CIA head hunters, it's a crowded segment for sure and sees Cruise and Atwell go from one car to another, and I just think that with these Reckoning films there was emboldening of Cruise and McQuarrie in the wake of the success of Fallout, I think they wanted to go extravagant with these films and have been afforded the opportunity to do so by Paramount, but it is feeling a touch indulgent in execution, at least here with Dead Reckoning, maybe I'll watch Final Reckoning this week and be completely bowled over and see the proof truly is in the pudding.

I mean that said I'm not dropping the rating, I know this review log is coming across a little negative, but the reality here is the same as it ever was in this McQuarrie helmed tenure of the series, the spectacle is just phenomenal to bear witness to. The action in Dead Reckoning may be needlessly drawn out and leading to overlong film, but it's such good action that you can't help but be invested in it, even if some of it is beginning to feel familiar to those with experience of the franchise and the wider action genre as whole, heck even videogames seem to be a source of inspiration as that train sequence finale feels straight up lifted from Uncharted 2. God I miss Uncharted 2's online multiplayer.

There is a lot going on in Dead Reckoning but it's mostly great stuff, Atwell is a nice new addition to the series for these final films for instance, also I like that here at the end of this long running film series, there finally is a sense of reflection on the part of Cruise not just as Ethan Hunt at the heart of it all, but also as a producer as he has been throughout the entire run since the mid 90s, I think Final Reckoning appears to be even more introspective again judging from the marketing I've seen, but then I also think that the reason the new film has had a title change, leading this film to drop the "part one" suffix in kind, and that's because unfortunately for Cruise and all involved, Dead Reckoning may have succeeded at the box office but only barely so for a film that's listed at nearly $300 million to produce, it was caught out massively by the runaway successes of 2023 in Barbie and Oppenheimer, I don't think Dead Reckoning got much a chance at IMAX screens for instance as Oppenheimer became the dominant film of that summer to be seen on the best screens.

You should have a really good time with Dead Reckoning, probably a great time even and perhaps when watched in close succession with Final Reckoning, the whole will be the best singular story in the series so far, fingers crossed eh?

I'll leave you all with this, don't play a drinking game along with this film where you drink every time you hear the word Entity... You won't make it to see Final Reckoning if you do. Also don't play that game whilst reading my review and taking a drink every time you read the word "Reckoning"... Again you won't make it to the new film.

It's so strange that the film I most anticipate sitting down for again is six films in, there's a hype train building across the other five when I do a run through of the Mission series, because I know they virtually get better and better with each entry, and soon enough I'll be back with Fallout. I suppose you could argue that regardless of the good quality of Dead Reckoning, or the sure to be good quality of Final Reckoning, I think in hindsight Fallout represents a bit of a Toy Story 3 situation, where it's just a perfect way to close out a film series... And yet on we go beyond, perhaps needlessly so.

I think Fallout succeeds more than any other film in the series because it really is firing on all cylinders, the stunts are incredible, the action intense, the group around Hunt feel tighter than ever before and we have villains up to the task of truly challenging Hunt and his allies, Sean Harris is back as Solomon Lane and this time it's truly personal between him and Hunt, and I could have done with that carrying on through to these Reckoning films in a big way.

I am sorry that Renner didn't become the mainstay I think we all wanted him to be, but new additions in Henry Cavill and Angela Bassett go some way to make up for the lack of his presence, Baldwin returns and is maybe even better in his second outing, we're also introduced to Vanessa Kirby as the daughter of Max from the first film, now she has gone from this into the Reckoning films and you understand why for seeing her here, such an assured presence in a series that's been running since she was a child, you really feel like she's been part of the tapestry of the series for far longer than just this one film.

To be fair people this has been a pretty good day, got a nice 20km walk in and then came home to this, now I'm onto Eurovision! I'll get round to Dead Reckoning tomorrow, which will be interesting because I haven't seen it since the cinema a couple years back, and it feels the further I've got from that viewing the less I've thought of the film, but then a lot of that also comes from how highly I regard Fallout, which as ever continues to grow in my already lofty estimations of this film.

I mentioned in my review for M:I-II that Woo's sophomore entry into this film series, really felt like a haphazard attempt at a Mission Impossible go at Goldeneye, six years after the fact and unfortunately more than a few dollars short. Well a decade and a half later, Cruise has brought McQuarrie in fully to the Mission film series, and they've decided to have a running go at another Bond film, bravely or madly though they weren't looking backwards this time, they decided to take on their annual stablemate with Sam Mendes' Spectre and coming out of 2015... Yeah Rogue Nation does the job properly.

I believe I mentioned it in my review for Ghost Protocol but this mid section of the series, Ghost Protocol into Rogue Nation and then Fallout, it's the high watermark of the series, I think Dead Reckoning is a great film but is a little muddled and overlong, obviously I haven't seen Final Reckoning at time or writing this, but it's even longer coming in at close to the three hour mark and whilst I'm sure it's a sight to behold in of the stunt and action spectacle, I think it seems set to fall into the same pitfalls as it's predecessor, and having this series close out with artificial intelligence as the big bad at the end of it all, however fitting such a story might seem in contemporary times, I'm afraid it doesn't get better than Sean Harris as Solomon Lane, he is the best villain in the series, I always get a kick out of his severe hate for Hunt at the end, emptying the clip into the glass and coming out of the smoke for one last enraged glare at Hunt. It's superb villainous turn from Harris, would have liked it if he had been brought back for the Reckoning films, maybe he's in the Final Reckoning and I just don't know right now.

Sadly this would prove the final time Renner appears in the series, a great shame but then he was busy with Marvel going into the years ahead, and I gather he wanted to spend more time at home as well from reading into it, which is a harder done thing with the jet setting nature of this film series, maybe he's in Final Reckoning as well maybe? We do get Alec Baldwin here though, I know he's not everyone's favourite right now, but gosh darn it folks, the man has exceptional line delivery, I caught a reel doing the rounds on Instagram of him trying to explain to Tom Hollander's Prime Minister the extreme capability of Ethan Hunt, and it's just great, I love that whole scene.

This review may contain spoilers.

It's as Mission: Impossible entered into it's third decade and fourth film that really, this is where the gears went up a notch in of action spectacle. What a demonstration of one's capabilities Ghost Protocol proves as a live-action feature debut for Brad Bird, don't get me wrong I adore what he gave us to for years prior in animation for sure, but I'm always surprised he waited this long to go into lice-action when he had this in him, albeit I understand McQ was already operating in the background to some extent.

This is where the extraordinary stunt spectacle took on another level, however impressive the set pieces were in the three films prior, which they obviously are, Ghost Protocol arrives and puts Cruise on the side of the Burj Khalifa before going ground level and giving chase in a hazy sandstorm, there is a reason it's on the poster folks and remains one of the most iconic bits from the franchise to this day.

Now in previous logs for the preceding films the past couple of days, I've noted elements of the series as a whole I'm decidedly not fond about, the chief complaint is how each film introduces us several players around Cruise's Ethan Hunt who don't seem to stick about from film to film, with the exception of Ving Rhames that is. Ghost Protocol retains the services of Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn, now operating out in the field much to both Hunt's and we as the audience's surprise, albeit for Hunt it's more a curious surprise as opposed to pleasant perhaps. I think there was perhaps a conversation had between relevant parties over the issue of this vanishing players between films, and Ghost Protocol puts a lot more onus on Hunt and his team working together to achieve the successes they do, we're introduced to Paula Patton's Jane and Jeremy Renner's William Brandt, who round out the four player team alongside Ethan and Benji, and they're great together and the film even ends on a pertinent scene, with Cruise's Ethan extolling the virtues of this team and what they accomplished on this mission. Oddly enough it's only then that Rhames appears in this film, in an uncredited cameo appearance, still though means he continues to be the only player in all this alongside Cruise to appear in every film.

Sadly this would be one and done for Patton in the series, but it's pleasing this film not only confirms Pegg as being in for the long haul, but also considerably expands his role and relevance in this series. Renner is a fantastic addition here as well, I wish he was in for the long haul as well but in fairness, the latter part of the decade would prove busy for Renner with his Marvel duties.

The thing I like most about this film is how it deftly handles the narrative situation Abrams put the series in with the third film, as much as having Ethan wanting to get out and settle down with Julie added something in the moment to the story of the third film, it was an untenable position for the series going forward and the clear ambitions Cruise still had to push the boundaries with the Mission series. Ghost Protocol neatly ties that whole thing off in the best way, it leaves that part of Ethan's life with closure for us an audience engaging with the series as a whole, but keeps Julie in play in the background if future films ever want to come back around on this relationship in Ethan's life, which of course we know now that happens quite superbly in Fallout later in the decade. I love the film that for much of the runtime we spend with Ghost Protocol, the film leads you one way about how that situation played out between films and the eventual reveal at the end, is all the more surprising and better for it.

I still have a lot of love for Ghost Protocol, for me it kick starts the high watermark run of the series going into Rogue Nation and then of course Fallout.

I mentioned before that M:I-III feels like a course correction to the right path for the film series, I think the film at once benefits and yet suffers from having Abrams at the helm, because this is a feature directorial debut and it's solid but at the same time, he was mostly known for his television work and screenwriting, and this is a big production to come in on and debut with.

I suppose my biggest complaints with this third film are how it expands the world of Ethan Hunt and the organization he works for, sadly lacking Anthony Hopkins now, but gaining players like Laurence Fishburne, Billy Crudup, Johnathan Rhys Meyers, Maggie Q and of course Simon Pegg, who would end up being the only one of this new crew who sticks around alongside Cruise and Rhames going forward, and he's great both here and going forward, but why wasn't there more of an effort to continue on with these other characters is a question I always have coming away from repeated viewings of this film, sure that's probably a complaint with the series as a whole, but when you come back to these films in reruns of the entire series... It sticks out.

Of course the other big addition to the series courtesy of Abrams' film here is the introduction of Michelle Monaghan as Julie, love interest of Ethan and seemingly the reason he's trying to get out the game, it adds some impressive jeopardy and urgency in Ethan's dealings with the antagonists of the piece in the backend of the film sure, but I think when it came to the sequels down the line on from this third film, everyone knew that it was gonna be a problem, I think the sequels handle it well though in quietly removing this as a going concern, but it does beg the question why make a problem to begin with?

In of the antagonists of the piece, well I think what really makes this film as engrossing an entry in the series as it proves to be is the fact they brought in the late great Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and he's terrific here, then again when was he not eh? The cold opening to the film has you sat up on edge immediately and you're onboard, you're in for the experience of the film ahead with the hook of that scene between Hoffman and Cruise.

Now we're still in the early phase of the series here, the set pieces of this film feel oddly quaint compared to what's coming ahead, which is a strange thing to contemplate when writing that, but it's the truth weirdly isn't it? I mean Cruise does that daring jump onto the building, but there's an eve more iconic high-rise building stunt in the next film, there's a significant set piece on the bridge as Hoffman is broken loose, but we have True Lies predating this film by over a decade and, I think it does the job better. The Vatican heist is a lot of fun though, I did really enjoy sitting down for that in full again.

Kind of funny that this is the lowest grossing film in the series, to me anyway because I don't think it's the worst entry, though currently in fairness it does sit one from the bottom for me.

I actually ran through the series a second time since ing Letterboxd once before, in the run up to Dead Reckoning I believe, however at the time I really didn't feel like revisiting the second film, it's the one I'm happy to leave a but more time between viewings in all honesty.

It's not that there isn't anything to like about Woo's contributions, he was on Cruise's radar for a reason to helm a Mission film, but I don't think his style greatly adds to the series, if anything it proves really quite distracting in execution, but now even more so when you're watching these films as a whole series. Woo is just so stylistically distinct, but it doesn't feel to mesh well for me, all the slow motion and fixation with doves and pigeons, it's always felt to me like the style factor became so much more prevalent with this sophomore outing, and it makes me a lot less interested in what's going on.

This film begins a trend in the series as well which doesn't sit well with me, the constant introduction of occasional helpers and superiors to Cruise's Ethan Hunt, who seemingly disappear quickly thereafter in the series, now I'm not so bothered about Thandiwe Newton and John Polson being one and done, but I've always thought highly of Anthony Hopkins as this shadowy superior to Hunt and so wish he had become a staple of the series, Hopkins is such a tremendous talent to lose out on going forward. Of course this film is probably the big "what if?" for Dougray Scott, he was delayed in his time making this film and playing Sean Ambrose who is supposed to represent a dark Hunt obviously, if things had gone more smoothly on the production of this film maybe he would have got to be Bryan Singer's Wolverine after all, and we in turn would never have got Jackman in that role and all that's come from that casting this past quarter century. All due respect to Scott, I'm kind of glad we don't live in that timeline.

