Watched in 2017

Watched in 2017

  1. Dec 31 - Under the Skin
    Horrifying and Mesmerising.
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  2. Dec 31 - Lawman
    Bleak and rather good.
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  3. Dec 29 - The Big Heat
    Hard-boiled. Even the dopey civilians, who were all packing. Gloria Grahame was great.
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  4. Dec 29 - The Wolverine
    Logan sure does carry a lot of films.
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  5. Dec 27 - The Seven Five
    Racketeer, Drug Dealer, Burglar, Dirty Cop, but no Rat. So that's ok then.
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  6. Dec 25 - Toy Story 3
    So enjoyable.
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  7. Dec 24 - Unforgiven
    Worth watching again.
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  8. Dec 20 - Zero Days
    Interesting
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  9. Dec 19 - Saturn 3
    This is tricky. 4 starts for the fun I had watching it, 1 star for the quality. The kind of film to get your mates round, drink and watch. Plenty of fun to be had.
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  10. Dec 18 - Only God Forgives
    Tarantino meets Malick with a dash of Lynch.
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  11. Dec 17 - Lion
    Great looking, right side of saccharine.
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  12. Dec 17 - Mirror
    Enjoyed the quiet bits the best. Entrancing shots, but the reflections and poetry left me a bit cold.
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  13. Dec 14 - The Happy Film
    Engaging
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  14. Dec 12 - El Topo
    Read the wikipedia page, save yourself some time. Totally bizarre, terrible sound - the occasional laugh out loud moment. I don't think I'm equipped to handle so much symbolism.
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  15. Dec 11 - Red River
    Slightly lame ending.
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  16. Dec 10 - True Romance
    On paper, there was a lot to like, on film it was a mess, with moments.
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  17. Dec 9 - Oldboy
    Pretty amazing, bittersweet visceral journey.
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  18. Dec 9 - Spellbound
    Rather good.
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  19. Dec 3 - In a Lonely Place
    Tight.
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  20. Nov 29 - The Eiger Sanction
    Far odder than I remembered. Patchy.
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  21. Nov 28 - Cachē
    Those long still shots.
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  22. Nov 27 - Winter’s Bone
    Gritty.
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  23. Nov 26 - Fury
    War films have a lot of tropes - this navigated them well.
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  24. Nov 26 - Heart of Glass
    Like a Medieval Twin Peaks episode - lots of great imagery, and gnomic statements.
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  25. Nov 25 - The Man Who Wasn't There
    Turns out Noir is kind of soothing.
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  26. Nov 25 - Berberian Sound Studio
    Wonderful soundscapes. Sinister. And Italian sounds great.
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  27. Nov 19 - This Sporting Life
    Big presence and performances in a gritty drama.
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  28. Nov 18 - We Own the Night
    Solid story with proper actors.
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  29. Nov 18 - The Dance of Reality
    Operatic. Rather strange. Intriguing more than enjoyable.
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  30. Nov 16 - Dark Horse
    Lovely story put together with real flair.
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  31. Nov 12 - Crazy Heart
    Simple story, made convincing with great actors.
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  32. Nov 12 - War Horse
    Schmaltzy Sunday afternoon fare.
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  33. Nov 12 - Crack in the World
    Pretty ropey - but who doesn't like an underground science lair.
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  34. Nov 11 - Holy Motors
    way out in front for most baffling film of the year. Wierdly enjoyable.
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  35. Nov 11 - Southpaw
    Usual boxing tropes. Unsubtle signposting with music throughout.
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  36. Nov 8 - Eyes of Laura Mars
    There really was lots of everything in the seventies. Hair, smoking, rubbish, lingerie, and drama.
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  37. Nov 6 - The Vietnam War
    Essential viewing
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  38. Nov 4 - Sightseers
    Had it's moments, ran out of steam a little and then picked up.
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  39. Nov 4 - Conspirators of Pleasure
    Bonkers.
