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What’s better than a Robin Hood flick I hear you ask? Phil Harris playing a big fat singing bear again. Fucking legend.

Watched on Monday June 9, 2025.

TELL EVERYBODY IM ON MY WAY

Yes, I just watched a pre-world war Disney half animated half documentary feature about south america, yes I did.

Not the best in of animation - needless to say the character development is phenomenal, and of course the songs. I’m a sucker for anything to do with faith, romans and gods so this was up my street.

I guess I have to tick off all 63 Walt Disney Pictures now.

Not a usual review, not necessarily a sad one though. My lovely Gran has just been taken off her meds for dementia/cancer and will soon be going on - so I thought i’d watch this beauty! Her name is Alice and she’s never, ever, suffered with any distress or pain from her illness’s. But shes been in her only little world for some time now and doesn’t know what’s going on, mixed with having the kindest heart in the world - I immediately think of Alice in Wonderland.  

I also haven’t seen this since I was 5 and it held up extremely well - vivid memories of this along with Pinocchio & Hunchback seated with my Grandma! More classics pending!

Watched on Tuesday June 3, 2025.

Watched on Monday June 2, 2025.

Watched on Sunday June 1, 2025.

Brian De Palma presents Vertigo, Rear Window and Porn.

Ummm…easily one of the weirder De Palma flicks.

Even in an oddball, somewhat uninspired, narrative like this - there is still the occasional classic Palma juice that comes with anything he touches. Aka - split diopter shots are cool as fuck. What a weird filmography Rachel McAdams has by the way, a phenomenal actress with such meaningless performances. Anyway, this erotic-psycho drama has its moments, but the landing definitely skids a little. I just can’t deny the camerawork, along with that last half hour.

Watched on Wednesday May 28, 2025.

Jason Statham fucking WISHES he was this good.

My heart sank a million times and I’m still waiting for it to come back up. 

No one needs to hear me ramble on about how this is a complete masterpiece. Or how Hitchcock just creates the ultimate feast of tension, horror, love, twists and ultimately turns. A masterminds study on a spiralling subconscious ravaged by grief. Visually, as gorgeous as Kim Novak in this flick, stunning. I could talk for hours about this film…the camerawork, editing, script, location, sound design, Jimmy Stewart delivering his best performance - absurd. Hitchcock was really THAT guy and always will be. I was jumping around like a little kid for 90% of the runtime, the other 10% was spent in fear and anguish. Oh, and that one shot with Carlotta Valdez in John’s dream - haunting. Hitchy went, dare I say, Lynchian and i’ve never given a 5 star rating quicker. An absurdist thriller in the heart of 50’s San Fran. Masterpiece.

In one word: BAJSDINWPFBWOSBFONWODNF!!!

Hitchcock Ranked

Needed some background slop for my re-found football manager addiction.

When I go to the pearly gates I hope I am greeted by Martin Scorsese.

There’s nothing better than seeing someone perform at a level so absurd that it places them on a throne so far ahead of the average human - even more so when that throne is undoubtedly deserved. It’s like watching Van Gogh paint or Shakespeare write a play, it’s those consistent acts of perfection that us mere mortals only experience once in a lifetime glimmers of if we’re lucky. When it comes to film, very few have operated quite as impressively as Scorsese. Sure, you’ve got the Kubrick’s and Kurosawa’s of the world, but how cool is it that we have someone like Marty still running the game - I honestly can’t see who will take his pedestal once done - possibly a Nolan or Denis but then again, they’re no where near that level yet. God status.

Now onto the actors, the exact same goes. In this flick we have the best actor of our current generation (Leo) and the best actor of the previous (Niro) and the best new face on the block (Gladstone) delivering performances that can only be described as…superhuman. A career best from all.

The story, simply genius. Speaking objectively, it’s of course a modern masterpiece. Oozing with depth, gorgeous shots, ace script and unwavering talent from all departments involved. Rich in culture, moral ambiguity and ultimately, the human nature of deceit. A period piece that can only be held up by the likes of the Barry Lyndon’s of the world. My heart breaks for Lily Gladstone’s character, and then breaks again for Leo’s, and once more for the love they share. 