This feels like Woo trying to make his own Goldeneye a day late and a dollar short, because we already have Goldeneye and it's sensational. Yeah it might be a while yet before I come back to Mission: Impossible II, even so the worst of the franchise as it may be, it's still a high octane action thriller that's entertaining enough, it has some iconic action and stunt set pieces in it as well for sure, there's merit to this film just not as much as what came before it or very much since.

Also strange that this film decided to go ham with some of the music choices, I'm a fan of metal so obviously I love Limp Bizkit and Metallica's contributions here... But again it's a style above all kind of choice, and that is a problem that runs through the course of this film.

Week to go people, and we have the final reckoning of Mission Impossible both practice and name now, so it seems fitting then that I would in the days between now and then return for a rerun of the series so far, not that I need much of an excuse to do so, I have always enjoyed these films.

Now the last few days I've been getting hits here on Letterboxd for all my previous log entries of these films, and I've been routinely surprised by the seeming lacklustre appetite for this first film, granted it's not the majority, most people are of a mind like mine on the matter and think very highly of De Palma's opener in this long running series, but maybe because how increasingly bold and expansive the film series has become in the near three decades since this film, with a further six films so far and a seventh launching next week that seems to be taking things to a whole new level in scale and scope, I suppose I concede that yes this film is rendered a little quaint in retrospective comparison.

However I feel that drastically undersells what a good character piece this original film functions as, which maybe the series hasn't ever managed to get back to in quality since, with the glowing exception of Fallout of course which is perfect film in so many ways, characterisation included.

I always really enjoy this film because of how clearly young and inexperienced Cruise's Ethan Hunt is here, before the recent retconning of the Reckoning films taking us back even further into Hunt's past this was it, this is the genesis of Ethan Hunt becoming who he is in all future instalments of the series, supremely confident and Uber capable as an individual operator and team leader, he learns that here in this first film after his team is lost and he's alone, he's underestimated by everyone in this story and is full of personal self doubt about the who, what and why of all that's befallen him in the wake of the betrayal that cost the lives of his team and mentor.

It's not even that Mission: Impossible is that light on action set pieces either, the vault room heist still demands your full attention no matter how many times you'll have seen it prior, and sure even though there's some degree of early digital effects work not holding up in the process, the finale with the train and the tunnel still on the whole is an impressive set piece.

I think my appreciation for Mission: Impossible only grows with the age of time, I like that it's playing a big part in the marketing for Final Reckoning, a sense of the beginning at the ending as it were.

Cinenation have a new podcast out for The Blues Brothers, it's been a joy to listen to over the weekend in work, got me in a real mood to sit back down with the film.

Now maybe it was the in-depth breakdown of the film, or the glowing conversation the gents over at Cinenation were engaged in as they gushed over the iconography and legacy of the film, but whatever it may be I have to say... I had the best time with this film in year tonight, and I have a great time with this film every time to be clear, but this may be the best viewing I've had with it in years, everything just worked a little bit more for me, the ridiculousness of the comedy sung as well for me tonight as it did three decades ago when I was first introduced to the film as a child. I was just having so much fun with this film again, a film I've watched many many times for sure by this point.

This is why it's always worthwhile to revisit films people, especially those you love, it's night like these that reaffirm my fondness for physical media and maintaining a large collection, I can just grab brilliant films like this whenever I want and settle in for a good time.

It should be obvious to anyone just looking at the poster for this, that Nonnas is not going to be the hardest hitting drama of the year, that it's comedy is going to be that little bit too niche to have the broadest appeal and yeah, it's probably going to be that little bit treacly sweet a film watch, that you're going to have to be in a certain mood to sit down with and enjoy. Luckily for me tonight I was very much in that mood, and actually the more I got into Nonnas, the more I began to quite earnestly believe this film is good enough on it's own merit to actually lift someone up into that mood for sitting down with this film.

I mean I'm surprised, I knew nothing about this film until a few days ago when Netflix began aggressively marketing it ahead of it's imminent release, I've seen nought but a poster and a brief clip of Vaughn setting the ladies off in the kitchen, I haven't seen a trailer play for this anywhere yet, and so I don't think this film is going to do the numbers it ought to, another fumble on the part of Netflix as only they can fumble film releases.

What's most surprising though is that actually watching Nonnas was such a warm and enjoyable experience, Vaughn is playing that heart on his sleeve good guy who gets things wrong, but ultimately is always trying his best, it's a routine well worn at this point for him but that's because it works people, and I genuinely love seeing him in these roles. He might be the figurehead for Nonnas but he's not the reason why the film works as well as it does, even when you throw in Joe Manganiello as a fun best friend character, with Drea de Matteo as the ive wife to both of them, and then the perfect woman that is Linda Cardellini as Vaughn's love interest, yeah while all these are great and very appreciable to me watching on, the real reason this film succeeds is the titular Nonnas themselves.

Lorraine Bracco, Brenda Vaccaro, Talia Shire and Susan Sarandon are the soul of the movie to Vaughn's heart, I think my very favourite scene in the film is the four of these legendary women in the film industry, sat around in a salon just trading stories, of life lived and love lost, of fears and desires, of hopes and regrets and honestly if this was just a two hour film of these four women just sat there chatting, I'd be as game for that if not more in all honesty. I love that a production like Nonnas comes around and is released widely on a platform like Netflix, I hope scores of younger audiences find their way to it and enjoy it for these women, and then use this as launchpad to delve into the histories and careers of these iconic women.

Honestly you can easily call out Nonnas on a lot, but considering the earnestness with which the film is put together, I think that would be missing the point. This is a film that for me operates in that area that Lasse Hallstrom tends to work his best magic in filmmaking, I'm thinking of something like Chocolat maybe, obviously less dramatic an affair here sure, but just as endearing to be sure.

Caught sight of this on sale in HMV last week, immediately began glowingly extolling the virtues of this film to my friend, and well it's been on my mind ever since and I just needed me some of that Mr. Tibbs goodness this afternoon to while away the day in the best company.

Earlier this evening I watched Skin, and I mentioned in my review log for it that I was somewhat conflicted about the nature of that film, why one such individual in that circumstance warrants such attention as to eventually get a big Hollywood film made about their story, and I've read some reviews for Stronger and that mindset seems to be brought up a lot here as well, and I get it I do, when something terrible like the Boston Marathon Bombing occurs, there's such a magnitude of human suffering and so many involved, why then one would such individual from the masses warrant more attention than the rest?

Well I think it's because when there is such an outcry of pain, it's selfishly on all our parts to varying degrees per each one of us, to just have that one person to focus on, that one element to focus in on through the din, we see it time and again in history, culture, sports, arts etc, and on the lattermost of those my biggest example is Spielberg understanding that ease of focus, and giving us the girl in the red coat in Schindler's List.

Now Jake Bauman also played a bigger role than many in helping to identify one of the bombers, and he was also thrust into the spotlight with a grimly iconic photo captured on that fateful day, so on the one hand he wanted to help and on the other, his seeming rise above others was something that was done to him as opposed through any agency on his part to put himself in such a high profile position. With Bauman already very much in the public consciousness after the bombing, people wanted to feel as if they were a part of his recovery and rehabilitation, which yes is obviously virtually impossible, but seeing him waving a flag, or going into the rehab centre and then pitching a ball ahead of a Sox game, having him there in the public eye, made a lot of people feel as if they were part of that story.

Now David Gordon Green's film and Gyllenhaal's performance as Bauman at the heart of the film, it's mostly all about Bauman feeling the weight and guilt of being put into the position he finds himself after the bombing, this bemused and grievously injured young man comes out of hospital and discovers to his dismay that he's the face a worldwide audience has latched onto that horrible day, he feels he needs to be strong for his family, for his shaky relationship with Erin and just for himself, that's a lot right there alone, but now he has to be something for everyone else as well, and especially in and around Boston where he continues to live.

For me the strength of the film is in the performance of Gyllenhaal in conveying the tortured state of Bauman, both from his injuries and this high profile life he now finds himself living, and most definitely struggling with. Throw in Tatiana Maslany as Erin, who is forced into figuring out what she does next with Jake in the pressure cooker environment the pair find themselves in, and yes I have to it that I was really won over by Stronger, I mean I'm wrapping up things a little quickly here with my review considering how much padding I started off with in this log, but I felt it necessary for having read so many low ball rating reviews, most of them questioning why Jake over all the others, and I tried and I think articulated myself well enough as to why I think that is personally.

I've seen the clip of Gyllenhaal going rage mode in the car routinely shared across social media for years, I've always been intent on actually watching the film proper, and Netflix came in big time for me this week with finally giving me "free" access to the film. Have to say whilst that scene gets the shares, it's the quieter moments from Gyllenhaal here that impress me most, and Maslany is great here as well, I only really know her from She-Hulk unfortunately and whilst I don't at all assign any blame to her for how that painfully bad show turned out, it is nonetheless a shame to associate her so much with something so regrettable, now instead I can acknowledge her for this legitimately great film.

I follow/subscribe a significant volume of film related pages and platforms, which are forever sharing stills and clips from a wide range of film and even television, there's the usual suspects being bandied about (ironically enough quite rarely the actual film The Usual Suspects), The Truman Show, Before Trilogy, Eternal Sunshine, Oppenheimer more recently and then there's always a random one that gets through, and then gets shared a lot thereafter, I imagine that it's actually a small number of people taking the time to reproduce the clips for social media formats, when they have the others scoop up their work for their own page, that is the nature of the beast unfortunately.

Skin is one of those random ones that broke through and got about the place, the scene doing the rounds is when Babs meets Julie's youngest daughter who takes a shine to his dog, it was enough to pique my interest really, as I do like Jamie Bell and this film seemed to be offering him a richly complex character to realize on screen.

Which is true, Bryon "Babs" Widner is on the surface of it a fascinating individual, an avowed neo-Nazi and white supremacist, tied to a wretched organization under the guise of family as they present themselves unnervingly. Upon meeting Julie and her daughters, something sparks in Bryon and he begins the arduous process of breaking away from the only world he's ever known to pursue a new life with her, and try to be a better person.

The thing is though as much as everyone is trying here, especially Bell in the lead role, Skin rarely manages to feel truly engaging across it's just shy of two hour runtime.

I kept thinking of Imperium as Skin played out, in so much as both films feel grubby to but possibly important, for their frankly limited mainstream existence could reach someone who needs to see these kinds of stories, so they make better choices than a character like Gavin maybe. I will say I was impressed with Bill Campbell and Vera Farmiga here, the mama and papa figures of this band of hostile supremacists hiding out in the fringes of society, they play the surface level kindliness well but when they turn on the fear factor, it leaves the impression you'd expect from such quality actors as they are in these roles.

I suppose much like Imperium before it, there's this feeling of sloppiness to my mind in it's pacing and narrative pathways in the back half of the film, even though it's all headed in the conclusive direction you know ahead of time where that goes, it doesn't come across as focussed in its running to that end point, the film feels very front loaded and then speeds to the finish line, and yeah it's a bit of whiplash with it.

I think the performances hold Skin up quite a bit though, again similar to Imperium. I don't know why there were a few high profile films in the back half of the last decade, with narratives focusing on these fringe supremacist groups, I mean I understand the importance of them of course, but they feel grubby to watch to me.

Post Review Edit:
Knocking it down to a flat 3.0, I think the performances are pretty top draw as I've said, and there is a way to argue the importance of films like Skin as I've partially conveyed, honestly if just one young person comes across Skins and it turns them away from a dark path then that's great. My thing here though is this is a story about a man who was actively dangerous for many years, and ardent believer until he wasn't, and whilst it's good that he changed and became a contributing member of society, I am nonetheless considerably conflicted on whether an individual like Bryon genuinely deserved this Hollywood treatment of his story.

I really quite enjoyed this, even as it was not quite what I expected truth be told. I was thinking there would be a bigger ramp up, maybe something like The Big Wedding off the top of my head, not a film necessarily well known or certainly not well loved, but it was the film I was thinking of most as to what I expected here, in so much as that later film brings together two unimaginable to mesh families over the course of a far more significant period of time, meanwhile The Birdcage manages to deal with it's comedy over the course of a single insane dinner evening, but it works really well don't get me wrong.

It works well because Williams, Lane, Hackman and Wiest are just superb, they're every bit the fantastic quartet of actors you would want to lead a film, of any genre really, but it's great that on this occasion it's a full on broad comedy of errors, Hackman and Lane during the dinner evening are just so much fun.

