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Category Archives: Reviews
Not Fade Away (2012)
“When you’re singing the blues, the lyric line often starts “Woke Up This Morning”. Life just comes and fucks you right over, right?” – Pat, Not Fade Away “Woke Up This Morning, got yourself a gun” – Opening theme to The Sopranos … Continue reading
Posted in Reviews, Rewatch
Tagged Bella Heathcote, David Chase, Jack Huston, James Gandolfini, John Magaro
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The Game (1997)
The one Fincher flick everyone agrees is underrated, right? Every time I return to The Game I’m struck by the level of craft Fincher applies to an otherwise dopey idea. It’s not hard to imagine the various, sensational ways this … Continue reading
Posted in Reviews, Rewatch
Tagged 1997, David Fincher, Deborah Kara Unger, Harris Savides, Michael Douglas, Sean Penn
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The Gate (1987)
While clearly forged in the age of Spielberg and Dante, The Gate is easily one of the better attempts at achieving that ghoulish tone. From the evocative opening dream sequence – young Stephen Dorff wakes to find his house ransacked … Continue reading
Mom and Dad (2018)
Being that this is directed by one half of the Neveldine/Taylor dynamic duo, it’s not surprising to find that Mom and Dadfeels like a Neveldine/Taylor sensory attack, just one that lands only half the damage. It’s fine though! The film’s primary … Continue reading
Spider-Man (2002)
Revisiting Spider-Man in a post-MCU headspace is quite the trip. This is what a cutting edge superhero blockbuster looked and sounded like in 2002. I was eleven years old when I first saw Raimi’s movie in the cinema and I … Continue reading
Posted in Reviews, Rewatch
Tagged 2002, Cliff Robertson, james franco, Kirsten Dunst, Rosemary Harris, Sam Raimi, Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe
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Desert Hearts (1985)
A film with a heartbeat that both aches and flutters, Desert Hearts is a quiet and contemplative love story that lets itself get lost in evening conversations and loaded silences. Directed by Donna Deitch and beautifully shot by Robert Elswitt … Continue reading
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
I suppose the biggest compliment I can lay on a lot of these recent Marvel movies is that by the time the home video release comes around, I find myself giddily anticipating a rewatch. My eagerness to take Thor: Ragnarokfor … Continue reading
Posted in Reviews, Rewatch
Tagged 2017, Anthony Hopkins, cate blanchett, Chris Hemsworth, Jeff Goldblum, Karl Urban, Mark Ruffalo, Taika Waititi, Tessa Thompson, Tom Hiddleston
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Predestination (2014)
Predestination is one of the great “guy walks into a bar” movies. If it jettisoned its opening ten minutes and began simply with that – a guy walking into a bar – I imagine the extreme turns it takes henceforth … Continue reading
Lord of the Flies (1963)
Peter Brook’s evocative adaptation of William Golding’s seminal Lord of the Fliesgains of a lot of agency simply from the casting of age-appropriate kids in the main roles. It’s one thing to read the words but to actually see a … Continue reading
The Conjuring (2013)
I keep returning to The Conjuring every few years not because it scares the shit out of me – it doesn’t – but because Wan clearly aspires to a certain level of craft and calibre within the genre and pours … Continue reading
Posted in Reviews, Rewatch
Tagged 2013, james wan, Lili Taylor, patrick wilson, Ron Livingston, Vera Farmiga
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"This Film Should Be Played Loud" 