Scorsese has never been shy of showcasing his intellect when it comes to developing a character, and my word does he show off. The journey we are taken on, from the beginning, we learn to love and equally hate the characters - but we thoroughly appreciate all of their importance. If you want a stellar character then you need a stellar cast, both are immensely present. I don’t see many more movies that really put you into the minds of our characters and ultimately care for them. Perhaps the only I can recall would be in the realm of a coming-of-age or romance film; the difference is with this, this is a dramatic historic epic, not your usual genre that fits with the emotional attachment towards characters that we usually see.

In short, this film is utterly incredible and Scorsese is God.

Scorsese Ranked

It’s crazy really, the correlation between just how many war films there are and how little of them show the concentration camps and Jewish experience. Wars are obviously uncompromising and disturbing for all, even generations after, but there’s very little that show the emotion and reality of the slaughter of so many innocent people who had no choice in the matter. 6 million jews, that’s 2/3rds of the entire european population. To add to that - 500,000 gypsies, tens of thousands disabled children euthanised, million of Polish and Slovenians, 3 million soviet prisoners of war, political dissidents, LGBTQ+’s, and basically anyone that got in the way of the Nazi’s we’re persecuted. Dead. For what? 

Jessie Eisenberg really adds levels of understanding, urgency and distressing thought provocation to this film - entirely profound and essential. Way more needs to be shown, it’ll get lost in history otherwise, it clearly doesn’t need to be entirely dramatic or sad, a comedic slice of life will do. Anyway, Culkin is great too.

Food for thought.

I was just waiting for a weird dead guy to show up or something, but no, just a sweet old man facing his own mortality. Possibly more unsettling than his others, in an existentially hopefully sorta way.

No idea how Lynch and Disney not only managed to cooperate but actually make a film together, but what a lovely film it was.

I have seen god, and his name is Mike Mills.

I may have discovered my new favourite director.

I can’t help but adore the way Mike Mills tells a story - profound and unique to the very definition. Take Wes, Reichardt, Wenders and Jarmusch, you get the most beautiful stories ever told, you get Mike Mills. Tremendously delicate, awkwardly emotional, hilariously difficult. A tale of male sensitivity and identity revelation. I heavily struggle to describe the way films like this make me feel, it just gets under your skin but in a way that you’d never want it to leave. As raw as it is ticklish. Razor sharp character development unlike much else I have seen. Humans are so weird and wonderful - and complex. Not your usual navigation of life narrative, not a story about coming of age or a sexual awakening. Infact, it’s far more powerful than that. A story on grief, loss and waking up in your mid-thirties still not having a clue on who you really are, but it’s ever so gentle and it leads with love. Utterly beautiful work yet again from Mr Mills. 

“We didn't go to this war. We didn't have to hide to have sex. Our good fortune allowed us to feel a sadness that our parents didn't have time for and a happiness that I never saw with them.”

Wondering if you're happy is a great shortcut to just being depressed.

20th Century Women is a phenomenal Reichardt esc depiction of lives touched by love and equally freedom, just with a little more pizzaz . Hilarious in its raw and awkward encounters, existential dread within the romance. Beauty within the details of every word said. Vulnerability within the four walls of our minds, spirit and body. While this film is different from my own life, it feels like home. 

The deference between a house built on rules and generational hatred and a home built on love and free spirit, is entirely the same difference between the words house and home. A house may be solid and structured and unable to fall very easily, and a home may be more vulnerable and attractive, both can and must coexist. Without the structure then there’s no where for the love to thrive. Without the solid foundations then the hippy dippy may lead to delusion and danger. Mike Mills shows us, with such elegance, that it’ll all work out in the end, and if it hasn’t - it’s not the end yet.

All in all, this is a movie about reality and that we make our own. Nothing is inherently good or bad, sad or happy, it’s our view that contorts our vision on the experiences we share. If I was asked to recommend a film, on the meaning of life, it would be this one. To love one another so deeply that we lose all sense, to read good books, tell bad jokes, to wear comfy clothes, eat good food, smile more and cry more, yearn more and dream more but be happy where you stand. One step leads to another, always, so don’t forget to slow them down every once in a while. Make mistakes, learn from them and make another, and another. Share our lives, our homes and our trauma. There’s always enough room, and if there isn’t, you’re in the wrong one. That last line had me in tears.

It really is them damn phones.