There's an acerbic tone to The Birdcage, as well as this I think Nichols film manages to fit just about every gay stereotype into it's runtime, I can't think of one that seemed to be missing, but it's underpinning is the fundamental warmth and love between Armand and Albert, I think my favourite scene might just be them on the bench reaffirming that between themselves in a quiet moment, before the insanity of the evening ahead takes hold.

I'm not entirely sure about Futterman's son Val, I know this film is from yesteryear and it's progressiveness in 1996 doesn't look as as bold and daring nearly thirty years later, and one of the things that really didn't play well for me in the film is Val, his demands of his fathers seem abhorrent to me, okay sure he's quick to embrace their true selves when the jig is up, but that scene has never felt more perfunctory a sequence as it does here in The Birdcage. This is an American film in the mid 90s, a mainstream one at that, but I watched The Sum of Us a few months ago which okay is a little Aussie indie film, but is nonetheless contemporaneous, even ahead of The Birdcage by a couple years, and I just felt that film dealt with LGBT issues and themes between parent and son in a way that felt bold for the time, and still feels impressive watching decades later. I don't have an issue with Futterman's performance, so much as I do with the objectionable characterization of Val in this story.

Really speaking though the four leads are what makes this film so entertaining and enjoyable to sit down with, they're what you come for and they deliver. I was thinking right through the film who Barbara was by the way, noted several times to be an eighteen year old girl... It's bloody Calista Flockhart, who was actually in her early thirties at the time of filming, but yeah still looks young enough to for it impressively. I was really thrown by that revelation at the end of the film and doing some reading.

I do quite enjoy this film, it's good combination of the Ritchie of yesteryear and the contemporary Ritchie we have these days, if that makes any sense to you as it does in my head.

Charlie Hunnam steals the show for me whenever I watch this, and trust me with how good everyone else is in this, it's to his great credit he still rises to the top.

Maybe I should find the time to watch that Netflix show, I haven't done much research on it but I don't believe much if any at all of the cast in this film comes back, and that kind of puts me off the idea of sitting down with it.

Okay yeah sure it's a puff piece, that really should go without saying when you take one look at what it is, but for me and my F1 loving self... I really liked this I have to say.

For a while now people have been saying that Mercedes feels fresher this year, there seems to be more fun and play in them than ever before, and Kimi is a big reason for this and you can see it in this short little puff piece documentary.

I honestly hope for nothing but the best for him going forward in his career, and I hope Bono sticks around for a fair whack of his time in the sport, if not the full duration of Kimi's time at Mercedes.

I will say though, as carefully curated a piece as The Seat obviously is, the footage captured of father and son comes across as fairly earnest and genuine, and with the family as well, and I appreciated that.

Martin Campbell certainly doesn't seem to be wanting for work these past few years, cool to see a guy who helmed some of my favourite films of all time still kicking about with seemingly annual new releases at the moment, but we're pretty far away from the quality of his most significant pictures from years gone by.

In truth I quite liked Daisy Ridley here, my grievances with her Star Wars films were never on her as an actor leading them, I do fancy with how loaded all that business is that Ridley hasn't been sought out as much as I imagined she would have been a decade ago, it's not that she hasn't done anything outside of Disney's fan fiction with the Star Wars, but to my mind she hasn't become the big name actor of her generation she probably should have become, and films like Cleaner don't necessarily help her cause.

Cleaner doesn't so much as live in the shadow of a film like Die Hard, rather it lives in Die Hard's basement it feels. The action here is okay when it comes, all to infrequently unfortunately, but what really had me rolling my eyes for the last hour and a half was just how basic Campbell's film is, it's painfully of the moment with it's story, characters and just how many currently popular elements it includes in it's play by plays.

Cleaner is rendered trite and feeling more than a little desperate for the way it operates, doing to much whilst being ultimately fairly underwhelming, even as to her credit Ridley is doing everything she can to make this as watchable and possible. Yeah it's not good, not is it unbearably bad, it's yet another direct to streaming release that lives in the even worse position of middle of the road mediocrity between not good and not terrible.

I think in a relatively short space of time the sands had shifted underneath New Line's Blade film series, by the winter of 2004 there had been an explosion of superhero cinema, Sony's Spider-Man series in particular had redefined what the audiences and industry bean counters had come to expect from these films, if the first film from Blade did indeed open the floodgates six years prior, by the time Blade: Trinity released over half a decade later the flood had come and perhaps for this third film, a bit of panic took over at New Line and they took on a mindset of it's sink or swim time, and unfortunately I think they just about sunk with this film.

It feels significantly different to either of it's predecessors, with Goyer now assuming the mantle of director as well as writer, it feels as if this third film tried to play more in line with it's contemporary Marvel productions it was being released alongside, upping the humour and toning down the gore factor, not just halting the sense of progression that came with del Toro's second film, but seemingly completely reversing it in favour of what I'm sure the studio felt would be a more favourable and profitable direction.

Snipes continues to give it his all in this film, but it feels a little for nought in the end product, this film is far more concerned with everything else around Snipes in the title role, with setting up less interesting ing characters than del Toro's film, with focussing on flashier yet hollower effects, with pitching Blade against a big name foe in Dracula, but not realizing the potential of this would be iconic fight in the slightest.

Much has been said about Ryan Reynolds in this film, it's really the first time he took his comedic motormouth into action proper, and really this has proven to be his bread and butter for much of the past two decades. I understand Snipes on set was not the biggest fan of Reynolds, it was good to see they buried the hatchet last year, but I can see why Snipes would have been a little dismayed when putting this film together, no doubt he sensed the studio must have been caught up with the hullaballoo surrounding superhero cinema in the early 2000s, I doubt he was very keen on the direction of this film himself. For me it's telling that even though this film cost more and brought in less at the box office, it wasn't that much more expensive than it's immediate predecessor and was not a failure at the box office, I fancy that perhaps Snipes was disinterested in continuing the role in this guise, and that maybe New Line was looking at the numbers Spider-Man 2 and X2 were putting up, and probably hoping for more elsewhere with other licensed characters.

It's watchable for Snipes, but really it's a disappointing conclusion to superhero cinema's first big swing and hit franchise. Like I said though in my review for Blade yesterday, Snipes is monumental to the success and iconography of this character in film so far, Marvel Studios has had the rights back in-house for well over a decade now and have been actively pursuing a fresh take on the character for their cinematic universe, and they're struggling with it which has surprised me these past few years, but after watching Snipes in the role again proper in the last twenty four hours of so... I get it now, it is a huge uphill battle for them disentangle the iconic connection of Snipes and Blade. He is Blade.

Really this is the film I wanted to re-watch out of all of them in the original Blade trilogy, I mean it does follow on from the events of the first film to be fair, it is a direct sequel in that sense but del Toro's film can really function as it's own standalone picture by and large, it feels markedly different in of tone and style over it's predecessor, there's a lot of del Toro's signature style in this and it makes it all the more appreciable as a work, but there's still enough of the comic book fun stylings in play as well to enjoy here.

Snipes as ever continues to be monumental to the success of these films, and he's even more assured and confident in this second outing, the man just gets it, he understands what it is to be in this kind of film, to hold true to the character in feeling and tone, than necessarily be ultra reverential to the source material, I touched on it a little but the first Blade film actually proved a very consequential work in the history of the character of Blade, as much as the films feed in from comics source material, in the end the films reach far wider audiences than the comics are ever able to, and then changes they make or established characterization they set forth, ends up bleeding back into the original source material, a really good later example of this is how much Tony Stark has taken on a lot of RDJ's mannerisms and inflections to the character since he took on the role in film, and simply made him and Tony one for all intents and purposes.

Blade II though boasts an extensive ing cast around Snipes, he leads a team in this sequel composed of elite warriors, trained specifically to hunt and eliminate him, until a new threat emerges to both human and vampire kind alike, forcing Blade to work with his mortal enemies to face off against this lurking danger. This instantly makes this story a more pressing kind than the first, there's a degree of Cameron's Aliens here as this elite squad of extremely assured trained killers, now aided by someone they don't recognize the authority of, face off against an antagonistic force that in reality none of them are prepared for. There's even the kind of relationship of respect and acknowledgement that Ripley and Hicks had, seen here in this film between Blade and Leonor Valera's Nyssa.

I mean if you're going to take inspiration from sources, a masterpiece like Aliens is a good place to take from and del Toro styles it well with his directorial vision and signature look. Snipes is great as I've said, the story feels more urgent and considered than the first film and there's a general refinement across the board, this film ups the ante and looks all the better than it's predecessor whilst doing so. It's a really fun time at the movies with this one, and maybe in future I will just return more to this middle entry than the films either side of it, but got to get the collection complete for the stats eh?

Thought I'd finally log a viewing of the Snipers Blade Trilogy, it's been so long since I sat down with them, has to be ten years or more by this point since I've watched all three back to back... to back, yeah there's three films Jed even if that doesn't look quite right in text on a screen. I mostly just watch the second film which del Toro helmed, ahead of diving into his much more renowned work through the rest of the 00s, to be fair I think most of us if we're honest about it come back round on his middle entry the most out of the three films.

That said there wouldn't have been call for a second picture if the first amounted to nothing, and Blade certainly did amount to something, indeed in retrospect it's generally regarded as the first film of the contemporary superhero cinema genre we've been enjoying now for close to thirty years, well... most of us have been enjoying, some tolerating at best.

This first film actually predates The Matrix as well, in of that late 90s cool vibe, leather trench coats, anarchic music in the high beats per minute range, a fashion sense that you just had to be there to know and love, so for me still looks cool and holds up, I was a kid back then and yeah all that stuff just still sings for me.

Snipes as Blade is superb casting, and he gives a great performance in the role anytime he's given the opportunity to be on screen as Marvel's famous hybrid vampire hunter, which actually this film proved significant in setting that characterisation in stone, originally I believe he merely a vampire hunter who happened to be immune to the virus that turns people once bitten.

I think I was little surprised how goofy this film was, it's been a long time since I last watched it and I always think of it as being a lot more similar to what del Toro would be doing with the sequel, which it just isn't obviously, Norrington would go on to direct The League of Extraordinary Gentleman and convince Sean Connery to quit acting shortly thereafter as consequence, that's who directed this film. Meanwhile del Toro would follow up his Blade film with two Hellboy pictures and Pan's Labyrinth... Yeah that should tell you all you need to know.

However I rather feel Blade succeeds perhaps in spite of it's director, again largely thanks to Snipes in the lead role, I should imagine that's why Marvel Studios have been having such a torrid time getting their own Blade film off the ground these past few years, how do you convince people that there's a future with this character in live action beyond Snipes? He's become so consequential in the conversation around the character, that Marvel themselves even allowed for him to return to the role last year, lord knows how much that's further derailed their efforts going ahead without him.

Also just to close out here this is very much a movie of it's era in of it's technical qualities, it's unfortunate how much they decided to employ the use of early digital effects work, and in such ambition fashion to, which makes watching the film almost three decades on feel a little ropey unfortunately, the final showdown here between Snipes' Blade and Dorff's Deacon Frost, well it's aged poorly. I do wonder why Dorff never went on to be bigger thing mind, he's done some good noteworthy work here and there, but I think he's quite solid here as a pulpy villain.

Ultimately I think the strengths outweigh the flaws enough here, the blood rave is still iconic to this day for instance, more and more people seem to be discovering this film through it's being shared across social media quite regularly of late, and Snipes is perfect as Blade.

Evidently I came home from my morning shift today, and decided I wanted to go through the emotional wringer in the A.M. this fine Tuesday. Maybe I just needed to feel something? Maybe I just wanted a bit of quality JGL and Rogen to start my day proper. Either way 50/50 fits the bill.

My appreciation for this film has only grown through the years, probably why I've watched it three times now in the last four and half years since ing Letterboxd. when I watch 50/50 I think of my friends, my family and my life, it's a film that's having a conversation with it's audience about facing your mortality as a young person, and it's having that conversation with empathy, comion and a lot of laughs.

The scene that always gets me is watching Adam take Kyle home the night before his surgery, seeing that Kyle has been reading Going Through Cancer Together, and that in spite of Kyle seemingly playing it cool and nonchalant through his friend's illness, he's actually been going through a hard time with it after all. Then they say goodbye to one another outside of the hospital, it's not made explicit but both know that it might be a final goodbye, and they treat it like any other time they would have exchanged such pleasantries in their lives, and then just how relieved Kyle is when the doctor comes to given them the news. Rogen really just works so well here, it's one of my favourite performances of his.