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  40. Nov 2 - The Conversation
    Outstanding
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  41. Oct 28 - Foxcatcher
    Pretty gripping, and it never felt like it was going to end well.
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  42. Oct 28 - Black Narcissus
    Visually remarkable, lots of intense, significant looks in a full on melodrama.
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  43. Oct 25 - Ratcatcher
    A poetic journey through the wringer. Gotta watch it.
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  44. Oct 23 - Billion Dollar Brain
    Favourite bits were Michael Caine and the sixties computers, the rest was a bit too mental.
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  45. Oct 23 - Blade Runner 2049
    I liked the pace and plot. Slicked back hair is evidently the sign of baddie now. Lost points for the sound - ran out of ideas and used generic too loud rumbles - crap.
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  46. Oct 22 - T2 Trainspotting
    Glad that it was good. Nearly overdid the montages, but saved it.
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  47. Oct 21 - Alien: Covenant
    The more I see the xenomorph the less interesting it is. Fassbender is great as usual.
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  48. Oct 21 - Unbroken
    By the numbers bio-pic.
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  49. Oct 19 - Shame
    Beautifully composed and subtly told. Loved the pacing.
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  50. Oct 17 - Jon Wick:Chapter 2
    Started annoyingly silly, got amusingly ridiculous, then a bit boring and then engagingly stupid again.
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  51. Oct 15 - Snowden
    Standard bio pic, never quite sure what isreal or extra drama. Laid on thick at the end.
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  52. Oct 12 - Wuthering Heights
    Pretty gruelling. Stylistically as well as emotionally. Certainly memorable.
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  53. Oct 8 - Suicide Squad
    Some good characters, some crap, some good actors, some crap, some good action, some crap, some good dialog some crap. everyone got a bit of stink on them.
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  54. Oct 7 - Baby Driver
    Is it possible to have too much music? Might be.
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  55. Oct 7 - The Master
    A great looking exploration of a lost character and someone who claims he can help.
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  56. Oct 5 - Persepolis
    Such subtle animation and strong story make a great package.
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  57. Oct 3 - Wonder Woman
    What a superhero movies should be all about - bit cheesy, but with cool action scenes. So good for being different.
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  58. Oct 1 - Shadows
    Manic and staccato energy to the whole thing, interesting but not exactly satisfying.
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  59. Oct 1 - Lifeboat
    Interesting bit of not too subtle propaganda which overdid it a bit at the end.
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  60. Sep 30 - Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
    I wished the jokes were as funny as the writers thought they were. And the plot was pretty thin. Apart from that, was ok.
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  61. Sep 27 - Moana
    Winning combination of cheesy and trippy bundled up in brilliant animation
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  62. Sep 26 - The Handmaid's Tale
    Felt longer. I guess the money spent on Faye Dunaway and Robert Duvall meant they couldn't stretch to a decent script.
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  63. Sep 24 - Control
    Monochrome and monotone - Samantha Morton had depth - more than the script. Maybe cos I was unsure about watching it in the first place it felt off.
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  64. Sep 20 - Helvetica
    Broader than the title suggests, both a strength and a weakness.
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  65. Sep 19 - Killer Nun
    Loopy, trippy and a bit nasty. Bit like the 70s.
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  66. Sep 16 - The Beckoning Silence
    Eloquent explanation of why people climb mountains.
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  67. Sep 16 - Nostalgia
    I'm not clever enough to work what the hell is going on, but I am patient enough to let it all unfold in front of me, and open enough to be intrigued.
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  68. Sep 10 - A Woman under the Influence
    Compelling but uncomfortable viewing. Everyone seemed on the edge at sometime. Manic.
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  69. Aug 28 - Shell
    Claustraphobic in wide open space. Tense.
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  70. Aug 16 - The Odessa File
    Bit broad strokes at times, but decent enough.
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  71. Aug 11 - The League of Gentlemen’s Apocalypse
    Satisfyingly Mental
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  72. Aug 9 - John Wick
    Above average for a modern action film - which isn't saying much.Kinda fun signature 'shoot 'em up close' move. Special mention for a truly awful song in the soundtrack.
