Favorite films

Recent reviews

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  Fay Grim 2006

  ★★★ Watched 01 Mar 2025 7

  I had never seen a Hal Hartley film until now. For those unaware, Hartley is a cult filmmaker, mostly known for making offbeat independents in the 1990s. After watching his most famous work the other day ('Henry Fool'), it was clear to me that Hartley's oeuvre was going to be an acquired taste; the kind of films that might appeal to high-minded film students as equally as they do to the pontificating potheads of the world (and I used to…

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  Next 2007

  ★★½ Rewatched 14 Feb 2025 2

  Sometimes you just need to watch some glorious trash.

  Nicolas Cage was heading towards the start of his long career nadir here, although not quite at the precipice yet. He was still starring in films with A-list co-stars and decent budgets that could nab theatrical releases. 'Next' was, ironically, one of his last big screen adventures before he was sucked down into the quicksand of the VOD underworld. 'Next' is total bunkum, of course, but it is far slicker than…

Popular reviews

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  Derek DelGaudio's In & of Itself 2020

  ★★ Watched 27 Jan 2021 45

  The mini-phenomenon of Hulu's 'In & Of Itself' worries me. It is all too easy to find yourself misdirected by Derek DelGaudio's self-help sentiment yet overlook the scam artist bullshit beneath it all. 

  I initially rated this performance piece at three stars because I felt like it was a fairly engaging (if a little over-melodramatic) filmed performance of an Off-Broadway hit show that sees a magician emotionally connect with his audience in a way that other performers can only dream of…

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  Sphere 1998

  ★★★★ Rewatched 10 Jan 2020 20

  I'd like to make the case for 'Sphere'. 

  The film has somewhat of a poor reputation. It suffered from numerous problems throughout its production including a jumble of script revisions; budgetary handwringing that setback the shooting process; and some obligatory reshoots. And it still went onto become a commercial and critical failure. It never found cult status with future audiences and has largely been forgotten in the years since, which is a real shame because I think 'Sphere' is one…