If you're spending anytime on the internet of late without ad blockers on, you'll no doubt be seeing a great deal of Tom Hardy's face, as between the marketing drive for his show on Paramount+ (good lord when will that platform fold) and this latest film from Gareth Evans, Hardy suddenly seems unavoidable when you step onto the internet. Not really complaining either, it's nice to see Hardy busying himself with work.

I always get Gareth Evans and Gareth Edwards confused, both British filmmakers roughly around the same age and who came to prominence around the same time, Evans is a local boy for me as he originates from Wales and it's always funny to me to hear his Welsh accent still hanging on, although if you come from the Rhondda it's a hard accent to lose even by accident. Edwards is the one of the two I'm more familiar with in of the work, I've not actually sat down for any of Evans' pictures until now, I know The Raid and it's sequel are iconic in the modern action genre, I've got to find the time for them because honestly I though a lot of Havoc this evening in of it's hardcore actioner sensibilities.

I mean that's why you're probably coming to Havoc, it's story is a little derivative and even convoluted as it goes on, but really it's good enough, I'm not coming here for a thought provoking conversation about the nature of corruption, and how law enforcement and the criminal element are so often darkly intertwined, I have The Departed for that or even the Infernal Affairs trilogy when I get round to watching it. No I came to Havoc because it's got Hardy kicking ass in every piece of marketing for it, and it really delivers on that front in a big way.

There's a lot of stylistic choices in this film that give it this other feeling, sort of like watching The Crow, the good one from thirty years ago, where you don't know which city you're in, it feels like it should be New York but then it doesn't always feel like it is New York. Any scene of cars driving in this film feels pointedly wrong to the eye, but that's the point of Havoc, it's got this whole heightened sense of reality woven into the fabric of the film and I just appreciated it rather than felt alienated by it, which I imagine a fair amount of people will be.

The action is frantic and balletic all at once, the choreography is superb really, it feels grittier and harder toned than something like the John Wick series, but dare I say it's having a little less fun than the Wick series and therefore the film feels a little less as a result, for me anyway, I know plenty of people who've come away from a John Wick film and felt less enamoured with it as an experience than myself, precisely because it wasn't as gritty a venture as they'd hoped for. Different strokes for different folks as it were.

On the whole though I enjoyed Havoc, I like Tom Hardy and though I think he's a little underutilized here outside of the action, I wouldn't mind seeing him as Walker again down the line. The action is quality, and that feels like it should be the most important factor in this film surely? So I'm a little surprised by the low overall average on this one personally, but hey ho such is life eh?

This is proving quite the welcome back for Marvel on the part of many long-time detractors, it's impossible to gauge the quality of a Marvel or even Disney film more widely from looking at the critics response, it's usually inflated to a point of disbelief, I have long suspected this is because Disney is now the biggest player in the game, and traditional media want to stay on their side as much as possible for fear of being blackballed on the biggest release events in cinema, my little conspiracy theory in life. What makes Thunderbolts* a little different is the fact so many of voices who decry the continuation of the MCU, they're the ones who are speaking most glowingly about this film and that really piqued my interest more than anything going into this film.

I've not actually been as down on the MCU releases as they've been coming, I actually really dug Eternals and Black Widow most pertinent to this film, I'm generally down on the wider MCU as a whole though, it's been a haphazard affair these past few years, the once tight organizational structure of this cinematic venture split at the atomic nerve centre by Disney's development of their streaming platform, and demand to fuel it with content from the lords above Kevin Feige. A decade ago Disney had a couple of golden gooses on their hands with Marvel and Star Wars, they have royally screwed the pooch on both fronts over the past ten years.

That said I have to concur with the glowing general sentiment toward Thunderbolts*, this was a real fun film people and it's one of the few instances in recent times where an MCU production feels to actually be progressing the overall narrative of the cinematic universe forward with purpose. I mean I enjoyed Deadpool & Wolverine a huge amount, but that film functions in joyous spite of the MCU more than anything, I will always be confused by the critical opinions of last summer's mega hit for not progressing the story... It's a Deadpool film, and he's a character that hasn't been a part of the MCU until recently, I don't need Ryan Reynolds cussing and shooting the way into Doomsday, I need a greater focus than that and I expected it to come in Doctor Strange, maybe even the third Ant-Man film or perhaps the fourth Thor film, none were able to come together on that front, so lo and behold it has somehow come here with Thunderbolts*, a film that I initially questioned the drive for on the part of Marvel Studios, but they have surprised me with this one in the best way.

What I love about this film is that it focusses in on the characters at the heart of it's story, we've got another band of roguish outcasts akin to Gunn's now beloved Guardians of the Galaxy, except in this case these are characters we've seen before for the most part, and virtually all of them at some point or another have had malicious intent in their previous actions against some fan favourite heroes of the MCU, they've all been in the shadows now for varying periods of time, and now they're front and centre and in the spotlight by themselves for the first time properly and it's great, for far too long now Marvel Studios has been in an expanding mode of operation, giving us more and more characters that seem to go nowhere fast when critical or commercial performance isn't forthcoming, meanwhile stalwarts of the franchise have gone missing in action and we haven't been given a group or team to really invest our emotion and consideration in for some time, and impressively enough Jake Schreier has put together a group that invites you to do just that, and he's put it together by bringing players back for the most part, rather than introducing a host of new ones as has been a recurring theme in Marvel's much maligned Phase Five.

Thunderbolts* takes inspiration from the work of someone like Gunn, and even Whedon to a point as much as I know such assertions will rub people the wrong way, but tough cookie I'm afraid folks, Whedon is unavoidable in the MCU and pop culture more generally, you're going to have to do your best to separate the art from the artist if you're inclined to think negatively on the man. I say it takes inspiration specifically because that terminology is all to readily bandied about with a host of other MCU ventures, and superhero cinema in general at that, but the reality is no not really is that the case, what generally tends to happen is something like Whedon's Avengers hits or Gunn's Guardians, then Disney/Marvel Studios determines great this works, let's hire controllable creatives and have them shoehorn the style and tone of these other creators into their own work, and it often ends up unfortunate for whatever production comes of such a regrettable process.

Schreier takes these little seen, sometimes forgotten and underutilized misfits of the MCU and makes them people you care about, and root for. Each of them has been dealing poorly out on their own, working in the shadows on behalf of someone they can't trust, but have little recourse but to work with, everyone here has a chequered past in this world as I've alluded to, their attempts to move on as individuals have failed by and large, and it's through working together as a team that each helps the others and in turn all of them help themselves. I know that some of the trademark MCU dialogue might still be enough to put some people off, if you're a diehard negative nelly about all things Marvel I don't think any film or show from them will change your mind, but Thunderbolts* focus on character, provision of emotional stakes and a story that doesn't ultimately resolve with action, but with group of people coming to the aid of one of their own found family, just saying that it's okay, they're there for them well, it's kind of beautiful.

Now sure enough this is a team up film, but at the heart of it is Florence Pugh as Yelena, really beginning to come into her own in this franchise as the new Black Widow, she's the standout for sure in of individual performance, unbelievable this is only her third time on screen in this role, she's so assured in the role. Alongside Pugh we've got Harbour stealing every scene he's in, and maybe the whole movie for that matter, especially anytime he has interactions with Stan's Winter Soldier, could have done with more of that if I'm honest, I think Russell is increasing in prominence at the right time, and Walker as a character should prove to be growing on us all for his performance work, I'm actually dumbfounded that Marvel have been sleeping on Hannah John-Kamen all this time, great having her back at last and look forward to more of her involvement in this franchise.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus is shaping up well as Marvel's answer to Amanda Waller, really enjoying her work in this franchise and look forward to more. Sebastian Stand functions here as the steadying hand, he's been to the dark places the rest of this crew have already, he's come out the other side of it, he's trying to be something else in this story and realizes how inadept he is in the world of politics, he is a soldier first and foremost and relents to his base impulse to see action done as he knows it ought to be done, acting instinctively as his friend Steve would have done. Lewis Pullman as Bob is the new character to the show here and he does a great job, Sentry should prove a winning presence in the MCU for his being there in this role. I'm actually pretty keen to see him and Poulter's Adam Warlock share the screen at some stage.

I really enjoyed Thunderbolts* this evening, it's probably the best outing the MCU's had since Gunn's Guardians 3 easily, and I'm including the groan inducing amount of productions they've relentlessly released on Disney+ in recent years. Sure there's some holding back on my part coming away from this film, I think the MCU is still on unsure footing as we come out of Phase Five and head into a packed couple of years with new Avengers films fast approaching, and yes as I said I think Thunderbolts* is the best film so far in focussing the wider narrative going into these packed years, the success of potential lack thereof could prove defining as to whether or not we're still talking about these films in five years time. Maybe it's that uneasiness I have with the whole of the MCU, and a question of whether or not this film is a day late and a dollar short, maybe that's what holding me back from properly raving about Thunderbolts*, but on it's own merits it really is a great film and I highly recommend catching this one in theatres, it's worth the price of entry.

After watching Warfare last month, I quickly found myself up to my neck in YouTube coverage of the film, so many interviews with the cast and crew for that film, obviously Poulter plays a big part in that film and naturally it's marketing as well, and it's funny how often We're the Millers is still brought up to this day, considering the increasingly big career he's been forging for himself ever since. The thing is though I don't think We're the Millers is going anywhere, it's given one of the most iconic and omnipresent memes ever to have gone viral, if you scroll the internet for even just an hour or so a day, you're likely to see "wait, you guys are getting paid?" at least once is my bet.

Naturally it's had me game to sit down with the actual movie proper once more, luckily it was the next film up on Now Cinema this afternoon and so I thought cool, my day in film is being made easy here.

The thing is though I'm always coming away from this film with the same impression, which is to say when this film is really out there and working with the insanity of this particular found family set-up, it's tremendously funny and maybe I'm a curmudgeon on this, but it's as the quartet bond and become close over the course of their journey, when it becomes less fake it because they have actually unintentionally made it real, as heart-warming as it is on the one hand, it also sort of takes the funniest elements of the film out of the equation.

It's a quality comedy still, but falls foul of the same issue a lot of R-rated comedies from the 2010s tend to, it doesn't have the confidence to allow these terrible people to be terrible all the way, there has to be a sense of redemption on show by journey's end, and I honestly think We're the Millers could have been a funnier film without this, let this bizarro family unit get their money, let them find the heart of what they mean to each other sure, but let them go on being the degenerate characters we take to in the first act. I always think of Wedding Crashers in this regard, the film gives you the happy ending you want, but the first thing that's mentioned, as our guys and gals are literally driving off into sunset, is there's another wedding to crash nearby, and it's Rachel McAdams's character who leads the way in choosing that decision for the group.

It really is worth watching We're the Millers though for what works with it, because that's a lot more than what doesn't work, and Poulter in particular is hilarious in this.

Honestly couldn't tell you why I fancied checking back in with this film today, it was a genuine desire to on my part to watch this film again, the fact that it was available through Now Cinema whilst I pottered about on the Playstation just sealed the deal for me, as to what I would spend my morning and early afternoon with film wise.

I have logged a viewing of this previously since ing LB, it was back when I wasn't really writing much about the films I watch, I did say though that I recalled this film being a pretty big deal when it released, it did particularly well stateside and was the film that knocked Avatar off the top spot at the domestic box office, after a couple of months of Cameron's cinematic event holding steady in that position.

Maybe it's because of the memories I have associated with it around that time, but I just think of this has just pure 2010 coded, true it's a period piece set in the early 2000s, but the fashion and styles are all of it's period of production. I'm finding I'm enjoying such film and television when I sit down with it, I've always been a looking back instead of forwards kind of guy, not the best thing to be I'm aware and I'm working on it, best I can anyway, but this past couple of years I've really began to look back specifically at that 2008-2011 window, when I was 17-20, and even a film as middle of the road as Dear John is, and it most definitely is by the way do not let my barely positive rating confuse, I'm just happier for sitting down with this film for a while, because it takes me back a good fifteen years now.

I do actually like Tatum and Seyfried in this as a screen pairing, it's just it's a pretty loaded film with bizarre twists and turns along the way in it's narrative that could only come from a Nicholas Sparks source material really. Is it bad that I kind of miss the days where studios were just optioning anything and everything Sparks, including the clearly derivative works of so many other writers who came in his wake, riding the wave of Sparks' success. I prefer these films to a lot of Netflix's recent original romance pictures for instance.

Been a real fallow week for me in of the number of films watched and logged this week, it's been a busy one for me, lots of commitments away from my TV and film collection, some great weather to enjoy being outside in and yes, a lot of great sport on the go for me.

