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Fright Night (2011)
Some dodgy CGI, but also some great performances from Farrell, Yelchin and all, and a solid script. Surprisingly good! →
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Rams
Oddball Icelandic drama of two estranged sheep farming brothers. Bleak, darkly comic at times, and touching throughout. →
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La Belle Noiseuse
A long and dreamy piece concerning an ageing painter and his muse. Strangely relaxing, like if Bob Ross did nudes and ennui. →
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Donnie Darko
Kinda funny. Kinda sad. →
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Conversation Piece
A captivating character piece though I was perpetually distracted wondering if Burt Lancaster was wearing a wig. →
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2046
One of those films where every still looks like it could be framed. A perfect soundtrack as well. →
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The Neon Demon
Sour and mean-spirited and just beautifully ludicrous. →
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Cloud Atlas
The underlying message may be trite but the execution and delivery are flawless. Dizzyingly, mind-bendingly wonderful. →
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April & the Extraordinary World
Beautiful animation set in an alternate steampunk France. A unique story, great script, and a talking cat. →
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52 Pick-Up
One of those perfectly lurid, trashy films you expect to randomly run into on late-night Channel 4. Great stuff. →
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Hail Caesar!
Smart and funny and features a tap-dancing Channing Tatum. Hard to see how it could be improved. →
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Christine
Not great. Couldn’t get past the idea of a demonically-possessed car that needs you to get inside/in front of it to be killed. →
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Assault on Precinct 13
Never get bored of watching this, or humming that perfect soundtrack. A taut and intense piece. →
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Hellbound: Hellraiser 2
Not a bad sequel. A little unbalanced and unintentionally funny at times, but appealingly surreal throughout. →
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Gattaca
An elegant, thoughtful, sophisticated piece with a timeless look and style. Could happily watch it on a loop. →
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Bridge to Terabithia
Forgettable kids stuff with a terrible soundtrack. Not even worthwhile as background noise. →
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Dracula (1931)
Maybe heretical to say, but aside from Lugosi’s amazing stare, this has not aged well. Historically interesting, little more. →
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Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Very aware of how my nostalgia was being manipulated, but the film is so well done & so well performed, I was ok with it. →
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Catch Me If You Can
Probably my favourite film that can be watched entirely through the opening credits alone. →
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Cleopatra
Epic in length and star power but kind of middling in other regards. Never a slog, but hard to lose yourself in it as well. →