“If I was a woodcutter, I'd cut. If I was a fire, I'd burn. But I'm a heart and I love. That's the only thing I can do.“

I’m not religious but I spend a preposterous amount of time pondering on life, faith and the meaning of it all. While I don’t personally believe in the traditional God portrayed in the likes of this, I do resonate with the idea of love leading the way and that the meaning of life is the unfortunate fact that it does indeed end - the finite nature makes it even more important in my eyes. Plenty of ideologies and teachings from Christianity do also play a big part in the sort of person I aspire to be, whether it’s intentional or not.

Bla bla bla.

Rating this one from an entirely technical standpoint, which I very rarely do. It’s a surprisingly easily watch for a fairly mundane booming runtime. Willem Dafoe definitely bumps it up a notch, certainly wouldn’t be as good without him. But when the likes of Silence exists from the same director, I can’t help wanting a little more.

Scorsese Ranked

Martin Scorsese, easily my favourite director.

Every great dramatic director has their one-off comedy that stands out from the rest of the filmography, often they don’t land. FFC and Jack. Ridley and A Good Year. Kubrick and Lolita - just to name a few. However, it’s not at all the same for Scorsese. Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore is completely unlike any Scorsese film I’ve ever seen but also seems to work perfectly well? I suppose the comedic aspects of his films are very rarely talked about, and should be. He has a pretty impressive track record of fantastic dramatic comedies.

It’s refreshing, it’s lovely, the opening sequence is sensational and the entire story is just superbly ordinary, yet enjoyable. Some great performances and stupid laugh out loud moments. Endearing, homely and heartwarming. The kid is also a little shit - worth mentioning.

Scorsese Ranked

This Peele’s best work, btw.

Who tf calls their kid Coriolanus

The Art of War.

Julius Caesar, Genghis Khan, Akira Kurosawa. Grace in the face of danger. Courage in the face of terror. And when that flag is raised…Nobility in the face of death. War has begun.

If you told me this was made in the 70’s i’d understand, but two decades prior? Absurd. By far one of the greatest motion pictures to have ever been devised. I adore Kurosawa but I love Toshiro Mifune even more. He delivers a performance transcendent beyond the means of any capable actor - a hilarious and haunting showman reminiscent of a Chaplin. 

There’s one thing that the greatest filmmakers have in common - the “til the death” level of commitment they have to their craft - and it really shows. From an ingeniously written script, characters and tactics alike, to them gorgeous droplets of immersive beauty spliced throughout. An all star cast. An insane set and props department. An incredible score. A perfect movie.

The strategist, kid, joker, assassin, muscle, brave and the rogue. A merry band of unfortunate misfits. War breeds itself, and the samurai, are cursed to a world in which survival is a kind of death. Bla bla bla, you’ve heard it all before, masterpiece.

“This is the nature of war: By protecting others, you save yourselves. If you only think of yourself, you'll only destroy yourself.”

The coolest damn movie to have ever been made.

Akira Kurosawa Ranked

Watched on Tuesday May 13, 2025.

As far as Ridley Scott films go - this is right up there with the very best. I simply cannot fathom why people dislike this so much, it’s not even good…it’s great. An erotic crime thriller starring the very best of Hollywood. A study on power, greed and a stoic that slowly transcends into emotional terror. It really flys by too. Yep, not much more to say, very bloody good.

Ridley Ranked

Well that was fucking bizarre.

Watched on Sunday May 11, 2025.

Well, well, well, it seems we have our first movie of the year contender.  I just know the academy are going to snub the shit out of this but all hail Ryan fucking Coogler.

Jordan plays his very best role yet and Hailee Steinfeld is just wow! Rich in culture, tense in terror - beautiful and transcendent to the top degree.

Unbelievable score. 
Unbelievable writing.
Unbelievable Picture.

Give me more.

Watched on Thursday May 8, 2025.

Florence Pugh - the BEST anyone has ever looked on screen??

Cried like a bitch. Nothing more to say than we’re so fucking back.

If you told me this was a Jack Quaid documentary I’d probably have believed you.

Yeah, as a freshly diagnosed Godzilla fanboy, this is fucking incredible.

No notes.

One of the best blockbusters of the 2010’s - his 10 minute screen time is literally perfect. I love Gareth Edwards.

Watched on Thursday May 1, 2025.