So I've been falling back on familiar favourites, and I count Last Flag Flying as such, it's a lesser spotted Linklater for most, such a celebrated filmmaker as he has been in his career, there are obviously the big hitter titles he's put together that demand the most attention from cinephiles and general audiences, which means some of his smaller films tend to fall through the cracks a little, and I think eight years down the line that's kind of what's happening with Last Flag Flying, which is a shame because it's a great film, with a trio at the heart of it in Carell, Cranston and Fishburne that just make for really engaging viewing.

Upping the rating to a round 4.0, because I'd be lying if I said this isn't one of my favourite films from my childhood, I watched this obsessively alongside many other Sandler comedies, and whilst yeah he's great here for me, it's his illustrious costar Nicholson who is for me superbly off the reservation as his twisted anger management therapist.

Also tonight I just had a great time with this film, been a few years since I last watched it and I've just been laughing away with Anger Management tonight, it's been a great way to close a good day out, in buoyant good mood and smiling away, and yes I'm going to be quoting this film in my head for the next few days.

What is the cost of lies? It's not that we'll mistake them for the truth. The real danger is that if we hear enough lies, then we no longer recognize the truth at all. What can we do then? What else is left but to abandon even the hope of truth and content ourselves instead with stories? In these stories, it doesn't matter who the heroes are. All we want to know is: "Who is to blame?"

Was speaking about this show yesterday with a friend, glowingly as ever naturally considering the supreme quality of this work. I felt compelled to return for another viewing of course after that conversation.

Alarmingly my Blu-ray copy of this sputtered and irrevocably faltered about a third of the way through episode 2, I'm beginning to think I might have a problematic player here, either that of the quality control has completely gone with Blu-ray production these past few years, which honestly might be the case considering how many 4K disc issues I'm running into. I might invest in yet another 4K player, which will be my third in less than two years, just to see if this rectifies the issue.

Luckily for me Amazon are selling the full series for just £5.99, and honestly... It looks better than my Blu-ray copy, which I didn't expect at all, but hey that's cool, no complaints here! I was just happy to be able to continue watching it this evening in all honesty.

Yeah I'm still not quite at the mental state of preparation to subject myself to Disney's Star Wars fan fiction, so I've spent this uncomfortably warm spring day dawdling over getting a start on that, it's been nice though, several good walks out of my feet and some nice photography along the way.

As far as film goes however I came to the conclusion I needed something fun and light, and whilst on this wavelength I thought hey, I've wanted to watch Uncle Buck again for a while, so perfect I had the right mood on the go and film to match it, and it's been really fun the last 100 minutes or so sitting back down with this one. God John Candy was just such a brilliant actor, he makes you laugh, he makes you cry... He just makes you feel, he reaches through the screen to you as an audience and invites you in to be a part of what he's doing. At it's best when he's on song with material this good to work with, it's just such a pure delight to watch.

Yeah I saw The ant 2 in theatres last night, but I've actually spent much of the last couple of days checking back in with this, finishing off those last couple of emotionally devastating episodes just this afternoon, therefore it's logged as a today viewing, though I must it to being oddly conflicted on this, I did spend much of my time with The Pacific on this latest re-watch yesterday, getting eight of it's ten episodes in ahead of going to the cinema last night... But I didn't conclude it until this afternoon. God this is a first world issue, it's not even a first world problem, it's just old Jed by here making a molehill out of flat dirt.

The reason I've come back around to The Pacific is simple, I've spent the weekend basking in the company of Star Wars, mainly the George Lucas Original Trilogy and Prequel Trilogy, you know the true Star Wars films, the reason we all got into that franchise and love it so. I'm into completionism though, and for my sins I will be checking back in with Disney's fan fiction and trust me, my blood is boiling at the prospect of doing so, and I just needed a break between what I love about Star Wars and what came after that makes me question that love, and I needed something good to occupy that break, so in of cinema that means I've caught a much anticipated 2025 release, which was great, and at home I thought a return to The Pacific would be that good thing to settle the nerves and mellow me out ahead of what I'm sure will be a rage filled state to come in the next few days.

The Pacific really just makes me happy, not so much for the harrowing imagery of an unimaginable war that I'm glad not to have lived through, but because of the superb quality in of it's filmmaking, because of the exceptional performance work from it's brilliantly capable and formidably talented cast and, most pertinently I feel, for how it honours the memories and legacy of the countless men and women who made so many sacrifices for generations yet unborn to live better and safer lives, unfortunately as nice a sentiment that is to type out, one must surely concede those future generations have gummed up the works along the way between the end of the war to today sadly.

I cannot commend the quality of production enough with The Pacific, obviously the huge successes of Band of Brothers convinced HBO to really put their money behind this follow-up, and it shows in every frame, even the damned credits make for visually engaging viewing, if I was watching this on Netflix for instance I would never skip them.

The final episode always emotionally breaks me, the intensity and confidence of Leckie for having got through that whole ordeal and thinking, yeah I'm going for the promotion and raise and hell yes, I'm going for the girl next door, the imagination of a life with her sustaining him through literal hell on earth for years on end. It's the crushing performance of Mazzello as Eugene Sledge in those last couple of episodes though that always draws astonishment and tears in equal measure, particularly in how he depicts the broken nature of Sledge, back home but not fully, indeed part of him will probably always have been on Peleliu and Okinawa for the rest of his life, and I think Mazzello just does so well here, I'm always amazed because he's the kid from Jurassic Park, and here he is back with Spielberg again a decade and a half or so later, knocking it out of the park, great to see.

I think The Pacific was the metaphorical good stiff drink I needed, before diving back into the hell hole of Disney and Kathleen Kennedy's Star Wars fan fiction. I'm certainly all the more buoyant in my mood for having watched this series again, it continues to only grow in my estimations, when I first came to it about a decade ago, I wasn't as impressed as I had been with Band of Brothers before it, and nowadays I'm kind of more for The Pacific of the two if I'm truthful, both are masterpieces in my eyes mind. I really should get round to Masters of the Air.

I know I've talked about a lot of other things besides The Pacific here, but as I've said before folks this is my little corner and I use my log's to talk about where I'm at, as much as what I'm watching. As ever mood, intention and circumstance all play a role into why any of us choose to engage with our favourite pastime of film and television.

Just under a decade ago The ant released to modest critical praise and a decent commercial performance at the box office, not that I contributed to that box office run, I would end up seeing the film about a year later on Blu-ray and thought well of it, even as I have to be honest and say it didn't leave a lasting impression on me at that time. Cut to a few years down the road and I've ed Letterboxd, and in my first year here it was the second year of the Covid-19 pandemic and I was on something of a physical media mission, because honestly what else was there to do eh? That sort of bled into my operation with this new to me platform, for several months I thought to only log films that I watched via physical media, obviously as time progressed I abandoned that rigid specificity to better realize my ambitions in maintaining a fuller picture of my filmgoing, however along with logging some of the all timer kind of films I have lying about on these shelves of mine, I was also looking to give a fairer whack to films I'd watched only once previously, and I put The ant on again for only the second time and I have to say, I was suddenly a little bowled over by this film, suddenly it hit me in a way it hadn't several years prior and I was locked in with it.

Now it seems this may not be an experience unique to myself, because the fandom for Gavin O'Connor and Ben Affleck's film has grown exponentially in the last decade, it's a film that Affleck says he's been most asked about in the last several years and I'm not doubting him, I find it coming up in a lot of conversations I've had with people, surprisingly so I felt, but I've been a lot more frequent in my sit down's with The ant since that early viewing in my time here at Letterboxd and honestly, I'm at a point now where I think it's handily one of the best action flicks of the last decade.

So you can imagine I was overjoyed to hear work was finally commencing on a sequel, indeed this film we have here today was one of my most anticipated releases of 2025, so big question now then... Does it live up to my expectations?

Honestly I'm not entirely sure what my exact expectations were with this film, I don't think I was looking at specific narrative desires for this film, more than anything I wanted more of Affleck in this role and I wanted a greater degree of Bernthal in the mix as Braxton, and ultimately that's exactly what The ant 2 gives me and so yeah, I'd say in short fashion here that yes it lives up to my desires for this film.

For me the biggest success of the film is actually Bernthal as Braxton, he plays the role with that formidable action capability he brings to so much of his work, but the best of him and this film is in how he plays the more vulnerable side of Braxton, who's two years junior to Affleck's Christian, who has grown up in the same exacting environment as Christian and developed into potent weapon of a human being, yet has always desired from Christian that brotherly relationship that proves nigh on impossible given Christian's neurodivergence. Braxton wants so badly to be in his brother's life and for him in turn to be in his, he pushes him at times in his difficulty in accepting this might be insurmountable for Christian, but then he also celebrates his brother when he sees him trying to push out and achieve things socially, for instance in the country bar when Christian quickly s in the dancing after recognizing the patterns of the line dancing. Might be my favourite scene in the film, to see Braxton beaming with pride watching on at his brother's achievement in this social situation, and for Christian it is an achievement make no doubt about it, that look of elation and relief that Affleck gives Christian's face, it's lovely and then seeing Braxton launch across the bar to come to his brother's aid when challenged, a nice call back to the flashback scenes from this first movie.

I think the story on offer here is quality enough to sit down with, I don't think it's as strong as the first film, maybe on of lacking a surrogate performance to latch onto as we had with Anna Kendrick's, really allowing us as the audience to feel like we're with her discovering Christian's world. It's sort of there with an expanded role for Cynthia Addai-Robinson, back as Marybeth Medina and now established in the same position as J.K. Simmons' Raymond King was at the financial crimes unit, for Cynthia in this film it's a mission of justice but in the way she knows how to go about getting justice, within the framework of the law that she's charged with upholding as a federal agent, her inability to compartmentalize and accept how Christian and Braxton operate leads her to attempt a legal means of acquiring the justice she seeks, but obviously that proves less than fruitful for her here, and I think by story's end Medina understands that much more about her role to play, and indeed the kind of personal resolve Ray had to exercise in his dealings with Christian before her.

This is another film made in recent times that features a plot heavy with human trafficking from the Latin American states, I mean it's timely only in the sense so many films are working with this narrative ploy of late, similar to how it feels we're seeing more films than ever including artificial intelligence heavily in their plotting these days. It's a good enough story to once again get you on the side of Christian Wolf, as he goes into lock-in mode on what he feels he needs to do in order to correct the situation as he sees fit, but even as the stakes are higher here to a point with children involved, you sort of feel the lack of the personal touch of Christian just taking it upon himself to assist the situation, as he had done nine years ago to help Dana purely because he knew she couldn't survive without his help.

One thing I will say about this sequel that I'm not particularly enamoured with, is the widening of the depiction of savant syndrome. Now the first film was criticized by many at the time for what was perceived as badly judged a badly judged depiction of autism as a superpower, I kind of dispute that line of criticism because for Christian it was not the condition he was born with that made him a superior combatant and proficient in firearms, it was his brutalist father's years of conditioning and training. However in this second film that institute prominently featured in the first film, where the end of the film reveals Justine as Christian's partner all along, it's expanded upon considerably and turned into something of a bat cave for Christian, and I did wince a little at the sight of it, suffice it to say I think there's a lot more grounds for criticism of the nature the first film received on this second go around here.

Ultimately though I go back to what I was saying previously, the key elements of this film needed for it to work as well as I would have wanted it to, are more Affleck as Christian and more Bernthal as Braxton, and a greater exploration of the dynamic between these brothers, and that's what I got here and I really enjoyed seeing it, I left the cinema a smiling and happy man this evening in all honesty, and I hope this film finds the necessary commercial success to warrant the greenlighting of a third, it's probably going to be difficult, I don't think anyone could have predicted the wild nature of this weekend's box office, especially as it's been lacking in such vigour for some weeks now, but the superb performance of the Revenge of the Sith re-release and the tremendous holding power of Sinners, they've definitely spoiled the party a little bit for The ant 2, and so now I'm a little nervous of the commercial performance or potential lack thereof, because you know what? I really do want a third film, and I don't want it to take another nine years!

Return of the Jedi is in so many ways a step down from the iconography and high bar quality of it's immediate predecessors, there's so much to love here but both at the time of release, and in the four decades since where George has endlessly revisited the Original Trilogy and most often it feels to this final film, his efforts with Return of the Jedi showcase an intent on his part to demonstrate how far the work has come since the original Star Wars film, how much more capable he is at executing on his grand vision for what he wants these films to look and feel like.