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  73. Jul 29 - War Machine
    One of those films where if you've seen the trailer, you seen most of the best bits. Extra star for Tilda Swinton.
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  74. Jul 29 - Ivan's Childhood
    Beautifully composed and strangely domestic feel for a war film. I guess it isn't really a war film.
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  75. Jul 27 - Hidden Figures
    Really enjoyable, but couldn't shake the feeling that things should be a lot further on than they are.
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  76. Jul 25 - Legend
    Tom Hardy was interesting as always, but was mostly bored and sometimes irritated.
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  77. Jul 22 - Monsters
    Not a lot happens, but interesting nonetheless. Funnily, not a monsters film.
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  78. Jul 16 - City of God
    Fast paced, snappy and stylish, which didn't wholly seem right considering the depressing subject. In the end was kinda ok about it, but a bit ambivalent
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  79. Jul 3 - Field of Dreams
    Just about the right side of schmaltz. Endearingly strange.
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  80. Jul 3 - Red Army
    Interesting story competently told, but couldn't help feeling there was more that the filmmaker didn't manage to get
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  81. Jul 3 - Of Horses and Men
    Like the previous Icelandic film I watched - 'Rams' , this had moments of great comedy and tragedy. Whole thing was lovely.
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  82. Jun 27 - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
    Elizabeth: The Golden Age
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  83. Jun 26 - Babel
    Trilogy of tragedies. Exhausting at times because of the tension, but beautifully put together.
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  84. Jun 25 - The Infiltrator
    Plenty of the usual undercover tropes, but expertly handled.
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  85. Jun 25 - Hacksaw Ridge
    A feel good good war movie seems an oymoron. It was good apart from the fetishised slo-motion that seems ubiquitous in war movies these days.
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  86. Jun 24 - A Matter of Life and Death
    Super saturated colour, melodramatic performances and weird ideas - pretty tidy.
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  87. Jun 22 - Colossal
    Liked the premise and while it wasn't super subtle it had a bit of depth.
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  88. Jun 19 - Logan
    Good old Wolverine, growling, slashing and stabbing. A Hero to us all.
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  89. Jun 18 - Blind
    Occasionally baffling, but intriguingly funny too.
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  90. Jun 14 - The Nice Guys
    Knockabout caper. I liked it.
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  91. Jun 4 - Out of the Past
    Stands up very well, such a cool, laconic gumshoe.
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  92. Jun 1 - Blood Simple
    Lovely slow burn to a great climactic ending.
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  93. May 29 - I Heart Huckabees
    Pretty wacky, and had potential to be annoying, but turned out to be great fun.
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  94. May 27 - The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call – New Orleans
    Speciality Nic Cage - charismatic unhinged spiral.
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  95. May 22 - Morven Callar
    Well that was good. Great mixing of visuals with focus and composition and audio. Once I let it wash over me it was great.
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  96. May 15 - Elizabeth
    Intrigue, plotting with ruffs galore.Bit hammy at times, but that's ok.
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  97. May 13 - McCabe & Mrs. Miller
    Gritty yet domestic take on the Western genre. Interesting.
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  98. May 13 - The Wind Rises
    Impressive animation, decent enough simple story, dragged a bit in the final third.
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  99. May 7 - Philomena
    Deftly done.
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  100. May 6 - The Accountant
    Patchy. Strong action, bit lame on the inner angst, and mixed on the plot twists. Decent fun, if a bit long.
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  101. May 6 - Sink the Bismarck!
    Steady as she goes - probably last of the Germans = Bad, British = Good type war films.
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  102. May 4 - Near Dark
    The baddies were the best thing about it. Honourable mention for music
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  103. May 2 - The Insider
    Restless camera, pretty intrusive music, not necessarily bad things, not quite doing it for me.
