Favorite films

Recent reviews

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  Port of Shadows 1938

  ★★★★½ Watched 21 Mar 2025 1

  A beautiful and tragic story about lives intersecting in a small port city in France. Set in and filmed the year before WW2 broke out in Western Europe. 

  When I’m not trying to put current events out of my mind, stories like this can be a reminder that even in times of deepest despair we still retain our humanity. 

  There are some absolutely striking visuals in this as well. I loved the shot of Jean and the hobo guy walking through the fog to Panama’s in particular. Great use of lighting and shadow throughout.

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  Fist of Fury 1972

  ★★★½ Watched 19 Mar 2025 1

  The only version I could find on streaming has an English-dubbed audio track.  Would have liked to watch with the original audio but honestly, this would probably still break 3 stars if I watched it on mute. Amazing choreography.

Popular reviews

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  Murder on the Orient Express 1974

  ★★★★½ Watched 15 Mar 2025 1

  I really enjoyed Lumet’s approach to this. The scenes are cleverly framed, and the long takes really give actors a chance to shine.  You could easily see this being performed as a play, but the use of camera to subtly reveal more of the story adds a great dynamic that makes it more interesting as a film. Also I love that the viewer is given all the clues that Peroit gets, so weirdos like me can try to piece it all together with him in real time.

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  The Wiz 1978

  ★★★½ Watched 10 Mar 2025

  Loved the music and performances.  If there was a weak link, it was probably Lumet. He’s a legendary director, and creator of some of my favorite films, but this was missing the polished execution that Barry Gordy’s Motown was known for.

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