In order to showcase this most effectively, he decides to do a bit of re-treading here, we have another Death Star people and although it's played as a bigger and badder set piece this time out for the Rebels to contend with, it's still fundamentally a repeat on Lucas' part, intentionally so on of him wanting to do it properly this time around, in of the visual scale and splendour he has always wanted for his creation. This desire on his part to fine tune has carried on for years as I say in his frequent revisits, I think Return of the Jedi has been on the receiving end of the most edits and insertions, certainly the most egregious ones at any rate, in the course of logging the Original Trilogy this weekend I've seen countless reviews denoting that the viewings are of the de-specialized films, some even finding the original theatrical offerings, I have just gone for my Blu-ray copies, which means I'm watching all of George's edits, and they definitely break the immersion of the film, you can clearly see what's filmed in the early 1980s and what's inserted a decade or two later.

Another integral thing is George's personally held belief that these films are first and foremost for younger audiences, I can't really talk this down because I came to them when I was part of that younger audience that George wants these films for most, I suspect however much he intended for the plotting of Empire Strikes Back, he would probably have been taken aback by the eventual dark tone of that preceding film in the hands of Kirshner's expert direction, I think he felt the need to bring a lighter tone in for Return of the Jedi and the end result of that... We get Ewoks, and in my experience it's mostly a love or hate thing with them for the fandom, when I was young I just adored the whole Endor section, big fan of a pitched battle, it didn't occur to me three decades ago how odd a thing to look on at such a battle actually is, the supposed cream of Imperial forces being routed by some teddy bears with sticks and stones. It doesn't make sense, but you know what damn it all I'm onboard still, even if all it maybe is nostalgia on my part.

Where Return of the Jedi succeeds most is when it lingers in that dark thematic space brought in with Empire Strikes Back, the Emperor tempting Luke like the Devil with Jesus in the desert, the fact Luke holds in the face of it and still sees and draws out the good in his father, is superb stuff and yes Return of the Jedi would have been considerably better had it stayed in this space, making the ultimate triumph of the unquestionably good over the unquestionably evil all the more rewarding and sweeter than it already is.

The fight between Luke and Vader in the Death Star remains one of my favourites in all of Star Wars, what it lacks in finesse and unbelievable balletic movement that George would finally realize with the Prequels, it makes up for with heavy emotional stakes and a pathos in this battle of wills between a father who fell and a son who is trying to hold true. Also John Williams music for this scene, always gives me chills, it's powerful accompaniment to a powerful scene.

I think the successes of Return of the Jedi have always outweighed it's failings, as to which it's failings are subjective, as much as the opening act on Tatooine can feel to be dragging and take up too much runtime, in a finale that we might all of us prefer to deal more squarely with the rebels and the Empire, but some of the most iconic imagery from Star Wars comes from that opening act. The Ewoks are as beloved by many as they are loathed by others as I mentioned, so it's difficult for me to really sit in too much harsh judgement on this one, I mean all of these films are defining architecture of my childhood and adolescence, I can't recall a time in my life where Lucas' Star Wars wasn't important to me, even now my general disdain for what Disney has done to the franchise stems from how much what came before still means to me, and this weekend has really reaffirmed to me that importance, it's been a great joy to sit down with these films again after so many years without doing so, just to see those immortal words "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..." and then BOOM! The blaze of Star Wars adorning the screen with Williams music, it always hits.

I've written up some lengthy logs for the Star Wars films so far this weekend, I felt it maybe a little necessary given my high ratings for the Prequels, like many I've had to come of age in a world where I feel like I'm constantly battling on their behalf, such was the general disdain for them from older audiences and Original Trilogy fans, and they were the ones with the voices, my generation were just kids back then.

By comparison I don't feel I need to say a whole lot on the subject of the classic films, their legacy speaks for them as it always has. I mean what more can I say about The Empire Strikes Back that hasn't been said already? Yes if I'm pushed on it, I'm going to say Revenge of the Sith is my favourite of the six films, but the objective best of them is most assuredly the middle entry of the Original Trilogy.

It's just such an iconic film, it's a landmark in cinema, cinephiles and general audiences alike discuss this with the same kind of reverence as we deal in when talking about The Godfather Pt II, there's a reason for that, and it's a reason made obvious to me every time I watch this film.

For so long in my life I identified myself above most anything else as a Star Wars fan, in the same way so many men identify themselves by their favourite football club for instance. I wasn't into sport when I was a kid, I was a nerd, I still am really except nowadays I am into sport and a whole host of other hobbies and interests, and Star Wars has become a shadow of that special thing it was for me growing up and coming of age with.

Though that said, this original film that started it all... It's just too special not to rate with my heart. It's a glorious sci-fi adventure, it's good versus evil, it's full of heart and wonderment. It's been nearly five decades and it's still so exciting and engaging to sit with, the characters are iconic, the score is one of the greatest in cinema, it's pure movie magic.

I mentioned in my earlier review logs, it's been years since I sat down with the Star Wars films, let me tell you seeing that opening bit, A long time ago in a galaxy far far away... And then boom! That Williams score sounds off like a canon, and honestly in 1977 it was the sound that told audiences that cinema would never be the same again. I cannot tell you how joyous it's been so far this weekend, to be so wonderfully immersed in the iconic music of John Williams' compositions for Star Wars again, it's superb.

I do not like what Disney has done with Star Wars. I do not think Kathleen Kennedy has ever been the right person to be in charge, and I'm going to celebrate with a drink when she leaves later this year, the damage she and Disney have wrought on the reputation of this IP cannot be understated. However I do concede there have been some very watchable pieces of work put out in this otherwise mostly lacklustre tenure of Star Wars, I mean in fairness they're releasing such ridiculous volumes of productions they're bound to hit the mark at some point, even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then. Rogue One is one such occasion where a nut has been found, easily done when you involve a filmmaker like Gareth Edwards mind.

I think there was still a sense of optimism on my part when Rogue One was released, The Force Awakens had released a year prior and wasn't a complete mess, it was a fairly pitiful regurgitation of the original film and in retrospect I look far less favourably upon it on of where things ended up going, but in 2016 there was a still a light in my eye when I thought of Star Wars. Until today re-watching Episode III in theatres, Rogue One represented the last time I had a truly positive experience with Star Wars in the movie theatre.

This is a gritty action sci-fi flick, set immediately prior to the events of the film that started it all, this is the story of how those Death Star plans were acquired by the Rebel Alliance in Star Wars nearly four decades prior, and it's odd, you never really felt that the explanation needed to be expanded upon with a full feature film, but actually the manner in which Edwards composes this story written by Weitz and Gilroy, the latter of whom had a hand in assisting with the reshoots, we've ended up here with a film that feels vital in it's existence because of it's considerable quality.

One of the things I enjoy most about this film is how formidably capable it demonstrates the Empire's forces to be, due to convenience and plotting, there as long running jokes in the fandom about the ineptitude of the Empire's forces, but you don't become a feared galactic empire without considerable capability in exerting power and pressure.

Our band of heroes are some of the best characters in the franchise for me, maybe it's because I know they're doomed, or maybe it's because they know they're doomed and carry on all the same, the mission is greater than them, the hope of an end to the oppression of the Empire that has defined their lives is palpable in their efforts. Felicity Jones as Jyn is the quality character that we all wish Rey had been, better writing goes a long way in that achievement. Diego Luna is a star as the world weary and battle worn Cassian Andor, he hasn't lived a life in shadows avoiding the battles of day in the way Han Solo clearly did before being caught up in the rebellion by proxy of falling in with Luke, no Andor has been on the frontlines fighting the behemoth of the Empire, he's burnt out by the constancy of the fight he's had to endure, in meeting Jyn he finally starts to believe again in the hope he extolls the virtue of, but lost long ago.

Ben Mendelsohn as Krennic is one of the better villains in the franchise for me, he's cunning and capable, but flawed with his pride and envy, it's a great performance from him. Of course in of villainy though we get an all timer of a scene with Darth Vader, I think I've gone back to that scene countless times these past nine years or so.

I'm not entirely sure on the need to use digital recreations of several cast from the original Star Wars, that business continues to be a thorny issue in the industry a decade on, but this was the first truly high profile instance of it, I mean they brought Peter Cushing back from the dead essentially through digital trickery, and it doesn't sit right with me on the one hand, even as I concede with the other that I enjoyed seeing his Tarkin back on screen again. There's some fallacies with how events transpire in this film, to how they connect to the film now more commonly known as Episode IV - A New Hope, I mean even with how good that Vader scene is in the corridor, to then go from that scene to the opening of the original Star Wars film where Leia and the crew try to play innocent, when this film firmly establishes their presence at the battle of Scarif... yeah that could used some refinement.

On the whole though this is far and away the best feature film experience we've had from Star Wars under Disney, and it's not even close in of competition frankly. I guess I really do have to sit down with Andor now don't I for having watched this again and enjoyed it so much, tenner bet though Disney are going to drive that show into the ground like they did with The Mandalorian.

Getting to see this on the big screen again was a dream come true today. My rating for this is purely subjective, the objective response to the film twenty years ago which was more mixed but certainly more leaning towards positive, it's fair it is, people are right to take issue with Revenge of the Sith and I don't begrudge them doing so if they choose to.

I cried in the theatre when the infamous Order 66 was issued, first time I ever cried in a movie theatre, eyes welled up again this afternoon truth be told.

This is my high watermark of the Star Wars story, the tragedy of Anakin Skywalker falling and Darth Vader rising, it's delivered in compelling fashion, surprisingly so given the quality or lack thereof in the preceding outings in the Prequel Trilogy, which I love but yes there's a grand multitude of faults and shortcomings.

Now whilst Star Wars is the originator of the most singularly iconic pieces of score from John Williams for this franchise, the original main theme and the Imperial March both coming back then in 1977, and of course Duel of the Fates from The Phantom Menace is rightly acclaimed, I actually think Williams' overall work for Revenge of the Sith might just be his best in the Star Wars franchise. It's as much a character unto itself, driving the film forward as much any of the sensational action set pieces that define this final Prequel film.

Revenge of the Sith is the culmination of Lucas' vision for his Prequel Trilogy, it's the best looking of the three by a country mile, obviously hindsight is 20/20, but clearly he jumped the gun massively with what he was trying to do with these films, I did mention it in my log for Attack of the Clones, but really the technology needed wasn't there when George began work on these films. Look at Coruscant in The Phantom Menace, then Attack of the Clones and now here finally in Revenge of the Sith, the progression is substantial. By the end of the 2000s James Cameron would release Avatar, which would prove to be the game changer that George was trying to have his Prequel Trilogy be, maybe Cameron's achievement couldn't have come to without Lucas' faltering earlier in the decade.

Now the Prequel Trilogy is the bastion of the millennial generation, we who first forayed into the digital age with what has now become known the world over as memes. You can't really go more than a couple of minutes in any of the Prequel films without pulling a Leo meme, pointing at the screen in a life imitating art (meme art) moment, and Revenge of the Sith probably has the most, my friend text me this morning and said how he excited he was to see "Hello there!" again on the big screen, we both had the biggest smiles on our faces when the moment came. I think it's easy to mistake the prevalence of this film in meme culture as out and out dislike, I don't see it that way personally, I think there's such a love for this film amongst my generation that we just surged it into internet culture when such a culture was in it's nascence, and it's stayed in place to this day, some of the most popular meme templates are still from this film.

I'm rating with my heart on this one guys, I would have had I been logging a viewing via my Blu-ray copy, but no I saw this on my local Showcase xPlus screen, and it made seeing this film again a true occasion again. I've had a lot of fun today seeing this again in such a setting.

I was waxing poetic a bit about what Star Wars meant to me in my review log of The Phantom Menace, I felt the need to do so because I've been part of this LB community for nearly four and a half years and this is my first time logging these hugely important films, both in of their relevance to pop culture but also to me in my formative years.

So here with Attack of the Clones I'll speak a bit more to some of the objective shortcomings with these films, because I think it's fairer to do so here with this middle child of the Prequel Trilogy, which generally speaking is the least well regarded of the six true Star Wars mainline Episodes. The Disney trilogy doesn't count, because the critical acclaim they've accumulated from traditional media is given out of fear on the part of the mainstream media, concerned with being locked out by the Walt Disney corporation should they have spoken ill of their products, I mean nowadays it's fair game because people have woken up to the more disdainful aspects of Disney's practices.

Attack of the Clones doubles down on the problems that saw The Phantom Menace falter, George really is not the guy you want to write or direct, take his grand vision and give it to someone who knows how to specifically unlock that vision to it's full potential. George was too enamoured with the potential of what the growing technologies he was playing with could do, but he's asking too much too early of those technologies, The Phantom Menace predates James Cameron's Avatar by a decade, I mean George was only four years on from Toy Story when he put together Episode I, now it's vastly improved here in Attack of the Clones but it's still shaky, I do think had he been more amenable to including as many practical effects as possible then these films would look a lot more timeless and improved than they do.

