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Snowpiercer
Imaginative, surreal, funny and sad and subtle. A wonderfully complex film with superb performances. If you can find it, see it →
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Angel-A
Luc Besson’s sweetest film, carried mostly by Jamel Debbouze. A black and white, deserted Paris has never looked more appealing. →
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Evolution
Not really greater than the sum of its parts but does contain my favourite scene of pointless triumphalism. →
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Whisper of the Heart
An unbearably charming ‘90s Ghibli. Likeable characters, understated story, weird tacky cat doll. →
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Two Faces of January
Stylish, slightly laconic thriller. Not as twisty as I’d have liked but lovely to watch. →
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The Conformist
Bertolucci's study on Italian fascism and conformity is a film I could comfortably watch on a loop forever. →
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Spirited Away
An indescribable joy. →
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A Most Wanted Man
A sluggish John le Carré adaptation that never quite earns its ponderous feel. Watch Tinker Tailor again instead. →
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The Kreutzer Sonata
Another Bernard Rose/Danny Huston Tolstoy adaptation. As with the others, these are all about Huston’s performance. →
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The Dead Zone
A great film responsible for one of my all-time favourite Christopher Walken moments. →
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The Twelve Tasks of Asterix
Best adaptation of the Asterix comics there’s ever been. Mostly-uncredited English voice cast is excellent. →
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Locke
The dullest man in the world takes the dullest drive ever, discussing concrete on the way. A relentlessly boring film. →
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Closed Circuit
Decent political legal thriller that may be faintly ridiculous but covers it up well with good performances and a quick pace. →
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Night Moves
I’m a fan of Kelly Reichardt and her latest is a brilliantly suspenseful and subdued eco-terrorist thriller. Whole cast superb. →
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Rio Grande
Can’t tell if it’s any good because all John Wayne films to me seem like someone doing an impression of John Wayne. →
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The Blue Lamp
A feature-length precursor to Dixon of Dock Green. 1950s depiction of police now almost unbearably quaint. →
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Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
Early Miyazaki that, despite airships, gliders & giant insects, still feels a little airless. A bit dull →
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Rocky Horror Picture Show
Achieves what it sets out to do, I guess, though I have no idea what that is. →
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The Congress
Felt like a patchy screenplay confused by remnants of earlier drafts. Robin Wright is excellent but the film is incoherent. →
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The Zero Theorem
Never provides any compelling reason to watch over Brazil, but still the best Gilliam film I’ve seen since Fear & Loathing. →