Joeblade

Short reviews

  1. The Voices

    Darkly-comic piece in which Ryan Reynolds is at his most tolerable.

  2. Lost Soul

    Great documentary on Richard Stanley’s doomed Dr. Moreau adaptation. Makes me hope for one on Josh Trank’s Fantastic Four one day

  3. Tremors

    Greatest pole-vaulting scene in film history?

  4. Moon

    Unassuming and perfect, with so many little details I notice anew each time.

  5. Mad Max 2: Road Warrior

    The best Mad Max film I’ve seen all the way through.

  6. Barbarella

    Brilliant. Why can’t all films start this way?

  7. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension

    Brilliant. Why can’t all films end this way?

  8. Southland Tales

    So utterly, ludicrously poor I can’t help but love it.

  9. Intimate Relations

    Baffling ‘90s Brit-flic about a ‘50s double murder; can’t decide if it’s a comedy or thriller. Les Dennis stars, oddly.

  10. Darkman

    Brilliant of course, though tempered slightly nowadays by the realisation that his big breakthrough is just a 3D printer.

  11. Black Coal, Thin Ice

    Chinese neo-noir, starts off promisingly but gets more turgid as it progresses. Totally lost my attention by the end.

  12. Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter

    Based on the real life story of a woman who thought Fargo was a true story. Darkly-comic but seriously bleak.

  13. The Tale of The Princess Kaguya

    Beautiful, but a little ponderous.

  14. Marnie

    A drab Hitchcock slog with Sean Connery at his most repellant.

  15. North by Northwest

    Doesn't get much better than this. Cary Grant at his absolute most unflappable despite being shot at and kidnapped.

  16. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation

    Should've been subtitled "Pegg/Cruise Have An Adventure". Barely feels like Mission Impossible; entertaining but disposable

  17. Kill Me Again

    A solid, by the numbers film noir that features a young, pretty Val Kilmer constantly pursing his lips.

  18. The Young Girls of Rochefort

    Lighter-than-air French musical, all pastels & prettiness. Elegantly structured, lots of fun, bonus Gene Kelly.

  19. The Grandmaster

    Story and characters a little thinly-drawn but the martial arts sequences are beautiful & hypnotic. Recommended for those.

  20. Jupiter Ascending

    Not quite bad enough to be brilliant, but by God it comes close.

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