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  104. Apr 30 - Brother
    You'd think that people who's trade is killing would be harder to kill. All in giant 90s suits. Is nihilistic Zen a thing?
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  105. Apr 29 - High Rise
    Started well, but got gradually less interesting. Reached peak montage about two thirds of the way in.
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  106. Apr 28 - Black Swan
    Wasn't sure what to expect - it was a corker. Melodramatic in the very best way.
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  107. Apr 27 - The New World
    Lyrical. What cleverer people than me have called his films. There's certainly some kind of elemental feeling I can't pin down, and I end up soaking in all in.
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  108. Apr 26 - Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
    Jolly good fun, once it'd built up some steam.
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  109. Apr 25 - Stroszek
    We are all dancing animals. Warm, funny and tragic. Wasn't sure what to expect and put me in the mood straight away.
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  110. Apr 24 - Before Sunrise
    Mild irritation, building to annoyance. Couldn't stick it out. 1.5 stars for looking ok in bits.
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  111. Apr 22 - A Most Violent Year
    Gripping intrigue in the 1980s New York heating oil business. No really, it was excellent.
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  112. Apr 22 - The Lady in the Van
    Tender tale about guilt, faith and loss - which was more enjoyable than I've make it sound.
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  113. Apr 20 - Bad Lieutenant
    Better than I remembered. How to make you care about a Bad man? get Harvey to act the shit out of it.
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  114. Apr 18 - The Verdict
    Rock solid courtroom drama, elevated by ol'blue eyes.
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  115. Apr 13 - Doctor Strange
    Trippy, spectacular fun.
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  116. Apr 12 - The Terminator
    Stands up well and rattles along.
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  117. Apr 10 - St. Vincent
    Actors I like, doing their best with a pretty sentimental by the numbers effort.
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  118. Apr 1 - The Girl with all the Gifts
    Solid all round. Just right amount of action and apocalyptic pondering.
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  119. Apr 1 - Cries and Whispers
    Cold, hard and distant looks abound. Claustrophobic atmosphere filled with mostly isolated and cruel people.
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  120. Mar 29 - Five Easy Pieces
    Jack Nicholson effortlessly tormented, restless and charismatic.
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  121. Mar 25 - Prisoners
    Nice twists and tension - So many thrillers aren't thrilling. This was certainly tense and very good.
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  122. Mar 21 - The Night of the Hunter
    Great lighting making a great looking film with a superb Robert Mitchum, but a weird ending.
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  123. Mar 15 - The Second Mother
    Good to get away from big concept, tricksy set piece films. Warm and real.
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  124. Mar 14 - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
    Chock full of beautifully composed scenes, with terrific performances all round and neither maudlin or uplifting - much more than that.
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  125. Mar 12 - Thank You for Smoking
    Good actors, but strangely flat - not enough bite for a satire.
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  126. Mar 8 - They Might Be Giants
    Top marks for oddness. Strangely engaging for such a knockabout and whimsical thing.
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  127. Mar 5 - Secretary
    Fan of Maggie Gyllenhaal and more so after this. A lesser actor could have cocked it up.
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  128. Mar 4 - The Searchers
    Some dodgy politics, but epic and with unexpected funny bits.
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  129. Mar 4 - Crossfire
    Classy, if a little blunt in it's message. A message that 70 years later is sadly all too relevant.
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  130. Mar 3 - Sausage Party
    Funny moments - not enough to relieve the increasing boredom.
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  131. Mar 2 - Breathless
    Apparently it was revolutionary. Didn't like or care about the characters.
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  132. Feb 28 - Lord of War
    Watchable, if perhaps a little jolly for what is at heart a pretty depressing trade.
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  133. Feb 27 - Adaption.
    Keeps turning inside out, but not self-consciously - in an interesting and engaging way.
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  134. Feb 27 - Apocalypto
    A non urban action film without crappy dialogue.
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  135. Feb 27 - Hoosiers
    Montage-tastic, with a healthy dose of eighties drums. Cheesy and enjoyable.
