Favorite films

Pinned reviews

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  Anora 2024

  ★★★★ Watched 01 Nov 2024

  Even when he’s doing fairytales, Sean Baker’s films overflow with realness.

  We know he’s interested in perspectives from the fringes and draws on primary sources for authenticity in his characters. There are moments where these characters mingle with the public, resulting in one-time windows to capture candid interactions. Shooting on location under natural light strips settings of any glamorous sheen or pretence. Every aspect of his films is permeated with this verisimilitude* and it really works.

  Anora is more fantastical…

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  Inside Llewyn Davis 2013

  ★★★★ Rewatched 24 Jan 2025

  This is Oh Brother's more melancholic, contemplative cousin. Both Odysseys about hapless musicians encountering curious characters on their respective travels - the difference is in the outlook of the protagonists.

  It worked out for those Soggy Bottom Boys by going with flow, dealing with their immediate circumstances and riding their good fortune in pursuit of a simple goal. They have some talent, but all the luck.

  Llewyn Davis is the opposite - his talent is undeniable, but the countering pulls…

Recent reviews

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  Primer 2004

  ★★½ Watched 18 Mar 2025

  Futile to try and fathom this one on the first go around. I know I'm supposed to keep my eyes on the ties, but anything more than that is gonna take a few more passes.

  Which I'm not soon inclined to do, to be quite honest.

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  Mickey 17 2025

  ★★ Watched 14 Mar 2025

  Disappointing when something so anticipated falls so short.

  Too many disparate themes and plotlines for such a bad script to keep wrangled together. As a result it takes ages to kick into gear and never gets fully up to speed.

  The side effect of any clunky script is pulling the spotlight toward bad performances like a tractor beam, and Mickey 17 has more than its fair share of these. Mark Ruffalo's (surely) Trump-inspired turn and Toni Collette's "sauce" schtick soon…

Popular reviews

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  The Substance 2024

  ★★★½ Watched 22 Sep 2024 4

  My one complaint is that this film is too subtle /s.

  I’m no expert in this genre, but from the opening sequence I thought this looked like live-action comic book panels. The dialogue is speech-bubble sparse and a lot of information is visually communicated through bold colours, protagonists POVs, close ups of objects in unnatural positions and conspicuous visual metaphor. Your eyes might roll at the obviousness of everything here, but if you treat it like a comic or a…

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  Kneecap 2024

  ★★★½ Watched 06 Aug 2024

  Let's get the easy stuff out of the way first.

  Kneecap is superficially quite fun, especially if your lad tolerance is high. Trainspotting and Lock, Stock are clear influences - a chase to a recognisable soundtrack and a drug-fuelled bonding montage reminded me of both respectively. The playful graphics interspersed throughout the film are fun (although the novelty did wear off by the end). If you can tolerate all that then you'll probably enjoy yourself.

  Now the hard part.

  This…