Much has been said about the acting of Christensen in these films, I think it's more a fault of George as a director unfortunately, I wouldn't say Christensen is necessarily the strongest performer that said, but George is asking him to do a lot here, whilst also trying to maintain that appeal to a target audience of children that he invariably wants to prioritize with his films. Spielberg also likes to make his films approachable for younger audiences, he still had a heart ripped out in Temple of Doom and gave the world the velociraptors of Jurassic Park.

What makes up for the numerous shortcomings in Attack of the Clones for me though? Well as I mentioned in my log for The Phantom Menace, I do like the political intrigue, I like McGregor's Obi-Wan conducting an investigation that begins to expose the darker workings going on out of sight of the Jedi, I like that this film sees Yoda truly beginning to grasp how out of touch the Jedi have become after a millennium in power, I think Ian McDiarmid is wonderfully wicked as ever, barely containing his moustache twirling as Palpatine's power grows. Christopher Lee as Count Dooku is a wonderful addition to Star Wars, I would have loved to have seen scenes between him and Neeson's Qui-Gon, McGregor as Obi-Wan continues to be one of my favourite things, not just in Star Wars either, of all time.

Then to top it all off, we have the Battle of Geonosis and as I said to my friend this morning, I was shook in the theatre twenty three years ago, the sight of all those Jedi, the arrival of the clone army, it continues to have me on the edge of my seat whenever I watch it.

The biggest issue this film has is that it needs to sell the seeding of Anakin's downfall, this is done well in his violent revenge against the Tusken Raiders, but the writing and direction is off as I've said, the pace with which the relationship between Christensen and Portman's relationship as Anakin and Pe feels a little frantic, but the this is simple an area George struggles with. Unfortunately it's hugely important to the story, you have to buy into it and as an adult I think I've struggled with doing so more and more as I've come back. You know what though? As kid I bought into it, I didn't question it at all like I've done in adulthood, so considering that's who George works these films for more than most... Mission accomplished on his part?

Anyway I'm about to get ready to go and see Episode III on the big screen, so I'm going to have a very good afternoon indeed. There's going to be goose bumps when those immortal words "A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away..." appear on that huge screen, before John Williams' iconic music booms around me. Today is a day where life really is good and I'm happy.

Tomorrow I'll be seeing Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, on the big screen for the first time in two decades. I'm very excited people to say the least, but I didn't want to see it without a refresher course in my youth, which frankly was dominated by Star Wars. I have seen all six of the Star Wars mainline films in the cinema, I've even taken the time to see Disney's weird fan fictions in theatres, ironically enough not feeling to be put together by fans at all. I saw Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi in the mid 90s when I was very young, but I was utterly enthralled and entranced by the magic and wonder of Star Wars. I was introduced by my step father, it was for much of my life an enduring love affair until some insane woman was given the reigns by the entertainment industry's own Sith Empire. I have little love for what Disney have done to Star Wars, I'm going to have a celebratory drink when that insane woman vacates her post later this year, a post she's been in for far too long, hopefully to replaced by someone proper.

Such has been my fallout with this new era of Star Wars that I haven't come back to the films in a very long time, it's probably been six years or more actually, an unthinkable amount of time if you would have suggested that length of time between viewings to a younger Jedidiah.

I know there's the OG fans of the Original Trilogy who look down on the prequels, much as I in turn look down on the Disney Trilogy fans, which in fairness so do the OG fans as well, but I was seven years old the summer this arrived and George lasered in on younger audiences for this first Stars Wars film in over a decade and a half. I was captivated by The Phantom Menace as was the creator's intention, the podracing, the battle of Naboo, Darth Maul, Quin-Gon Jin and Ewan McGregor as a young Obi-Wan Kenobi, for me the definitive performance of the role in all honesty. The surface level impression this film made a quarter century ago was huge, I obsessively watched this film in the latter days of my childhood, I wore out my VHS tape, it was one of my most prized possessions.

The thing is I've come back to it in adolescence and adulthood, all the things that those OG fans bemoaned... I kind love, well maybe the medichloreans was unnecessary I concede, but the politics? Yeah I'm onboard for all of it, in fact I want more to be honest.

Objectively I can see everything wrong with this film, it's tonally imbalanced between Lucas wanting to inject real political intrigue to inform his wars, coupled with his compulsive need to make these films for children as much as he possibly can. The dialogue is often poor and the line delivery is shocking at times, I really don't think George is cogent of how people speak normally, so wrapped up in his technologies and grand visions as he is, his ex-wife Marcia really provided that understanding and recognizable human emotion element in her editing assistance, I imagine if she was still involved with these films when Lucas came to the prequel trilogy she would have cut through to the heart of these films in a way George simply seems unable to. He's a fantastic plotter, it's his vision and I love that vision, I do wish he found someone to properly assist him with the writing and direction whenever I watch these films nowadays... but as I just said to my friend, I can't help but be transported back when I watch this film.

I've been thinking of all the Lego sets I had, of all the lightsabre duels my friends and I had under summer skies in months that felt like they lasted for years, of all the exciting and frustrating times I had playing through countless Star Wars videogames. I truly and honestly believe that the high watermark period for Star Wars as a franchise IP is the prequel era, after Return of the Jedi concluded the Original Trilogy Star wars disappeared for years, during the build-up to The Phantom Menace Star Wars exploded and has never left us since, but there was a nicer balance then to what Disney do now. Maybe I'm just too close to this to have an objective opinion, I'm happy to concede that.

However rough so much of this film is, the moment those hangar doors open and Maul unleashes his double bladed lightsabre, and Duel of Fates kicks in... It's just fucking superb.

I'm writing this review the morning after the night before, I have to say coming out of the theatre last night I was a little bemused at just the level of acclaim Sinners is getting, it's a great film to be sure so don't get me wrong, I did have a really good time with the latest effort from the fruitful collaboration between Coogler and Jordan, it's just look at the LB average folks, I guess I was expecting my socks to be blown off a little more than has proven to be the case.

For me my thing is I was really into the first half of this film, a period piece drama about the outsiders and outcasts of a racially divided society, coming together and cutting a little piece out for themselves in this unwelcoming land they seem unshakably bound to, even as Smoke and Stack have tried to make a go of it elsewhere they cannot escape their intertwined destiny with this land and community.

Of course that's not what Sinners ends up being, well it is but it's more in metaphor because the back half of this film turns into a potent supernatural action horror and honestly, it really works here as well, I was just as engaged and entertained as I was in the first half's build-up to the shit hitting the fan, mainly on of how good O'Connell is here as Remmick, the big bad vampire of the piece that turns this story on it's head. He is having so much fun in this role, it's impossible not to have fun with him.

I've been watching Buffy again these past couple of weeks, I used to watch Buffy a couple times a year in it's entirety, the years prior to my ing LB I was actually watching it three or four times a year, I'm always going to have love for Buffy, but because it's back on my mind of late, watching Sinners last night really made me think how much this depiction of vampires in Coogler's film, much more accurately aligns with the description of them in Buffy, versus how they actually ended up being in the run of the show. This isn't a comment to the quality of Sinners or Buffy by the way, just a bit of where my mind had been wandering in thought in the wake of watching the film.

See I would hardly say I was down on my straight out the theatre post for this one on Instagram, but I wasn't gushing over Sinners either. I've slept on it, pondered a bit more this morning, and I've come to the conclusion that I really like the execution of both halves of this film, and so even as still this morning I'm questioning the balance ever so little, I can only concur for the most part with the general sentiment of praise going to Sinners, even if my own praise is a little tempered in comparison.

I think one of the great achievements of this film on Coogler's part is I went in expecting his From Dusk Till Dawn, and was quite pleasantly surprised to see he'd stealthily given us his Babylon, whilst still working in the former experience all the same. I mention Babylon specifically because that incredible scene, where Sammie plays in Club Juke and the scene just explodes into that transcendent moment in space and time, as figures past, present and future all appear in frame. It's a celebration of representation on the part of Coogler, as he once again uses his ability as a filmmaker to give voice and presence to groups and history that hasn't always had much of either in film. It's an incredible scene to watch on the big screen!

In of the performances, yes O'Connell is a real show stealer here, but how can you not give it to Michael B. Jordan, playing twins Smoke and Stack, he's terrific here he really is, I mean everyone is contributing some top draw performance work, Steinfeld impresses as ever, really cool to see Delroy Lindo and Omar Miller in another big release, they used to be such regular players in so many films I watched obsessively in years gone by, and then we have Miles Caton as Sammie at the heart of it all, the film begins and ends with Sammie as it were, he's good, hell of a voice when it comes to the singing, he's our audience surrogate in this and he holds his own in the company of his more esteemed and veteran co-stars.

I think I went to bed last night with a 4.0 in mind, I'm glad I waited until this morning because the more I've thought about it, the more I've liked it, the visual and aural experience Coogler offers here is indeed one of the best you'll have experience in 2025 so far, and I'm confident it'll hold up once the year is through with the rest of it's releases.

I think I speak for a lot of people when I say this film just existing is a big surprise, I hadn't been tracking this at all, if anything I thought Butler would be doing another Fallen film, meanwhile he and Lionsgate have quietly put this together and it even had a theatrical release stateside, sadly no such treatment here on the other side of the pond, it's been rather unceremoniously dropped on Prime here instead, which you know going into the film today I thought okay if anything that actually makes sense, that's what this film should feel like I imagine off the strength of memory I have regarding my viewing of it's predecessor, which I liked but really it was a case of luke warm to Mann's Heat.

So colour me very surprised people to say some two and half hours later, I had a very good time with Den of Thieves 2, I'm thinking much more highly of this as a film experience than I ever have of it's predecessor and honestly? I'm now quite jealous all of a sudden that the option to see this in theatres wasn't even presented to us here in the UK.

Den of Thieves 2 moves the action to southern , on the Mediterranean coast in the city of Nice, not shot in Nice but they've made the Canary Islands shooting location fit functionally enough on a visual level. I have to say this surprising sequel looks the business, there's so many films shot in southern Europe nowadays, American film studios way of convincing audiences they're being treated to a visually exotic film, and generally produced at a healthy cost for them for the locations they choose. I like the setting though I do.

The story does follow on from the previous film, and I was concerned given it's been a while since I watched Den of Thieves if I was going to be out of the loop at the start of this film, I think that might be the experience of many people beyond me in coming to this film, the thing of it is I just wasn't all that jazzed about Den of Thieves, watchable enough as it goes, but I didn't expect to be watching the sequel today and time was against me to try and get a double feature in of the two films, mostly on of the pair of them running well past the two hour mark in runtime. I chanced it that I'd be able to draw out enough memory of the first film and dived in, luckily this sequel is it's own thing, they reference events of the first film but nothing too specific that you'll feel confused about what's happening in the film at hand.

Butler and Jackson Jr. both reprise their roles from the first film, Christian Gudegast once again writes and directs, despite the change of location this film does feel to be in-keeping with the vibe established in that first film, except it's just improved on for me maybe, again basing this off my memories of the first film.

I think where Den of Thieves 2 really succeeds is it's middle act with the heist, it's tense and compelling viewing, if I was so honed in on what was happening on screen I'd have been free enough in my thoughts to be surprised in the moment at how gripped I was to the film, as it happens the credits rolled and then it hit me, I really was on the edge of my seat today watching the heist, and then the getaway just ups the ante as well, really engaging action sequence for sure.

I do think the film is overlong, the preamble to the the best of the film that I've just described above, it feels drawn out and you are wondering when things are going to kick into gear. The thing is though it works, Butler plays the enigma of his role in this sequel very well, have his stripes truly changed? You're questioning it all the way. There's some scenes where you're given the impression of a set-up, that doesn't end up coming but it's not out laziness of ineptitude, it's purposeful, the film leads you along nicely in it's mystery of what's unfolding.

It's just such a good surprise that this sequel has come and impressed me as much as it as, I was thinking this was going to be a disaster in all honesty, but far far from it I assure you. There's any number of shortcomings here, some I've pointed out that I felt let the side down, I'm sure for others they'll see things they don't like, it's not a perfect film and I would struggle to call it an overall great film, but it's very solid and much a much refined outing over it's predecessor. I read now there's movement on a third film, well this time I'll be ready!

Oh and I know the word is being used differently here, but you're telling me you've got an action crime thriller with the word Pantera in the title, and you couldn't use one of the band Pnatera's songs anywhere? Not even on the credits? Poor show folks!

I'm doing that rarest of things for me, I'm going down in the rating in the wake of this freshest viewing of American Sniper.