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  136. Feb 26 - A Most Wanted Man
    Low-key and tense with lots of good preformances from a big name cast.
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  137. Feb 22 - Elysium
    Gritty, interesting start, gradually tapering off to generic. Strangely flat performance from usually great Jodie Foster.
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  138. Feb 21 - Chicago
    Apparently, I like musicals now.
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  139. Feb 20 - The Ipcress File
    Visually interesting throughout, sharp and cool - Michael Caine at his best. "My name is HARRY PALMER"
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  140. Feb 18 - The Enemy Below
    Some really clunky philosophical dialogue, but then plenty of the usual submarine tropes are well done.
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  141. Feb 12 - Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter
    Beguiling, sad, and weirdly uplifting.
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  142. Feb 7 - Arrival
    Nicely done throughout. Nice reveal/twist.
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  143. Feb 6 - Amy
    Seemed fair. and so sad.
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  144. Feb 5 - Milk
    Pretty good and engaging performance by Sean Penn.
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  145. Feb 5 - Moneyball
    In a stats mood at the mo, so watching this again.
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  146. Feb 4 - Youth
    Couldn't tell you why I liked it, but thoroughly enjoyed it
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  147. Feb 2 - Ten Metre Tower
    Simple Idea. Great Fun
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  148. Feb 1 - The Program
    Comically huge jumps in the story, and tendency to being cartoonish.
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  149. Jan 30 - Nightcrawler
    Fantastic portrayal of a coolly ruthless character.
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  150. Jan 29 - A Bigger Splash
    Thoughtful character piece with a dramatic twist. Nicely done all round.
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  151. Jan 28 - Dallas buyers club
    Star performances, maybe a bit too front and centre, for my taste - but still good.
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  152. Jan 25 - Only lovers left alive
    Languid and cool with great music and a beautiful angle.
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  153. Jan 24 - Another Earth
    Claustrophobic, tense, atmospheric and strangely compelling.
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  154. Jan 23 - Blue Jasmine
    Rare treat of caring about all the characters, so well written and acted.
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  155. Jan 22 - Trumbo
    Little ponderous at times, amused that Helen Mirren obviously gave up on the accent, enough there to keep me interested.
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  156. Jan 21 - Eye in the Sky
    Superbly tense throughout and through-provoking. Proper thriller.
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  157. Jan 21 - Horns
    Started well, was fun and different, got gradually more clunky.
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  158. Jan 17 - Coach Carter
    Plenty of the usual sports cliches, elevated by Samuel L Jackson and a slightly unconventional angle.
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  159. Jan 16 - Bull Durham
    Sports films need chemistry, as the formula is often the same. This one had it
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  160. Jan 15 - The Wicker Man
    Bit Groovy, bit trippy, bit funny, bit creepy. Wish I'd seen it years ago.
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  161. Jan 14 - The Thin Red Line
    Entrancing visuals and strong performances in an unconventional war movie.
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  162. Jan 14 - Eyes Without a Face
    Very odd with strangely stylish bits - it is French after all.
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  163. Jan 12 - The Hospital
    Manic seventies black comedy.
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  164. Jan 8 - Out of Sight
    Enjoyable enough - thing about being cool, it's not cool to be cool. This was abit too cool.
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  165. Jan 7 - 10 Cloverfield Lane
    Decent bit of suspense. End felt a bit superfluous.
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  166. Jan 7 - Ace in the Hole
    Kirk Douglas centre stage - where he likes to be, but good parable relevant as now as ever.
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  167. Jan 7 - Terms of Endearment
    Proper, interesting characters, superbly acted.
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  168. Jan 5 - Amadeus
    Impressive Oscar fair, but didn't really do it for me.
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  169. Jan 4 - Rosemary's Baby
    Hail Adrian! Cracking film - loved the way it took it's time.
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  170. Jan 2 - Rams
    Don't need much to make an affecting film. Very sad.
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Watched in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022