Letterboxd — Your life in film

The power of connection, of reconnection. Of picking yourself up again, the power of a good sing and a dance. The power of rebellion in the face of the truth, playing chicken with facts to protect yourself. 

Serves as a fantastic juxtaposition between the old school generation within London & the UK as a whole and the newer generation, what these two groups of people can learn from one another, what they shouldn’t learn from one another and what they share…

Usually when an actor turns their hand to directing you see a mish mash of their previous directors as inspiration (think Ryan Gosling making Lost River). However this feels like a completely singular vision from Michael B Jordan, uninterested in the present and what is going on today but focusing more on rectifying the past and securing the future, legacy and pride above everything else. Although there’s a small amount of Ryan Coogler in there, albeit that may just be…

After the recent blockbuster success of Avatar: The Way of Water & Top Gun: Maverick its typical marvel to bring me right back to earth with this. Where the two previously mentioned films felt like must seen, can’t miss events this feels like another step in the road. Too concerned with its pseudo-intellectual back patting to stop and remind themselves that this is meant to be entertaining, you don’t have to be a cultural landmark in time like Avatar when you…

Prays on the very real and universal fear of not knowing what is looking back at you in the dark, large parts of this are completely almost unwatchable at times to the point where your eyes, your brain begin to deceive you and tell you things are there. Who’s to say they’re not? Rather than the horror coming from the written script it is instead in the stage directions within the screenplay. The horror is 90% in the camerawork, the…

Being the known miserable bastard I am I went into this excited and also somewhat expecting to hate it. At least I can say I know myself. Hate is a strong word, I actually don’t hate it. There’s just a lot left on the table here that could have been way better. For starters Tim Mincin’s songs bar about 3 are just painful to listen to, like he’s writing them as he’s singing them. They feel like freestyles but as…

Although this is a well crafted, well acted and well written investigative drama it’s bogged down by its complicated moral dilemma. It’s difficult for a Hollywood film, where those involved have directly or indirectly benefitted from Harvey Weinstein, Miramax or The Weinstein Company be credible without it becoming somewhat hypocritical. Personally, this would be better served as an investigative documentary in the style of CitizenFour or All The Beauty & The Bloodshed by director Laura Poitras where instead of using actors…

How many times in one film can a massive corporation exploit the death of a real man? Do the execs at Disney understand that Chadwick Boseman is actually dead? Just when you think they can’t carry on, they do it again, and again and again. That post credits scene is one of the worst pieces of filmmaking I’ve ever consumed. I want to bleach my eyes. 

An egregiously long patience test, they should torture terrorist suspects with this, the pure…

I can’t believe the hype this got and it actually delivered! Genuinely exquisite filmmaking, tense and completely terrifying. Relentless in its pacing, stop to catch your breath for a second and you are playing catch up. Set up after set up after set up and pay off after pay off after pay off. This thing wraps it’s hands around your neck and does not let go. I wish it was 6 hours long.

Similar, at least in its form to…