Now I didn't expect that to happen, I have thought highly of this film since seeing it in theatres and on multiple re-watches since, however in ironic fashion I came back after watching Warfare recently and wanting something of that experience again, but I think the viewing of Warfare has had me come back and see American Sniper in a lesser light unfortunately.

This is a major picture for, Best Picture nominee and produced on a sizeable budget, three and half times that of Warfare and that's without adjusting for inflation, I know it's only been a decade but trust me the dollar went much further in 2014 than it does ten years down the line. Yet watching the film tonight, I was dismayed to see the cheap effects work on display, I'm more forgiving when I watch an out and out crap film like Armor recently, where they are operating on such a miniscule budget that even though it's visually rubbish, okay fine circumstances being what they are go ahead with your bad digital insert work for blood and gunfire. I guess I didn't really pay attention to it in American Sniper in previous viewings, but it really caught my eye on this viewing, and it doesn't look good either visually or in of this being a prestige picture, you expect better and you're right to do so.

I don't really have much an issue with the politics of American Sniper though, never have really, it's a Clint Eastwood picture about the USA's most deadly sniper in history who did his duty in one of the nation's most questionable conflicts, honestly with this in mind I wonder why so many people end checking in with the film, knowing they're going to have an issue with it and being surprised when that eventuality transpires. I mean I do it to I suppose, walked into plenty of left wing biased productions and not got the hype, but I do try is the difference, I like to seek out stories and work that doesn't align with my personal views, variety is the spice of life.

This is still for me one of Cooper's better leading performances, but it's definitely been outshined a little as the years have carried on and he's continued to provide us with more and more good work, now both as an actor and a director.

Really I think I'm just in a place right now, where I'm so impressed with what I've just witnessed in Garland and Mendoza's Warfare, I might struggle with other pictures in this thematic space for a while, unless they're firing on all cylinders of course, and honestly I'm looking at American Sniper after this particular viewing and I think there's some misfires there.

Of course our relationship with films we watch and come back to, it should always be evolving and expanding, I always feel a little sad to come and downrate a film, but it has to be done on those occasions where you think it's a necessity, and for me this is one such occasion where I think that's the case.

My general contempt for Spike Lee the man is mostly outweighed by my adoration for Spike Lee the director, and it's smart and engaging work like this that encapsulates perfectly why I have that adoration.

I've been eyeing up my DVD copy of this for a couple of weeks now, today I just had to scratch the itch. I could do with dozens more films of Denzel and Chiwetel as a dynamic detective duo, I could do with so many more films as well with Clive Owen's terrifically capable mastermind thief.

Tell me how he died...

I will tell you how he lived.

Again I made a damned stupid decision putting this on to keep me company while I attempted to bash out some writing, obviously nothing got done again, and now I've crammed in review logs for three films today at the end of the day.

I've all the time in the world for this film, one of my firm favourites in life to be sure and I always enjoy revisiting.

You're late.

You're stunning.

You're forgiven.

One of my favourite films. I was quite a noted with myself a couple months back, there was a number of opportunities to catch this on a big screen and I missed them all, there was stuff going on at the time sure, but nah I dropped the ball there.

I made the damned mistake of putting this on, thinking it would be good accompaniment as I typed up a log for The Penguin Lessons, best believe I didn't write a single character of that review whilst this played.

I said in my review log for My Penguin Friend I'd get around to the other film sooner rather than later, what a strange thing for a year to see the release of two films based on true stories, about Magellan penguins finding companionship with unlikely human friends, both stories occurring in South America no less. Well however strange it is, I'm reaping the benefits from it as I've really enjoyed both films, but I do have to give the edge in of quality of an experience over to The Penguin Lessons by here, maybe part of that was seeing it on the big screen as that does always add something doesn't it, but my friend and I also just had a great time this afternoon with this film.

I'm a big fan of Philomena, I just love Coogan when he's in this kind of role, a world weary burnout who cuts through all those around him with superior sardonic dry wit, and that was the draw for me with this film from the moment I saw the first trailer, and he doesn't disappoint here at all, not that he ever really does mind you. He's got such a brilliant way with the manner of his delivery, even when you can predict where a scene or a line is going, he still lands it with gusto and draws out a big smile or laugh from you watching on.

Set against the backdrop of the rise of the Argentine Military Junta in the wake of their '76 coup, there is an ominous background to this otherwise joyful story, and going back to Philomena for a moment here, I don't think The Penguin Lessons tackles that element as full on as Philomena does with it's own thornier elements. There is a confrontation between Coogan's Tom Michell and one of the Junta's disappearers, a moment of bravery to denote the advancement in his character arc, but it doesn't hit with the same gusto as him verbally thrashing the Catholics towards the end of Philomena, though granted he is playing a decidedly more sheepish sort of character here.

Really there's just plenty of quality comedy on offer in The Penguin Lessons more than anything else, the penguin is a darling critter as well and unsurprisingly a scene stealer, there's an emotional weight to Coogan's performance as well here, as the story progresses and more layers are peeled back informing us more about Michell's story before the penguin came into his life, Coogan plays it very well for my liking. Now it's not quite the happy ending you might imagine it to be, anyone who knows their history should understand that with the Junta continuing on for several more years until it imploded in the early 80s, but nevertheless this is quality drama comedy, you're happier for having sat down with it and it was great to catch this on the big screen today with a friend.

I know Sinners is playing well right now, Revenge of the Sith gets it's 20th anniversary rerelease this weekend as well alongside the much anticipated ant sequel, but if you can find the time I highly recommend catching this one in theatres this week.

Strange one here, a more recent film boasting Neeson in the lead that critically, doesn't have him in some bizarre senior citizens action scenario, giving us more of the classic actor Neeson we all want back in a big way, and yet it flew under the radar massively and was reviewed horribly, which is disappointing given the story at play here.

This should be in the vein of All the President's Men, The Post or even maybe something like Zodiac perhaps, and it's just not there, everyone is trying and I dare say Neeson is succeeding even, for me anyway and I do concede that might just be for how much I simply enjoyed watching him in a straighter drama for a change, but yeah on the whole Mark Felt feels like it's lacking in vigour, it's a film that understands the gravity of it's subject matter, but it never lets you in fully into the heart of it all, it feels buried by it's dialogue heavy composition, not enlivened by it as something like an All the President's Men does.

It's a solid cast around Neeson, I like the film more than it's critical reputation would have suggested I would, but then I'm a fan of Neeson guys, I'll generally watch anything he does and get something more out of it than others might. In the same way I hold a candle for Ewan McGregor because I look at him and go, that's fucking Obi-Wan Kenobi, I just look at Liam Neeson when he's on screen and go that's fucking Qui-Gon Jinn and that inner child of mine who still loves Star Wars, and always will, is just happy.

Watchable enough, but a far cry from what this subject matter and a figure like Mark Felt deserved, and what we as an audience deserved about his story.

Mark Watney. Space pirate!

Yeah I've swung back around to The Martian again in record time, purely because I saw a friend sit down with it recently and speak so glowingly about it, and I just thought reading his words about this brilliant film... Fuckin' A man.

I am increasingly torn as the years roll on about 2015, Spotlight came away with the gong at the Oscars for that year, but I'm so split because every time I watch Spotlight, Fury Road, The Martian, Steve Jobs etc... I keep convincing myself that it should have been whichever I've just watched. I don't think 2015 was that strong in depth, but the cream that rose to the top that year was insanely rich.

In the UK our last remaining chain store for entertainment HMV has their own collection released on Blu Ray, I've been collecting them and wanted to make this list to rank the ones I've seen so far.

I'm not sure what I'm doing with the list feature so bear with me.

1. Airplane!
2. The Shining
3. Top Gun
4. Casablanca
5. Gremlins 2: The New Batch
6. The Mission
7. Amistad
8. Jason and the Argonauts
9. The Hunger
10. Them!

...plus 29 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

My personal Top Ten Films of 2024

This list is limited to films I caught in 2024, which officially released in 2024 according to LB, excluding short films and documentaries.

I have struggled with my top two, only Dune: Part Two and Kneecap earned 5/5 ratings from me, of the pair I believe Dune is definitely the greater cinematic achievement, perhaps a fresh viewing will see me come back and alter the list in the near future, but right now on strength of memory I derived a lot more personal enjoyment from Kneecap, and remain fascinated by how wonderful the performances of the three lads prove to be, considering they've little to no previous acting experience, and it's a harder done thing to do just to play yourself with that in mind.

I watched 160 2024 releases within the year, including short films and documentaries, which is a volume that surprised me as the year drew to a close.

Big year for film with 1159 watches on the whole, maybe I'll go outside and touch grass a little more often in 2025 eh?

1. Kneecap
2. Dune: Part Two
3. Anora
4. My Old Ass
5. Conclave
6. Snack Shack
7. Civil War
8. Touch
9. The Greatest Hits
10. The Beekeeper

My personal Top Ten Films of 2023

This list is limited to films I caught in 2023, which officially released in 2023 according to LB.

1. Oppenheimer
2. Past Lives
3. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
4. John Wick: Chapter 4
5. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning
6. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
7. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
8. Air
9. Guy Ritchie's The Covenant
10. A Place to Fight For

• "..." Reel 5
• "..." Reel 3
• "Officer Maggot"
• "Oh Dear"-ism II & Non-Linear War
• #1 Fan: A Darkomentary
• #PostModem
• #twitterkills
• The '">View the full list on Letterboxd. ]]>

• Inception
• The Dark Knight
• Pulp Fiction
• Parasite
• Joker
• Fight Club
• Get Out
• Guardians of the Galaxy
• Forrest Gump
• The Wolf of Wall Street

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

There are many statistically-minded lists available. Generally, they are either based on averages or cumulative presence in lists. This list attempts to bring the two together, with a composite score that uses Letterboxd, IMDb, Metacritic, and Rotten Tomatoes scores as well as a quantification of the movies' presence on several lists (enumerated below). I would describe the results as a consensus opinion of the films someone "should" see.
I started with a list of about 30k titles gleaned from many Letterboxd lists, IMDb data, and other sources and crunched the numbers. I limited composite scores to those above 500 IMDb votes. Votes were normalized against the maximum votes on that website to for the differing traffic, so the Highest Voted movie would be a 1.00 and the lowest 0.01. I weighted the differing website rating according to my own sense of importance with Letterboxd about 10x Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic about half of IMDb. I also included weighting by year to for the significant recency bias in online vote tallies. That weight was Votes x (1+((2000-Year)/100).
The way that I quantified movies on lists like Sight & Sound was to give those films a sort of fictional rating as if it were from IMDb. So, for instance, Vertigo, at #1 on Sight & Sound's Top 250 got 100, Citizen Kane got 99.96. Lists where there was no ranking all received 100. Sight and Sound, Palme D'or, and Oscar Winners received the greatest weight, which was about 10x a Oscar nomination outside Best Picture and about twice the Golden Bear or AFI Top 100.
Most Frequent:
Director:
14....Alfred Hitchcock
13....Akira Kurosawa
12....Ingmar Bergman
12....Yasujirô Ozu
11....Satyajit Ray
9....Luis Buñuel
9....Martin Scorsese
9....Stanley Kubrick
8....Billy Wilder
8....Charlie Chaplin
8....Howard Hawks
8....John Ford
8....Steven Spielberg
7....Andrei Tarkovsky
7....Federico Fellini
7....Fritz Lang
7....Hayao Miyazaki
7....William Wyler
Year:
1959....23
1964....21
1960....20
1975....20
1962....19
1965....18
1973....18
Decade:
1960s....170
1970s....138
1950s....132
1980s....126
1990s....115
List of Lists:
Oscar Best Picture (Nom/Win), Oscar Best Foreign Film (Nom/Win), Sight & Sound Top 250, Letterboxd Top 250, Bafta (Win), Oscar Orginal Screenplay (Nom/Win), Oscar Cinematography (Nom/Win), Oscar Director (Nom/Win), Nat'l Board of Review Top 10 Lists, AFI Top 100, Hong Kong Film Awards Best 100 Chinese Motion Pictures, Caimán Cuadernos de Cine Top 100 Spanish Films, Eberts Great Movies, BFI Top 100 British Films, Palme d'Or (Win), Golden Bear (Win),Golden Lion (Win), NY Times Top 1000
Updates: Corrected formula to time-weight Letterboxd votes. Added Sight & Sound votes

1. The Godfather
2. 12 Angry Men
3. Casablanca
4. Citizen Kane
5. The Godfather Part II
6. Rear Window
7. Psycho
8. Vertigo
9. City Lights
10. Seven Samurai

...plus 990 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.