Like a slow, animated Edward Hopper painting that takes place in the crumbling Brussels of the eighties. Not my favourite Akerman, but it has a certain hypnotic aura that kept me watching.
Demonstrates clearly how all the hype about artificial general intelligence or super intelligence and other booster terms is just a modern rehashing of old-school eugenics. A good counter to the AI hype, albeit one that could have done with better editing.
It's somewhat superficial, which is no surprise considering the amount of information you can fit in to this kind of runtime. Despite that, it's a great overview of the history of funk, the influences, the politics, etc. Lots of nuggets and grooves. It's also incredibly well edited, I wish more music documentaries were made like this.
Probably Lanthimos' most accessible film, which is saying something. Still bizarre enough on the surface but quite honest about our predicament when you drop below. Fantastic performances from both Stone and Plemmons.
I'm usually a fan of Raimi's trademark style. This film, however, was a slog. It's lazy and unsatisfying, with not a single likeable character to root for.
It's superficial and has pretty bad dialogue but, if you're a child of the rave scene, you'll certainly enjoy the atmosphere and nostalgia. It gets a lot of that right.
Fun little story of survival with elements of noir, screwball and hyper-violence. Doesn't break any new ground, but it's entertaining from beginning to end.
An impressive study of grief with an astonishing cast. The natural pace gives you time to absorb the characters and the world they inhabit. A lot of the story feels more like speculation than known history, but that doesn't take away from the rest.
Polished and efficient. The Heat and Thief inspiration is definitely visible but, if you're making an LA heist thriller, you might as well borrow from the best. And they don't make many of these any more.
Visually, it's held up incredibly well. Story-wise, it felt more like 2 different films merged together. Still, putting it into the context of its time, it's quite something and I can see why it was so influential.
It's a Jason Statham vehicle. You've seen this story before, and you'll see it again. It's execution that makes the difference. And it's tight and efficient here.
Compassion and gore aren't two terms I'd generally associate, but that's what you get here. It's also beautiful, layered, and features some amazing performances. That musical moment is incredible, and including a roaming gang of Jimmy Savilles as part of the deconstruction of the British myth is pure genius. Looking forward to the next one.
The way this film tackles its very serious subject in a way that continuously knocks you off balance, even with absurdist humour, is masterful. The period feels lived in, the political oppression feels real, the cast is perfect. A fantastic piece of film-making.
I've never set foot in Disneyland and probably never will, but this archive footage of the construction was genuinely captivating. Building a theme park in less than a year is quite the feat. Probably made easier by the staggering number of workplace safety violations that would never fly today.
A very intimate and warm film despite the subject matter. Theodore Pellerin gives a quiet, even shy, performance that fits his character perfectly. That final scene was just perfect.
Below average police thriller with a convoluted and implausible plot. I generally enjoy these kinds of film, but this one hasn't aged well at all and Claude Brasseur's constant over-acting is grating.
The anxiety this provokes while watching is off the charts. It keeps building until it switches into bonkers territory. Lots of plot holes, but worth it for the atmosphere alone.
Not the dark class satire it thinks it is, but it's got enough good scenes and dialogue to make it an entertaining watch. It could have done with a bit of a wilder streak though.
Wonderfully subversive satire of religion, bourgeois hypocrisy, and social order that gets more burlesque as it builds. Bourvil is surprisingly endearing as a sort of whimsical anti-hero.
I enjoyed this cheap and cheesy 80s teen computer hacking story more than I really should – and it's purely due to the nostalgic tech it features. The story is predictable albeit never boring.
Another cinematic warning about the dangers of AI. More criti-hype than critique, however. Cécile de France is excellent, the story is not. Seeing Brussels passed off as some futuristic dystopia was amusing, though.
Well-meaning, albeit superficial comedy that turns something that, deep down, is quite irresponsible into a safe, sentimental watch. It's cute, but it left me uncomfortable.
An atmosphere of suspicion and greed, confined to a single bar-tabac location, questioning our relationship with money and the truth. The film gets a bit convoluted, and misses its mark here and there, but it's highly entertaining. And quite meta: the characters become just as immersed in the story as the audience, with the tale they create branching out and shaped by the sets around them.
A dark and brutal satire of the dehumanisation in modern workplaces. It may not be as tight as some of Park Chan-wook's previous films, but it's still wonderfully inventive.
Based on a video game and feels like one. Considering the franchise's history of violence and fear, it also feels incredibly tame. It's competent but, ultimately, quite ordinary.
Magnificent 80s cheese that goes straight onto the "so bad it's good" shelf. It's got awful dialogue, bad acting, evil video game laughs, all kinds of ridiculous weapons, kid fights, granny fights, mafiosi, and plenty of nonsensical ninja action.
Dumb fun. One for the "watch and forget" pile (so forgettable, in fact, I had to watch the trailer before writing this to remind me what it was about).
Uses absurdity as a very effective tool to show the personal consequences of political radicalism. Some of the best pacing and acting I've seen in a while. Quite the masterpiece.
Clumsy, albeit well-intentioned, family drama with a made-for-tv aesthetic. Several arcs go nowhere and the dad character is quite problematic without any of it being addressed by the end. Still, it's watchable.
Nice packaging, little content. Doesn't seem to know if it wants to be a classic adventure or a comedy, and commits to neither. Luckily François Damiens is there to hold up the comedy side, probably improvising most of his lines when you compare them to the rest of the dialogue.
Mediocre French comedy that's a struggle to get through despite some big names in the credits. Set in the UK, but clearly filmed in France after the initial scenes in London. Based on a play, but the horrible slapstick feels like something out of a cheap comic book.
The formula's getting a bit old, but it's still enjoyable despite way too much exposition and characters with lack of depth. At least Daniel Craig toned down the foghorn leghorn in this one.
Cliché-ridden and extremely violent cop thriller that manages to stand out mostly because of the South African setting. I was surprised to discover I understand way more Afrikaans than I expected, which helped due to the lack of subtitles.
A deceptively simple (as always with Reichardt) heist film where the focus is not on the crime, but the aftermath. It's a mesmerising character study of one of these people who believe they're special, leaving a mess wherever they go as they chase that shortcut to success that never comes. Josh O'Connor is phenomenal as the laconic titular character, and the jazz score fits perfectly with the beautiful photography.