If I could see any film in Imax from the decade - it would be this every single time.

Could’ve been made better. Could’ve been written better. Could’ve been more fun. But my word it’s an intense and overwhelming ride. Incredibly sincere, powerful and emotional.

Not even amazing - just hit THAT spot.

Probably ableist.

Certainly fucking awesome.

Sillyyyyyy good

Spent the last two days sweating out Miles Morales on PS5 - this felt like a necessary watch.

So fucking cool.

This is so far up my street that it’s practically looking through my letterbox. If Godzilla was baptised in the fires of the H-Bomb then Ishirō Honda is the coolest priest to ever fucking live.

The heart, talent and intelligence poured into this is so abundantly clear and absurd in equal amounts. Seamless editing when cutting between miniature towns and life sized sets. Focusing more on the fear of the citizens and the terror that such an event would cause is a complete ode to the mastery of its writing - could have easily been an americanised monster flick, instead a profound commentary on nuclear war.

Quite frankly, this film is just fucking awesome. The practical effects and moral conflict make for both a visual and emotional spectical, a masterpiece infact. Far more emotional than expected - gut wrenching at times. And as soon as I saw Takashi Shimura, I was locked tf in, nothing short of a legend of the game. Perfect movie.

“I can't believe that Godzilla was the last of its species. If nuclear testing continues, then someday, somewhere in the world... another Godzilla may appear.”

In a year of 12 Angry Men, Paths of Glory and Throne of Blood - he got unlucky.

I must it tho, I bloody love Charles Chaplin.

A Technicolor Trance

Yes yes yes, it’s good. Infact, it’s pure gold. There’s really nothing quite as entertaining as this for the time, certainly nothing as bright and bold. The showcase of talent is just extraordinary. With the obvious exploitation of sound design, editing, set design and the fantastic dialogue - the directing duo seem to conjure up a hollywood storm. Kelly was like an all singing, all dancing, all bells ringing Chaplin of his day. An all round, true blooded entertainer. They just don’t make em like they use too!

Flowers must be given to Donald O’Conner as Cosmo, the best character to come out of the 50’s. Oh, and that handsome bastard Gene Kelly was alright too.

“A tramp, a gentleman, a poet, a dreamer, a lonely fellow, always hopeful of romance and adventure.”

Charlie Chaplin made 5 real talkies yet he is quite easily the best speaker to grace the silver screen.

It is utterly ridiculous just how excellent his written dialogue is. Could be the best to ever do it. Silent movie star is two for two in the greatest monologues ever written. A bleak and self-reflecting piece that seems completely out of place in his filmography. A fantastically melancholic and uplifting time nonetheless.

Delightful!

Shame that Robbie Williams is a grade A twat. 
Just wish this was Better, Man.

Masterful.

Ever stop to think about what made Chaplin the biggest name the world had ever seen? While his genius is often clear - the world needed comedy and the only way to tap into this was with the ever so natural talents Charlie clearly had when it came to physical gags. What really helped him though…what really made him a worldwide phenomenon…was the pure fact that the silent picture was a universal language. The talkies must’ve been badgering away at the back of his mind for years. How many adoring Tramp fans there were that didn’t even speak a word of his native tongue - daunting. In-fact, this film was his first to utilise sound, the studio were just terrified to taint his million pound image hence why he doesn’t say a word. Yes, the biggest face in cinema, the protagonist and director, doesn’t say a word. We later find out that, no matter the use of his words or actions, Chaplin was in-fact more an intellectual than a jester. A master of cinema.

A one-in-a-million mind!

Man i’m back in my Wes bag

I don’t think it’s crazy to suggest that Wes Anderson is simply one of our greatest living directors. I also don’t think it’s crazy to say that Asteroid City is the most disrespected film of the last 10 years. Both are true. This film tickles my brain in the most satisfying way possible. I can feel that 5 star lurking on the rewatch. 

No notes. Perfect.

A rotating list depending on the current Letterboxd Showdown prompt.

Current theme: Under-seen Queer Films

1. Certain Women
2. Queer
3. Love Lies Bleeding
4. Beginners
5. Mulholland Drive
6. I Saw the TV Glow
7. Y Tu Mamá También
8. Moonlight
9. Call Me by Your Name
10. The Favourite

5/5’s. Chronological Order.

