Letterboxd — Your life in film

Another Tarantino classic. Subversive, hyper-violent and impeccably performed. I would go on but I'm saving the bulk my praise for something more extensive.

The Dark Knight is the neater, thematically/politically richer film but I take my hat off to Nolan for crafting a modern day cinematic epic from a Batman franchise. Inferior to TDK, superior to BB, the dense plotting, vast scope and emotional heft are enough to guarantee rewarding repeat viewings.

EDIT: Dropped down a star in hindsight. The lack of thematic consistency is really going to harm it in the long term.

Nicolas Winding Refn makes a movie with the minimalist cool of Walter Hill, the existentialism of Jean Pierre Melville and the neo-noir atmosphere of early Michael Mann. A modern masterpiece.

In many ways Skyfall is the true Bond reboot, not Casino Royale. While Craig's first Bond adventure made many concessions to find a place for itself in a post-Bourne market, Skyfall embraces its legacy completely. It manages to take the classic Bond formula and make it feel fresh & relevant for modern times without actually changing much - just augmenting it with a bit of grit and emotional gravity, but not at the expense of being utterly entertaining - this is a difficult balancing act that Mendes and company made seem effortless.

The best blockbuster of the year by far.

Smart, thrilling piece of adult genre cinema that is equal parts concept-driven and character-driven. Each iteration of Joe is a character of such moral complexity, they could drive an entire film on their own. Rian Johnson has stepped up in a big way, this is the sort of blockbuster calling card that Ridley Scott or Christopher Nolan once made. If you let this movie fail, you don't get the right to complain when Hollywood churns out its next Battleship.

A superhero reaction to 9/11 and the War on Terror that manages to tackle these big themes without compromising. In this homogenized genre, only Christopher Nolan is ambitious enough to even try such a thing, let alone succeed.

Chrisotpher Nolan coalesces every idea and theme he has ever toyed with into this, what may be his definitive masterpiece.

This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.

Charming and emotionally engaging in a way that seems more accessible than other Wes Anderson films but still defiantly Wes Anderson in style and content. His best (live-action) film since Tenenbaums.

A methodical but thrilling procedural of equal to All The President's Men or Zodiac. A morally complex, politically unbiased interpretation of the last ten years of modern history. Jessica Chastain is phenomenal as Maya, a character defined by her actions and not her background, which is a refreshingly minimalist approach to characterisation in the vein of Walter Hill. One of the most important films of our age. It may take a hammering from critics and pundits with ulterior motives but this film is probably too good for most audience members.

Might be my favourite Marvel movie so far, certainly the most complete Iron Man movie yet (having a complete script certainly helps). More thoughts as they come to me...

It's not MY Spider-Man, there have been some pretty fundamental changes to his personality, but as a modern reinvention it absolutely works. The half- hearted villain story and dropped parents sub-plot don't crack the rock solid foundations for a new, potentially superior franchise.