Since the invention of film, there have only been five movies that were rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind.
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Whiplash 2014
Crotchety jazz teacher has his students all a-quaver in this note-perfect musical thriller that doesn’t let up for a minim; there really is no time to breve!
Brilliant writing that would not work without Simmons’ ability to keep you believing there’s a human being under the Full Metal Jacket drill sergeant exterior, or Teller’s carefully pitched, obsessive wannabe musical great, whom at times you want to shake (you’re saying THAT to Supergirl, man!) and at times you want to cheer…
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Best Sellers 2021
Sometimes you persevere with a film, hoping the end justifies the investment of time; this is not that film….
…in fact it’s surprisingly rubbish, invoking every writerly cliché in the book - oh, a misanthropic curmudgeonly widow who drinks too much - in a film that has no idea what tone it wants to follow and wastes everyone's time as it tries to decide...
...an intriguing pairing Caine & Plaza might be, but this is shonkily - no, unforgivably lazily -…
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Spotlight 2015
Shore’s melancholic, muted, piano-led motif sets the mood for this painfully moving true story, the importance and subsequent impact of which cannot be understated...
...lacking glamour, gloss and grandstanding (save one Ruffalo rant to kick off the third act), this is a tale of real journalists doing real journalism, uncovering the hideous crimes of the Catholic church’s paedophilic past and present; McCarthy’s film is gripping old-school storytelling of the highest order...
...with an outstanding ensemble cast - all, quietly, at…
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Top Gun: Maverick 2022
Much as I love the films of Tony Scott (nice touch dedicating this one to him), I can take or leave his quarter-pound, mid 80s military recruitment ad with extra cheese. It’s not bad - the action still stands up today - it’s just a bit too...greasy?
So my expectations were middling for Maverick’s return.
Cue Faltermeyer’s iconic theme. 10 minutes later all my doubts evaporated as if contrails... This is a GREAT movie.
It hits every beat bang on…
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The Banshees of Inisherin 2022
Profound, painful, peculiar...
I fail to recall the last time I laughed so much at such a sad - no, mournful - tale. ’Banshees' is the kind of character study that chews on your emotions, asks questions of your loyalties and values and sends you back out into the world just that little bit more thoughtful about human interaction.
Burwell’s music needles the psyche so well (it's the perfect choice as the humour here is as dark as peak Coen)…
