Joeblade

Short reviews

  1. The Aviator

    One of my favourites. Endlessly re-watchable for weird cinematography, for Cate Blanchett’s Hepburn & for the Wainwright cameos.

  2. The Black Dahlia

    Looks great, sounds great, dreadful performances from everyone who’s either flat & wooden or coked up to the nines.

  3. The Long Goodbye

    Obviously a classic, but also notable for an early Schwarzenegger moustache.

  4. Bride of Re-Animator

    Just utterly fucking ridiculous and I wouldn’t change a bit of it.

  5. The Misfits

    An oppressive, emotionally-wrought film, all the more so for knowing that it was Monroe’s last film. Flawed, but worth watching.

  6. Walkabout

    Dreamy cinematography and a haunting soundtrack. Kind of dull as well!

  7. Plein Soleil

    Great ’60s French Talented Mr. Ripley adaptation. Creepy, stylish, sophisticated, and men have never been prettier than here.

  8. Battle Royale

    The older I get, the more reasonable the solution presented in this film seems to me.

  9. The Witches

    Grotesque, terrifying Roald Dahl adaptation in which some blameless, kindly old women are brought to ruin by a horrible child.

  10. Kung Fu Hustle

    Chinese martial arts comedy that parodies…pretty much everything, I think. Utterly preposterous and I love it to bits.

  11. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

    One of those brilliant early Miramax flicks from when Sam Rockwell seemed poised to take over the world.

  12. Wings of Honnêamise

    Could’ve been a solidly respectable anime; ruins it all by making lead character attempted rapist midway through. Avoid.

  13. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

    [INCOHERENT SCREAM]

  14. Captain America: Civil War

    Fun, but no real depth.

  15. Midnight Special

    Superb Nichols & Shannon collaboration, made me feel like I was watching Close Encounters for the first time. Astonishing.

  16. Theatre of Blood

    Ludicrously brilliant black comedy in which Vincent Price really needs to learn to take criticism better.

  17. The Jungle Book (2016)

    Shoe-horned songs aside, a solid, thrilling remake with some incredible CGI. Idris Elba’s Shere Khan is a perfect villain.

  18. The American Friend

    A grimy German adaptation of Ripley's Game that looks like an Edward Hopper painting come to life. Bleak, but brilliant.

  19. Watchmen

    A juvenile interpretation of the source, lacking nuance and understanding, but it’s viscerally, meatily entertaining nonetheless.

  20. The Fallen Idol

    In which an annoying, talkative child holds the key to a possible murder, yet nobody offs the child. BAFFLING.

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