• Bride of Frankenstein
• The Great Dictator
• It's a Wonderful Life
• Godzilla
• Dial M for Murder
• Seven Samurai
• Paths of Glory
• 12 Angry Men
• Vertigo
• Some Like It Hot

...plus 40 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

All pretty much interchangeable

1. Dial M for Murder
2. Vertigo
3. Psycho
4. Rope
5. Rear Window
6. North by Northwest
7. Strangers on a Train
8. Suspicion

1. GoodFellas
2. Killers of the Flower Moon
3. Taxi Driver
4. After Hours
5. Silence
6. The King of Comedy
7. The Irishman
8. Casino
9. The Color of Money
10. The Wolf of Wall Street

...plus 7 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Sinners
2. Mickey 17
3. Thunderbolts*
4. Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy
5. Black Bag
6. One of Them Days
7. Companion
8. Heart Eyes
9. The Gorge
10. Den of Thieves 2: Pantera

...plus 4 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Seven Samurai
2. Yojimbo
3. Dreams
4. Throne of Blood
5. Sanjuro
6. The Hidden Fortress
7. Rashomon
8. The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail

1. Alien
2. Alien: Covenant
3. Thelma & Louise
4. The Counselor
5. Kingdom of Heaven
6. Gladiator II
7. Blade Runner
8. Gladiator
9. American Gangster
10. The Martian

...plus 5 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Mostly Criterion.

• Dreams

  Criterion

• La Jetée

  Criterion

• Make Way for Tomorrow

  Criterion

• In the Mood for Love

  Criterion

• The Last Picture Show

  Criterion

• After Hours

  Criterion

• Thelma & Louise

  Criterion

• Beau Travail

  Criterion

• Sans Soleil

  Criterion

• Punch-Drunk Love

  Criterion

...plus 43 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Features only.

1. The Great Dictator
2. City Lights
3. Limelight
4. Modern Times
5. A King in New York

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey
2. Paths of Glory
3. The Shining
4. Barry Lyndon
5. Full Metal Jacket
6. The Killing
7. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
8. Spartacus

1. Some Like It Hot
2. The Apartment
3. Stalag 17
4. Double Indemnity
5. Sunset Boulevard
6. Sabrina
7. The Seven Year Itch
8. The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes
9. Avanti!

1. Dune: Part Two
2. Queer
3. Love Lies Bleeding
4. Sing Sing
5. Anora
6. Trap
7. I Saw the TV Glow
8. Nickel Boys
9. Girls Will Be Girls
10. A Real Pain

...plus 15 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Features only.

1. Fantastic Mr. Fox
2. Asteroid City
3. The Grand Budapest Hotel
4. The Darjeeling Limited
5. The French Dispatch
6. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
7. The Royal Tenenbaums
8. Moonrise Kingdom
9. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
10. Bottle Rocket

...plus 2 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Past Lives

   
   

2. Perfect Days
3. Killers of the Flower Moon

   
   

4. Asteroid City
5. Talk to Me
6. The Holdovers
7. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

   
   

8. Oppenheimer

   
   

9. Knock at the Cabin
10. Anatomy of a Fall

...plus 15 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Spirited Away
2. My Neighbor Totoro
3. Grave of the Fireflies
4. Howl's Moving Castle
5. Princess Mononoke
6. The Boy and the Heron
7. Castle in the Sky
8. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
9. Kiki's Delivery Service
10. The Cat Returns

...plus 1 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Memories of Murder
2. Parasite
3. Mother
4. Mickey 17
5. Snowpiercer
6. Okja
7. The Host
8. Barking Dogs Never Bite

1. Signs
2. Unbreakable
3. Trap
4. Knock at the Cabin
5. Old
6. Glass
7. The Sixth Sense
8. Split
9. After Earth
10. The Happening

...plus 1 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

1. Interstellar
2. Oppenheimer
3. The Prestige
4. Tenet
5. The Dark Knight
6. Dunkirk
7. Batman Begins
8. Inception
9. The Dark Knight Rises

1. Before Sunset
2. Before Sunrise
3. Dazed and Confused
4. Before Midnight
5. School of Rock
6. Everybody Wants Some!!
7. Where'd You Go, Bernadette
8. Hit Man
9. Last Flag Flying
10. Bernie