Joeblade

Short reviews

  1. Godzilla

    A film of enjoyable moments hamstrung by deadweight characters.

  2. Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

    Perfect in every imaginable way.

  3. Blue Jasmine

    Deeply uncomfortable watch exacerbated by a tone that seems to be going for comedy. Blanchett brilliant but, urgh, weird film.

  4. Nebraska

    Funny and charming drama, beautifully shot and performed.

  5. Plague Dogs

    A heartwarming animation in which two runaway dogs DEFINITELY make it to the island and survive. That definitely happened.

  6. The Wind Rises

    Mixed feelings about this; felt morose & sentimental at times, sweet and hopeful at others. An odd last film from Miyazaki.

  7. Hell’s Angels

    Interesting from a film history perspective, but the performances and script have…not aged well.

  8. Enchanted

    A fun first half, but once the shtick has worn off you’re left with an average romcom with some dubious messages about love.

  9. Watership Down

    The only film to ever make me wish I had children, just so I could make them watch this and traumatise the shit out of them.

  10. After Life

    Japanese ‘90s lo-fi flick in which the recently dead must reenact their happiest memory. Bit like an undead Be Kind, Rewind.

  11. Thief

    Michael Mann’s first film is like a statement of intent for all his future films; wet streets, coffee shop conversations and all.

  12. Phantom of the Paradise

    Utterly bonkers ‘70s rock opera adaptation of both Faust and Phantom of the Opera. Both dreadful and amazing.

  13. Thirst

    First half of this Korean vampire film is brilliant, reminiscent of Cronos. Second half gets a bit too wacky, diminishing the horror.

  14. Foxfire

    Takes the promising material of a violent ‘50s girl gang and slowly, boringly drives into the ground. Unenlightening and bland.

  15. Clockwise

    Like an English Falling Down. Cleese is brilliant, and Stephen Moore excels as a teacher incapable of completing a sentence.

  16. Amélie

    The nightmarish tale of a woman who gaslights a local greengrocer and manipulates friends into unhappy love affairs. Chilling.

  17. Lay the Favourite

    A startlingly mediocre comedy with the never-funny Bruce Willis and a miscast Rebecca Hall as a ditzy ex-stripper. Awful.

  18. Porco Rosso

    Love it. Something a bit “Bank Holiday morning ‘60s Herbie” about it but it’s hard to place.

  19. Kiki’s Delivery Service

    Absurdly, enchantingly adorable.

  20. Casablanca

    Weirdly, my first viewing. Like watching a film where the whole script is made up of quotable lines from other films.

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