Favorite films

Recent reviews

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  All the King's Men 1949

  ★★★½ Watched 15 Mar 2025

  The best-picture winning film bears a strong message which holds greater significance in this day and age that it likely did in its own time. Depicting the emergence of a grass-roots politician to Governor of Louisiana, this story - dramatised from true events - is a warning for those that seek power without restraint, who are not willing to respect the measure of the law, and use tactful manipulation for their own gains - regardless of the good they may…

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  Heartbreak Ridge 1986

  ★★★½ Watched 12 Dec 2022

  This is a film born for Clint Eastwood to take command - as such, both in direction and protagonist this film is very much about him and his ability to lead. Eastwood's film-making bears a strong American flavour, but of a traditional sort that bears some familiarity to a nobler time that may somewhat sensationalise their dichotomous culture. That however, should not take away from his work, which is usually a good watch - Heartbreak Ridge is best enjoyed on a Saturday night when you still have enough energy to be engaged with his work.

Popular reviews

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  The Old Man and the Sea 1999

  ★★★★★ Watched 26 Apr 2024 1

  Aleksandr Petrov’s animated masterpiece is breath-taking - an ethereal dream state in which one can let the mind slip into a gliding freedom. With over 29,000 individual paintings on glass by Petrov and his son to create the frames for this movie, one has little doubt that the scale of time involved in this technique is unfathomable, unmatched, and utterly deserving of all accolades including best animated short film at the Academy Awards.

  This piece is entirely about the artwork.…

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  Lilo & Stitch 2002

  ★★★★ Rewatched 03 Nov 2021

  Following the tale of a quirky alien experiment named Stitch crash-landing on Hawaii, young girl Lilo befriends the alien and as a pair, they grow to be one of those duos that every 2000s kid looks on with fondness. In that cool period where Disney was experimenting with CGI within the traditional animation realm, the visuals of the film remain easily rewatchable.

  I thought that the dynamic of Lilo and her sister Nani was the heart of the film. Whilst…