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Shin Godzilla
I’m sure there’s a blisteringly-clever satire under here somewhere but mediocre effects and a soporific story literally sent me to sleep →
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Mission: Impossible
I love it more every time I watch it; the 90s locations and tech only get more charming, and there’s a conceptual purity that’s missing from later films. Also, blissfully free of Simon Pegg →
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Operation Avalanche
A fake-found-footage conspiracy drama about faking the moon landings; a nice idea, presented well, but drags on a bit longer than necessary →
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Avengers: Infinity War
Unapologetically a season-finale of a film, a solid two hours of exhilarating, almost non-stop action. Vague feeling there’ll be diminishing returns on multiple viewings though; with all the spectacle, there’s very little room for character →
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Guardians of the Galaxy
After some of the more ponderous and overlong Marvel films, revisiting this was a breath of fresh air. Brisk, funny, dumbly charming →
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I Am Not a Witch
A surreal, comical and mesmerising Zambian witchcraft drama, really like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Captivating performances and stunning cinematography →
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Frank & Lola
A dreary relationship drama that’s a struggle to get through despite some occasionally intense performances →
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Batman vs. Two Face
Much like Return of the Caped Crusaders:, there’s fun in West, Ward and Newmar returning to these roles, and Shatner as Dent is surprisingly decent. Cheaply animated, but a little nostalgia goes a long way →
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Blood Simple
As striking, witty, clever and violent as it ever was, it’s another film I could happily watch on a loop forever →
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Soylent Green
Strongly suspect the only thing this film gets wrong about the future is how spacious the suicide rooms will be →
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Your Name
An unspeakably charming animation that’s sharply-written and deeply-plotted. Loved it →
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Highlander III: The Sorcerer
A reasonably daft, throwaway sequel that doesn’t do anything new with the idea but benefits from not being Highlander 2 →
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Grand Hotel (1932)
A star-packed ensemble piece that felt like it could have been made today. Timeless and endlessly rewatchable →
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Niagara
A luridly-colourful film noir with a Hitchcockian vibe to it. Enjoyable stuff, and Monroe steals the film as the femme fatale →
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Psycho IV: The Beginning
Much as I love Anthony Perkins, this was an unnecessary — and at times unintentionally-hilarious — origin story that adds nothing to anything. Watch the TV series Bates Motel instead →
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Superman Returns
It’s the best Superman film since Superman (1978) but that’s not saying much. Those parts impersonating previous films are done superbly; the newer additions work less well. A noble failure, and I still wish we’d seen Routh in a few sequels →
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Star Wars: The Last Jedi
On a second viewing the lop-sided structure and the coincidence-heavy story mattered less; I was far more engaged with the characters, and I’m well on the way to falling in love with the film →
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Daphne
A bitingly-believable trip into the life of a thirtysomething Londoner adrift in her own misery. Painful to watch at times, but recommended →
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Highlander 2: The Quickening
The canonical case study in How Not To Do A Sequel. Not the worst film I’ve ever seen, but only because I’ve also seen Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace →
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Chocolat (1988)
A sensitive and thoughtful portrayal of the last days of French-colonial Africa, an unshowy film that gets out of the way of the incredible visuals and performances. →